Cadel Favreau
I read this book over a weekend, really felt like i could not put it down! Lisa Jewell has created an awesome psychological thriller that speaks to our own self doubt, and our need for new affirmation, new experiences, to break out of routines and to question our past choices. The protagonist is caught in a past prison, and this uneasiness leads to obsession. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoyed The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl. The cover art is really cool, it contains more to it than meets the eye, take a close look! Lisa Jewell's prose style is really unique, it flows and keeps the reader compelled, the suspense is awesome. It's hard these days to hold attention and she knows how!
1 person found this review helpful
Becky Baldridge
Watching You is touted as a domestic thriller, and the opening scene does suggest that, but then it changes. Ever play that game where you sit in a busy mall, plaza, etc and pick random people from the crowd, guessing what they're lives are like? This book brought that to mind. Everyone has a secret, and everyone seems to know or guess something about everyone else. The thing is most of these people just aren't that interesting. It felt like a bunch of nosy neighbors peeking past the curtains at everybody else. There are a lot of characters, some more important to the story than others, but they're all pretty easy to figure out, and none of them are particularly likable. There is a murder, but I had a lot of it figured out by the halfway mark, which left me with finishing it just to see if I was right. I never did get a sense of urgency, that thrill that should come with a good thriller. Instead, this one is more a meandering stroll through a neighborhood I certainly wouldn't want to live in. In the end, I would say that Watching You is a decent domestic drama, but the pacing is too slow and the story is filled with entirely too much of the mundane for the tension needed for suspense, let alone a thriller. It's one of those that is okay while you're reading it, but not something I'll remember a month from now.
2 people found this review helpful
A Google user
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So Many Questions? I have been reading reviews about Watching You by Lisa Jewell everywhere! Each review I read just made me want to read the book even more. I was definitely not disappointed. From the first line, I was immediately intrigued and drawn in to the story. Joey is obviously flawed. I get the impression that one man will never be enough for her. Tom, also flawed, is a ladies man. Coincidence? Probably not. Don't these two seem made for each other from the start? Regardless of whatever may happen, I see them together. Then, there is the idea of living in a place where all the neighborhood can see you. This is a foreign concept to me. It feels like an uncomfortable way to live. Obviously, someone knows what happened. Will this someone tell the police? How does this play out? So many mysterious aspects to explore!
6 people found this review helpful