3.5 stars. This isn't Jackson's usual twisty domestic thriller. Meribel Mills, actress, has a stalker that just keeps escalating. After she discovers that this stalker has been in her home, Meribel moves back home to Atlanta where luckily a job has opened up for her. However, she has ghosts in Atlanta and must put them to rest in order to move forward. However, moving hasn't gotten rid of her stalker. He has followed her across the country.
This was just meh for me. Although written well, it just wasn't as well done as Mother May I or Never Have I Ever. And as much as Meribel was being tortured by "Marker Man" (so dubbed by Honor, her daughter, because of the scented marker scent left behind on his stalker letters), I just couldn't feel that bad about it. Also, why was almost every single male character a complete creep? And I mean, besides the stalker. Joshilyn Jackson is better than this!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-arc.*

This is my second book by this author and I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than the first. I was not sure where it was going to go and I was definitely surprised where it ended up, in a good way. Having a stalker is so creepy but this book was well done. Definitely recommend if like thrillers!

With My Little Eye comes out next week on April 25, 2023, and you can purchase HERE!

Instead, I'd stared at the ceiling, drifting, while my brain played all of Meribel's Greatest Shame Hit on a loop. It's like that, sometimes. You lie in the dark, thinking about James peering across a parking lot, shocked, staring. You start thinking, When have I been more humiliated? Your brain helpfully says: Well, that thing with your first agent at that party. Oh, and you made your mom break up with your husband for you while you fled cross-country. Maybe insta-stalking your ex's wife is close to that cringe-y, if we look at it as cumulative.

3 stars

My honest review. If this wasn't a Netgalley read I probably would have DNF'd.

Full disclosure, it probably isn't fair that right before I started this I finished Taylor Adams' newest book and it was so crazy and entertaining that this one was boring me right from the start. So I went away from it for a few days and then came back to it. Unfortunately, the break did not make it better but I pushed on.

My biggest complaint is there is SO MUCH INNER DIALOGUE and it's repetitive. The inner dialogue does not move the story along, it just stalls it. Actual dialogue is limited and I'm a huge dialogue person so I think the writing style just isn't for me. Some of the plot points annoyed me. For example, it's really bizarre to me that someone who is being stalked, to the point that they move cross-country, would be internet stalking, etc, their ex. Like hello pot, it's kettle. All this happens and it also does nothing for the actual story. I don't like filler in a suspense read.

With all of that being said, I did enjoy the last 30% or so of the book, as that's when the action finally kicked in and the story really progressed. I think I would have enjoyed a book that was more about her daughter, Honor, and her interactions with her friends more than the story that was actually told and that's a problem for me. There is a story within a story here and I felt like the author was trying to do too much and neither story got the development it needed because we were too wrapped up in Meribel's internal thoughts for half the book.

Would I recommend it? Not really. It was just so slow for the first half of the book, the last 1/3 is hard to justify slogging through that. Will I read this author again? Probably not. I love dialogue driven books and pages of internal dialogue is a big pet peeve of mine so if this is indicative of the authors typical writing style, I have to pass on reading more.

This is not my favorite book of hers. It was just okay for me. It was a little slow. I did really enjoy the character Honor and hearing her voice. It was the best when she was "onscreen".

This book was really great. The suspense was killing me. I kept wondering who the stalker was & was very surprised when I finally found out who. Meribel was a great character but had some issues in the boyfriend department. But I guess if you were getting threatening smelly letters from someone you called Marker Man you would be jumpy too. I found it interesting that she moved out of town to escape him when she didn't know who he was. The development of Honor, Meribel's adopted daughter, who was on the spectrum, was right on and I found the love and commitment they both had to each other very special.
This was a book that kept my interest until the very end and I would highly recommend.
Thanks to #netgalley, #williammorrow @joshilyn_jackson for an ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley. I have loved all of Jackson's previous books and was excited to get this ARC. I quickly realized this book was just not for me. This stalker type story has been done to the point of exhaustion. This entire book felt rushed and the characters were not very likeable or relatable.

In Jackson's latest thriller, a movie star moves herself and her autistic daughter all the way across the country to try to escape a stalker. The plot was all over the place, and there were lots of characters to keep track of without enough personality-building to make me remember or care who each was. The reveals were disappointing and I really miss the writing and depth Jackson demonstrated in "The Almost Sisters" and her other earlier novels. Hopefully, Jackson's next novel will be back on track. I've enjoyed enough of her earlier novels that I will still give anything she writes a try. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced digital review copy.

I honestly don't really even know what to say about With My Little Eye, and not in a good way. I heard amazing things about Mother May I, so when I was approved for With My Little Eye, I was super excited. That went away pretty quickly after starting it.

I considered DNFing it a few times but hit a point where I really wanted to know who the stalker was. I had suspicions (none were right) so I finished. I'll say the last 50 pages or so were so disjointed and rushed, I honestly wasn't even sure what was happening. A random new storyline about one of the characters popped it, the stalker storyline didn't really get wrapped up, and to be honest, Meribel's character was just annoying. Look, I get it. She had a stalker, but she seemed like she whined about it more than she was concerned about it.

Sorry folks. This one was just not for me. I'll certainly give other books by Joshilyn a shot, but this was a big old dud for me.

Thanks, William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to share my honest review.

Actress Meribel has been receiving stalkerish letters from someone she calls "Marker Man", due to him writing the letters with colorful, fruit scented markers. She gets a job offer in Georgia, and decides to move herself and Honor, her autistic daughter, to Georgia from Califonia hoping it will distance them from Marker Man. However, she soon feels she's being watched in Georgia as well, and the letters reeturn.

This book had a slow start, but it picked up and I was invested and had to know who was stalking her. However, the ending was a bit abrupt and I feel like an epilogue would have been amazing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book.

I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book that I took a few hours to sit down and soak it in Joshilyn Jackson is/was an "autobuy" author for me.

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this book at 60% - I found myself skimming and then not caring about any of it. I can't quite put my finger on why but it definitely didn't keep me interested at all.

What would you do if you had a stalker? What if this stalker sent you graphic letters in the mail? Would you move across the country? Would you beef up your security? Meribel Mills must confront these challenges head-on with her Autistic daughter, Honor. We follow Meribel as she relocates to Atlanta, GA in the hopes of losing her stalker - and of course, taking an acting job. However, can she truly lose her stalker? Is her life still in danger even 2,000 miles away?

I had no idea what to expect going into this one, but I was pleasantly surprised! I was hooked from the very beginning. I had no idea who this stalker was if he was someone she knew personally, a new person she met - I couldn't figure it out! But, this was also a major flaw of the book. Even with more information about this stalker, I still felt like the story was unresolved. It just did not have the ending it should have had. There are a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up. However, the book is still a wild ride without the "perfect" ending. I'd highly recommend this one if you enjoy fast-paced thrillers!

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With My Little Eye
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Source: NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: April 25, 2023

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson, I was freaked out by this wild and terrifying story. This book is pretty darn scary. The lead protagonist is Meribel Mills who’s a formerly famous child actress trying to stretch her 15 minutes of fame a little longer as she is inching toward 40. She is also a single mother to an autistic daughter yet seemingly attracted to a group of unsavory men. But most of all, she struggles with a lunatic in California who is stalking her as his disturbing messages creepingly escalate. The stalker has nearly ruined Meribel’s life, as she feels constantly watched. It doesn’t help that the local police in both states seem to discount her terrorizing stalking story. Meribel hustles her young daughter to Atlanta to start over and outrun the stalker, and for a short while, things are good. But when they go south, they go really wrong. It takes her daughter, her daughter’s friends, and her acting skills, as well as life lessons, to kick in as she tries to survive when she’s finally in the stalker’s clutches. Whew…so scary, and I am honestly pleased my husband was home while I was reading this late at night. This one was pretty darn good. #stalking #murder #psycho #WithMyLittle Eye #threats #crazydrawingsofDeath #thriller #womensfiction #mystery #chase #survival #acting #SCARY @williammorrowbooks @netgalley @joshilyn_jackson - Pub Date April 25, 2023
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to William Morrow Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: April 25, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

I usually love Joshilyn Jackson’s books but unfortunately With My Little Eye did not work for me. This story is about a stalker following an actress across country from LA to Atlanta. What I missed in Jackson’s writing this time were her realistic plots and characters. The story seemed to be propelled by unrealistic and frustrating decision making by the main character and it ended very abruptly. I did like the disability representation in the teenage daughter with autism but I also found her choices and character development unbelievable. The supporting characters - Most of the adults were awful and I didn’t understand why some were included (James and his family). It’s possible I missed the intent and tone of this story. Was it supposed to be funny, thus the ridiculous choices, and a thriller? I’m unsure. If you are new to reading Joshilyn Jackson then I highly recommend her backlist titles. If you are a fan of hers like me then I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe I missed the point of this one. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Extra twists just to make things fun and surprising is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book! The inclusion of a major character who is on the spectrum where she is not less than because of it is another reason I enjoyed this book. But, I could have actually done with a little more at the end. It felt like a rather dramatic hard stop. Not that things weren't resolved, but there was room for a bit more settling of events. After all, we've been through a lot with these characters. A little time to decompress would be nice. I also would have liked a bit more about how the Marker Man got obsessed with Meribel. What was the initial event? Did I miss it? But, other than the somewhat cheesy macho posturing at one point, I liked the character development and the multiple plots.

Meribel Mills in an actress who is fast approaching her "paper" fortieth birthday. She has always looked young for her age, but in show business, actors can continue for years and actresses seem to have a strict "sell by date" unless they are someone like Meryl Streep. Meribel got her big break as a minor, popular character in a teen sitcom. Since then, she's had guest roles in a variety of TV shows. Her life has been going fairly well in LA until she becomes the obsession of a stalker. She dubs him Marker Man because all his letters are written in scented magic markers. Things seem to get worse as time goes on. Meribel not only worries about her own safety, but that of her almost thirteen year old daughter, Honor. Honor is on the autism spectrum and highly functional, but has her own set of issues.
The perfect opportunity to leave comes up when Meribel's agent offers her a part in a program filming in Georgia. That is all the way across the country. Also, it's where Meribel left to escape some heartbreaking situations. How will Meribel be able to deal with being in the same area as her ex-husband who has re-married? She doesn't seem to have left LA completely behind because her boyfriend/bodyguard shows up, supposedly to see his son at a nearby college. Then an attractive man in her condo complex seems to want to be friends or more. When letters are forwarded from Marker Man, Meribel is ready to snap.
I've read all of Joshilyn Jackson's previous novels and seen her in person and on Zoom a few times. She is funny and engaging and it's easy to see how her quick wit helps with her writing. Most of her earlier books focused on Southern family life and small towns. MOTHER MAY I began her foray into the thriller genre. WITH MY LITTLE EYE is definitely a tense thriller with plenty of twists. The pages practically turned themselves the last third of the novel.
My favorite character was Honor. The author showed all the changes a girl turning thirteen would go through with an autistic filter. I have a good friend with an autistic daughter and she said Honor's character was very authentic.
I loved the setting also. As someone who has lived in Metro Atlanta most of my adult life I knew so many of the locations.
Author Joshilyn Jackson has written another noteworthy story and I look forward to all her works in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morris for allowing the privilege to read and review this book.

I truly will read anything Joshilyn Jackson writes, luckily for me, she writes amazing stories. This book was a roller coaster. I thought I have figured out who the stalker was and I was wrong. The twist and turns are so good. I highly recommend this book.

I really liked Meribel Mills. Her dealing with her stalker were quite terrifying. I can't imagine getting letters and drawings from someone obsessed with me. I loved Meribel's daughter Honor. I loved that Jackson put a character with autism and showed how very capable she is. I like that more and more authors are using neurodivergent characters. I think that the more people understand that the more accepting people are going to be.

The possible stalkers were such a variety of men in Meribel's life that it was hard to truly put a finger on who it could be. Was it the lover she left in California, the ex-husband she left 20 years ago, the new neighbor, or someone she truly didn't know? I loved that we were really kept guessing. I don't feel like I have ever really figured out the ending in any of Jackson's books. The only thing I would want to add to this book is an epilogue about a month out from the ending of the book. I LOVED the ending but needed more.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Marrow for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC on this excellent thriller.
I'm well aware of all the books, films and TV episodes that deal with that ever popular suspense generator - celebrities endangered and driven into fear-stricken anxiety by unhinged stalkers obsessed with them.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for all of them, and like everyone else, I demand a seriously loathsome, psychotic stalker whose surprise identity, once revealed, will stun me.......and I also would ask for a hopefully sympathetic, vulnerable celebrity victim, somebody worth fearing for and rooting for. While authors of stalker=thrillers usually never forget to dial up the psychosis on their villains, not all of these books present a celeb you can care about.
Joshilyn Jackson does well enough in that department. Her bedeviled celeb Meribel Mills is cleverly conceived as no giant superstar - she's only a mid-level working actress, carving out a career of playing secondary, but unforgettable roles in TV shows and movies, achieving a moderate amount of fame. But unfortunately, it's enough fame to attract a murderous lunatic who's sending her creepy, threatening anonymous letters right out of the stalker handbook. Hoping to avoid this loon's attention and potential proximity, Meribel accepts a series role filmed in her home town Atlanta, taking along Honor, her adopted, autistic 12 year old daughter.
And guess who hits the road to come right after them.....to make Miribel his and his alone.
When the terrorizing and scary letters resume in Atlanta, there's no shortage of men popping up in Meribel's life to choose from as suspects - a mysterious heavy-set guy in a raincoat on the street, the friendly next door neighbor in her apartment building, the bodyguard=security expert who's an ex-boyfriend she still feels for, and her Atlanta-based, now remarried ex-husband....on whom Mirbel's practiced a bit of innocent, amateur stalking herself.
As I'd expect and require in a thrill-ride like this, the pages fly by quickly, leading to the finale jaw-dropping reveals and excruciating nail-biting, encounter between Meribel and her odious tormentor. The genuine double-whammy of an extra twist that author Jackson throws into the finale comes a little too close to far-fetched overkill, but I couldn't help but admire the sheer audacity of it.
Besides, I surely don't pick up stalk-o-ramas like "With My Little Eye" for their documentary-like reality. I'm looking for nothing less than a 5 star armchair theme-park ride with loads of hairpin turns. And this one's just the ticket.



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First off, I would like to thank NetGalley, William Morrow, and Joshilyn Jackson for my ARC of this book.

This book took me a bit on a rollercoaster ride. The beginning started off incredibly slow, the middle felt very fast and exciting, then the end just plummeted down.

Along with some other reviewers, I did not like the fact that the chapters weren't labeled with whose POV it was. I felt that I had to keep flipping back and forth to figure it out myself which I didn't like. I liked getting the perspective of the stalker, but I wish it had given us more breadcrumbs to follow. I felt like when the reveal happened, I was more like "oh, really?" as opposed to "NO WAY!". I want to say this book kept me guessing, but I don't really feel like it set me up to do that.

I also felt like there were multiple storylines going on at once. Two of the storylines connected but it wasn't to the main one which I felt was confusing. I wish she would have solely focused on the main plot instead of trying to give us a shock effect with the smaller events. I also would really love for somebody to tell me what the point of the character, James, was. I truly don't know. At the end of the story, there were a few times I kept asking myself, "but what is the point of this?".

It took me about three weeks to get through this book. However, the first two and half weeks I was stuck in the same place. Once I got past 40% of the book, I finished it in about 4 days. There was so much going on in the beginning, I just could not focus.

Lastly, there was an end but it wasn't an ending. There are so many loose ends that I really hope Jackson goes back and adds a few more chapters or an epilogue to wrap it up before this book hits shelves. Honestly, I feel pretty unsatisfied with the entire last 5% of the novel.

Of Jackson's novels, Never Have I Ever, still remains at my top spot. But if I recall, that book also started off pretty slow. I wonder if that's just Jackson's style of writing.

I'm giving this book three stars because the pace picked up and I was able to finish it quickly after getting of a hump. However, I lean more at a 2.5 for the plot.

I love Joshilyn Jackson books and this was definitely did not disappoint. I love a book that has you suspecting everyone and then being completely surprised at the end.

DNF at 41%. I just couldn’t get into the storyline and found almost all of the characters insufferable. There was also something about the neurodivergent kid’s story line that rubbed me the wrong way that I can’t put my finger on.

Thanks Netgalley for providing this arc to me!