I had a hard time with this one, strictly because of the super slow start. It really took a lot for me to get through this one, not because it didn't end up being good, but because it didn't grab me at the start.

Joshilyn Jackson never disappoints, and the trend continues with With My Little Eye. Stalker tropes are one of my favorites, and I thoroughly enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between Meribel and Marker Man. I was also impressed with the realistic depiction of families dealing with autism. The relationship between Meribel and Honor isn't always easy, but it's honest, and it was one of my favorite things about the book. Also, kudos to tackling the issue of homelessness in a way that takes away some of the stigma. With My Little Eye would be perfect for buddy reads and book clubs!

I really enjoyed reading this one. I read it with friends and we guessed about everything along the way. Definitely the most fun way to read a thriller. I highly suggest it.

Before I talk about the book, I have to gush about the way the author wrote Honor’s character. It was refreshing to read about someone on the Spectrum and even how others interact with her without a stigma. It showed how she processed things and coped with things. And you were also able to see that not everything was different for her .While this is just a thriller or a book of fiction, it still brings awareness to their trials and tribulations. And even to an extent how her Mother, Meribel, parents a child on the spectrum.

But on to the book itself. There is a former child star that has a stalker. She chooses to move from LA to Atlanta to take work and protect herself and her daughter. In this one the stalker has a voice too. I always find that adds a dimension to the plot. There are many suspects for her stalker including multiple love interests of Meribels and new friends the two meet in Atlanta. I was the least interested in the love story, but I worked my brain hard trying to figure out who the stalker was without any luck. Any easy to read thriller that keeps me guessing is a win in my book.

Reading Between the Wines book review #52/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: With My Little Eye
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This book started off so strong and intriguing. It took a little turn and then I got somewhat confused. I definitely think there were some unanswered questions and loose ends. The POVs were very confusing and there were a lot of extra characters that did not add much to the story. The reveal of the stalker really did not make sense, especially their journey to find Meribel. I normally like Jackson’s books and this one was not horrible it was only just good. The ending was flat to me.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @WilliamMorrow for an advanced copy of @WithMyLittleEye.

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I absolutely loved this new Joshilyn Jackson book! I adore these new thrillers she's writing and they are just as good as her southern fiction. In this book, Meribel, a middle ages actress, has a stalker, and there are two men in her life who don't seem to be likely suspects. Meribel has a tween daughter with autisim, and the way she writes this character and her personality and how she deals with her autism is so well done. She is definitely my favorite character in this book - so brave amidst all her struggles. The ending is perfect! It had every aspect I could have wanted and all loose ends got tied up in just the right way. This is not one to be missed. None of Joshilyn Jackson's books are.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for my copy of this book!

I read it in two sittings and could have done one if I didn't have life commitments. Jackson's characters are complex and layered (and, in many cases, extremely creepy). No one is who they seem. And perhaps the best thing Jackson does is lure you into a sense that you know what's going on -- only to soon realize you're completely wrong.

I really enjoyed Jackson’s earlier books. This was my first time trying one of her thrillers and unfortunately it was a miss for me. Meribel moved from LA to Atlanta to get away from a stalker who was sending her disturbing letters. However, even moving across the country wasn’t enough to deter the stalker.

There are a LOT of other characters and POVs through the story. I stuck with it because I was interested to learn who the stalker would be. I wish I hadn’t.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

I didn't like this as much as other books by Jackson due to a few too many plotlines. The characters are still well developed and I liked the way autism was featured through a child's perspective. Dialogue was great and I would have been happy with, say two plots. Overall not bad

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Um, where’s the rest of the book? The story was FINALLY picking up, pieces were falling into place, the buildup was so strong but it just ended without any explanation.

Meribel, an actress, moves from LA to Atlanta to escape an obsessive stalker. He wrote letters to her in fruity scented markers and drew pictures of her dismembered in grotesque positions. Meribel’s daughter, Honor, gave him the nickname Marker Man.

After uprooting her entire life and eventually settling down in Atlanta, Marker Man had found them. Without a name or a face; it was hard for Meribel to trust any man around her, she always felt like she was being watched. Who was this man that was obsessed? What would would he do to her if he had the chance?

This book lacked chapter titles which made it hard to differentiate between the characters and past/present. I found myself rereading the beginning of most chapters because I was so confused. To me, this wasn’t much of a thriller and left me with more questions than answers.

"With My Little Eye" is a captivating and engaging mystery novel that follows a woman's investigation into discovering the truth about her husband and his possible infidelity. Along the way she uncovers a web of secrets and lies that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear.

Jackson's writing style is crisp, engaging, and evocative, and she has a talent for creating memorable characters that jump off the page. Jaye is a complex and fascinating protagonist, and her inner turmoil and vulnerabilities make her all the more relatable.

The plot of the novel is well-crafted and full of twists and turns that keep the reader on edge. Jackson does an excellent job of balancing the mystery elements of the story with more personal and emotional themes, such as family, love, and betrayal.

One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the way that Jackson weaves together different threads of the story, creating a rich and nuanced narrative that is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

Overall, "With My Little Eye" is an excellent read for fans of mystery and suspense. It's a well-written and engaging novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/0UGiE3mbWOs

What in GOD’S NAME was this? This was so bizarre. Really random scenes that seemed like the author was trying to make a statement about popular issues happened often. Random deep dives into characters that don’t matter to the plot. It was honestly so bad. I rarely talk this badly about books but WOW.

Not my favorite from joshilyn Jackson. The characters seemed extra difficult to keep straight. Maybe just me, but took away from the reading experience.

DNF. I tried but I just could not get into this book. The main character seemed over the top paranoid and the stalker was beyond creepy. Everyone felt like a reliable narrator.

Thank you to Joshilyn, William Morrow, and Netgalley for an advance copy of With My Little Eye.

Meribel is an actress who had a huge hit in the 90s and has since taken small roles here and there. Despite not being an A-list today, she still has her fair share of fans who recognize her, want to know her, and even stalk her. When she starts receiving letters to her home in LA things are hitting too close to home. She has a daughter to protect and cannot risk someone dangerous knowing where she lives. Once the letters turn into graphic pictures of Meri tied up or murdered, she’s had enough so she takes a new job filming in Atlanta heading across the country away from her stalker and current boyfriend…but back to where her old life ended.

In Atlanta she finds herself checking in on her ex-husband who lives nearby, but also starting a friendship and potentially more with a neighbor. Her daughter has even found a friend, so things are looking good. And then the letters start to arrive again. With even more suspects on her list now, she struggles to find a way to protect her family and also figure out who is stalking her - not an easy feat when you aren’t sure you can trust anyone.

Despite having probably every Joshilyn Jackson book on my TBR, this is actually my first read of hers, and I really enjoyed it!

There are a lot of layers to this book aside from the main plot point of an actress being stalked, which is nice because that trope can be a little boring and annoying to me. We explore Meribel’s relationship with her ex and how her compulsive need to check in on him could be mildly compared to how her stalker is checking in on her - after all, how you perceive your relationship with someone is not dependent on how they receive that relationship. Meribel’s (adopted!) daughter, Honor, has high-functioning autism and their relationship is explored, which is interesting due to the adoption and autism features bringing something fresh to a mother-daughter relationship subplot. There is also some frenemy action going on between Meribel and a neighbor who is the ex of another neighbor that Meribel has been getting to know. And then we have the fremeny’s daughter who befriends Honor, and getting to see how that relationship unfolds and affects the rest of the characters.

It’s very much a character driven thriller, which I enjoy. Sometimes with thrillers you don’t get to really know or care about the cast and I find that being invested in them as people helps me care about the plot more. There is some ‘high’ thriller action towards the end, but the majority of the book is building up these relationships and showing that while Meribel seems to have plenty of people around her, she’s not sure if she can really trust any of them, and in some cases the ones that she trusts wholly indirectly cause her harm.

The only real subplot that I found kind of unnecessary was the ex-husband. I loved the comparison that Joshilyn made to stalking and how it’s quite honestly in the eye of the beholder - Meribel is essentially stalking her ex-husband and his family, but because she feels like they have a relationship that allows for ‘checking in’ it’s not a big deal. Meanwhile we get a couple of notes from the stalker (and some POV from them as well!) that let us know that they also perceive their relationship with Meribel to be one of reciprocated love and trust…so really, in their eyes what they are doing is not technically stalking either. Other than that fun quip, the ex-husband could’ve been completely eliminated from the story.

Meribel Mills is an actress who moves across the country with her daughter, Honor, to escape a stalker. She's nicknamed the stalker Marker Man because all of his letters are written in marker. At one point, she even thinks her ex-husband is her stalker. My first book by this author but this one just wasn't for me. Had a hard time getting into it and kept confusing Cam and Cooper. There were some typos in the advanced reader copy that also threw me off.

Finished ✔️ With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson

5 ⭐️’s
Kindle Unlimited: No

I’ve never read this author before but I definitely will be in the future. 🤩🤩
This book truly pulled me in from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down. I wanted to know who was stalking one of the main characters.
This book has some great twists I didn’t see coming.
It engrossed me in more ways than one and I didn’t see any of it coming. 🤩
It is beautifully and brilliantly written in more ways than one.
The ending was very satisfying
Yes, I’d recommend


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A lot of main characters have been annoying me lately, and Meribel Mills joins the club. It's not that I hate her, but she is a self-absorbed, body-conscious actress who is just.... dumb. She invites essentially strangers into her home and inner circle which includes her delightful and autistic daughter Honor (the one fully likable character in the book). Who does that when you already have a known stalker who sends you pictures of yourself raped and cut up into little bloody pieces? SMH. I was actually cheering for the stalker to put her out of my misery.

For the first half, I thought I was on track for a 2-3 star review, but then something changed. All that I thought I knew became something else. I can't say any more as it would ruin the story for you, but as someone who enjoys cheering a bit for the villain, seeing said villain get their just desserts, and discovering an unlikely vigilante, I closed With My Little Eye feeling quite satisfied!

Thank you to #NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Actress Meribel Mills has a stalker. She is so disturbed by him that she moves herself and her daughter across the country to escape him. Unfortunately he is determined to be with her and will stop at nothing to make his obsession become a reality.

This was a slow building thriller that definitely had some creepy vibes as the stalker makes his way to Meribel. You are not sure who to trust because lets face it there are a few unsavory characters in this book. The creepy moments were great but there weren’t enough of them. Is it wrong that I feel that way? Probably 😃 Anyway, the story had moments that were great but were out-shadowed by the slow parts and the unsatisfying ending. Not Jackson’s best in my opinion.

3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

#NetGalley

Actress Meribell Mills uprooted her and her daughters live in LA back to her hometown in Atlanta. Unfortunately this move was prompted when she started to get creepy letters from an unhinged stalker, she likes to call marker man. But soon in Atlanta she starts to feel like someone is watching her. Did her stalker follow her from LA and more importantly who is it
I previously enjoyed reading this authors books, but this book did miss the mark for me. One of the things that I think this book lack was some cohesion. This is a multi POV book, but I was it was more clear on when the characters switch. I also feel like the characters weren’t developed enough to not have a clear switch.. I feel like there was a lot of build up to the climax of the story but it fizzled out at the end, and I was a little disappointed
Thanks NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion