Cover Image: Watching You

Watching You

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Member Reviews

This is a twisted story about people stalking other people and obsessing about them. It’s maddening. I felt dirty reading about it, I felt bad for all those who didn’t even know they have been watched.

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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4.5 stars
A few chapters in I thought this book was going to be too much like the Girl on the Train. Joey seemed like she was going to be a similar character to Rachel. A little farther in and that was not the case and I was so pleased. There were so many different opinions and rumours swirling around Mr Fitzwilliam it was fun to form my theories and try to figure out which was truth and which had weight to them. How easy it is to condemn someone for a few misleading rumours.
Really great book

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I loved this book!

The chapters were short which made the book a quick read. I read it in one day! It was fast paced too, with important plot points in every chapter.

Even though there were many characters, it was easy to follow them. All of their lives were woven together, but it wasn’t obvious at the beginning. I loved the way that the story slowly unfolded until the end.

It took a long time for me to figure out who was the victim and who did the crime. I figured it out just before it was revealed. It wasn’t an obvious crime, but it made sense.

This is a great thriller!

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4 stars!

A tense, secretive and twisty story that had me guessing until the end.

This is my third Lisa Jewell book and she continues to impress me. I love how addictive, fast paced and gripping her novels are. I just can’t seem to put them down once I start the first chapter. Her storylines are current, suspenseful and highly intriguing.

There are several characters in this book, all are well developed with perfectly timed introductions, leaving no room for confusion. The plot largely focuses on Josephine (Joey) Mullen who lives with her new husband in her brother and sister-in-laws’ house in a well-respected neighbourhood. They are trying to find steady jobs and get settled before finding a place of their own. We meet several of their neighbours, with chapters alternating between many of their perspectives. Each perspective brought a new layer of suspense and allure, each with a hint of secrecy that could possibly connect the intricate pieces of this puzzle together. The title says it all – “Watching You” – this applies to many scenarios throughout this fast paced and highly addictive novel.

This was a Traveling Sister read that was a hit for everyone! I recommend getting your hands on a copy of this title along with any others you can find by this author. I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria and Lisa Jewell for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC.

This was a really weird soap opera kind of mystery.
There are so many characters and strange quirks in all of them that it pulled focus a bit and took me longer than I care to admit to figuring out who the killer was.
Once I had it figured out all the pieces fit together and I was horrified that I hadn't seen it sooner.
This is something I like in Lisa Jewll's writing, the misdirection she gives in all her books.
Very clever Ms. Jewell, very clever indeed.

P.S
I absolutely adored that strange kid Freddie!

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Watching You book review - no spoilers -
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I flew through this one. An excellent thriller from Lisa Jewell. There were lots of twists and turns with enough characters to keep you guessing but not too many where you can find yourself confused.
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A brief synopsis:
When newly married couple Joey and her husband Alfie move in with her brother and his wife after returning from living overseas they expected to experience some tension but that it would mostly be smooth sailing. What Joey didn't plan for was the alluring man two doors down. The complete opposite of her husband, she's drawn to him no matter how much she tries not to be. However, it turns out she's not the only one and it's not all for the same reason. This neighborhood is full of secrets and you better be on your best behaviour because someone is always watching.
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So, the only thing keeping this from a 5 star review for me is how one of the relationships went at the end. It's like the author just got preoccupied wrapping everyone else's storyline up and then went " oh yeah, this character was doing this and then this happened so the end!"
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I highly recommend this to fans of Jewell's previous work plus those who enjoyed other thrillers like The Woman in the Window, Gone Girl, and The Woman in Cabin 10.
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Thank you to #netgalley, #atriabooks and #simonandschuster for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly enjoyed this one!!

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After reading and absolutely loving I Found You and Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell this year, I was anxious to read her new novel, Watching You. The book starts with a bang : a murder. We don't know what happened or who the victim even is. Immediately you want to keep reading!

What threw me off after the first chapter was the number of characters and the different POVs. It took me a little while to put everyone together and fully understand what was going on and enjoy the book. I think the reader should set a big enough amount of reading time to be able to read a big chunk of the book in one sitting in order to better understand the story quickly. The reader needs to pay attention!

Although, after getting the characters sorted out, I really enjoyed the book. The author did a great job in keeping the reader interested and guessing. It is also very well written. I am definitely a big fan of Jewell and will be looking forward to all her future work!

I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to anyone who loves a great well written, characters driven thriller. It is set to be published on December 26th.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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No surprise that Lisa Jewel has written a new book and no surprise that I rushed to pick up Watching You. When you pump out a book as often as it seems Jewel does, I suppose not all of them can knock you off your feet. This book wasn’t bad, but it didn’t grip me like I Found You, Girls in the Garden, Then She Was Gone, or my favourite, The House We Grew Up In.

I couldn’t really find a character I related to, which never starts me off on the right foot. Joey seeeds too naive and lost and puppy dog in love with her older and distinguished neighbour, despite being a newlywed, and while I’m all for understanding a fantasy and an escape, the way she obsessed about him without even really knowing him turned me off.

The peeping Tom son of the neighbour, the guy who seems to be constantly watching everyone, was also off putting, though I don’t suppose we are supposed to warm to him always spying on the women in the neighbourhood. But as he was a pivotal point of view in the story, I had a hard time embracing his character.

I also had a hard time getting into it. The first part of the book spent a lot of time with Joey lusting after the neighbour and not a lot really happening other than this instant tension and attraction growing between them. They both found each other intriguing but honestly, neither of them seemed interesting at all and I couldn’t believe that they’d be so fascinated with the other.

Finally, into the last half of the book, things started to pick up. The pieces started to come together and though they weren’t that hard to match up and I had no problem telling where things were going before they book got there, the payoff was worth it and I actually enjoyed the ending. It redeemed a lot of the drag I felt getting there, but sadly it wasn’t enough for me to feel much about the book as a whole.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC of Watching You in exchange for an honest review.

This was not my first Lisa Jewell, but it was my first that hooked me right away. The pacing of this one was perfect. That feeling of being watched was with me the whole time I was reading this, like an eerie companion, it was a really cool reading experience. I enjoyed the connections between the seemingly random people in the community and the way each part of this plot was complex and not exactly what it seemed. This was just a really good thriller and I'm excited to recommend this to people who love suspense and secrets.

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Watching You takes place in a small English town called Melville Heights, where everyone seems to know something about one another. A large part of the book’s atmosphere relies on the fact that certain characters are always watching what goes on the neighborhood. From a teenage boy named Freddie, who enjoys taking photos of people and keeping tabs in his notebooks, to a mother who is convinced she is being stalked, many people seem to have their eyes glued on each other.

As someone who grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other, this sentiment really resonated with me. It can be hard to keep secrets when everyone is (seemingly) keeping tabs on you. Thankfully, the rest of the plot, which involves a mysterious murder, wasn’t as familiar.

The book opens with a police transcript regarding a murder. You also quickly learn that a high school student is in love with her English teacher. What could these two things have in common? Well, you have to read through the entire story to find out!

Throughout the novel you meet numerous characters: Joey, a newlywed who falls for a local school’s headmaster, Tom; Joey’s brother Jack and his wife Rebecca, along with her husband Alfie, who all share a home together; and a number of high school students. Their stories are all weaved together, and more police records and interviews are scattered throughout each chapter.

The setting of the book, and the individual narratives surrounding each character kept me totally captivated. I found myself more interested in their unique stories than I did the overall plot, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rather than trying to solve the mystery, I found myself rooting for specific people, and hoping that they would get happy endings.

Because of this, the plot twist totally caught me off guard, and I was left feeling a little mad at myself for not figuring it all out sooner. However, getting caught up in a story is always a good thing, and in the end, I enjoyed the story more than I would have if I spent too much time trying to play detective.

Watching You is definitely a thriller, but it’s also a captivating story about life in a small town. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, or a character-driven plot.

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3.5 stars.

Watching You is my first Lisa Jewell novel, but it won’t be my last. The novel begins with a murder, but the identity of the victim and the killer are unknown. The story is focused around Tom Fitzwilliam, a charming husband and father, who is the newly appointed headmaster of a local school, and is told from three perspectives: Joey Mullen (a 26-year-old who recently moved back to Bristol with her new husband and lives two doors down from Tom), Jenna Tripp (a student at Tom’s high school) and Freddie Fitzwilliam (Tom’s teenage son who has a penchant for watching, taking pictures of, and studying those in his neighbourhood). While not particularly suspenseful, I was constantly guessing at the truth, and I enjoyed the ending, especially because I did not see it coming to far in advance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC of Watching You in exchange for an honest review.

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I absolutely love all of Lisa Jewell’s books, so when I got accepted for watching you I was very excited and happy. I thought this one was a dark suspenseful read and had some good twists I wasn't expecting and such diverse characters with all different personalities all mixed into the intricate plot.

I loved how throughout the book there was added police interviews and it really makes you start trying to do your own little investigating and trying to figure out who the killer is.

Watching you was definitely a mesmerizing tale of murder that is so enthralling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was mysterious, dark, suspenseful, and overall just mind-blowing. Lisa did a phenomenal job with her plot, characters and writing.

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Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada & NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan, so I was excited to dive into this new book by her - and I was NOT disappointed. Fast paced, twisting, cleverly diabolical - I devoured this in one sitting without pause.

Lisa does the most incredible work creating characters who are grounded perfectly in reality, with flaws and weaknesses that are completely believable and let the reader fully by into the cast of the story. I completely loved how this story moved from character to character, slowly unravelling the events that lead to the murdered body in the kitchen, while constantly causing me to second guess who that body might belong to, and who put it there.

I spent the entire time reading, convinced I had it figured out, and convinced I had the characters pinned down only to find again and again that I was wrong. I loved it - I love a book that will surprise me.

I won't reveal even a single hint of a spoiler, other than to say that mystery lovers need to have this one on their TBR this winter - it is the perfect book to cozy up with on a snowy afternoon. Lisa Jewell remains a force to be reckoned with.

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4.5 Stars

Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the shocking conclusion. The mystery is told through multiple perspectives from a cast of eclectic characters. The writing is gripping and will draw you in from the very first page.

This is the second novel that I have read by Lisa Jewell and after reading Watching You, I can honestly say that she is one of my favourite thriller writers. The book is one that you will most likely read in one sitting. The chapters are quite short, yet packed with so much detail that makes you want to know more. It really is a page-turner!

The characters in the novel are all quite flawed, which makes for a great mystery. Although there are quite a few perspectives and many different personalities to keep track of, the story is very easy to follow. I especially enjoyed Joey’s character, and although she makes quite a few poor decisions, her growth in the story is interesting to read about.

Lisa Jewell really knows how to craft a perfect crime story. The book starts off with a diary entry and then a description of the gruesome crime scene. From there, we are introduced to the cast of characters who all seem to be potential suspects. The twists and turns of the plot give way to an ending that definitely surprised me.

If you are a fan of the thriller genre, I highly suggest picking up a copy of Lisa Jewell’s Watching You. The story moves along quickly and has some interesting characters. Perfect for an afternoon read over the holidays.

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Watching You by Lisa Jewell is one part Big Little Lies, one part The Girl on the Train and one part Jewell's clever and original twisted storytelling talent. As a long-time Jewell reader (from well before I entered the book blogging world), it is needless to say I knew and expected that I would love her latest release.

This thriller completely lived up to my expectations. The characters' voyeuristic tendencies are transferred to the reader; while reading the novel I felt all-seeing, but was unable to connect the dots until close to the end. I felt privy to the character's actions, but only sometimes aware of their inner thoughts, leading me to feel that anyone at all could be to blame.

At the very end of Watching You I squealed with delight and surprise. I feel slightly disappointed when I realize I have noticed a loose end not tied up by the end of a thriller. I suspected that there was one thread left unattended, but Lisa Jewell masterfully tied it up. I applaud her writing talent, and highly recommend Watching You.

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Yet again, Lisa Jewell has come out with yet another hit.

There are quite a few characters in this one, and it took me a while to get them straight, but once I did I was hooked and wanting to know what would happen next till the very end. The story is set in a small English town, and centers around the new headmaster at the local highschool, Tom Fitzwilliam. We hear the story from various point of views, including two 15 year olds, Freddie and Jenna, who tell various parts of the entire story. All the characters are fascinating and multi-faceted which helps make this such a fascinating read.

I did find the novel a bit slow at the start, as all the various characters are introduced and developed, but throughout it is entertaining and suspenseful, right up to the sucker punch of an ending that just sneaks up on you. Watching You will be a great thriller to curl up on a lazy weekend day - just maybe read it during the day.

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I've seen a few Lisa Jewell books while browsing the shelves of my favourite bookstore, but I hadn't read one of her books until now. I'll admit that I thought the book was a little slow to start, but it picked up the pace and I became more and more interested in the plot and characters as the chapters went on. There were some twists and turns and it kept me on my toes, which is something I like in a good thriller. Great read!

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This is another domestic thriller from Lisa Jewell. Thoroughly entertaining with lots of interesting characters, the book is sure to be a hit with fans of the genre. I will be recommending it to my customers as a great choice to curl up with on a cold winter day.

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Excellent story of secrets in the past shaping the present.

Tom Fitzwilliams is an educator whose charm and charisma have women fawning after him, even his teenage students. Tom's 15 year old son, Freddie, resents how his mother, Nicola, puts Tom's likes and needs ahead of those of her son.

When Joey Mullen moves into her brother's home, being 2 doors away from Tom puts temptation in their daily path.

Plot twists kept this novel fast paced and intriguingly interesting.

Lisa Jewell's 16th novel is another hit!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada Atria Books, for the read of Lisa Jewell’s, Watching You.

I could not put this book down. Once I started it, done.

It had everything. Fascinating characters that engage you from the beginning. Numerous point of views, but not so many that you were spinning. Twists and suspense…and a wow ending. Wow.

Just must read.

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