For Fans of Woman in the Window

This book was AMAZING! In this story, Sydney realizes that something awry is happening in her neighborhood. People are going . . . missing. What is happening? Is it just in her head? Although not truly welcome.. Sydney, with the aid of her neighbor Theo, begin to investigate.

This was a compulsive, gripping, and tense thriller. An excellent psychological thriller that leaves the reader questioning the sanity of the protagonist. Cole did an excellent job with casting an unreliable narrator in this novel... and I love well-executed unreliable narrators. Five stars!

I’ve been a fan of Alyssa Cole’s for a few years now, eagerly awaiting each new romance. When I heard she was writing a thriller about gentrification, I was intrigued - I love thrillers. Tensely plotted and adrenaline-racing, this mystery will creep you out and make you wonder if darker forces are at play. I found this story to be unputdownable. It is so good. Cole is an incredibly talented writer, and it should be noted that she is also incredibly good at writing about technology in a way that feels realistic. The way she weaves in history and real life examples is no small feat either. If I say any more, I’ll probably be approaching Howdy Doody territory, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Oh man. This book is a TRIP. Exploring racial tensions in Brooklyn in epic, larger-than-life proportions, this read like a dramedy to me. Not afraid to poke fun at itself, but still getting down to the nitty gritty. A very ambitious and (for the most part) effective thriller.

I'm not sure what I just read...I was expecting a thriller (that's what the cover promises) but there was way too much swearing and steaminess for my taste on the way to the thriller part and then, spoiler alert




what the heck happened at the end? It was a gory bloodbath and then our protagonists just walked away from it? I appreciate poetic justice, but the villains seemed like caricatures, and finding out that our hero was far from it (petty thief? wannabe white-collar criminal? and not even really remorseful about it? oh, no big deal) was also a letdown. It was well-written and it did keep my attention to the end (thus the 2 stars) but it gave me nightmares and an icky feeling.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an awesome book, and I have a lot to say about it, so buckle up!

This book is Get Out meets Rear Window meets The Stepford Wives, if the Stepford Wives wore Lululemon. As a past resident of Brooklyn very near where this books take place, I can tell you all her statements about gentrification are right on the nose. And not just in Brooklyn - this is happening all over the country. I WISH the “OurHood” posts weren’t so similar to NextDoor posts I see every day here in California. I loved the multiple perspectives, all of which the author nailed, and I especially loved Sydney.

I don’t agree with a previous reviewer that this book should flag that it’s about “social justice” issues for the reader. This book is about racism, which is a fact. It’s also about historical events like redlining, which are also facts. This is stuff that happened and that white people should be reading more about. The book will draw readers in. No ”racism warning” necessary. (And anyway the blurbs also mention Get Out, so the reader will know what she’s in for.) To be honest, I find the idea that the publisher should tippy toe around the issues in this book with a forewarning to be kind of insulting.

Like Get Out, this is a scary story with awesome symbolism and a lot of laughs. It does a great job contrasting the irrational fears of some white people with the very real fears of black people. And it is also just a great book to let anyone blow off steam about the annoying crazy neighbors we all see posting on NextDoor, and what they might really be up to.

To sum up, read this book. It’s fun, funny, scary, has something important to say, and you’ll probably learn a few things along the way. The ending is wild, but it works. I love this author’s voice and sense of humor and she will be on my list of must-reads in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Alyssa Cole for a preview of this great book which I think people will definitely be talking about.

Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching had me on the edge of my seat before I even got to the mystery. The gentrification of her Brooklyn neighborhood and the tense nature of every interaction kept me stressed. Adding the mystery of what's happening to her neighbors and who the people changing her community are made it impossible to stop reading. Different from her romances, but rhf same storytelling that keeps you hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this free ARC.
This book is like the movie GET OUT if it were made about a neighborhood instead of a family. There were so many parts in this book the full out pissed me off. Why white people think they are superior to everyone else, I'll never know. As crazy as a plot that this book has, Alyssa did a wonderful job keeping it real and honest. I'm very excited to read her other books!

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole- At first I had to go back to the description to make sure I was reading a thriller. What starts out as a realistic fiction about life in the Brooklyn Burrough, suddenly turns sinister. Sydney is living back home with her mom in Brooklyn after a failed marriage. Her old neighborhood though has some changes, notably, new neighbors...new white neighbors. Theo is one of these new white neighbors. He and his wealthy girlfriend bought the 3 story brownstone as part of a gentrification project. He believes that they are rebuilding and bringing life to a dying neighborhood. But as his relationship falls apart, he spends more and more time with this "dying" neighborhood and sees the vibrant life still present in this neighborhood. Sydney and Theo couldn't be more different, but they both are noticing that something isn't right. Neighbors are moving out overnight with new neighbors moving in almost immediately, stores are updated and switching ownership in the blink of an eye, and no one knows where their former friends have disappeared to. As they get deeper and deeper into the mystery, they find their neighborhood is in danger along with everyone living there. #netgalley #alyssacole #whennooneuswatching

When No One is Watching

This review is written from two points of view. First, as a librarian suggesting this book to patrons and secondly as the author of two novels and many short stories. It will not be shared on social media. It is just for the consumption of the editors and publisher.

As a librarian:

What I liked

When No One is Watching has a great premise that would be of interest to readers of suspense/thrillers. The idea that sinister elements could be at work as old neighborhoods become gentrified, and the long term residents disappear, is very intriguing. Where did they go?

The story is told in first person, present tense, alternating between the two main characters. It is very well done and engaging. Characters are well developed. The Brooklyn neighborhood becomes a character unto itself.

The story becomes a thriller about a hundred pages into the story. It is a little slow developing but takes off after that point. The two main characters Sydney and Theo slowly become love interests as they fight to overcome greater and greater obstacles. All in all it is an interesting read that I would recommend to patrons with a few caveats.

Caveats

I think the blurb and promotion of the book should mention the heavy social justice/injustice aspects of the novel. Some patrons are looking those aspects and others are not. A suspense/thriller reader is more than likely not searching for those aspects to a great degree.

The story is too heavy handed in the social justice aspect and the historical aspect. To me this took away from the pace and narrative flow. At times it reads like a Black History Month high school assignment. And pardon the pun, it is too black and white, with anyone white being evil and anyone black being everything that is good. Theo, who is white, is the only white character with any redeeming qualities, and many bad character flaws.
The end result of this for me, was it was distracting and took away from the pace and flow of the story. It bordered on preaching of the evils of white people. The cops are all evil, and white. No black cops in Brooklyn? All the new residents are white and evil. It was too stereotypical and could have used a mix of new residents which would make it more realistic. Only at the very end of the story do any people of color characters appear who are less than saints, as if the author realized this flaw and tried to correct it at the end.

I would still recommend the book to a patron, after querying if they have interest in a thriller with heavy social justice undertones. This should be part of the promotion of the book and it would eliminate this issue. The readers seeking these tropes would be thrilled with the story.


As a writer

What I like

The author is very skilled and paints a vivid image of her characters and the setting. Sydney and Theo are fully developed characters who I cared about and was invested in what would happen to them and their neighborhood.

The sinister elements are slowly and effectively introduced. The author conveys a sense of dread that carries throughout the narrative. The minor characters are well developed as well. There are interesting unexpected twists in the story that keep the narrative flowing.

Like all good thrillers, the stakes keep getting higher and higher which keeps the reader involved and turning pages.

This is a book many fans of suspense/thrillers would enjoy.


Caveats

Without spoiling the plot, there is a jarring change in the main characters later in the book which made me lose all sympathy for them. What Sydney does to the lawyer Gianatti comes out of the blue and makes both of the main characters no better than the enemies pursuing them. Sydney needs to have been threatened before she took such drastic action. It threw off the whole climax and my sympathy for both her and Theo.

The climax escalates to a satisfying ending, but I think the reader has now had a change of heart about both Sydney and Theo because of the above easily fixable issue mentioned above.

Here are just a few incongruities/typos etc for editorial use.

Typos. Pg 127 alllllll

Pg 207 I have is a ceramic

Incongruities

Sydney needs at least a .38. She has a .22 with which she stops a large man cold. Not realistic.

Glocks don't have safety's

Glocks don't jam (it's why cops use them)

Theo, while stabbing a man to death, reflects on how the expensive knife he is using, is really a good bargain because it murders so well. This should be edited out. Not realistic.

Theo takes a bad guy's cell phone and changes the password before the phone locks itself out. You have to know the old password to change the password in the security settings on all phones.

The super sophisticated villains who have devised this intricate plot don't know enough not to openly chat about their crimes on a “private” chat room. Not realistic.

I hope this helps and thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

This book blew me away, exceeding all of my expectations. I'm a big fan of Cole's romances, and I've always been impressed with her ability to effortlessly switch genres, from historical fiction to sci fi to tweaking the traditional conventions of romance tropes to allow for stories that feature POC. She's a master writer, no matter the genre. When No One is Watching is no different! She drew me in immediately with a gradual buildup of suspense and a few subtle clues that something is off. I loved her take on the (very real) sinister side of gentrification.

WHAT a book!

Alyssa Cole is one of my very favorite romance authors, so when I heard she was coming out with a thriller I got very, very excited. This book does not disappoint -- it's a master class in how to build suspense. There's a pervasive sense of dread that intensifies with every page, but it's tempered by the burgeoning friendship and romance between Sydney and Theo. Cole's gift for witty banter is on full display here, and it's fascinating to see her deploy it in another genre.

Having recently read Ruby Lang's Uptown trilogy of novellas, I had already been thinking a lot about New York neighborhoods and gentrification, and I think that really primed my brain for this book. When No One Is Watching will freak you out, make you laugh, make you mad, and most of all, make you think. I can't wait to recommend it to just about everyone!

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

Loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was nonstop discomfort (in a good way) with the realities of gentrification and structural racism along with the unknown of what exactly was happening to the residents of Gifford Place!

Alyssa Cole's latest thriller is a fast, well=paced read, with a healthy dose of romance. She takes on the gentrification of urban neighborhoods and its toll on the local communities. The characters are interesting and engaging, ones you root for throughout.

This is the first book I have read by Alyssa Cole and I was hooked from the beginning. I love how historical aspects of Brooklyn were woven through the story. While I found it a bit unbelievable what happened at the end of the book, it was still a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I cannot wait to read more by Alyssa Cole.

Alyssa Cole can do it all! I’m a huge fan of her romances and was presently surprised to see her skills adapt to the thriller genre. Great fun read

This book kept me on my toes and made me guess all the way through. Does a fantastic job of interspersing history. And makes one contemplate the horrors of modern day society. Well written!

Bam. Wow. Yes. Alyssa Cole is obviously very smart--her romance books always weave STEM, culture and history into the story in such interesting ways--but this book really shows her brilliance, IMHO. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story, but let's just say she takes sordid history and contemporary corruption and capitalist industries and throws them all together in a vat like BAM. I didn't really feel like I was reading a thriller for the first half of the book (not a criticism! just don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't read like a thriller right away), but my heart was pounding by the end.

More, please, Ms. Cole!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.