Nightwatching is a pulse-pounding thriller that explores the depths a mother will go to protect her children when faced with an unimaginable threat. The author skillfully weaves a tale of suspense and terror that had me hooked from the first page.

The plot unfolds in the chilling setting of a blizzard, where a mother finds herself alone with her children when an intruder breaks into their home. The tension builds steadily as the author expertly crafts an atmosphere of fear and claustrophobia. The use of an old house during a storm adds to the suspense, with each creak and groan amplifying the sense of impending danger.

The characters are incredibly well-drawn, and the mother's struggle to keep her children safe is palpable. The author takes us on a roller coaster of emotions, from heart-pounding fear to moments of sheer relief, all while keeping the mystery of the intruder's identity shrouded in shadows. The twists and turns in the narrative are executed with finesse, keeping the reader guessing until the very end.

What sets this thriller apart is its ability to create a genuinely creepy and atmospheric experience. The tiny, secret room becomes a symbol of hope and desperation, and the reader can almost feel the oppressive darkness that surrounds the characters. The author's descriptive prowess brings the scenes to life, making it easy to visualize the tense moments as they unfold.

I raced through this thriller devouring it as fast as I could. The author drops you right into the action from the very first sentence. My heart was pounding, my pulse was racing and I was furiously turning pages to see what would happen next. Is the narrator reliable? I’m rooting for her and I want to believe her. Can we believe what she’s saying? Will the police? What really happened? Where is her husband? I absolutely loved this one! It was so eerie and atmospheric. A winter storm, middle of the night, alone with your children and suddenly a home invasion. You hide with your children and when you get a glimpse of the intruder you recognize him and everything gets that much worse. Love love loved it!

Let me start by saying that this is not one that you should read alone at night. My husband is deployed and we have two children… I started reading this one night and had to wait until daylight to continue! It was just far too relatable to my current life. This was a great, fast paced and spooky thriller, some parts a bit repetitive but over all I really enjoyed it! The suspense was top notch, I could feel the mothers anxiety and she is trying to keep her children quiet and hidden from the intruder.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

This book was very well written and had a great plot. It hooked me right from the beginning but became repetitive in some spots but it still held my interest. Thie flashbacks confused me at times. I don’t think anyone had a name throughout the book except “Corner” which I found very frustrating and made it difficult to relate to the characters. Overall it was a good read and a good debut! Thank you to NetGalley, Tracy Sierra and Penguin Group Viking for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh wow. Let me start off by saying this is NOT a book you should read if you’re alone at night, in the best way possible!
Truthfully, I’m a little stuck on how to rate this one. There were so many aspects of the book that kept me interested and wanting more (well-paced story, interesting plot line, a high level of suspense, and underlying messages about gender biases). And then there were some aspects I didn’t love as much (third person limited POV, the characters didn’t have names (?!), some aspects of horror which I’m personally not the biggest fan of, and a slow start).
But overall, this is a fantastic debut novel that I will definitely be recommending to my suspense/thriller/horror book lovers!

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an arc in exchange for my honest review.

What a thill ride! This one had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time- my worst nightmare come to life! Loved that we learned so much about the main character while not deterring from the thriller aspect of the story. Highly recommend if you want to be spooked.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I read this book in two nights. It was so good, so scary, I couldn't put it down I had to know how it would end. The first words out of my mouth after finishing were a slew of expletives not appropriate for a review. Holy Moly! From the first page, the book was straight out of my nightmares, a stranger in the house, your children are sleeping, what do you do?!? This is one of the books that I would love to be able to read for the first time again.

Well, well, well this was terrifying! Do not read at night if you don’t want this nightmare to come alive!

I have mixed thoughts about this one. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and thrill, but felt lost in the earlier part of the story and the jumping around between past and present day. The author also made the choice to not name anyone (mommy, daddy, girl, boy, sergeant, the corner). It bothered me more and more the further I got into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for this eARC. Wow. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel; I absolutely devoured this thriller.

The piece begins on a simple premise: trapped in a house on a snowy night, a mother must protect her children from a threat she suddenly recognizes.

However, while it is your traditional "locked house" mystery, it is pure psychological suspense. I did find myself looking down my darkened hallways with every creak. It isn't just that this is thrilling, but it is also very well written. There are real moments of beauty in the prose, coupled with genuine horror. It's more about the absence, the quiet, that makes this so disconcerting.

I'm going to recommend this one to my students because it is a perfect embodiment of gaslighting and the fragmentary nature of traumatic memory. Even though you never get to know any of the characters names, it doesn't impede our connection to them. I have felt what the narrator has felt.

This one is going to be on bestseller lists, I'm sure of it. It's a 4.5/5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for providing me with a ARC of this book! I found Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra to be a a highly suspenseful reading experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. While a majority of the book takes place during a home invasion where a mother is fiercely protecting her two young children, the author takes you on a harrowing journey of before. during, and after the event that is well-interwoven.

What I liked about this book was how the alternating timelines aren't necessarily specified, but still easy enough to follow. I additionally loved the atmospheric environment and imagery that the author created in her writing. I will definitely be recommending Nightwatching!

A creepy, wild read. A locked room horror story that’ll give you plenty of chills & thrills. I enjoyed this wonderfully, terrifying read. Leave your lights on while enjoying!

What a wild ride! I had a hard time putting this book down. Nightwatching is a masterful guessing game.this book had me in my feels.

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did! A truly unputdownable, thrilling, and psychological look at a seemingly fragile woman experience something horrific.

This is definitely a read-in-one-sitting book. Debut author Tracy Sierra has created a nightmarish, well-crafted, tension-filled thriller that borders on being a horror story. From the very start, our unnamed mother (and recent widow) definitely knows there’s someone sneaking around her very old isolated house where her 8 year old daughter and 5 year old are sleeping. While the intruder keeps searching, she remembers a hidden space that the realtor once pointed out. While she hides her two terrified children in the suffocating darkness without a phone or weapon, the predator is sing-songing to the kids to “come on out”. How is she going to get out? There’s a blizzard outside, school has been canceled, and there’s a holiday this weekend— no one would miss them for days. What does he want as he continually calls them “delicious little piggies”?

You will not want to put this book down. I know I was warned as well, and I ended up reading as much as possible into the early morning hours and then waking up with the plot on the top of mind. Definitely 5 stars! Now I need a few days to get my heart to stop pounding.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But there are various menacing sets of yellow eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The fact that everything is covered in snow is essential to the plot.

Thank you to Penguin Viking/Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was thoroughly captivated by this book, which epitomizes the essence of a suspense novel. Each chapter escalates in excitement and tension, surpassing the previous one. The plot revolves around an unnamed mother who, in a heart-stopping moment, discovers an intruder in her house where she lives with her two young children. It's been a long time since I've felt such a strong connection to a character, cheering her on every step of the way. The mother's internal monologues are a highlight of the book, showcasing exceptional writing. I doubt any other thriller will match up to this one for me anytime soon. A well-deserved five stars. My gratitude goes to NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this gripping tale.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking, Pamela Dorman Books for the copy of Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra. What an amazing debut! The writing was suspenseful and compelling. I wasn't prepared for how scary the first 30% of this book was. I started reading at night and almost had to put it down because it was so creepy! What would you do if you woke up and saw a man lurking in your house? If your home is your safe space, this book will shake you to your core. Even the parts that didn’t have anything obviously spine-chilling happening were scary because of the foreboding feelings evoked. The aftermath of the home invasion and the police response was mind boggling and brought up the issue of how women are sometimes treated. Having the characters remain unnamed was an odd but effective choice that added to the menacing feeling. The stellar writing in this book made it impossible to put down, so if you want a book that will keep you engrossed until the end, this is the book for you.

This was a different kind of thriller but was nail biting and good to the end .the author has a way with crafting plot and characters that keeps you guessing till the end . Thanks Netgalley and the author fir letting me review the book

This is a very tense book, i could hardly read the first 40% of it, was glad when i got past that part and could move onto her healing, who was after her, is she sane, did she have anything to do with the death of her husband, were her children being abused. lots of potential issues. I liked the overall resolution but the very very end could have been stronger. Worth the read

What do you do when there is a snowstorm outside, a menacing intruder inside, and there is no help for you and your kids? This is the situation facing the heroine in Tracy Sierra's debut thriller. With the husband absent, the mother has to scoop up her two kids and hide in a tiny secret room behind a fireplace. Then she must decide whether to try to wait out the threat or leave her kids and run for help.

The premise has great potential. And the opening chapters are taut and terrifying, real edge-of-the-seat stuff. But the middle of the book slowed down and seemed mired in mundanity. It was only towards the end that it really came alive again.

This is a good thriller, not a great one. More action in the middle would have realized its potential. Still, this is worth a read and a good beginning for a new author to watch.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Nightwatching is Travy Sierra’s debut novel and I can already say I can’t wait for her next book!
Nightwatching will you pull into the suspenseful story from the very first page and won’t let you go till you are finished the book.
Mother alone with 2 kids in an empty house with somebody else there. Is it a fragment of her imagination or is he real?
This book kept me on my toes, page after page trying to see what happens next. Her fear and worry for her kids absolutely palpable, her frustration and determination resonating with most women and/or moms.
Great debut novel!