Do even the closest mother-daughter relationships involve a child who truly tells their parent everything? That’s the central question behind Courtney Evan Tate’s latest thriller I’ll Be Watching You.

It’s a normal evening for Emmy and Leah Fisher. They’re sitting on the porch swing, taking in the beauty of the summer night. Emmy is relaxing with a glass of wine, exhausted from a full day’s work at her Florida Keys beachside inn; fifteen-year-old Leah is mildly stressing about the start of sophomore year the next day. Emmy authorizes a swim, knowing the activity will take the edge off Leah’s nerves and help her sleep. It isn’t the first time moonlight reflecting off the water has lured Leah to the beach in their backyard. It’s not the first time Emmy has said yes to a night-time swim. But it will be the last.

Emmy is distracted for only a few minutes but that’s all it takes for Leah to be disappear. Search and Rescue spend hours diving in the dark waters near their home, but they find no clue as to what occurred. There is talk of a possible shark attack, or of her having been overcome by a strong wave – no one is sure how it happened, but all agree on the result: Leah is dead, Emmy’s sweet girl gone forever.

While friends and family are anxious to give Emmy advice on how to mourn, she determines to do it at her own pace and in her own manner. One decision, however, is taken from her hands. Even a week after Leah’s death, Emmy hasn’t been able to enter the girl’s room. But when she is forced to retrieve something from her daughter’s dresser, she makes a startling discovery. Leah’s laptop has been charging; Emmy’s touch brings it to life since it had only been “sleeping”. The now bright page shows a blog called Island Girl Ramblings. A blog which talks with painful, frightening clarity of a dark, dangerous relationship between an older, abusive man and a frightened young woman. The girl has clearly been forced to perform sexual acts she did not wish to participate in. With shaking fingers, Emmy clicks on the About Me tab. Leah looks smiling back at her from the picture at the top of the page.

What happens next is easily to be expected. Emmy becomes obsessed with finding the man who was abusing her daughter. She has plenty of suspects to choose from. Derek, the long-term guest who saw Leah every day. Nico, the flirtatious owner of Leah’s favorite ocean-side deli. Hutch, the handsome pastor who runs a popular youth group. It could be anyone, but Emmy is determined that whoever it is, they won’t get a chance to do to another girl what they did to her daughter.

Ms. Tate gets a lot of things right here. Both the death of a teenager and sexual abuse are dark, angst ridden subjects, but the author concentrates her lens not on the horror of what’s happening but on the satisfaction of figuring out who did it and bringing them to justice. That makes the subject matter a little easier to read about. In Leah, Emmy, Leah’s friends and the suspect men, we find intriguing three-dimensional, nuanced characters who are likeable and relatable. That’s one of the more chilling aspects of the tale: our three suspects are wonderful, successful, charismatic, enticing, handsome guys. They would make awesome romance heroes, which makes thinking of them as possible villains all the more sinister. I really appreciated this aspect of the tale. Many times, when authors write villains, they try to make the fact that they are evil leap off the page. Here, the author went to great pains to show that actually, this type of corruption often hides behind the friendly smile of someone we trusted enough to let them near our child. The author also does a good job of creating her setting: she doesn’t just capture the look of her location but the atmosphere. There is a sense of an almost forced laid back nature to everything, as though the warm sunshine, pounding waves, and beauty of the landscape demand that everything be done on ‘island time’. Ms. Tate’s prose is clear, concise and engaging. Some books I have to slog through, flinching as the author hits sour notes or gets me snarled in fancy, opaque prose that goes nowhere. This one was an easy, fast read with writing complex enough to keep it interesting and smooth enough to let readers sail through it. I finished it in one sitting.

But once I put it down and started thinking about it, I realized there were a few problems with the story. I don’t want to list them all, but three were egregious enough to merit a specific mention. The villain, when we find him, has an interesting backstory that I would have loved to explore more, but we are raced through the denouement, which left the discovery of whodunit feeling hollow. I also felt the author could have done a lot more with the disturbing reality of small-town living. In one part of the tale, Emmy expresses frustration with the lack of police interest in Leah’s sexual abuse. Derek responds by telling her, “I’ve been here long enough to know that islanders sick together. Leah is gone, and that guy is still here. They probably won’t want to stir up trouble.” Emmy admits, “It’s sad because I know Derek’s right.” I felt that subject could have used some additional exploration. Police not wanting to investigate a sexual predator is a huge problem, but instead it serves as a patsy for why Emmy is singlehandedly managing the investigation. One last quibble is with a character who interweaves throughout the tale but is never developed enough. Emmy’s mom was apparently a “home wrecker”, a beautiful woman who slept with every man in town. The lack of exploration into who she was and why she did what she did coupled with the fact that even Emmy essentially condemns her as a slut gives the book that ‘let’s all judge the bad girl’ slant that a lot of readers dislike. I don’t think that was the author’s plan, but unfortunately, not doing a better job of exploring the backstory here gave this part of the tale a judgmental feel I am sure was not intended.

Fortunately, those flaws do not destroy the tale. I still found myself completely invested in I’ll be Watching You and while I wasn’t wowed by the book, I definitely liked it. I think fans of dark mysteries will enjoy it as well.

LOVED THIS BOOK!

I'll Be Watching You is a story about a teenager who vanishes without a trace and what her mom will do to find out what happened to her.
There is heartbreak, rage, and just plain determination.

I can not wait to read more by Courtney Evan Tate.

I really struggled with how to review I'll be Watching You. I have been thinking about it for days and I'm still not sure, so i will do my best. The story follows Emmy, an owner of a bed and breakfast on the beach. Her 15Yo daughter, Leah, goes missing one night and is presumed dead. As she deals with her grief, she begins to find out that her daughter lived a secret life.

I think had the book just been from Emmy's perspective, I would have liked it a lot more than I did. However, we also get Leah's perspective in the months leading up to her disappearance. I didn't enjoy reading details about a 15YO being groomed and being intimate with a much older man. I was really uncomfortable with those sections and still feel kind of icky now. I have a daughter that age, so that may have played a factor in my feelings about that subject.

I' m not going to say it's a terrible story. I did find myself waffling between three potential suspects. and the one I was expecting it to be turned out to be the wrong one. So that was good. I think this is one you have to read for yourself and decide. Just know ahead of time that there is some uncomfortable content in the book.

Three stars. This book was just ok to me, though I did finish it really fast. The ending seemed a tad implausible and there were a couple pretty obvious red herrings throughout. Overall, I would read another book by this author even if I wouldn't add this particular book to my must read pile.

This is literally every parent's worst nightmare. I adore Courtney Evan Tate (Courtney Cole) and have read almost everything she has ever written.

I'll be honest and say that I struggled with this one despite the topic. Grooming and having someone close to my child that could be a pedophile is something that I struggle with. Did I teach my kids what to look for? Will they know to stay away? Are they smart enough to resist and not go down this path? The answers... I don't know but I sure pray to God I taught them how to protect themselves.

I'll Be Watching You is labeled as a thriller and the reader will for sure go back and forth wondering who did it, what happened, how can parents survive the loss of their child. But there was always something underlying to me that I had a suspicion of who did it. I liked the use of Leah's blog entries, I loved her friends and how realistic this story was. But where I struggled... this wasn't a long book but it still took me a long time to get into it. I guess I was hoping for more of the thrill-creepiness factor that I didn't really feel like I got. Yes, I got some but I wanted more. I also thought it strange when we were in different POV's throughout the chapters.

I enjoy Courtney's writing and I look forward to reading many more from her. This one was just my favorite though the topic is something that is a big fear of mine.

I’ll Be Watching You by Courtney Evan Tate is a thriller that begins with the unthinkable, a mother losing her daughter in the blink of an eye. The story is told in the present from the mother’s point of view and flashing back a few months in the past to get the point of view of the daughter.

Emmy Fisher and her fifteen year old daughter, Leah, live in the Florida Keys at the Inn that was passed down to Emmy from her family. Living on their own private beach in the Keys Emmy has often joked that her daughter is part fish so she didn’t think anything of Leah swimming alone that night until she didn’t return from the water.

Once the police rule Leah’s disappearance as an accidental drowning Emmy finds herself trying to cope with her grief. However once Emmy begins to go through Leah’s things she finds she didn’t know her daughter as well as she thought. When it looks like Leah was in a relationship with an adult Emmy vows to find out who and see them punished for being with a minor.

I’ll Be Watching You by Courtney Evan Tate for the most part was an enjoyable thriller that was easy to follow despite the time jumps and POV changes. The ending of this one did mostly take me by surprise despite not having a ton of suspects although I had my suspicions on part of it. The thing that lowered my rating to 3 1/2 stars was I didn’t find it realistic for Emmy to shrug off some things, I’m the reader and know things are never how they seem but a grieving mother should follow the clues a bit more than she did.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Enjoying the last night of summer before school starts, sixteen year old Leah vanishes. Her grieving mother refuses to accept that her only child was gone. Riddled with grief she starts her own investigation and uncovers the secret life her daughter had.

The twists will keep you guessing.
The truth will shock you.
The ending will haunt you.

Courtney Evan Tate's writing talent knows no bounds.

Four Racey and Riveting. ★★★★'s!

"Ramblings from the Island long ago. It seems lately that I’m living in a nightmare, in a web of bad decisions. I’d like to get back to the good dreams again.

I fear that you won’t like me much, dear readers.

I’ve been telling you lately of my escapades, and my choices, and they haven’t all been good ones, have they?
I worry about that.
Culpability is a strange word, and one I’ve really never thought about before.
But I’m thinking about it now.
I’ve ended it with him, dear readers.
He wasn’t happy.
But it wasn’t right, was it?
He was scaring me, and fear should never be a part of love.
I’m glad I’ve come to realize that before things went even further.
I want you to know…I’m not a bad person. I swear to you, I’m not. You started my story at the point of my bad decision…My worst decision. A decision that seemingly only a bad person would make.
Please realize that when we’re living our lives, sometimes we get swept up in choices, and making the wrong one is sometimes all too easy.
As I write this, I’m staring at the dream catcher that hangs over my bed. Its feathers are fluttering in the wind, and I have to think of the good dreams that seem so

Because in spite of what it seems, I’m a good person. I promise. Tags: bad decisions, bad love, abuse, inappropriate relationships, heartbreak."
*********
I'll Be Watching You by Courtney Even Tate is a riveting story that I read in less than five furious hours! Fifteen-year-old Leah's point of view offers enticing hints as to the identity of her secret love, while her mother, Emmy, continues to dig up other clues. Both sides of the story melded together fluidly and I found myself reading at a
furious pace just to see if I had guessed the identity of the mystery man.
I did, in the end, guess right but I wasn't completely certain until it was revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Publishing, and author, Courtney Even Tate, for this advanced digital copy to read and review.

I kept going back and forth on how to rate this book. Going into the book you should keep in mind it is following the seemingly dime a dozen domestic thriller path. I wasn’t blind to this going in, so my expectations were not set inappropriately. For me the problem wasn’t that I knew who was at fault here (I read enough of these books that it takes a special one to throw me), but rather what we find out the perpetrator blames his psychopathy on. Sorry, no 12 yo is going to be so um, “vigorous”. That part was just an unnecessary weirdness to the story for me. Also, you’re plainly told by Leah who she’s involved with and then the story still drags on and on. It just wasn’t fast paced or thrilling at that point. Also, I don’t like how things ended up romantically for Emmy. So, even not comparing this novel to any others, it wasn’t an especially memorable or standout read.

I’ll Be Watching You # NetGalley
Courtney Evan Tate

This was my first time to read this author. She writes about a sensitive subject of losing a child. “Making the decision to have a child, it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. “. Emmy is a divorced mother running a beach side inn in the Florida Keys. She is raising her daughter Leah on her own. Leah is a 15-year-old teenager with a best friend Skye. One evening Leah decides to take a swim with her paddle board by herself. Her paddle board is found washed up on the shore but no Leah. Her mother is frantic and immediately calls 911. The book explores what could have happened to Leah. There are clues to help them figure out what has happened to her. They find text messages and disturbing pictures that provide clues. While reading the book, the reader will go back-and-forth between determining who was responsible for making the accident happen. As a mother, this was a very difficult book to read as it would be so hard to lose your only child and not know what happened to her. I found myself thinking that it was one person guilty and had to wait until the end of the book to find out if I was right. It is a quick read and one that I finished in one day. I have not read this author before but will look for other books by her in the future. I would definitely recommend this book to others and rate it a solid four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake House, Inc. for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing thriller! I loved the character development and stayed up way past my bedtime to find out what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this author.

If Oprah were to narrate this book she would say "you get a red herring. and you get a red herring. EVERYONE gets a red herring!" Piled in with all that fish were a few real clues. This made for a somewhat annoying read as the misclues made the actual culprit a bit obvious. I liked many of the characters, though other than the mother and daughter, I don't feel like we really got to know many of them. And the story was a good one. I just wish someone had expressed to the author that the obvious slapping of the reader with misleading clues might go a tad to far. I guess I just like my mysteries a tad more subtle?

What happened to Leah? Emmy, her mom, is shocked to discover nude photos on her 16 year old daughter's laptop. AND that Leah had some sort of relationship with an older man referred to only as Ry. This topical story is told from both Emmy and Leah's point of view. The true story tricky out slowly and while you might guess who Ry is, you might also, like me, be wrong. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good setting in Key West, an on-point depiction of teens, and a well done plot made this a good read.

I'll Be Watching You (by Courtney Evan Tate)

I have recently read a couple of other books that seem similar in plot points and the pure idea of it all. That being said, I really enjoy this setting and idea for a thriller. I think thriller lovers will enjoy this story, and I recommend it to those who like real-life, creepy and chilling stories that shake you to the core. I also really like the cover design, as a graphic designer, i find it very informative to what this story is truly about, nothing frustrates me more than seeing book covers that are complete irrelevant or confusing to the story.
I gave is a 3.5 (or 3) based on the predictability of it all. Not bad at all, but there were points that i could easily see coming a mile away, but like i said, i enjoyed the experience.
Thank you for the advanced copy!

Wow, what a book. It had a very forbidden plot entwined in this story with other interesting subplots, which really captured my attention and made sure to keep it. I love dark and disturbing themes or even plots, so I really was captivated by this story. I do think many would be able to enjoy it, without being too upset like others I’ve enjoyed, but it does deal with some heavy topics in a compelling manner.
Will be using in a challenge and letting the member of Chapter Chatter Pub know about it’s release!

Wonderful read! The plot was compelling, characters dynamic, and the ending was just perfect. I felt the story was appropriately developed without including extraneous detail. The dialogue was on par with the plot. This is sure to capture a wide audience.

The author presents us with an interesting study in several areas. One is the relationship of a mother and her teen aged daughter, the second a portrait of a young girl struggling to find herself in the changing world of adolescence, and the final a study in the hold a pedophile could engender with their prey.
Emmy Fisher is a woman that is managing a bed and breakfast that has come down to her from family. The hotel is located in the beautiful sun drenched section of Florida known as the "Keys" She is divorced from her husband but retains a friendly relationship with him as both parents keep an eye on their daughter Leah. Leah has been raised living on the keys, and we enter her life during the summer between her high school sophomore year and her Junior year. Skye is her best friend,her own age and they have been attached almost since birth.
Tragedy occurs one evening when Leah decides to go for a swim after dark and drowns. Devastated, Emmy cannot cope with the loss, and looks in every nook and corner for memorabilia of her daughter. She does not expect to find evidence that Leah had been having an affair, and apparently with someone much older than her. When she does it devastates her as she tries to find out who it was that her daughter had been having the illicit affair it looks like she has taken part in.
Her ex husband arrives from the area of the country he has been living in, and Skye begins her own effort to encounter her best friend's secret lover. The novel is well written and leaves the reader with the very agreeable feeling of reading a good book, and certainly awaiting Ms Tate's next one. Certainly an excellent read.

3.5 stars

Forbidden love, or something darker?
That's the overall premise of this story following a tragic death.

This story is told in the past and present.
In the present, we learn of a mother, Emmy Fisher, trying to cope with the sudden death of her daughter, Leah. And in her quest to find answers, she discovers she might not have known her daughter as much as she thought.
In the past, we learn of Leah's growing attraction to an older man, and a relationship develops between them. To be clear, I didn't find this forbidden relationship to be sexy. It felt creepier.

The big mystery of the book is who is the older man, as Leah only refers to him as Ry, which is just his secret name.

Flipping from past to present, the author begins toying with the reader. There are two clear "suspects" as to the identity of this man. I did flip flop between who I thought it could be, yet at the same time, felt the author was using some trickery - could there be another man not being considered? To avoid spoilers, I won't tell you how it plays out, but the identity is eventually revealed. Definite creep factor!

"Don't worry, Kitten. I'll still be close. I'll be watching you."

As for characters, I liked Emmy, and had high hopes she and her ex, Nate could work things out. There clearly was love between them. I'm not sure why the possible romantic element with Derek Collins, a resident of sorts at her inn, even came to play. It was awkward and reeked of bad timing.

I also liked Leah's friends, Skye and Liam. I thought Skye's connection to Emmy was sweet, and made the difficult days a bit easier, and I liked Liam's protective side. He clearly cared for Leah as more than a friend but didn't try to make things weird between them.

I would consider this more of a mystery, than a thriller. I feel there were any heart-racing moments, even though the element of danger was there. The end felt a bit rushed, with the resolution coming a bit too easily in my mind.

Overall, this was an intriguing read, and kept my brain working as I tried to resolve the mystery.

Thsi seems like a familiar book to me. over the last month there have been several along this same theme... that is uo unti about midway through the book. The author did a pretty good job surprising me. Leah was a young girl that istened to the wrong person and her life is never the same or is her life gone to soon? Thank you NetGalley.

This was a great thriller!! This book alternated between two POVs of a mother Emmy who is 36 and her daughter 15 year old Leah. It also bounces between August present time and June. Emmy runs an Inn that has been passed down in her family in the Florida Keys. She’s recently divorced and runs the Inn on her own it’s set on a private beach. Leah loves living on the water and she has two best friends Skye and Liam who visits his dad who stays at the Inn. One night before school is set to begin Leah asks to go swimming and Emmy agrees only for a little bit. Leah takes her dog Bo and heads down to the water. Leah never comes back. The police assume she drowns since her board is found but not a body. Devastated Emmy blames herself for letting Leah go swimming in the dark. While going through her room she discovers Leah’s secret. Leah was involved with a much older man. She wrote about it on an online blog. From the blog posts the relationship was becoming dangerous and she was considering breaking it off. Living on a small island like theirs there are only a small group of suspects to choose from. Emmy is determined to find out who was taking advantage of her young daughter and having an illegal relationship and sending her disgusting pictures. In Leah’s POV chapters you learn how the relationship started but you don’t know who it is with. Some of her chapters may need a disclaimer because it goes into some details that may not be for everyone. I loved this book and it was crazy sometimes I just wanted to tell at Leah!! Highly recommend for thriller lovers! Four stars! Book is available March 26th 2019!