What it Seems is an appropriate title for this book because what the book is about is not what it seems from chapter 1. Tara chronicles life with her Foster mother but all is not what it seems. She jumps at the chance to intern at a famous YouTube family’s business and learns of her own background. No spoilers - a good mix of a mystery and psychological thriller.

I'm sorry I waited so long to read this book as I really enjoyed it.

Angela, the protagonist, is very easy to root for, coming as she does from such an abusive "home". I knew right from the first few chapters what the real situation was with Mother but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.

I also felt her emotions towards the Feelys were realistic, representing as they did the idealised family life she craved. The contrast between their public and private lives was well explored, and I enjoyed seeing their more cynical motives unfold.

I did feel everything was resolved too quickly and neatly, with neither storyline reaching a truly cathartic conclusion.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable read.

I’m a fan of Emily Bleeker so I was excited to get What It Seems! The book was good. Tara is trapped in a life of crime and an abusive “foster” mom. She spends her nights locked up with her only friends..... her dolls and The Feelys a YouTube family Tara watches secretly. Then Tara’s luck switched when she saw that the Feelys were looking for a intern and she was picked for the job. Is this internship her great escape or not what it seems....

I am an Emily Bleeker fan. I love the level of suspense in her books. I usually figure the plot out before the end but that is ok with me. I liked this book, the story was a bit difficult at times but it didn't stop me from turning every page. I liked the the book and recommend it. Thanks netgalley for the complimentary arc of this book. The opinions are my own

Tara (Angela), 20 yo, lives controlled by a woman who claimed has saved her from her own family as they didn't want her. She has to work for her, steals and sells through eBay. Her outside world is very limited apart than limited online world. She loves watching the Feely family through their YouTube channel "AllTheFeels" until one opportunity is opened for her to join them as an intern.
I enjoyed reading this however the plot and story is pretty predictable. It's a fast paced reading yet missing the suspense.
THANKS Netgalley for an electronic ARC of this book.

This was an easy read that I just found to be okay. I was expecting more. It didn't grab me as much as I like from books in this genre. I would've preferred much more suspense, as that's what I was anticipating based on the blurb.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: March 17, 2020
Tara was adopted by her foster mother when she was eight years old. Since then, she has barely left her house, spending most of her days locked in closets and catering to her foster mother’s nasty moods and attitude. Now twenty, Tara sees an escape through the form of The Feely’s, her favourite YouTube family, when they post an ad looking for an intern. Does Tara have what it takes to escape her mother’s clutches once and for all?
“What It Seems” is Emily Bleeker’s fifth novel. I have not been fortunate enough to read most of her work, although I did get the chance to read “The Waiting Room”, which intrigued me enough to give this one a shot. This was a tough one to review, as the beginning of the novel had a “Room” vibe to it, and I was desperately intrigued, and then it veered off course, only to return toward the very end.
Bleeker narrates this novel from the protagonists’ perspective, and we hear Tara’s story as she lives it. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and the ends of the novel, and I wanted to hear more about Tara’s foster “mother” and her descent into crazy. Needless to say, I did not get such indulgences, as the novel took a surprise detour into the world of YouTube videos and popular Internet families.
“What It Seems” was trying to be modern, including the popularity of media influencers and vloggers, but for me, this part of the story was far less entertaining. I wanted to know more of Tara’s story when she was with her foster mother, before, during and after, and I was disappointed.
That being said, this novel was still entertaining. Although I really didn’t connect to any member of The Feely family, I wanted Tara to do well, and I rooted for her to succeed. I was satisfied at the ending of this novel, as it answered all questions and brought the appropriate people to justice.

Unfortunately I really struggled to read this one, I’m not sure what it was specifically, except for I just didn’t connect with the characters or the story. I plodded on through the book. But just something for me was missing.

Maybe thinking the grass is greener on the other side! Tara had been adopted by her very controlling mother at 8 years old, she doesn’t see much of the outside world, the only pleasure she seems to get is watching someone else’s family life on you tube videos, especially the lives of the Feely family. For Tara they seem to have the perfect family life. When they post a video looking for an intern, Tara jumps at the chance. Her biggest problem is getting away from her mother.

The story is written in first person narrative, and does involve some abuse. It always amazes me how people are taken in by so many you tube vlogs, I know some are good, if you want to learn something new for example. But when you try to live your life through these vlogs it can really mess you up, as with Tara, she sees this family as being so perfect, but are they really? What secrets are they hiding?

I would like to thank #netgalley #LakeUnionPublishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Absolutely fantastic book! Could not stop reading it. At times an uncomfortable read, for the subject matter, not the writing (which is skilful), It twists and turns unexpectedly and really interestingly, One really feels for the main character. Absolutely fantastic book! Could not stop reading it. At times an uncomfortable read, for the subject matter, not the writing (which is skilful), It twists and turns unexpectedly and really interestingly, One really feels for the main character.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

I am a fan of Emily Bleeker and this is another great story! A story of suspense, a real page turner. Had me totally absorbed in it until the the last page. I highly recommend it! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher to the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s really book kept me up way later than it should have. I also may have been sneaking away during the day to read bits and pieces

I was intrigued right from the beginning of this book, constantly trying to "help" Angela/Tara. I couldn't stop reading and at times would be downright disgusted and angry about the story - feeling like it was so real. I pray and pray that this does not happen to people, but I know it does and so I pray that abductees find freedom and peace again like Angela!

This is a good suspenseful read with a good plot

Great book and detailed characters and surroundings. The only reason I am giving it 4 vs 5 is because I thought the ending was little easy to guess and I LOVE a shocker!

This was a very well written book, I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s a page turner, keep you up past midnight type of book, so many twists and events that made you smile, or heart wrench. I’ll be recommending this book to all of my book loving friends. Would love to see an interview on this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are of my own.

What it Seems by Emily Bleeker was a great suspense novel! Fans of Gone Girl and Girl on The Train will love this book. It's a page-turner!

+++++++
#WhatItSeems #NetGalley


Emily Bleeker has done it again! I knew once I started this book I might well not stop reading until I finished it.
Every book has suspense be it a crash or medical issue.........this time the book is about Tara who was kidnapped at 8 years old and lives with her foster mother. Tara is now 20 and unlike most former fosters, she still lives with the same foster mother.

But she...........steals. Yep mom has trained her well to steal, lie, and unlike most people who reach legal age, to stick by mother. Why? well like most victims, Mother has her trained by abuse. Years of abuse.

Tara dreams of escape but does she dare? Or will Mother hunt her down and hurt her if she leaves?

I would love to say what happens but that would be major spoilers.

I will say this- Go get this book when it comes out and block off an afternoon or evening, turn off the phone, lock the door and read this book!

I was able to quickly devour this book, and now that I'm done I miss being a part of the story. However, this book only ended up being average because I found Tara/Angela's ability to deal with everything around her a little unbelievable. It wouldn't be impossible for someone to transition, especially when they really want something, but I think seeing that process a little more would have made the story line a little better. I still like seeing her go from a caged bird to an almost normal person, and there were some twists I didn't guess, which is always good in my book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good psychological thriller.

What It Seems
Emily Bleeker
⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5 stars

I’m a fan of Emily Bleeker. I have read a few of her books and have never been disappointed. This book pulled me in pretty fast and I quickly sympathized with the main character Tara. She was a prisoner in her own home.... her “Mother” was an awful person. I felt the character development of both characters really gave a true picture of their relationship. However, I didn’t enjoy the plot in the middle of the book. I found it to be quite unbelievable. The book ended strongly though with a twist I never saw coming which saved the book for me.

Thank you the Netgalley for providing me the ARC for my honest review of What it seems.

I have mixed feelings about this story. The author does a good job of being real when it comes to manipulating abuse and how what we see on the internet is often staged to look perfect. But the story line felt slow and I struggled to fully engage throughout the book.
For those of us who have experienced trauma, abuse, control, and manipulation, you will probably find triggers in the story.
For those who have escaped the horrors of abuse, please read carefully. Some things may not make sense why an abused person doesn't just "escape", but it is very different for the one living under another's extreme control.
I appreciate the author walking us through a sad reality in our world.