*I will be posting this review on GoodReads and StoryGraph (links provided) on Thursday, March 14th, 2024.*

How far would you be willing to go to win a live-streamed Survivor-like gameshow if ten million dollars were on the line? What if you realized some of your deepest and darkest secrets were potentially being threatened to be exposed? These are the questions five contestants must ask themselves again and again in this twisty suspense novel. The story, which unfolds over the course of several days as well as from enlightening flashbacks for specific characters, keeps you questioning what’s really going on from the very first chapter.

You know that feeling when you read the first few pages of a book and immediately know it is going to be a book you can’t put down? That’s how I felt about Everyone is Watching. I loved this book from start to finish. The storyline was gripping and the writing made me want to read this book in one sitting. It truly was a “just one more chapter” experience. I actually had to force myself to stop reading a few times so I could gather my thoughts. Usually when I read a thriller/mystery book I will occasionally try and guess what the ending will be, but this book had me coming up with theories left and right and I was so invested in it. While I still had a question or two at the end, I thought the ending was great and there were aspects of it I definitely did not predict. This is a book I will not soon forget and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller that keeps you on your toes!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Everyone is Watching in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I enjoy Heather Gudenkauf books and this one did not disappoint! I was invested in this book from the beginning and enjoyed it.

I adore a good reality competition show, so the synopsis of Heather Gudenkauf’s newest book had me so excited to dive in. This binge worthy thriller didn’t disappoint!

Five people are invited to take part in an upcoming show called One Lucky Winner. With a prize of ten million dollars, they all come in ready to push as hard as they can to win it all. When they arrive at a mansion that is under renovation, they quickly realize that starring on this reality show might be more dangerous than they anticipated.

The reality show and the games they play are downright wild; just go along for the ride and enjoy the craziness! My jaw dropped several times as it became quite clear that there really were no rules and that anything could happen during these deranged trials. The idea of creating a reality show that went viral on social media didn’t feel far fetched at all in today’s world, but hopefully no one would go quite this far! It made me think of Squid Game with its deadly challenges, and the way viewers lapped that show up. The audience reactions are included in some chapters, and felt like a real message board you’d find online with the disparate reactions.

The characters all have interesting back stories which are of course important to the story. The premise was interesting, the mystery and plot cleverly written, and the characters compelling. I’ve loved Gudenkauf’s books in the past and will continue to read whatever she writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An implausible but entertaining thriller about five people competing for $10 million in a locked room contest where their secrets come out. The Best Friend, the Confidant, the Senator, the Boyfriend and the Executive-you'll find yourself rooting for one or the other of them and then change your mind. Some of the contests are silly, others more concerning. It is very very unlikely any attorney working for the show would agree to this but hey- it's a page turner. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Just go for it.

4 ⭐️

Let me start off by saying that I am not a reality television show type of girl. I usually find them really cringy and completely fabricated. I did enjoy this book though!

The book follows five contestants who receive emails stating they were nominated by someone (though they don’t know who) to be selected for a new reality tv show called, “One Lucky Winner” where they will compete for two weeks and the winner will walk away with 10 million dollars!

The chapters switch back and forth between three of the main characters (the show’s host and two contestants) and a couple viewers of the show including chatroom comments during the live steaming of the show. The book focuses on the present day, with flashbacks to traumatic events in the three main character’s past.

“Everyone is Watching” starts out with immediate gritty drama and cut throat actions. The game is dirty and the rules are really non-existent. Contestants are trying to physically harm each other during the challenges and are willing to do whatever it takes to win that 10 mil. The contestants also seem to have personal connections to one another in their “real” lives. This book kept me wanting more and I would have finished it in a day if I could have. It was like “Survivor,” but give a couple players a knife and the okay to kick someone else in the face. The game is full of danger, secrets, and surprises and I couldn’t look away from the page!


** My opinions, as spoiler free as possible **

I surprisingly didn’t put two and two together at the big reveal towards the end when the person responsible for the mysterious and dangerous leaks and mishaps appeared (I cannot believe I didn’t notice the name similarity). Once that cat was out of the bag, it felt so anticlimactic, but then things heated up again and got brutal and I enjoyed the ending. It was satisfying for me.

Overall, the subject matter wasn’t my cup of tea, but the suspense and the twisted game continued to hold my interest until the end. It was a very easy and quick read. I have another book by the same author and I am more excited to get into that one now.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me access to the ARC of this book. I greatly appreciate the opportunity.

What a cleverly crafted novel! It was twisty, sneaky, and very addicting to read. I absolutely devoured this book! I never knew what was going to happen next, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, and I thought all the characters were very fascinating. The concept of a locked-room thriller, a 10 million dollar prize, hidden cameras to capture all the drama/action is a recipe for one INTENSE read! And to top it off…some amazing twists!

TOTALLY BUZZING about this book! Mark your calendars friends because this book hits the shelves very shortly!

This was a weird one. It was intense, and a quick read, but something about it just didn't appeal to me. And I am still left with one question: Who was Nan, that visited the therapist? I don't think that was revealed or else I missed it.

Everyone is Watching is a high stakes thrill ride as readers watch 5 contestants compete in a Survivor style reality TV show for 10 millions dollars. Not all is as it appears as secrets are unearthed and the challenges turn deadly.

I’ve never read a Heather Gudenkauf novel, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’m pleased to say I will definitely be reading more Gudenkauf in the future. Her writing was engaging and captivating through twists and turns with a final reveal I did not see coming.

Each of the contestant are labeled with a specific identifier: best friend, confidant, senator, boyfriend, executive. These descriptors were especially helpful at the beginning of the book when the characters were being introduced as well as the intricacies of the challenges. Each of the characters brought a different motive as to why they were competing for the 10 million dollars.

It was truly exciting to watch the story unfold. I was on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last trying to piece together the clues. With each reveal, the puzzle seemed to get bigger until it was an interconnected web of lies and deceit. At first glance, it appears that the mastermind can only be one of a handful of people, but Gudenkauf pulls off a masterful final reveal.

Overall, Everyone is Watching is a high stakes thrill ride about 5 contestants competing in an extreme reality tv show with no rules serving an agenda the contestants are unaware of. Lies, secrets, and deceit are the name of the game.

Read if you like:
#️⃣ Multiple POV
📰 Airing Dirty Laundry
⛔️ Dangerous Games
🚪Locked Room Thrillers
💰What would you do for a Klondike bar

This book takes the reader on a thrilling ride as the book opens with a sketchy but seemingly legit new reality show with the prize of 10 million dollars and 5 contestants that each have their own motivations to win.

But when the games start to have a twist and feeling that something is off, will the contestants walk away or risk it all for the prize of 10 million dollars?

As we get to know the contestants they each have something in their past they would rather stay buried and as clues towards their transgressions start to boil to the surface tensions and aggression begins to rise.

This was a well written and smart book where each narrator feels unreliable and like you can’t really trust the information coming forward, some more than others!

The pacing and flipping between past and present and other timelines was expertly crafted to keep the reader engaged and needing to know what was coming next and if there were more skeletons in the closet and also wondering how where the 5 contestants linked?!

The reveal I felt was well done and the book ended with a bit of a bang and then a nice wrap up!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review! I truly need to read more of this authors backlog as this is my second book by Heather!

I am a huge reality TV fan, I love it all including competition style shows so the description of this was right up my alley. A game with such a huge prize meant the stakes were very high here and I knew that meant the contestants would be cutthroat and man was I right. Some of the challenges were terrifying and the lengths these people would go to in order to win was insane and it was such a fun premise for a truly entertaining thriller. From the start you know each contestant had secrets in their pasts but I really liked how the author worked it all together in the end. The pacing was a steady climb to an action packed ending and I was pretty gripped the whole time. It was a bit over the top and some things were kind of a stretch but I didn’t care because it was just a really fun read.

I have never read a Heather Gudenkauf book before but I think I will definitely have to pick up another book by her. I really enjoyed this book. I have never read a thriller with this kind of concept before. Very unique. It did take me a minute to get into it because there were many characters backstories and other side stories going on. However, I wouldn't change it. The story comes together nicely and the end was satisfying. I highly recommend this book for not only thriller lovers but also reality TV lovers too.

4.5 ⭐️

I want to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of the release date.

This book is so good! So twisty and mind boggling that i read the book in just one day and my mind didn't stop trying to figure out the mystery. This was such a good story and it was written beautifully!

I loved this book. It was very intriguing from the beginning. The game show, the suspense, and the twists kept me on my toes throughout the whole book. It was definitely a fun thriller read.

Everyone is Watching was definitely different from other Heather Gudenkauf books that I've read. I loved the idea of a reality show where people get to watch live. The revenge plot added a sinister level. It was fun trying to figure out how each of the contestants were connected and to whom. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I think it would make for a great movie!

The storyline is about how a reality show is produced.
Five contestants are picked for the show called “One Lucky Winner.”
10 millions dollars is the prize.
Only one winner.
Hmmm, sound intriguing to you?
Definitely a intense, gripping, intriguing and nerve racking story!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second game show book I’ve read in the last 30 days and I will say I am loving them! Five contestants are competing for a million dollars on a show called “One Lucky Winner.” That money certainly means a lot to some people. 🤑 The five contestants are: the best friend, the boyfriend, the confidant, the senator and the executive. Such an interesting cast! What could possible go wrong when everything is being streamed live and no one can leave the remote property?! 🫠 As time ticks on, the “challenges” seem to get more dangerous and the contestants start to realize someone wants to settle a score. Let’s list say they aren’t your average plinko games 😂

Thoughts:
I thought this one was a fun dramatic story filled with conniving characters that quite frankly are cruel. This is the ultimate test of just how far will someone go to win! This book is fast paced and I kept thinking to myself if this was happening to me I would be the first to tap out. 👀 The games were quite intense. 😅 I loved how Heather created each character with a specific reason they needed to win and then of course loved how each of their stories played out. If you’re looking for an intense, action packed book that will make your heart race…grab this one along with your tennis shoes, your wits and maybe a taser to survive! 😆

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley of this upcoming thriller/suspense novel.

Fast paced, popcorn thriller. And that is not being said in a negative way as sometimes that is the exact book I want to read. The competition our characters face get out of hand quickly. And it all comes together nicely. I have some thoughts about the ending, but overall this was an entertaining read.

5 contestants are after 10 million dollars for a competition called One Lucky Winner created by Catalina. The 5 contestants (Camilla, Ned, Maire, Samual, and Richard) are sent to a vineyard in California. Fern, host of One Lucky Winner, has the contestants compete in challenges that test their mental and emotional strengths. Each contestant committed a crime that is revealed in the game.

A twisty, if predictable, thriller with an interesting premise - a quick read that would be perfect for group reads with friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

What an intense journey! A thrilling gameshow where everyone is hiding something…. This one had me in the edge of my seat. I did have a lot of what transpired predicted pretty early on, but the SUSPENSE of it all kept me going. This was a super quick read with lots of mystery and drama. A solid 3.5/5.