I loved this! As my first Alison Gaylin I will definitely be working my way through her backlist.
This title touched on grief, coming of age, friendships, and family dynamics. The small town provides isolation without being secluded as the characters do venture to outside locations. The characters were complex and interesting.
The mystery tied neaty together with music, literature and a terrifying cult. I loved being on the outside of the cult and not knowing who to trust. For once the characters were not making stupid decisions and the reveals were not obvious.
Thank you for the advanced copy, Netgalley!

This one felt overly long and repetitive for me- I wanted so much more from it. The story overall was good, but the ending really left a lot to be desired.

Alison Gaylin's "We Are Watching' is a chilling and thought-provoking thriller that masterfully weaves family drama with the sinister allure of conspiracy theories.

The story begins with a devastating tragedy as Meg Russo loses her husband, Justin, in a car accident that quickly spirals into something far more sinister. Gaylin’s plot is a tightly wound web of suspense, as Meg, her daughter Lily, and her reclusive father Nathan Lerner find themselves targeted by a cult-like group convinced that their family is at the center of an apocalyptic prophecy. The narrative’s relentless pace and eerie twists keep readers on edge, making it impossible to look away.

The characters are richly drawn, with Meg standing out as a resilient yet deeply human protagonist grappling with grief and fear. Lily’s descent into the dark corners of the internet adds a layer of modern-day horror, while Nathan’s enigmatic past and strained relationship with his family provide emotional depth. The antagonists, though shadowy, are disturbingly plausible, reflecting the dangers of misinformation and the power of collective delusion. Gaylin’s ability to explore the complexities of parent-child relationships and the weight of generational guilt adds a poignant dimension to the story.

"We Are Watching" is as unsettling as it is compelling, blending psychological tension with timely social commentary. Gaylin’s sharp prose and deft handling of paranoia and fear create an atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. This is a novel that not only entertains but also forces readers to confront the fragility of truth in an age of chaos. This gripping and unforgettable read cements Gaylin’s place as a master of domestic thrillers.

The concept of strange conspiracy theories really appeals to me, so the premise of We Are Watching immediately grabbed my attention. The story started off with an engaging, fast-paced introduction, but as it progressed, the pace slowed significantly, and I felt it dragged a bit before diving into the nitty-gritty of the plot. There were moments when it became a little difficult to follow. I appreciated that the main character, Meg, owned a bookstore—it's a fun little detail for us book lovers—but there wasn’t enough depth to her character for me to feel connected or fully invested in her journey. Overall, I’d rate this one 3 stars—it was decent but didn’t quite leave a strong impression. If you are into conspiracy theories and cults, this one might be for you.

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and Alison Gaylin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

We Are Watching is out now!

It wasn't what I expected, or a trope I enjoy but here are my full thoughts.
https://youtu.be/5EohfqWD94Y

First I would like to thank Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this novel.

The book started off maybe a little strange but I felt like I could get on board with some of the cult/conspiracy theorists aspects. It didn’t all make sense but overall I didn’t mind it too much. I enjoyed Lily and Meg’s relationship and how they seemed to struggle with real things.

But at about the halfway point I felt like the book went pretty far off the deep end and I had a hard time believing in any of it. It just became so far fetched that I had a hard time enjoying the book.

Overall I think this book had some interesting characters but the storyline just wasn’t for me.

2.75/5 stars rounded up to 3 for this review.

*Read If You Like:
🎶Psychological thrillers
🎶 Conspiracy theories
🎶 Social Media Paranoia
🎶 Small-town settings
🎶 Cult Vibes
🎶 Suspenseful & Sinister Vibes

A quiet bookstore owner, Meg Russo, finds herself at the center of a growing conspiracy after her husband dies in a tension filled scene that leads to a car accident.

Then when Meg returns to working in her family owned bookstore, an online extremist group fixates on her decades-old novel, *The Prophesy* that she wrote when she was 15 and has long been out of print.

What starts as unsettling online harassment quickly escalates into real-world threats, forcing Meg to protect herself & daughter, Lily, and reconnect with her former rocker father who she has always kept distance from because of his conspiracy theories.

As tensions rise in her small town, Meg must confront both the past and the terrifying reality of how misinformation spreads and the harm it may bring to herself and her daughter.

This story blends psychological suspense with chilling realism, examining the power of cult-like mindsets and how they can shape dangerous narratives.

This book has a bit of a slow pacing until it’s almost too fast paced and peaks in its pacing and rapidly declines to the ending feeling rushed in the end. Despite the pacing issues, it was one that kept me reading because of the sinister vibes and wanting to know what would happen.

What I probably liked the best was how this is a thriller that feels uncomfortably relevant in today’s world with the culture in the USA and the cult like following of people doing terrible things in the name of doing the right thing, much like the watchers in this story.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I

I really enjoyed the story at first—I was hooked by the intriguing conspiracy theories and the cult element. However, as the plot unfolded, it lost its momentum. By the end, the idea that an entire community was conspiring against them felt overly far-fetched, which ultimately brought my rating down from five stars to 3.5.

“Sometimes the world is out to get you.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Meg Russo was behind the wheel when it happened. She and her husband Justin were driving their daughter Lily to college. A car swerved up beside them, the young men inside it behaving bizarrely—and Meg lost control of her own vehicle. The family road trip turned into a tragedy. Justin didn’t survive the accident.

Four months later, Meg works to distract herself from her grief and guilt, reopening her small local bookstore. But soon after she returns to work, bizarre messages and visitors begin to arrive, with strangers threatening Meg and Lily in increasingly terrifying ways. As the threats turn violent, Meg begins to suspect that Justin’s death may not have been an accident. To find answers and save her daughter, her father, and herself, Meg must get to the root of these dangerous lies—and find a way to face the believers head-on … before it’s too late.

This book was interesting! I wouldn’t say a page turner for me, but I did want to know how it ended. It explored the world of conspiracy theories and the dangerous power of false belief. This book was not predictable so it did keep me on my toes. I appreciated the alternating timelines and POVs as well.

Wow! What a great book! Meg and her family are taking their daughter to college when a horrific car accident happens and their family is tragically altered forever. But, soon awful things begin happening that lead to past events in their lives and lead Meg to believe the car accident was not an accident. This book is so tense and keeps you in the edge of your seat. I could not put it down!!

An enjoyable page-turner that had me engrossed from start to end!

I loved its theme of family and Nathan was my favourite. Badass or what?! The opening scene was gripping and not only did the storyline keep me guessing, I also kept wondering who could be trusted and who couldn't. There was loads of suspense and tension because it felt like the family was in perpetual danger and you never knew who would be next.

Ehh expected more from the climax and ending after all the insanity, but this was a compelling, propulsive and entertaining thriller overall!

Thank you NETGALLEY for this arc. It was really good, I enjoyed the storyline and characters and can't wait to read more by this author. I gave it 4 stars.

Meg and Justin are on their way to take their daughter, Lily, to college. As they are traveling, a group of skinheads pull up beside them and begin filming them. This causes Meg to run off the road, crashing the car, which kills Jusin. (No spoiler, this is first chapter stuff). Several months later, she finds out that there are people that might be after her because of her father. Her dad is a former rock star (think Ozzy) who built a persona that this stalker group thinks is real-life. As Meg and Lily learn more about this group of stalkers, they realize that their lives are in danger.

A happy family day quickly turns tragic when Meg, Justin, and their daughter Lily are involved in an accident on their way to college. When Justin passes away, his wife and daughter are left with questions about what went wrong and who might be to blame. As this story progresses, we meet a host of mysterious characters who leave the reader questioning what is happening and if there is something more sinister at play.

This was a tense and mysterious read that kept me guessing until the end! Recommended for readers who love suspense and a conspiracy theories.

𝙒𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙂𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙣, is unsettling because honestly it feels like something that could happen in real life. This thriller explores themes of paranoia, grief, and the terrifying power of misinformation.

The author taps into the very real dangers of conspiracy theories in the internet age, where lies spread like wildfire and ordinary people can become targets overnight.

The story follows Meg Russo, a grieving mom trying to put her life back together after her husband’s tragic death while they were dropping off their daughter, Lily, at college. Just when she thinks she’s moving forward by reopening her small bookstore, a group of conspiracy theorists fixate on a young adult novel she wrote years ago. They believe it predicted a plague and is linked to Satanism. Yeah…things get dark fast and the threats escalate.

What made me like this book is how real it felt. The whole idea of misinformation spreading like wildfire and ruining lives? It hits close to home. I mean look at the world we live in!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This book was absolutely wild. The craziest part is that this apocalyptic conspiracy theory filled story does not feel far-fetched at all. There are so many parallels between this book and the chaos of our reality, making it even more unsettling. The fact that two groups of people can have such drastically different perceptions of truth still blows my mind. Alison Gaylin does a fantastic job of weaving in subtle hints that connect the story to the real world. I loved her book “The Collective” and once again she delivers a strong compelling female lead. My only gripe is that a lot of new characters were introduced toward the end, making it harder to fully connect with everyone, and a few moments felt a little unconvincing. But despite that, I know this story will stay with me for days.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🔪Psychological thriller
🤯Conspiracy theories
🌪️Dark and twisted
🛜Internet culture
‼️Dangers of misinformation
🟰Parallels to current times
🎭Complex family dynamics
🗣️Multiple POVs
🏠Small town setting

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: death of a parent.

👀𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾👀
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E: "𝐵𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈. 𝒰𝓃𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓊𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶𝒹𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈. 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻. 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝑜𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝒹𝒶𝓅𝓉."

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, and Alison Gaylin for this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

3.5 Stars

What should be a joyous day turns tragic. Meg and Justin Russo are bringing their daughter Lily to college when a car accident kills Justin. Meg blames the car full of young men who had been harassing them on the road and both she and Lily are having a rough time adjusting to life without Justin. They’re both trying to move on with their lives, but the harassment continues as conspiracy theorists torment Meg and her father, claiming that songs Nathan recorded as a musician and a fantasy novel that Meg wrote as a teen are the works of the devil. Now, Meg must find a way to protect her and her daughter before it’s too late.

I’ve read one short story by this author, but this is the first of her full-length novels that I’ve read. The premise of online bullying by conspiracy theorists is intriguing. I like the character of Lily and grew to like her mother Meg more and more as the book progressed, The story is told in the third person, alternation between Meg and Lily’s points-of-view which helped the reader to get to know both characters. The story gets very tense as the harassment escalates, and Meg and Lily don’t know who they can trust.

I would have enjoyed this book more if the cult and accusations of Satanism hadn’t become so over-the-top. It made what was a relevant topic hard to relate to. The story is suspenseful but is more violent than I had anticipated. I enjoyed how Meg and Lily were able to put their differences aside when it counted, but the book had more elements of a horror novel than I expected or cared for.

~ Christine

We Are Watching is a thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish, and was definitely heavy on the conspiracy theory plotline. There were clever twists and turns that really added to the tension in the story.

We Are Watching…is a creepy read. It’s crazy to think that all it takes is one person to read too much into something to get a group of people to believe it.
And the lengths they would go to! Wow!

There are a few twists in this book and then that epilogue!! What!

If you love a good thriller, you should check this out for sure.

initial thoughts: I had reallllllly high hopes for this one since a book blogger I follow gave it a five star rating and raved about it. while yes, I did like the book: multiple POVs, cult/conspiracy theory plot lines, I did see one of the “bad guys” a mile away and at times this book seemed just a bit too out there.

but, a very unique premise and the fast pacing of this book kept me turning the Kindle pages. would recommend for fans of thrillers and cults or conspiracy theories.

a big thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC.