A fast paced secret society mystery! The ending was full of twists that I did not see coming!! I can’t wait to read more by Chelsea Ichaso!

This is my third and so far favourite Chelsea Ichaso read.

An elite academic institution, a secret society, sinister disappearances, and deadly trials all form the nexus for this thrilling and fast-paced read. Everything featured in the sentence above are my buzzwords and so I had very high expectations concerning this storyline, all of which were easily met.

This was a dark and thrilling read, with clues and puzzles for protagonist, Maren, and reader to solve in order to uncover what happened to her former-best-friend, Polly, before her disappearance. Not one of the extended cast were trustworthy and so my suspicions never rested on just one individual, which added to the already tense situations that they were exploring.

The society Maren gained access too only heightened this unease, with trials featuring throughout for her to gain more information and increased authority. Every chapter had a new reveal, all of them led to more raised questions, and nothing about this novel was expected.

The ending did border on becoming a little overwhelming but the author pulled it back off the precipice and delivered something unique and fresh in this genre instead. I'm excited what else she will deliver in the future!

In They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso, Maren learns that her best friend and roommate, Polly, may have been involved in a secret society in the months leading up to her disappearance. Maren attempts to infiltrate this group in the hopes that if they were involved, she’ll be able to get some answers. But the conspiracy goes further than she thought and the secrets are darker than she expected.

Here’s the thing. This kind of book is difficult to review because the things that make it compelling are the same things that make it unrealistic. This is an over-the-top dramatic, twisty, and fast-paced mystery. It’s also completely absurd. But, in a way that makes it super fun if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing. Some readers will be frustrated by the leaps in logic, the out-of-nowhere plot twists, the rash and often ridiculous decision-making by allegedly clever characters, and the larger-than-life settings, villains, and plots. But other readers will love the book because of all those exact things. That’s what makes this sort of book so deliciously fun.

So, I’m going to list the things that make this book stand out, and you, dear reader, can decide for yourself whether to consider each point a pro or a con. This book features:
*A secret and powerful society
*A doomed and very tense love triangle
*Lots of puzzles, secrets, plot twists, and dramatic reveals
*So much drama
*A main character who has good intentions, but continuously makes poor decisions
*A mysterious and historic New England boarding school setting
*An increasing sense of tension and paranoia
*Conspiracies about possible cults and human sacrifice

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book. It isn’t deep or literary, but I had fun reading it, no matter how many times I had to pause so I could rant about how bad various characters are at making decisions. (I legitimately lost count) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fun, fast-paced, unrealistic, and dramatic mystery-thrillers. I would recommend it to anyone who was intrigued by the aforementioned list. But I would recommend it with the caveat that it has some dark themes including blackmail, murder, child endangerment, drug use, and imprisonment. And while I don’t remember anything graphic, there are various forms of violence. So younger readers should proceed with caution.

This book pulled me in right from the beginning. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

Best friends Maren and Polly attend Torrey-Wells Academy, an elite private boarding school. The two of them have been inseparable since day one... until two weeks ago when Polly went missing. The school, police, and even Polly’s parents have labeled her a runaway, but Maren thinks something happened to Polly. Determined to find her best friend, Maren begins searching for clues and stumbles upon an invite to a secret society hidden in Polly’s things.

The Gamemaster’s Society looks like fun and games, but their games are dangerous. More risk = more reward. The Society’s reach is further than Maren ever thought, and as you move up in their ranks, you can request favors from the highest places. Maren infiltrates the Gamemaster’s Society to receive clues about Polly’s whereabouts, but things quickly turn dangerous. Nothing is as it seems, no one can be trusted, and everyone may not get out alive.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. It reminded me of “They Wish They Were Us” but it was even better! Even though this is a YA book, it didn’t feel too young. It felt like I was reading about students on a college campus. I loved the boarding school setting, the creepy secret society, and the Greek mythology connection. There were a lot of twists and turns, and I was surprised many times. This was my first book by Chelsea Ichaso, but I will be reading her others immediately.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire & Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you netgalley with providing me with this arc in exchange for a review.
I got loves of creepy vibes throughout this book and I loved that. There are lots of twists and turns throughout the book.
I really liked this book and with be looking at other works that this author comes out with

What an amazing book! Now if there’s something which I can say which shows how much I love it is that I want to buy the physical copy of the book even though I read it as an ebook. It was such a thrilling read and I could not stop reading it. Really wel written.

Boarding school? Secret society? Heck yeah....
When Maren's friend, Polly, supposedly runs away during the school year, Maren doesn't believe it. She aims to infiltrate a secret society that no one will even confirm exists.
Full of twists and turns, this book kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.
I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say much more :) This was a fun YA thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an early copy to review.

A fantastic page-turner of a thriller. I finished reading this book in a few hours.

a covert organization with the power to either grant you the life of your dreams or take it all away. Although things aren't always as they seem, one student intends to elude them in order to save her best buddy. Who, if anyone, can she rely on?

Only one of them can save the person they care about most because she is competing against another member. There can only be one victor after being taken through a series of risky games and challenges. And losing means death.

I really enjoyed reading this book because there were so many unexpected turns and questions. I suggest this book to fans of psychological suspense.

This was a such a ride. I was still guessing who the Game aster was until the big reveal, and talk about a surprise! I loved the relationship between the characters, as well as the rush of the games. At times, it pushed my level of belief, but it was still a fun read! I would put this one on the shelf for my students for sure!

This book was nothing short of what I expected. A great mystery/thriller novel that is sure to get you out of a reading slump. I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters & see how the mystery unfolds. I highly recommend this book to someone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers like I do,

Maren attends Torey-Wells academy, an elite boarding school where the stakes are higher than just trying to get into a good college. She finds herself wrapped up in the Gamemasters Society when her best friend, and roommate, Polly St. James goes missing. Before her disappearance Polly is acting strange and feverishly asks Maren to meet up with her, but she never shows. Maren is unable to let it rest and starts looking into her friends disappearance. She finds a mysterious letter addressed to Polly from the Gamemaster. Maren knows she must infiltrate the society to save her friends life.
These Deadly Games + Legendborn vibes!
The pacing in this novel is spectacular, if I had the ability to read this all in one sitting I know I would have. I was always on the edge of my seat and every time I thought I knew what was going on something completely different happened. I thought the dark academia vibes in this thriller were magnificent and Ichaso does a great job at creating an atmospheric read.

I really enjoyed They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso. It was twisty and dark with a secret society in a academic setting, which I always love. You never really new who to trust throughout this whole book. I will say that the ending seemed very abrupt but it was in all a good book. 4 ⭐️

This book gave me a lot to think about, and that's not entirely a positive thing.

When Maren's best friend Polly disappears during the school year and no one seems to care, Maren takes matters into her own hands. When she stumbles into her school's secret society, she learns there was more behind Polly's disapperance than she originally thought.

The synopsis of this book had me--a mystery about a secret society at a prep school? I was sold. Admittedly, I was also a bit hesitant because I've read a previous book from Ichaso that also had an interesting premise but wasn't a particularly impressive book overall.

Unfortunately, I have to say this book fell into the same trap. Something I stand by that Ichaso does well is building tension--in both of her books that I read, you could really feel the tension and the stakes in the story, which was great. Also, the plot did keep me engaged because I was constantly coming up with new theories about who was really in the secret society, what really happened to Polly, who was behind it, etc. I did predict some plot twists, but the finale was a bit of a surprise to me.

However, the reason the finale was a surprise wasn't because it was built up so well that I didn't see it coming--it was because it came from so far out of left field that it seemingly came from nowhere at all. Learning that Polly willingly disappeared and put her best friend through the hell of joining this literal cult, putting Maren's life in danger, all while Maren was worried that Polly was being tortured or killed, was not consistent with the Polly that we, loosely, came to know through Maren's flashbacks. It wasn't at all consistent with her character, and I hated it.

The romance in this book didn't particularly impress me either. The love triangle felt very forced, and both of the boys involved felt underdeveloped as a result. Other than knowing what they were hoping to get from the secret society, we didn't really know anything about them. They seemed to mostly exist just to be potential love interests for Maren.

The ending felt very abrupt and rushed as well--I wish we had seen more resolution for the characters and, honestly, more consequences.

I do want to reiterate that this book was not terrible--I did enjoy the plot and following along with the mystery. If you shut your brain off and let yourself just enjoy the story, I think you could have a decent time with it. But when you're looking at this story from a reviewer's perspective, looking for things that are working and not working, that's when it starts to fall apart.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chelsea Ichaso does it again! I can't get enough of her writing. From page one, she pulled me in with her compelling characters, and I had to see Maren's story through to the end. In fact, can I get more of Maren? Who can't relate to her, "I mean, I put jeans on today, damn it!" commentary as her world spins out of control and she figures out she has no idea who she can and can't trust. I'm a sucker for secret societies (thanks to Joshua Jackson and The Skulls), and this book did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing and thrilling mystery novel with some fantastic build up along the way to a shocking ending.

(3.5 stars)

This book is about Maren who is in a private highschool. With Polly, her best friend and roommate gone missing, she takes it as her responsibility to find her.


A secret society and ride-or-die games with a pinch of Pretty Little Liars vibes! If you're into dark academia you’ll love this!
The book started strong and the suspense along the journey will leave you wondering what will happen next.
Its the kind of read that captivates you and keeps you hooked till the last chapter. This book is hard to put down after the first half; especially with all the twists.
Maren is brave, I really admired her loyalty. I only loved Gavin, the rest of the characters were flat.
The only 2 negative things I can say about this book but theyre both subjective.
1. I hated the love triangle and everything that hinted at it (she didn't even end up with the guy I like ffs!)
2. I saw the twists coming before they happened, but it's not because they were obvious; I just tend to overthink what's happening in a book and guess what will happen later on.
This is my fav Chelsea Ichaso, her style really improved.

A chilling thriller set in the world of prep school academies with secret societies.

Maren’s best friend and roommate Polly has gone missing. Based on some clues discovered in their friends, Maren believes Polly has been kidnapped by a secret society up to no good. Enter Remington, a classmate and friend who is also missing a best friend and fears she has befallen a similar fate.

As Maren and Remington done deeper into the secret society, they find that their lives are at risk and not everything is as it seems.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy.

They're Watching You is a thriller that captivates you from beginning to end. There's so much to love about this book. Marin has one friend at Torrey-Wells Academy, her name is Polly. When Polly disappears Marian is determined to discover what has happened to her—taking the reader with her on an enthralling journey to save herself and Polly from the school's secret society and their games.

They're Watching You is a great read. That will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

3.25 Stars

They're Watching Us is written from the perspective of Maren Montgomery, a high school student whose best friend, Polly, has disappeared. Polly's parents and the authorities have concluded that she simply ran away, but Maren isn't convinced, especially after finding out that Polly was a member of a secret society known as "The Gamemaster's Society". Maren is determined to figure out what happened to Polly, so she decides to try and infiltrate this society. To rise through the ranks and get the information she needs, Maren needs to win challenges - but when the stakes turn out to be deadly, Maren is left questioning whether they know what happened to Polly or whether they are what happened to Polly.

In this regard, I found this book much more interesting than Ichaso's other novel. An elite school? A secret society? I couldn't ask for much more. That being said, one of the biggest issues I had to grapple with while reading this is that I didn't really believe how such a society that seems to be run primarily by high school students could have as much influence and reach as it does. I also don't understand why anyone in their right mind would join this society - and maybe that's the point, but I just couldn't rationalise why so many sensible seeming people would be a part of something so,,,strange. Even the "benefits" of membership just seemed too vague and convenient and did not really convince me of the society's appeal (but then, not seeing the appeal is probably not a bad thing...).

As for the characters, Maren was probably my favourite - but I did definitely question some a lot of the choices she made. She was indecisive and a little short-sighted, but I really respected her dedication to helping her friend. Apart from Remington and Gavin, who are our two points of a love triangle - which I did not enjoy, but especially because I chose the loser - the other characters aren't that incredibly well-developed. Since this is plot-driven book, I don't think this really matters - if anything, it helped to maintain that fast pace that made this book easy to read. While I did find the ending to be a little anti-climactic, there are enough twists and turns in this story to keep you intrigued.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick but entertaining read.