Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf was a wild ride! I am one that doesn't regularly watch reality tv or game shows like Squid Game or Survivor, but this books storyline falls under that kind of category and I am here for it!

Five "random" people are chosen to compete on a gameshow called One Lucky Winner. This show will be livestreamed but the watcher will never know when the new episodes will air. They will get an alert that the show is going live. And the prize? A whopping ten million dollars! The catch is that none of the contestants knows what to expect, cell phones are not allowed, and they don't know who is really behind the scenes planning the various physical and mental challenges they will be put through. The viewers can vote at the end of each episode to see who should be sent home and the players are only known online by nicknames: The Best Friend. The Confidant. The Senator. The Boyfriend. The Executive. Along with Fern, the assistant who has been promoted to host of the show, the contestants are secluded to a beautiful estate and begin to undergo various challenges, are given clues and guides that might help them win, but might give up some personal secrets in the meantime.

Ten million dollars is a LOT of money, and would be hard to resist! As we meet each character, we get a glimpse into their lives and why they might want the money (and their backstories that reveal some secrets they want hidden). We also find out that some of the characters know each other from their past, and there is a specific reason all of them have been brought in to play this game.

This was a great thriller by Gudenkauf, but not as good (in my opinion) as The Overnight Guest was. I definitely recommend this one to fans of The Overnight Guest and of reality shows, competitions, backstabbing, secrets, twists, and revenge.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Heather Gudenkauf is always a thriller must read, love her writing and stories. Highly recommend!! I don't like to say much on thriller reviews, going in blind is always best.

4 stars

Well, that was fun. This story is a fast-paced combination of thriller, reality TV, and well-scripted drama. I enjoyed the over-the-top situations, and I was particularly satisfied when a specific character met a fitting fate after spending much of his life sexually assaulting women. There were a couple of other loose ends I would have liked to see resolved a bit more neatly, but otherwise, it was a good (and fun!) one.

I always look forward to reading books by author Heather Gudenkauf. Everyone Is Watching, her newest book, was no exception. As I began to read Everyone Is Watching, I realized that this was a diversion from Heather Gudenkauf’s typical books. It portrayed her usual feelings of suspense and tension but between the setting, the characters and the premise that was established early on I knew that I was in for something very different. Everyone Is Watching was very clever and gripping at the same time. I had a hard time putting this one down.

Five random people received invitations to participate in a reality show called One Lucky Winner where the grand prize was to be ten million dollars. What if anything gave these five potential contenders the opportunity to compete for the unexpected but welcomed prize of ten million dollars? As each of the five contestants arrived at the magnificent estate, Bella Luce, in Northern California where the reality show was to be filmed, they were dubbed with the titles of The Best Friend, The Confident, The Senator, The Boyfriend and The Executive. Each contestant had their own personal reason for accepting the invitation to compete for the ten million dollars prize money. Through competitions and challenges, each winner collected “Super Clues”. There were also “ Game Changers” that the contestants gathered during each competition. Winning and securing the Super Clues and the Game Changers could tip the outcome of the competition in the direction of the contestant that accumulated the most. The object was to try and win as many competitions and challenges as possible. After each competition, a contestant was voted off by the audience that was following the reality show on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok. As soon as a contestant was voted off, their deepest and darkest secrets were revealed to the millions that had chosen to follow the show. What secrets would be revealed? Would one contestant prevail over the others to win the ultimate prize of ten million dollars?

I really enjoyed reading Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf. It was not what I expected but in a good way. I had not guessed the ending and was quite surprised by it. This was a clever concept that Heather Gudenkauf brought to fruition in a way that was believable and quite suspenseful. The pace was perfect and the characters were interesting and well developed. There were lots of secrets that all the contestants were harboring. I liked how the secrets were revealed as Heather Gudenkauf explored the contestants’ pasts in alternating chapters. I highly recommend Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

Thank you to Park Row for allowing me to read Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Not the typical Heather Gudenkauf book. It wasn’t set in Iowa, although it still had an Iowa connection. It seemed a little far fetched, but still entertaining. I did enjoy the game show competition. I felt the ending was abrupt though. It felt rushed to get the book done.

Goodness gracious. I love every single Heather Gudenkauf book I read, but Everyone Is Watching was something else! This has such a unique plot and storyline, and I couldn't get enough of all the action and the twists and turns as the story progresses. I loved that each chapter was titled by each contestant's label on the show (as well as The Assistant for Fern) and how Gudenkauf wove the past into the present storyline to give us an idea of how certain characters tied together and what they had done. I didn't find anyone very likable, and some of these people are downright D-I-R-T-Y. To me that made the games they had to play even more interesting, and I can't say I'm sorry for the things that happened to most of them.

Brittany Pressley rocked my world with her narration of the audiobook, and I loved her for every single viewpoint. She makes it feel as though each character is special even though she is but one person narrating many, and she is one of like two narrators I am ok with narrating an entire audiobook that has multiple POVs. Everyone Is Watching does deal with some sensitive subject matters so I would recommend checking triggers prior to going in, but overall, it is just straight up shocking and suspenseful. I think this would be really fun as a miniseries on TV, and I know I would watch it if it ever got optioned for anything onscreen. Gudenkauf is a crafty author, and if you love binge reads, originality, and watching unlikable characters go down in flames, Everyone Is Watching is the book for you!

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

This is such a fantastic book if you are a sucker for reality tv (like me), especially the competition ones. I was pulled in from the very beginning, and was filled with suspense The story is told through different POVs and timelines, and had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I love how it all came together in a satisfying was in the end. Definitely recommend this one!

As a bit of a reality tv junkie in my non-reading time this one was very appealing. It was such an interesting concept and I never really knew where it was headed. What a fun twisty ending. Highly recommend!

I loved the idea of Everyone is Watching. The story of a live reality show with a secret revenge plan was entertaining and I read it to the end. It was a bit of a stop and start for me though and I found myself wishing for more tension and character development.

When a reality competition promises a prize of ten million dollars, people take notice. Five people are chosen to compete on the new show One Lucky Winner. Through challenges and testimonials, the world gets to know them and chooses who to vote off. At the end:One Lucky Winner. Contestants must be cut off from the outside world and during this time suspicious events start occurring. Alliances are considered, and contestants try to determine the best way for each of them to stay till the end. Something sinister is happening behind the scenes but with ten million on the line, how much do they want to try to figure out. However, ignoring the warnings may mean their end. A twisty story that is not as basic as it seems at first glance. Thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Thank you to Heather Gudenkauf, Harlequin Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of Everyone Is Watching in exchange for my honest opinion about the book.

This book had such an interesting premise. I am not a "Big Brother" fan - I've never seen an episode in my life. But knowing that this book had the same idea, but we were throwing in possible murder. Sign me up!

I will admit, I did get a bit confused with this book. There were 5 contestants, but we only get the POV of two and the show's "host"... why stop there? Why didn't get get the full scoop? I would have loved to have seen perspectives from everyone competing.

As the book goes on, the tasks become more and more deadly which makes it a bit hard to suspend reality. Personally I would have high-tailed it out of there when things got fishy... $10 million is a lot of money, but they all knew there was the possibility they could die and/or another person could try to murder them by the second task. No way, honey! Though - these people were desperate, so even as I found myself having a hard time believing anyone would stay I could also kind of see it.

For me, this book was just ok. I didn't get the feeling I needed to keep reading and get to the end of the book as soon as possible, but I knew I would read it slowly and steadily. It's possible the pacing with the tasks contributed to that because the events of the book are pretty exciting, but I always found a good stopping point which delayed me finishing the book a bit. 3/5 stars

A popcorn thriller about a reality show to win 10 million dollars. This book has all the right ideas to intrigue me but fell flat. A book about a game show should have more action and description about the show. None of the characters were likeable and were hard to connect with. I wanted more from this book, but it did keep my attention and had me flipping the pages to see what would happen next.

I really liked this book! Have recommended it to a lot of people! Heather Gudenkauf has become one of my favorite authors!

EVERYONE IS WATCHING by Heather Gudenkauf is a suspenseful ride into an extreme reality show contest with deeper motives!

When a letter comes inviting Maire to a reality show contest with a $10 million prize, it takes a few days, but she can't resist the possibility of finally being able to pay for her daughter's cystic fibrosis treatments without losing her home.

Fern is the assistant to a nightmare boss, but what Cat did for her years ago deserves this devotion, right? When she is thrust into the spotlight of the reality show as host, Fern has a bigger chance to shine. All she has to do is keep these contestants on track.

It doesn't take long for all hell to break loose as this show has few rules and a clear desire to shine light on past misdeeds. What could go wrong?! I love that question! What indeed?! A lot, it so happens as the contestants discover the connections but not in time to avoid a catastrophe!

I had a lot of fun with this story! I thought it was an interesting and entertaining look at how far we are willing to go for visibility and views, as well as the drive for money/family. I was especially fascinated to see how these motives can make our previously held ethics a bit fuzzy.

I definitely recommend this suspense story for anyone looking for a fast-paced, entertaining story that should keep you wondering what the connections are behind the scenes.

Thank you to @parkrowbooks @htpbooks @htp_hive & @netgalley for this fantastic suspense that was published on March 26th!

This gripping narrative blends the dramatic flair of Squid Game with Survivor's strategic challenges, creating an unpredictable tale of intense competition. Centered around five contestants vying for a $10 million prize, each harboring hidden secrets, the story unfolds through the perspectives of Camille Tamerlane, Maire Hennessy, and Fernanda Espa. As the plot escalates, the contestants are thrust into unconventional challenges at a luxurious estate in Northern California, where tensions rise and strange occurrences hint at something more sinister. Despite some predictable twists, the story offers a fast-paced reading experience while delving into themes of social media voyeurism and the extremes of human nature. Though not without minor shortcomings, the book earns a solid 4 popcorn stars for its thrilling narrative.

This book was very well paced, and kept me wanting to read more. However, i found it a bit difficult to suspend my disbelief as much as i had to. I like that the author brought in online viewing and comments to the story line, but the book began to feel disjointed with all of the different perspectives along with 3 past backstories. I also found the chapter “nicknames” for each character along with the show “nicknames” being a bit much when put all together. Overall i enjoyed the read, but didn’t love the story.

Everyone is Watching is a very intriguing locked door mystery/thriller where 5 people are invited to join a reality tv show for a chance to win $10 million. Before long the contestants realize that the "games" are a little more dangerous than they signed up for and they might have a few secrets shared about their private lives along the way.

Heather Gudenkauf's plot is face paced and it makes the novel a quick read, as the audience wants to solve the puzzle of these "not so random people" as soon as possible. My one complaint was how the ending actually came about. After going through the competition with the various players, of course the reader grows attached to one or two of the contestants, knowing that only one can win and I found the ending to be too clean cut. In my opinion the ending could have been more revengeful, as the entire game was based on secrets and revenge.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the opportunity to review this novel.

Author Heather Gudenkauf is always a favorite of mine, she always writes such amazing books and her newest, Everyone Is Watching was another amazing read. I loved the character development and the storyline flowed well. Although The Overnight Guest is still my favorite, this was still a great read!

I typically love Heather Gudenkauf books and really could not get into this one, sadly. The characters were hard to connect to.