Happy Wednesday, December 26! I hope everyone who celebrates had a wonderful Christmas yesterday! Today I have a review of Watching You, the newest book by Lisa Jewell, and publishing today via Atria Books!
My Thoughts:
Even though I own most of her backlist, this is the first Lisa Jewell book I’ve read, and Watching You was an ideal first read from the author!
Melville Heights is a quaint neighborhood in Bristol, England. It consists of several colorfully-painted Victorian homes overlooking the city. Melville Heights reminded me of the Painted Ladies in San Francisco, and I immediately imagined that type of setting because it was described so well. Everyone in Melville Heights is carrying a burden…a secret that could rock worlds. But the best, creepiest part and how the book got its title? Everyone in Melville Heights is watching you and each other.
There is an extraordinary cast of well-developed characters, such as Joey Mullen who lives with her husband, brother and sister-in-law, and has recently lost her mother. There’s also the charming, walks-on-water, Tom Fitzwilliam, the head teacher who champions school turnarounds and manages to easily attract women and teenage girls, yes those whom he is teaching, with his “dad bod.” Freddie, Tom’s teenage son, is quirky and has eyes on the whole city from his parents’ attic.
As the book opens, a woman has been murdered in Melville Heights, but we don’t know who, why, or what happened? We hear from multiple characters as the timeline goes forward in time eventually landing on the fateful day of the murder in March, along with short narratives from the police interrogation interviews interspersed throughout. I loved that particular structure. It kept me guessing and led to a great handle on each of the characters.
Overall, Watching You is a super eerie, well-written, suspenseful read. The short chapters, well-developed, complex characters, and interesting setting boosted my investment, and I devoured this delicious book in twenty-four hours. I’ll definitely be making time for Jewell’s backlist now!
Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods 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…
Check out these reviews by the other Book Besties:
Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
Mackenzie at PhDiva
Oooh, starts right in the middle of it, isn’t it. Defo going on my list.
Great review 🙂
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Thanks, Norrie! I can imagine you loving this one. Twisty and super creepy. ♥️
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Loved The Girls in the Garden.
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That is definitely one I own, and I’ve been intrigued by for some time. Happy to hear it’s a good one, Bill!
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I have enjoyed Lisa Jewell before, so I shall keep an eye out for this book. Wonderful review.
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Thanks, Chrissi! There’s so much to enjoy in this one.
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Fab review! I’ve read quite a few of her other books and really must read this one soon!
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Thanks, Nicki! I hope you enjoy this one as much as her others!
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Well, I think your review is delicious, Jennifer! I’ve signed up for this one and now I’m itchy to start. Love how you say the characters are well developed.
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Thanks, Jonetta! Are you by chance doing the audio for this one? I can’t wait to hear how that is. I think it’ll add to the creepiness depending on the narrator. So much to love in this book!
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Yes, I’ve got the audio! I’m not familiar with the narrator (Gabrielle Gaister) so 🤞
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It sounds like another great book by Lisa Jewell. I haven’t read this one but have read three of her others novels, which I really liked. Excellent review, Jennifer!
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Thank you, Stephen! I’m so happy to hear you are a fan and not at all surprised based on how well-written this one was.
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Great review on a wonderfully twisted book! Glad you all enjoyed this book.
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Thanks, Marialyce! You are spot-on- wonderfully twisted is the perfect way to describe this one!
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Awesome review, Jennifer. I have not read this one and added it to my tbr list. Happy Wednesday. 💕📚🌸🌼
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Thank you, Virginia! It was a terrific read! I hope your Wednesday has been wonderful! ♥️ xoxo
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Great review, this sounds like one of those books I just may Read.
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Thanks, Jen! If you are a fan of suspense, it’s a terrific one!
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This sounds amazing! I love the idea of a whole complex of houses where everyone is spying on each other. Thank you for bringing this to my attention😊
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Thanks, Tammy! It was a wonderfully engaging read. I’m so impressed with it.
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Wonderful review, Jennifer!!! I agree, the characters are really one of my favorite parts of this book!!! Even though there were many characters, they really seemed to have a lot of depth!!! 💕💕
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Thanks, Mack! Yes, so many well-developed characters and so engagingly written! ♥️
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I love this kind of book and I’ve been seeing it quite a bit recently. Excellent review. It’s always all about the characters I think. I have not yet read this author. On to the TBR. Anne – Books of My Heart
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Thanks, Anne! Yes, for me it’s always the characters, too. They make the story. I hope you enjoy this one if you end up reading it.
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Loved your review, Jen! This one sounds like it’s written very well too. It’s always so wonderful to devour a book! I have it added. ❤
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Thank you, favorite M! It was the perfect read this time of year- engrossing and wonderful to curl up with! I hope you and your sweet family had a wonderful holiday! 💕 xoxo
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We did! Hope you did too. ❤💚❤ xoxo
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Fantastic review, Jennifer! This book definitely kept my interest up and ended up being a great read. Glad you enjoyed it too!
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Thank you, Darinda! It was so good- so engaging and intriguing! I’m happy you enjoyed it too!
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Happy Day After Jen! Super awesome review! Have an awesome day my friend!😊💕🎆
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Thanks, Sus! It was a wonderful read! I hope you’ve had a great Wednesday! 💗 xoxo
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Great review! I’ve been seeing her books around a lot lately, but haven’t tried any yet.
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Thanks, Angela! I now can understand why so many are reading her. She’s in a league of her own suspense-wise- unique and wonderfully written.
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Fantastic review! Love those characters and loved the short chapters as well!💕💕
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Thanks, Berit! It was such a good read and truly unforgettable! ♥️
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I think I’m adding this to my favorites shelf as well as broken girls! That one really blew me away!
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I love here and can’t wait to read this! Great review as always!
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Thanks, Mackey! She is a special author! Truly her own style!
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Sounds like the perfect kind of read for relaxing with at this busy time of year! Great review!
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Thanks, FF! It was perfect for just that. I hope you had a lovely holiday!
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I’m so glad this was good! I’ve been looking forward to this one big time, so that’s reassuring. 🙂 The fact that it’s eerie and suspenseful is a bonus, and I love that format too- short chapters with police interrogation type stuff. Definitely moving this one up!
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I hope it lives up to your expectations, too, Greg! I found it really engaging and I’ll be watching for your thoughts on it.
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I just finished writing my review for this book and am glad to see you enjoyed it too. I loved how suspenseful it was and especially how everyone was watching everyone else.
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Yay, I’m glad you loved it, too, Suzanne. It had a creepy vibe for sure. I’ll be watching for your review.
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That’s a great review! And after reading it I had to add this one on my TBR shelf right away! I don’t know if I would read it soon, my TBR is quite the monster, but I really hope to read it in the new year because I am curious and what you write about the characters made me even more curious! 🙂
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Thanks, Susy! It was a chilling and suspenseful read, and I hope you get a chance to read it too! ♥️
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Great review Jennifer. I love when a story starts off with a bang and just gets better.
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Thank you, Carla! Me, too! That’s a wonderful way to put it.
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Fantastic review Jenni and hope you had a lovely Christmas 🎄 😘 I’ve read a couple of Jewell’s books now and always really enjoy them so I’ll have to make some time for this!
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Thank you, Beth! ♥️ Yes, I think you’d enjoy this one, and I’d love to hear what you think!
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I love when writers interweave different character perspectives together to form one cohesive story. Is this written in such a way that various chapters are coming directly from a different character’s POV?
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Yes, each narrator has their own chapter, and there are several narrators. It was so well-done!
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This is a brilliant review, Jennifer! I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and have had my eye on this one for such a long time so I’ll have to get it soon!
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Thanks, Darina! Yes! You’ll definitely want to check this one out, and I can’t wait to see what you think of it! ♥️
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Fabulous review Jennifer!! I loved this one!!! 🙂
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Thanks, Kendall! It was so fab! ♥️
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