Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. This book is an absolute gem! It truly hooked me from page 1 and I read non-stop until I reached the end. I felt like I was right there is this story with the main character, that’s how well written this story is. Stop reading my review and start reading this novel NOW. You will be glad you did.

Sadly this was a miss for me. I ended DNFing @43% I was just not vibing with the book. I'm giving it a 3 star rating because it might be the perfect book for someone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Okay, this had me stressed and it had me angry. I felt the tension mounting the whole time, between the gaslighting, the stalking, and the injuries wrecking havoc. I wanted comeuppance, but I was not prepared. Some things I had immediately figured out, but there was still plenty I was surprised by. The single POV was great for the mounting tension with her experiences, her doubt, her convictions. I was a bit distracted by the flashbacks, but I could see how they related to the story. Overall, a good thriller.

A mother suffers through a night of terror, but doubts arise on what really happened. The only two other witnesses are her children who describe a monster. And the police find no evidence of an intruder. When pressed, her brain can’t come up with all of the answers they want, and the answers she gives don’t go with the story that they have painted. So she is going to find the answers herself.

This story begins when a woman sees a strange man at the bottom of the stairs in her house, in the middle of the night, during a snowstorm. She quickly gathers her two young children and hides with them in a small secret room in her historic home. Over the next several hours, as the man terrorizes the young family, and having no way to call for help, the woman plans how to save herself and her children. But later, after she and her children are safe, the police doubt there ever was an intruder. They can't find any evidence that he was in the house and the clues the woman provides are easily explained. Was there a break-in? Is the woman having a breakdown? Is this lonely woman just seeking attention?

This is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. None of the characters are named and their descriptions are minimal, leaving the reader just outside the action and making it easy to both sympathize with and doubt the woman.

This was a great book!! I could not put it down! I was surprised at some of the twists!! I read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book.

A mother alone at night during a blizzard with two young children hears noises and sees a skulking figure. Someone is in the house! She grabs her sleeping kids and makes it to a tiny secret room under the stairs hidden behind a wall. The kids must be "oh so quiet" or the man will hear. The man - this HUGE man - knows them, knows they are there somewhere in the house - he's been watching - and will stop at nothing to get them. This man gets angrier and crazier with each passing minute. A memory of this man forms in the mother's mind. She knows him. She knows what he wants. She must do everything in her power to protect her kids and get everyone out alive.

This terrifying debut made me feel claustrophobic and vulnerable. I didn't want to read more, but I couldn't stop reading. It filled me with dread and panic. Strong, powerful writing and near-perfect pacing made it hard for me to believe that this was a debut novel. I went into this book thinking it would be a book about survival. And it is. But it's also about so much more. It's a story of family, of loss, of demons, and love. It's a story about how the past and present mingle together in convoluted harmony. How can you trust yourself if no one else does?

I am not going to give up anything else. If you want a chilling, plausible, horrifying read then pick up this outstanding thriller. This book is not cozy or happy. Mentions of sexual assault, violence, and murder.

I can't wait to read more by the talented Tracy Sierra. She is an author to watch.

"Maybe bravery is just enduring. Maybe bravery doesn't exist. All there is is getting through it."

Wow! I was hooked from the beginning. Questioning everything just like the mother! This is most definitely a horror meets thriller. Kept me guessing from page one! The ending was great! My heart raced a few times while reading. I couldn’t read this in the evening while my husband was out of town because I was so freaked out!

This book had me hooked from the beginning! A mother with two young children is home alone during a brutal winter storm when she realizes an intruder has entered her home. She must think quickly while ensuring the safety of her children. The only option? A hidden room in the home. This book had me hooked until the end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

So suspenseful! I couldn’t stop reading this book! A woman and her children alone in a centuries-old house during a blizzard! And someone’s in the house! This multi-layered tale weaves backstory with the cat-and-mouse tension of a woman desperate to protect her children and hide from the evil intruder. The physical and emotional challenges facing the woman throughout made me cheer for her persistence and wisdom all the more. A debut novel by Tracy Sierra, this one’s a winner.

This was more than I expected. I was sucked in immediately and I loved this story of survival. It was such a heart pounding, adrenaline rushing story.

QUICK TAKE: I went into NIGHTWATCHING without knowing anything about it, and immediately regretted it in all the best ways…I absolutely could NOT put down this home invasion story about a young mother who must do whatever it takes to protect her kids from a dangerous man who breaks into their house. It’s literal nightmare fuel, and author Tracy Sierra manages to take a very simple premise and turn it into an edge-of-your-seat, pulse-pounding thriller with a huge emotional hook. Similar to one of my other favorite books, Amy Tintera’s LISTEN FOR THE LIE, Sierra does a great job balancing thrills while exploring themes of motherhood, family, and misogyny in a really thoughtful, nuanced way. It’s easily one of the best things I’ve read this year, and a book that ripped me out of my spring reading slump.

This was a tense book. A mom hides her kids when someone breaks in the house. The police thinks she’s crazy. And she starts doubting herself. There were moments in the story I felt it didn’t flow well but overall, this was a good read.

This book was weird. The dialogue seemed disjointed. The first 40% was boring instead of suspenseful. Then, a couple disturbing moments occurred, which made it a bit better. However, I didn’t really find it interesting until the end. I wouldn’t actively recommend this one.

SYNOPSIS
- A mother and her two, young children are home alone. Outside, there is a blizzard. Inside the mother has tucked her son back into bed in the middle of night.
- The mother hears some noises, including footsteps, and discover there is an intruder in the home.
- They live in New England in a house built in the 1700s, and there is secret tiny “room” or small space, which is hidden behind the paneling of a wall. She hurries there with her young kids. They hide & try to be as quiet as possible, while the mother tries to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, the intruder goes around the house looking for them, and at times, he talks out loud to them. The intruder sounds familiar to her.

MY THOUGHTS
- My favorite thriller, suspense of 2024. I know it’s only May, but there’s just no chance of a book surpassing this one.
- Atmospheric, claustrophobic.
- Excellent pacing.
- I can’t believe this was the author’s debut novel?! No notes. It’s perfect.
- The writing is outstanding, and some of the best I have read in a long time.
- I loved the main character’s running thoughts throughout the book.
- Since there is a lot of action & tension, I was surprised by how much backstory & character development are in this story.
- I could NOT put this down. It consumed all of my thoughts. I finished in under 24 hours. I stayed up late reading, then woke up early to read before work, then read on my lunch break, then read as soon as work ended😂
- My blood pressure was so high the ENTIRE time I was reading this book.
- I wanted to fight the police officers and the father-in-law!
- Super interesting themes intertwined. I loved how she explored cultural bias, gender bias, victim blaming, glorifying horrible people, and 👏🏼never👏🏼believing👏🏼women👏🏼!!!

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️THE best thriller of 2024. idc if it’s May - that’s a wrap, y’all. READ THIS NOW!!!!!! brb I still have tachycardia.

Thanks to Penguin Group Viking, Pamela Dorman Books, and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

MASTERFULLY done. the start might seem slow to some, with the narrator's internal monologue interspersed with the home invasion, but once it gets going it's impossible to put down.

One of the best books i have read. The author does an amazing job of allowing what you don't see to scare you! I was constantly going back and forth with suspicious eyes for the narrator, I love the erriness that just the idea of questioning certain aspects of this novel brings, it has you questioning everything and in fact maybe that puts you in the shoes of the narrator until the end where all doubt is removed! So tense, absolutely great thriller!!

Ooooof if you’re looking for an incredibly suspenseful read that will pack you with anxiety, highly recommend Nightwatching! I loved this one and am blown away that it is this authors debut - I very much look forward to her next release.

Thank you Penguin Group Viking and Netgalley for my review copy!

There was someone in the house.

Those six words begin the harrowing journey of a mother and her two young children. I love the addition of the blizzard, the pandemic, her vitiligo, and the men’s ability to look past the danger, attributing her hysteria to being female. She will have to draw on all her strength to save them.

Even her husband shook off her being smacked in the face by his father, as if it was her fault. How could that be? He was a bit of a dick, a weakling, so in need of his father’s love, that he would throw his wife under the bus. At one point, I thought, fuck hubby. Why isn’t he there? Why is it her? Why does he allow his father to abuse his wife, as she cooks, cleans, and caters to his dying mother?

The same can be said for the lead investigator of the case, when she finally gets away from the house and the police are called.

The characters are fabulous, the good ones good and the bad ones bad. They all did what was necessary to make Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra a success.

Tracy Sierra’s words bring alive the woman’s terror as soon as I begin reading. I can feel her panic, trying to keep the children quiet, so they don’t give away their hiding place. Listening to the intruder’s footsteps, as he moves from room to room. No one will find them before it is too late. She must do something. But what?

At times, I found myself wondering if she was imagining things, as the thoughts ran through her head. It didn’t take long for me to be on her side, getting angry for the lack of those who are supposed to help her, actually doing so.

“Let’s put private parts on him!” her daughter said. (as they build a snowman)

“Poop!” he shrieked. “Ghosts don’t poop!”

I love that little girl and her brother. They crack me up.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra is one of those books that gets me all riled up. My emotions are all over the place. Why is it so easy to dismiss a woman’s fears, saying she is taking things wrong, seeing things that aren’t there, making a mountain out of a mole hill? In this case, it helps create a nailbiting story of suspense, and the pacing creates a tension that had me racing through the pages, having to know what happens next.

Have you ever been dismissed, treated as if you don’t know what you are talking about? I have, and it is not a pleasant feeling, so I stood behind her, willing to go head to head with her husband, the father, the investigator…and the intruder.

Mama bear will do whatever is necessary to protect her cubs.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this arc in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

A mother and her two kids are home alone when a man breaks in their home. The mother runs to her kids and gets them to run to a safe room of sorts that is a design flaw that was never filled in or fixed. The kids and mother stay inside the room while the man invading their home taunts them trying to figure out where they are. While the man goes into the attic the mom runs out of the house leaving her kids safely in the safe room and runs for help. The mom ends up injured and ends up in the hospital with her father-in-law givin temporary custody of the kids. The mom stays in the hospital for about 9 days and talks to the sergeant who doesn't believe her story with the lack of evidence. The mom goes and finds an old security device that her husband but in the tree before his death. The man who invaded their home is caught on video and had apparently been stalking their home for months prior. It was revealed that the man impersonated a waiter to get to her daughter and then became obsessed and apparently had done it quite a few times more. I'm glad that the mom was able to keep her kids. This was a very scary situation and I had to read this book in daylight.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra had me from the first page! A mother home alone with two children during a blizzard and she realizes someone is in the house! She grabs the kids and quickly heads for a secret room near their fireplace. Now she waits and tries desperately to keep the two young children quiet. I was so anxious reading this! What was going to happen next? I could not stop reading!!!!