3.5⭐️ this book was definitely different. Unique, there were a few moments that I wasn't sure which direction we were going but we got there! I enjoyed the characters- Meg, her daughter Lily and her father Nathan. Meg's husband Justin died in a car accident on the way to drop Lily off at college. A trio of skinheads taunted Meg and caused her to crash. Fast forward about a month- Meg and her daughter are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives when Meg notices strange people hanging around. It seems no one can be trusted these days.

I enjoyed the story, I definitely would have liked a little more character development for as deep of a plot as this was. The setting was great, atmospheric and fun. I love a good cold, dreary setting in the winter! The pace was medium- enough suspense to keep the pages turning but slow in parts. The ending was good. I liked how the author wrapped up the story and left an afterthought there at the end. I would definitely read more from this author! Thank you@netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for a copy of this title. All my reviews are unbiased.

3.5 stars.

✨I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book and the plot that was centered around a conspiracy theory cult. What I struggled with was the plausibility of the narrative. I think it just required too much suspension of belief for this reader.

✨ With that said, it was an entertaining read, and I did enjoy it. I was on the edge of my seat for sure.

Alison Gaylin’s We Are Watching is a taut, intricately woven psychological thriller that blends grief, paranoia, and the terrifying power of conspiracy theories. With its sharp social commentary and relentless suspense, the novel is both a pulse-pounding mystery and a chilling meditation on how quickly lives can unravel in the digital age.

At the heart of the novel is Meg Russo, a woman shattered by tragedy. What was supposed to be a celebratory road trip—a moment of hope and pride as she and her husband, Justin, took their daughter, Lily, to college—turned into an unimaginable nightmare. A sudden encounter with a reckless car of strangers erratic behavior, a moment of panic behind the wheel, and then—disaster. Justin doesn’t survive. The accident leaves Meg drowning in grief, guilt, and the heavy burden of wondering if she could have done something differently.

Four months later, Meg is struggling to pick up the pieces, reopening her small bookstore in an attempt to regain some semblance of normalcy. But just as she’s beginning to find her footing, strange things start happening. Unnerving messages. Unfamiliar visitors who seem to know far too much about her life. Then the threats begin.

Gaylin masterfully builds tension as Meg discovers that the source of the hysteria is a seemingly forgotten young adult novel, The Prophesy, published three decades earlier. What should have been an obscure piece of fiction has somehow morphed into the core text of an unhinged conspiracy theory—a doomsday prophecy that a growing online movement believes is real. Even more terrifying? Meg’s estranged father, a reclusive musician, is inexplicably linked to it.

As Meg and Lily become the targets of a relentless, dangerous cult of believers, the novel takes a chilling turn. Social media mobs, accusations of Satanic ties, and violent threats spiral out of control, making it clear that the people hunting Meg will stop at nothing to silence her. But the most unsettling discovery is the growing possibility that Justin’s death wasn’t just an accident after all. The random crash on the highway might have been part of something larger, more sinister—a carefully orchestrated attack rather than a twist of fate.

Gaylin does a brilliant job of crafting a protagonist who is both vulnerable and fiercely determined. Meg is a woman who has already lost too much, and she refuses to let grief consume her when the safety of her daughter is at stake. As she digs deeper into the mystery of The Prophesy, she must confront not only the dangerous extremists hunting her down but also the ghosts of her past—her father’s secrets, her own regrets, and the shocking truth about Justin’s death.

The novel’s themes are strikingly timely. Gaylin shines a searing light on the dangers of misinformation, online radicalization, and the way fiction can be twisted into something deadly. In an era where social media fuels paranoia and conspiracy theories hold real-world consequences, We Are Watching feels all too plausible—making it even more terrifying.

The pacing is impeccable, with Gaylin expertly ratcheting up the tension as the walls close in around Meg and Lily. The twists are relentless, each revelation deepening the mystery rather than offering simple answers. The final act is a breathless, high-stakes race for survival, leaving readers on edge until the end.

We Are Watching is an electrifying, thought-provoking thriller that explores grief, mass hysteria, and the terrifying consequences of online obsession. With its sharp social insight, gripping plot, and a protagonist worth rooting for, this novel is a must-read for fans of Lisa Unger, Harlan Coben, and anyone who loves thrillers that feel eerily real. A chilling, timely masterpiece that will linger in your mind long after the final page.

I received a free eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this one without knowing much about the premise; I saw Alison Gaylin’s name and that was enough for me! Her books are always really compelling and just a little disturbing. This one falls more on the disturbing side, honestly. The scary thing is, you can really look at this two ways - as a satire of the spread of wild conspiracy theories, or as just a straightforward look at how easily conspiracy theories can spread. I can’t decide what the actual intention is, as it is a *little* over the top (we’re talking about both an obscure band AND an obscure young adult book, so is it reasonable that SO many people would have latched onto them?), but watching…you know, everything that’s happening in the world right now, it’s easy to see how quickly people latch onto the weirdest stuff and then refuse to listen to differing opinions.

The novel opens with a car crash - Meg and her husband Justin are taking their daughter Lily to college. On the highway, they’re encountered by a car full of skinheads who seem to be filming them. Meg keeps trying to evade them, but ultimately loses control of the car. They crash, and Justin doesn’t survive. Cut to a few months later - Meg and Lily are both trying to come to terms with their grief, but suddenly Meg’s bookstore is beset by a bunch of hostile visitors, who all seem to have the same vendetta against her. We shift perspectives between Meg, Lily, and Meg’s father Nathan. Nathan was always sort of a conspiracy theorist - he was convinced “the wolves” were out to get his family. It’s basically the reason Meg’s mother died; she got an infection after cutting herself in the garden and Nathan refused to take her to the hospital until it was too late to save her (he was convinced the wolves had somehow poisoned her). Meg’s never had much time for what she sees as her father’s paranoia, but it’s hard to ignore the mounting signs that *something* isn’t right.

When Meg was 15, she wrote a book called <I>The Prophesy</I>. It’s your typical hero quest fantasy story, but a group of people on a 4 chan clone called “7 Park” are obsessed with it. They’re convinced that Meg’s story predicted the Covid pandemic and also the end of the world, which will happen on December 12, 2022 (one-two-one-two-two-two). And because many years before THAT, Nathan counted in on one of his band’s popular songs with the same rhythm, and Meg used a lyric from the song as an epigraph, people are convinced it’s proof that the family are the antichrist and will bring about the end of the world. Like I said, it’s kind of over the top, and a little hard to believe that quite so many people would be obsessed with an obscure band and an equally obscure book. I guess because it’s set in a small town in upstate New York, so we’re meant to believe the majority of these “believers” are just from that town - the “network” of believers is probably smaller than what it seems to Nathan (and eventually Meg).

But no matter how you slice it, it’s pretty creepy to see how quickly the conspiracy spreads, and how easy it is to get sucked into it. Meg eventually realizes that maybe her father wasn’t as paranoid as she always thought. There are moments when she scolds herself for acting like her father, and tries to reason away what’s happening. And the thing is - it’s *really* easy to find logical explanations! But it’s equally easy to believe that “the wolves” are out to get you. So even someone reasonably like Meg or Lily can fall into the conspiracy zone.

We Are Watching offered an intriguing premise with its blend of cults, prophecy, and conspiracy theories, but it ultimately fell a bit short of its potential. The suspense, which should have been gripping, felt more passive as the “watching” group never truly instilled a deep sense of fear or urgency. Meg’s journey to uncover the truth behind her husband’s death and the motivations of her tormentors was solid, but the pacing lacked the tension that normally would've kept me on the edge of my seat. The novel touches on interesting themes, especially with the rise of internet-driven hysteria, but the execution didn't quite live up to the promise for me. While not a bad read, it left me wanting more action and emotional intensity, earning a middle-of-the-road 3 stars.
Special thanks to @netgalley for the ARC.

Oh Lord! Where to start? First of all, I absolutely LOVE this author! She is always a "must read now" favorite for me. Now, having said that, the blurb for this one sounded so weird and uninteresting to me. But "must read now" she is so in I went! This story was AMAZING! And a bit scary, considering the times these days. The Russo's are driving their daughter Lily to college. Some crazy guys pull up, Meg swerves and loses control. Dad/Husband Justin dies. Flash forward four months and Meg and Lily are trying to move on. But peace is not to be had. Turns out Meg is being targeted by a hate group of conspiracy theorists who are obsessed with a book Meg wrote 30 years earlier. They believe that the book heralds the apocalypse and that Meg's Dad is a satanist. Yeah, that's right. The threats get worse, and theories are all over social media. Who can Meg trust? Kudos to Alison Gaylin for always finding crazy topics to write about and make fascinating. I felt the same way about her previous book, The Collective. The blurb was like WHAAAAT?? But I trust her, and she didn't steer me wrong that time either! I recommend that one also. And everything else she has written.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Alison Gaylin and William Morrow for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of January 28th.

This book was BANANAS (in a good way). An exploration of conspiracy-theory culture and the devastating impact it has, played out in the lives of bookstore-owner Meg and her family. A clever cultural commentary on the QAnon phenomenon via a page-turning psychological thriller.

Pub Date: 1/28/25
Review Published: 1/28/25
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In a month of middling reads, We Are Watching is not only a breath of fresh air but also stands out for being my first five star trad pub review of 2025.

There was absolutely nothing about this book I didn’t like. I have no notes.

This book asks you to think about something: What if you woke up one day and realized, seemingly out of nowhere, that your family was at the center of a conspiracy theory?

I don’t know about you, but knowing what I know about conspiracy theories and the nutjobs who get really deep into them (like, Pizzagate deep), I’d be absolutely terrified. Once Meg and Lilly, the main protagonists in this book, figure out what’s going on, terrified is only one of the myriad emotions they feel as they try to figure out what exactly is going on as events spin more and more out of their control with every hour that passes.

I love a good conspiracy thriller, but add in a strict time element and I’m going to be sucked in completely. This is a completely engrossing high stakes plot that combines grief, mental illness, family, paranoia, guilt, and parasocial relationships into a suspenseful tale of what happens when obsession grows into something contagious.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Conspiracy Thriller/Crime Thriller/Cult Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller

I was beyond excited to read another book from Gaylin after loving the Collective. This book provided similar feelings and I just fell right back into the writing style. I hesitate to give much away about the book as I think that it feels best when you go in without too much knowledge.

I would recommend to you if you were a fan of her last book. Or if you like multiple POV thrillers that are fast paced, with some predictable twists but still a good time. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early e-arc.

We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin was an exciting and well-paced psychological thriller driven by fascinating characters and a fantastic plot. I am really looking forward to reading more from Alison Gaylin.
I just love Alison Gaylin's books. They never disappoint! There are many twists and turns which keep you doubting right up to the end.
The characters were compelling yet deeply damaged and brimming with recalcitrant secrets and incongruence. The storylines were diabolically captivating and maddeningly paced, keeping my curiosity on a sharp edge

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted finished copy.

Okay this book is WILD! I mean these conspiracy theorists were completely unhinged. So much so that they have officially added to my own paranoia 😂 I knew there are crazy people out there but man the lengths these people took their beliefs to were horrifying! But man it made for an extremely entertaining read. I really enjoyed that this was told from multiple POV: Meg, Lily (her daughter) and Nathan’s (her dad) perspective. A very original premise: the level of detail that went into it was pretty amazing. Alison is a very talented writer. Loved the Jewish representation and how the book goes into explaining the level of hate and the anti-Semitics who still very much exist in this country. And that ending… 😳 no spoilers here but wow!! This book will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and wondering who you can or can’t trust. And you will love every minute of it. I highly suggest it if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers!

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted finished copy. You guys really know the way to my heart.

Happy pub day to We Are Watching!

This book was a SHOCKER. I’m not sure why I am so surprised by how killer it was, because Alison Gaylin has knocked my socks off with every book she’s released.

You’re going to see a lot of this book on your feeds, because it is unhinged. Think: rabid cult members intent on taking out an entire family because of supposed subliminal messages laced throughout a top 100 hit song, and a prophecy predicting the way of the world in 2022. It’s so good I just wrote a run on sentence.

Gaylin topped herself with this one, because I was NOT expecting severed fingers and subreddits of conspiracy theories. This was SO awesome, and I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time.

You can get your hands on it today!

This was an engaging, twist-filled story that took some twists and turns but wasn't all together surprising. The multiple perspectives added depth but some plot points felt predictable, and the complexity made it a bit hard to follow at times with all of the plot points. The conspiracy theory element and the mother-daughter bonding element kept me invested overall, making this a solid but not standout read.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! I wish i could scream it from the roof tops. One of my top reads so far this year.

Alison Gaylin is back with another adrenaline rush of a read that will have you on the edge of your seat.

I finished 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 and needed to catch my breath. It's twisty suspense mixed with a little bit of horror, and I don't want to give too much away so I'll leave you with this - while the story should have been seriously over-the-top, in the weird world we're currently living in, it felt entirely plausible which may be the scariest part about it.

Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy to review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on January 29, 2025.

Alison Gaylin is one of the best and this book proves it! She perfectly combines conspiracy theories, family connections and a thrill ride with just enough of a chill factor. A must read for any Alison Gaylin fan!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an advanced reader copy of We Are Watching in exchange for my honest review.

This is the 2nd book I've read by Alison Gaylin and I wasn't disappointed.

Conspiracy, suspense and a whole slew of suspicious characters!

A well paced and tense thriller. The accident that killed Justin almost destroyed his wife Meg and their daughter Lily, who are struggling mightily with their grief. But then it turns out that it might not have been an accident and that Meg's past is coming back hard at her. Who could imagine that a book you write at age 15 can warp others into destructive and horrible ways. Ways that see them harassing and threatening Meg claiming that she's, among other things, a Satanist. No spoilers from me but know that this is a sleigh ride. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. Sympathetic protagonists in Meg and Lily and an unfortunately plausible scenario made this a page turner.

Paranoia on all sides keeps this thriller tautly paced. What happens when watching turns deadly? And who can you trust when the conspiracy goes back decades? Fast-paced entertaining read.

"Meg Russo was behind the wheel when it happened. She and her husband Justin were driving their daughter Lily to Ithaca College, the family celebrating the eighteen-year-old music prodigy’s future. Then a car sidled up beside them, the young men inside it behaving erratically. The Russos’ car went off the road, and Justin didn’t survive the accident.

Four months later, Meg works to distract herself from her grief, reopening her small local bookstore. But soon after returning to work, bizarre messages and visitors begin to arrive, with strangers threatening Meg and vandalizing the store. They are obsessed with a young adult novel tiled The Prophesy, which was published 20 years earlier. An online group of believers are convinced the book predicted a plague, and social media posts link it to Satanism. People are sure it heralds the apocalypse. These conspiracy theorists vow to seek revenge on its author...Meg.

As the threats turn more violent, Meg begins to suspect that Justin's death may not have been an accident. To find answers and save herself and Lily, she must get to the root of the lies fueling these people to come after them—and find a way to face them head on."

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.