When No One Is Watching pulled me in and kept me turning the pages from the start. Sydney and Theo, the main characters, had good chemistry and ‘real’ conversations and the people in the neighborhood treated each other like family(making them very likable).

Although a fictional story the characters reference and explore many historical truths and the displacement of black residents from their homes and neighborhoods.

I gave it four stars because the ending felt rushed and was a little unbelievable. Overall, a good read and I’d recommend purchasing when released in September. Thank you to NetGalley and Alyssa Cole for the advanced copy!

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole is set in a neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s slowing being gentrified. Sydney is a long-time resident and Theo is one of the new people who have come to “better” things. Or is he? As people begin disappearing with explanations that are less than credible, Sydney isn’t sure whether Theo is friend or foe. Alyssa Cole has created a story with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing - just when you think you have it figured out, you’ll be surprised.

4.5 stars rounded up. Deeply creepy, and I knew that going in (which is important: I adore Alyssa Cole's romance novels and this is not a romance) so I was in the right mood for it. Once I started reading, I found it hard to put down (word to the wise, I don't recommend staying up late to read something this unnerving). The ending is a little abrupt, yet it's satisfying and serves the greater point which is more important to me, hence the rating. This novel feels eerily timely in the summer of 2020 (racism, police brutality) while simultaneously the historical aspects of the book illustrate the enduring cycles of economic and physical violence. The creeping dread and uncertainty about who can be trusted/what is real reminded me of The Woman in Cabin 10. When No One Is Watching is unsettling in the best way and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

I was delighted to receive an advance review ebook from the publisher as part of an online book club.

It is difficult for me to put into words how I feel about this book. I did not connect with the main character at all. I think the hardest thing was her lingering negativity. I think there is hardly a moment where she isn't negative. As for the plot, I saw the "twist" coming about 5 pages in. The rest of the plot seems far-fetched and the ending is extremely unresolved to me. It just isn't the type of book I would recommend to anyone.

I liked many things about this book. Great suspense and twisting plot as well as a refreshing approach to character development have secured my membership in the fan club for this author. Perhaps the most critical element in the experience was the opening of a perspective on the cruelty of and the resultant brutality of the consequences of systemic racism and decades of cultural warfare. A very timely introduction for under-informed readers invites the reader on a journey of greater insight and spiritual growth.
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This book didn't fit the thriller category in my opinion. When I got to the graphic sex scene I discontinued reading it. This book is just not for me.

It's a quiet, mostly black neighborhood of Gifford Park, Brooklyn, that is apparently in gentrification mode. Sydney Green, divorced, is living in her mother's house, trying to make ends meet. Next door, a young white couple, Theo and Kim, has just moved in. It seems that this area has been designated by Veren Tech to open a research hospital center and is buying up property. Kim isn't very friendly to the residents but Theo joins the neighborhood committee and volunteers to become Sydney's partner in a historic walking tour. As they delve deeper into the areas history they find similar events occurring - where people are being forced out. When neighbors begin to disappear, Theo and Sydney begin to investigate and then find themselves being targeted.
An intense story line that is well paced and holds and involves the readers interest.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for this e-copy of "When No One Is Watching".

A huge pharmaceutical company is moving into Sydney’s historically Black Brooklyn neighborhood, and gentrification threatens to turn the street she grew up on into something entirely different. As Sydney works on putting together a tour of the neighborhood, highlighting the rich Black history of the place, things are already changing fast. Her hairdresser has to move because of an increase in rent. Neighbors she’s known her whole life are gone, and white people are taking their place. And what was with that creepy Uber driver?

Meanwhile, across the street, Theo has just moved in at the insistence of his girlfriend, Kim. Theo, unemployed, is beginning to regret making the huge commitment of buying a house with a woman who is not only infinitely more financially secure than he is, but who also seems to grow less attached to their relationship by the day. He also can’t stop wondering about Sydney. Theo volunteers to help with research for her historical tour, and the two form a somewhat strained friendship, with him continuously misstepping and her having to call him on his whiteness with their hilarious code word.

I really enjoyed the unexpected sinister aspect of this book - what’s happening to all of Sydney’s neighbors who move out without saying goodbye?? Who are the phone calls from that make Sydney so anxious? What are the new white neighbors plotting in their secret chat group in the “OurHood” app?

Additionally, as a white person, the overt racism from the new white neighbors really made me stop and consider how it would feel to be treated as a criminal in my own neighborhood. I was outraged when Kim threatened to call the cops because Sydney had the audacity to complain when Kim cut in front of her in line at the convenience store, and that was nowhere near the worst of it. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't stop reading.

I really wanted to like this book but just could not get into it and was dragging myself to pick up and read. The Rear Window aspect really grabbed my interest to , but was not getting that at all. It was taking so many chapters to just explain about Sydney, Theo, and some of their neighbors. 20 percent into the story (read on Kindle), no action was happening. By then I gave up. Don't rule it out, you may see from different eyes, but didnt do anything for me

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole is an interesting and creative novel that deals with the problem of prejudice in an old established Brooklyn neighborhood. The neighborhood is served by corrupt police and inhabited by money hungry investors that are attempting to take over the neighborhood and drive all of the black families out of their homes. During the most recent events in the United States this plot is very timely. As a Caucasian reader I was able to feel the emotions of the main neighborhood characters as they were repeatedly discriminated against. I did, however, find the last third of the novel to be a bit unrealistic. Nonetheless, this novel is a worthwhile and insightful read. I would like to thank Alyssa Cole, Harper Collins Publishers, and netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. It had so many elements that worked well together: suspense and mystery plot line, racial stereotypes and perceptions, history of the Brooklyn area, and gentrification and how that’s affecting neighborhoods. It was thrilling and refreshing and eye-opening and I can’t wait to read more by Alyssa Cole. I would have given it a 5 if the ending hadn't felt rushed and left me hanging a bit after I'd grown really fond of these people.

When a neighborhood in Brooklyn experiences rapid gentrification, concerning and scary as that is, people start disappearing and other atrocities. Dystopian in nature the ending is righteous and violent fantasy, and is just right.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Alyssa Cole for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow!! What a timely release with what is happening in our country now.

I loved the slow build up of suspense in this story. It gave a very clear picture of what was going on within Sydney's community. I loved her character and again I enjoyed the slower pace that really allowed for great depth and complexity in her and Theo's character as well

Yes, there is a lot that happens quickly in the end but I thought the author did a wonderful job of showing why that was necessary.

It doesn't feel like a typical thriller but I feel like that only adds to the enjoyment of the book. It was refreshingly different and I loved the aspects of history in Brooklyn and the redlining.

This is the first time I have read this author and I'll definitely pick up more from her.

I've read and enjoyed Alyssa Cole's historical fiction books. When I saw that she had written a contemporary mystery, When No One is Watching, I was curious and wanted to read it. Thank you William Morrow books and Scene of the Crime for my DRC.

This is a timely story that focuses on the effects the arrival of a big corporation has on a tight knit Brooklyn neighborhood. A neighborhood that is rapidly undergoing gentrification and causing long term community members to leave. But why are those community members leaving without telling others? And why are local business so quickly being changed? These are just a few questions cropping up as the neighbor hood transforms, and that Sydney, the main character is trying to puzzle out.

The mystery of these questions and the quest for the answers kept me flying through the pages. However, it was the frank discussion of the effects of gentrification on a neighborhood and it's community members that had me thinking long after finishing this book, as did Sydney and her experiences. When No One is Watching comes out in September and I highly recommend you add it to your TBR list for then.

A thriller much in the style of Get Out. It feels wrong to say it was a fun enjoyable read, because it deals with such heavy topics but somehow it was. Quick pacing, a lot of suspense, and a touch of local history? Very up my alley. I thought that the bulk of the action was a bit rushed at the end, I would've sacrificed the relationship building between the two main characters in favor of slowing down the ending.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole is an excellent book that contains multiple elements: historical fiction of sorts, mystery, thriller, romance, and interweaves those concepts with darker subject matter: society flaws, inequities, gentrification, and racial disparities.

Ms. Cole is able to create an entertaining and thrilling novel taking all of these elements within each other to create a unique and memorable read.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book moved slowly and I had trouble connecting with the characters. However, I gave it a chance and found out that i did end up enjoying it.

“When No One Is Watching” is a slow-burn thriller that gradually builds up to an explosive, heart pounding conclusion. The novel is told from the point of view of two main characters, who are so vividly drawn that you feel like you are inhabiting their skin. Sydney, an African American who returned to her mother’s brownstone in their Brooklyn neighborhood to care for her mother when she became sick, is dismayed to discover that all of her old neighbors are suddenly disappearing, to be replaced by affluent white couples who treat their black neighbors with scorn and distrust. This transpires at the same time a pharmaceutical company is reopening a derelict hospital to perform opioid addiction research

The other main character is Theo, the boyfriend of one of the wealthy white women who has taken up residence near Sydney’s mother’s brownstone. Theo comes from a humble background, and is quickly discarded by his live-in girl friend, who relegates him to a hot, cramped attic in their shared brownstone. Theo befriends Sydney during a block meeting at which he volunteers to help her with a research project involving a historic tour of the neighborhood that she is planning for the annual Labor Day festivities. As more and more odd incidents occur and more people suddenly disappear, Theo and Sydney are thrown together as unlikely partners in an attempt to discover whether or not there really is a conspiracy to take over the neighborhood or if they both suffer from paranoia.

The writing seemed a little convoluted and basic at times, while the characters weren’t appealing. The story didn’t come together very well for me.

I received this advanced copy from Scene of the Crime Early Reads and had no idea what it was about before I started reading it.

The story centers on a 30 something divorcee, Sydney, who returns to her childhood home to live with her sick mother. She comes to realize that her Brooklyn neighborhood, that was mainly a Black community, has now changed as more and more rich elitist white people have started moving in to the homes. Sydney also comes to realize that her mother and fellow neighbors have been getting harassed by BVT realty who wants to buy their homes. Sydney starts to look into the history of Gifford Place, BVT realty, and VerenTech, the pharmaceutical company who wants to build a research center in Gifford Place. What she uncovers combined with the strange happenings she notices in her neighborhood, makes Sydney question if she is paranoid or going crazy. She reluctantly enlists the help of her white neighbor, Theo, who has a shady past to investigate the strange happenings, even though she is not sure she can trust him either.

This story centers around gentrification, the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses, and systematic racism, which unfortunately is still a factor in today's society. It bases the story on real events from the past and events that could really happen today, which is what makes this book frightening. Alyssa Cole tackles some tough subjects in this thriller while also making it entertaining. She shows how marginalized people can easily be discriminated against by those who are in power.

This is a slow burn of a book. It starts out slowly and picks up speed all the way through to the exciting ending. It has a mystery, some thrills, and a little romance. It makes you think and sticks with you after you're finished.

Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced readers copy. The opinions are my own.