Having heard great things about Then She Was Gone, I had high expectations of this latest Lisa Jewel novel. However I found it incredibly slow to get going and there were a lot of characters to get to grips with. It was only halfway through that the pace began to pick up and I could begin to sense the dovetailing of the different storylines. From the dysfunctional families, obsessions, the abusive marriage, school bullying and Asperger's the themes explored in this novel were absorbing and the finale was both a great twist and rather sad. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin - Random House for an e copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

With thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I felt like the characters were believable and the plot was incredibly well crafted.

Josephine (Joey) and her new husband are back home from working abroad and now living with Joey's brother and his pregnant wife. Joey finds herself inexplicably attracted to married, charismatic headteacher Tom Fitzwilliam, who lives two doors away. Tom's son Freddie is a 'watcher'; he snaps photos of his neighbours' comings and goings through his digital binoculars.

Mentally unbalanced Frances lives with her schoolgirl daughter Jenna. Frances is convinced Tom Fitzwilliam is hiding a secret. She recognises him from a coach trip several years earlier when he was attacked by two women who very clearly held a grudge. But when Jenna confronts him, he claims to have no idea who the women were. Something isn't adding up. What is Tom hiding and more importantly, WHY?

I really enjoyed Watching You by Lisa Jewell. Although slow to get started, once it did, it really took off. I was completely immersed in these peoples' lives. These seemingly innocuous neighbours all had secrets to hide. There were twists and turns aplenty, red herrings and a scattering of clues along the way. It's a story of love, obsession, betrayal, lies and ultimately, murder. There's an underlying uneasiness throughout - the feeling of tension and creepiness. You know all is not as it appears.

Whilst character development is excellent, be prepared for a cast of many. At first I had difficulty keeping track of everyone, but once I'd settled into the book, it became less of a problem. In fact I found it a bonus - more tangled webs to be unraveled and more suspects to suspect! Towards the end it became a little obvious which direction the story was taking, but oh boy, I really enjoyed the turbulent journey getting there!

Absolutely bloody brilliant! Talk about revenge being a dish best served cold! For me this one just kept getting better with every page I turned. The book jumps from character to character, and it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems and there is a lot history and intertwined lives, which as first glance looked completely normal. What REALLY got me was the last page and what was revealed, the new impression/perspective/twist whatever you want to call it, that was insinuated throwing a whole new light on what had gone on making you rethink the conclusion you had come too. Very cleverly written! Buy the book, read it, but do NOT read the last couple of pages first- it’ll spoil it for you.

Wow!! From the start, where you wonder whose body was lying in a pool of blood on a kitchen floor, to the end, where the victim and murderer are finally revealed, this is a real page turner. Told from a number of points of view you can see how different characters make assumptions, and come to different conclusions, based on their experience and knowledge of the other protagonists. All in all the sort of accomplished writing that one has come to expect from Lisa Jewell.

Lisa Jewell’s last book, Then She Was Gone, traumatised the heck out of me. It was a seriously good read, but, blimey, bits of it were harrowing. So while I jumped at the chance to read her latest, I did approach it with a wee bit of trepidation.

It took me a little while to get into, perhaps because there is a large cast of characters who are all interconnected in various ways, and this took a bit of sorting out in the mind. There’s Joey, back in Bristol after working in Ibiza, living with her brother and his pregnant wife and working in what sounds like one of the world’s worst jobs, at a soft play centre. Joey’s brand new husband, aspiring painter and decorator Alfie. Their neighbour, fourteen year old Freddie Fitzwilliam, who continually watches people in the local area - including Joey, and teenagers Jenna and Bess. Freddie’s strangely attractive dad Tom, a “superhead” parachuted into the local previously failing secondary school to turn things around, and his unhappy-seeming younger wife, Nicola. Jenna’s mentally unwell mother, who constantly fears she’s being watched.

At the start, we learn a body has been found - though not whose - and snippets of police interviews are scattered throughout, . But it’s only very gradually that the whole story unfolds.

Watching You is a very cleverly constructed story in which watching is a theme throughout - the observations people make, the conclusions they come to, justified or otherwise. Often, people are not what they seem even to the most determined watchers. It’s clear that Jenna’s mum Frances filters what she sees to feed her own paranoia, but she may not be the only one misinterpreting the evidence.

I’ve enjoyed all of Lisa Jewell’s books and while it was initially a bit of a slow burner, this was no exception. All the characters were believable, and I found the teenagers particularly well written and especially enjoyed Freddie’s storyline, which had some really delightful moments. The final outcome was a complete surprise, but also made perfect sense. And the very end is a killer, leaving you with a dropped jaw.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

After four years abroad you come home, recently married. Big brother asks you to move in with him and his pregnant wife. Two doors down is an older man who attracts her attention. He is the head teacher at the local academy. Slowly this man becomes her obsession. On the street where they both live people are watching. A teenage takes photographs ends spies on people with a pair of binoculars WHY?
A neighbour hides in bushes taking photos WHY? People are watching each other WHY?
Everyone has secrets and they will all come out after a gruesome murder one night.
I would like to thank the author Lisa Jewell, Random House UK. Cornerstone and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Another cracking good read from Lisa Jewell! I have read this in less than a day as I didn't want to put it down (the downside is that I now have to wait ages for her next release!)

A twisty-turny plot, full of sinister undertones - who's watching who, and why? Is everyone as sinister as they seem, or are there other explanations in play? You'll have to find out for yourself - but all becomes clear eventually...

Once again my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Footnote: I did actually guess some of the twists and turns (including the final one) but that's probably because I've read a lot of psychological dramas.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a story of schoolgirl crushes, creepy teenagers and adults who should behave better. I like Lisa Jewell books but this one was slow to start and I had to reread certain parts because there were are lot of characters to remember. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was brilliant. And twisty. And addictive. My first Lisa Jewell and it won’t be my last. It’s well crafted and the pacing is perfect!

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers definitely pick this one up!

I wanted to love this book, really I did - I've been a fan of Lisa Jewell for years although mostly the older women's fiction titles. The beginning was great, the characters were engaging and there was a good amount of suspense. The progression of the story was well paced, not too slow and I felt it gave us a good look at the character's backgrounds. Getting towards the end, there were a lot of clues as to who the villain was and I had guessed it before the big reveal. The weakest part of the book for me was the epilogue, I see it as a finishing of the story and tying up loose ends but the very last sentence left more questions than answers.

Joey and Alfie are newlyweds, moving in to Joey's brother's and sister in-laws as they resettle back in Bristol. However, headteacher Tom an older man is the sight of Joey's sudden new found obsession he lives two doors down with his wife and son.



There's Freddie, Tom's son and who watches Joey whilst taking photographs of Jenna and others whom he's watched...



Then Jenna who's friends and her laugh over Tom and finding him attractive especially Bess while her mum remembers him despite her issues...



You won't see some of it coming at all, for the twist ending I managed to guess the guilty party at about twenty five percent left of the book due to the various action happening. The characters each had something doubtable about them for instance their actions from watching to photograph taking!



Overall it was a very well plotted book and for a while you consider every character guilty of something, it's a riveting read, perfect for any fan of thrillers and murder mystery books.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

wow! Lisa jewel has totally blown me away with this psychological thriller. I now have to go and read all of her other works! This book was so twisty! would totally recommend 4.5/5 stars
Many thanks to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review

Another absolutely cracking story from Lisa Jewell - told from a variety of viewpoints, a technique which can sometimes be confusing but not in this instance. Great plot direction and unravelling. Just great!!

I was very excited to be granted an arc copy of this book unfortunately I really struggled to get into it. I found it really hard going and and a bit of a slog to get through. I absolutely loved LJ’s last book so am really disappointed to be writing a review like this.

I was delighted to receive an arc of Watching You by Lisa Jewell as I am a big fan and I've read and loved all of her previous books that I have read. However this book was, for me, disappointing. I found it didn't hold my attention for any great length of time, particularly the first half where nothing happens and the story seems to ramble along. There are a lot of characters in the beginning to get to grips with and I found it quite confusing.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was slow to start but it soon picked up and was very enjoyable.

Joey returns from Spain with a new husband in tow, she moves in with her brother and sister-in-law, and takes an immediate shine to her neighbour Tom who is the headteacher of the local school, he’s the savior of failing schools and almost everybody loves him but someone thinks Tom is hiding dark secrets and they are watching him. Unknown to them, they are also being watched.

An intriguing story with lots of different characters who all come together to give us a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing right to the end.

Another great book by Lisa Jewell. A fast paced page turner full of twists and turns. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

Another gem from the Jewell ,interesting characters ,all individually a piece in a large jigsaw ,what I liked about it is younget a better understanding of why some Peops may be curious enough to watch u ,An though unnerving some is explained well with mental health and autism as ways of understanding how diffirent we all are and not all of us are the standard creepy stalker
Loved how one was watching one and thensomwone else will be watching them ,great way to show alternate view points that wasn’t boring
Didn’t guess but kicked myself as was very good use of formula when identifying the culprit ,always there never present
Never regret reading any of Lisa Jewell’s as at the heart is human nature in many forms ,flawed relatable human characters with always a fab mystery surrounding and involving them all.
Thanks netgalley An publishers ,I will be so requesting when the next one come out

Another great read from Lisa Jewell! This book doesn't disappoint, it's full of twists and turns right up until the end. Although we know that a serious crime has occurred, we don't know who or what or why, which keeps the tension up throughout the book. The story is told from the viewpoint of multiple characters, and you never get quite the full picture from any of them....until it's too late.

What's really interesting is the strong theme of modern technology and social media. At times, it's part of the scariness of the story, in terms of how easy it would be to learn every aspect of an individual's life.

This is another cracker from Lisa Jewell, a great story but also an underlying moral that really makes you think.