Watching You: A Novel

If you like twists and turns, read this. This book kept me guessing through the whole thing. I really enjoyed it.

“I’ve been watching you. All along. Watching everything you do...” - Watching You.SYNOPSIS: Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you. As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all- including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie- a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5- excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother- whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years- is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her. Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam...”- Watching You.REVIEW: Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors! I have only read a couple of her titles so far, but have enjoyed every one. This book is quite the thriller, full of plot twists and secrets. In addition, in the book we read from three narrators (Joey, Jenna, and Freddie) so we get to see all different perspectives. This also lends well to the thriller and mystery, since each person knows something that the others don’t, and everyone is watching each other. Also, each character has their own “stuff” going on outside of the main mystery, so it helps the reader connect to the characters more and get to know more about their personalities. I rated this book four stars because I enjoyed it! However, there were a couple things (which I can’t mention due to spoilers) that I still had questions about at the end of the book. Also, while I enjoyed the ending, I wish it was a little more dark or more shocking. I did not guess the end of the thriller, but wanted something a little more.Each of the main characters in this book were great. They all were so well done, that I came to like each of them in their own ways. Also, they tended to take turns that I wasn’t suspecting, and they each were dealing with their own problems throughout the course of the book. It’s hard to pick a favorite character with this one because they all play off one-another and mesh together so well. I do wish that some of the side characters were developed a little more. They were so interesting and I wanted to know more about them!Overall, if you are looking for a quick, page-turning thriller, pick this book up! Lisa Jewell is an amazing writer and her books flow so well. I look forward to making my way through all of her other titles!

I could not put this one down! Another excellent read from Lucinda Berry! I genuinely liked many of the main characters and appreciated their development. There were several twists that surprised me. The book was very clever and well written. 5/5!

There was nothing wrong with Lisa Jewell's new Brit-Lit thriller, <i>Watching You</i>, I just didn't love it. I had a hard time rating it because some parts were a bit trite and unrealistic but there were a few parts that were almost brilliant. I settled on <b>3 Stars</b>.<b>SUMMARY</b>Josephine "Joey" had just returned to her hometown after an adventure of a lifetime, she has been living abroad, working in a tropical island resort. When she returns, she's not alone; she has brought her new husband Alfie, who she has only known a couple months.Her brother, Jack has recently bought a house in an iconic neighborhood, often referred to as The Painted Houses. Jack generously invites Joey and Alfie to live with him and his wife Rebecca until the newly weds can get on their feet.Although life in the painted houses looked ideal from the outside, that impression was far from reality. The book opens with police examining a murder scene in one of the houses.When the story begins with a murder investigation, it's not surprising to find that Joey had some <i>interesting</i> neighbors. Next door was a man dubbed <i>the super headmaster</i>, he was well known across the UK for fixing troubled schools. Nicknamed <i>The Super Head</i>, he and his family moved every two years or so, as soon as he fixed one school, it was time to move to another school in another city. There seemed to be something a bit off about his family, was it maybe his teenaged son who was a bit of a voyeur? Or his much younger wife who just didn't seem to fit in? Or is there something inappropriate about all the attention he gives his female students, many of whom develop crushes on him... And then there is another neighbor, a mother of one of the Super Heads students, who seems to think the Super Head and some of his <i>associates</i> are out to get her. She believes Super Head has a secret gang and they are messing with her by constantly moving things around her house or watching her. With all this craziness, it's no surprise when someone ends up dead.Told from several points of view, the book starts with the police examining the crime scene and then flips back to the events leading up to the murder.WHAT I LOVEDThis story had a lot going on; several got topics such as domestic abuse, inappropriate relationship between students and teachers , infidelity and mental illness. It was never dull.I, of course, love my Brit -Lit. I can never get enough of it.The best part of the book were a couple of well placed twists. They were where the story was at its best. What is a thriller without the twist??WHAT I DIDN'T LOVEIt's hard to specify what I didn't love about the book. I think it just didn't stand out to me as a book to remember. Am I being too tough on it? Maybe. Probably. But, as stated above, I did not love it.OVERALLIt's very readable, but not outstanding.

This novels opens with a murder - but who was the victim? And, of course, who was the killer? Thus begins a complex story told from the viewpoint of many characters, both young and old, in Melville Heights. Neighbors are watching neighbors, and each has a different reason for doing so. And each could be the murderer - which will only be revealed in the surprise ending. Every time you think you know who was killed and who might have done it, the plot twists in a different direction. A well written, fast paced book with generally well-developed characters. And there are a lot of characters which (for a change for me) were not difficult to follow.