When No One Is Watching: A Thriller | 
pickI was not expecting THAT from the author of A Princess in Theory. 😂
The pace worked for me; it‘s a psychological thriller after all. The tension is palpable from the get-go. You want Sydney to get out, but then you remember, where's she gonna go?! I never could fully trust Theo, so the romance was the iffy bit for me.
A solid thriller.
I will definitely check out One of Us Knows in the very near future.
This book has some pacing and other issues, but it‘s an interesting premise and definitely spooky.
Here are a couple others.
Jamaica Inn (du Maurier) about shenanigans in Cornwall
City of Ghosts (Schwab) set in Edinburgh so what more do you need
#TLT
“Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…”
so-so⭐️⭐️ The gentrification storyline and social commentary were thoughtful and realistic. I wanted more of that. The thriller / mystery felt unnecessary, the romance was forced, and the steam was totally cringy, and quite honestly, out of place. #bookclub
pickThe tag line for this book is Get Out meets Rear Window, and that‘s not wrong. Until the wild and very rushed ending when it turns into Bourne Identity.
My book club agreed with Roxane Gay‘s assessment on Goodreads: great premise and interesting historical information … with pacing issues. Still I‘m not sorry I read it and give it a pick.
so-soThe pacing of this book was all over the place.
There is sooo much explaining and not enough "story telling". Around 60% something thriller-y finally happened. The ending felt so out of place. Sure, there was a build up to it, but suddenly she... well, i don't want to give it away.
If this wasn't marketed as a thriller, I would have enjoyed it more. But unfortunately, that's not what happened.
⭐️⭐️
02.02.2024
pick2024: 6 If you're into Jordan Peele movies this will be a fun read. Thrillers are my favorite genre to listen to in audiobooks. Really grab and hold the attention.
so-soI liked the first third(ish) of this but then the romance between Sydney and Theo took center stage and I just didn't believe they were into each other, beyond lust. THEN came the last third(ish) when EVERYTHING became so OTT I stopped being able to suspend my disbelief. Maybe it's because the story tipped over into straight up horror and I've never read a horror story I liked but this didn't really work for me.
pickWoof. This one was a doozy. It's definitely worth the ride. Not so much creepy but still worth the denotation of 'thriller.'
pickI enjoyed this thriller about the fight against racism and gentrification. Some aspects were far-fetched but really, I think it‘s just that Cole took multiple things at once simply one step above reality. It got more violent toward the end than I expected; it made sense with the story but I think the tone could have been foreshadowed better. My August #bookspin
It appears this short story isn‘t on Litsy but I highly recommend! It‘s available on Amazon/Audible and follows the dangers of social media and toxic masculinity. I was literally holding my breath listening.
pickI don‘t know that I liked this, but I‘m glad I read it (I think), and I understand how this could make for an interesting bookclub discussion. I appreciated the historical aspect told through the gaslighting of a fictional old Brooklyn neighborhood‘s as it‘s gentrified and stripped of its history. It went off the rails as the thriller aspect turned into a horror story. Very strange and disturbing but somehow a pick of a book I wanted to bail.
pickI re-read this for book club. It‘s starts out a bit slow & confusing, but gets more intense as you read. You‘re not sure who to believe, who to trust. Is the neighborhood gentrifying? Or are the black residents disappearing and being replaced by white people flocking in?
pickI appreciated the true history of Brooklyn, community bonds, gentrification, and social injustice. This was a great thriller until it became a bit far fetched.
pickThis takes that feeling that gentrification is an intentional attack, and personifies it to the nth degree. A new take on a thriller about white supremacy where the truly scary part is questioning just how close to reality is skirts. #GoodNotGreat #JoyousJanuary #Booked2023 #SetInANeighborhood #Pantone2023 #ElectricBlueLemonade @alisiakae @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Clwojick @Andrew65
so-soRating: 3 ⭐⭐⭐
This was my first time reading a book by Alyssa Cole so i wasnt sure what to expect tho i did expect to like it since it was listed as a Thriller but sadly felt disappointed cause this WAS NOT a Thriller at all just a Mystery. The Characters were Okay but not very likeable cause of how they acted toward certain neighbors. Kim was my favorite for speaking up.
Overall an OK Thriller but not what i expected.
Currently Reading
Genre: Thriller
The gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she‘s known all her life are disappearing.
pickWow! Brooklyn is the setting and a horrific act of gentrifying takes on a whole new scary reality for Shelby. Every character and thought is written by this author through race, greed and idealisms. Wow! Page337, “Funny how much race matters until it doesn‘t.”
September stats! I had a lot of 7s last month; appropriate.
I spent WAY more than usual, thanks to the return of the Children‘s Hospital Book Market, but I got more reference titles than anything else so my TBR didn‘t explode. Whew.
Quality wise, I found one new 5-star read (tagged), upgraded a former 3.5er to a 5 (GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir), and found a stellar 4.5er (LESSONS IN FUSION by Primrose Madayag Knazan). Good times.
pickHOLY CRAP, Y‘ALL. I‘ve seen a lot of people say this book starts off way too slow, but I felt the intense creepiness right from the get-go, and Alyssa Cole only strengthens that feeling as more pieces of her plot click into place in advance of that explosive finish. It‘s stressful, scary, and so, so plausible—the hallmark of a great thriller. I‘m in book-love. 5 stars.
pickI‘m a junkie for sociological issues intermixed with psychological. I loved this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickGrumble. Grumble. At 50%, I was bored and wanted it to be over. At 65%, I wasn‘t emotionally invested but started to be curious about what was coming and how things would end. At 80%, I was completely sucked in, horrified, and invested. On the surface, this is about the gentrification of a predominantly Black neighborhood in Brooklyn, but the full truth is so much darker. A begrudging pick for a clever, if slow burn thriller. Grumble. Grumble.
pick4✨ For me this book didn‘t start out interesting. There was a lot of cursing and seemed like everyone was upset with everyone else. Our two mains Theo and Sydney become fast friends. Then strange stuff started happening. At first it seemed like it was racism with a mix of rich vs poor causing a bunch of people to leave their homes. Then after Sydney and Theo made some really big confessions it all went down. Whoa!
so-soOverall was a quick read but at times lacked detail.
Sydney's historically black Brooklyn neighborhood is falling fast and her neighbors are suddenly disappearing without warning. A story about gentrification, conspiracy, suspence, paranoia, greed, and mystery.
It left me with unanswered questions which I understood. The ending felt a bit exaggerated and I predicted the ending very early in so had no shock factor for me sadly. 😪
3.25 stars
I can't tell you the last time I read a proper fast paced thriller!! Picked it up for $5 at Barnes and Noble with a purchase of a drink at the Cafe. Uhm heck yes.
I actually haven't even read the synopsis yet so no idea what it is about. So I hope it'll make it even more interesting for me!
Who's read it and what did you think?
Good morning !
Book 19
Flight reads … goodbye south hello west coast
pickLoved it! It took me awhile to get through because it was making me so anxious to read. The writing is amazing and the twist is perfect.
pickWhile this was not really a thriller it was an interesting look at gentrification. Gentrification has been seen as a way to improve communities (at least that‘s the spin put on it) it goes much deeper. Lots of families & communities (particularly people of different races) that have lived in areas for generations can become displaced. Anyhow overall I enjoyed the book & the spin the author put on an otherwise difficult subject. #bookspin
Finish current 📖:
When No One is Watching -Alyssa Cole
Fractured -Karin Slaughter
Read 📚:
Pretty Girls -Karin Slaughter
Home Before Dark -Riley Sager
Stranger in the House -Shari Lapena
Listen 🎧:
I-5 Killer -Anne Rule
Chase Darkness With Me -Billy Jensen
#outstandingoctober
@Andrew65
Go #TeamSlaughter
@Clwojick
#bookspinbingo board for October, not sure what progress I‘ll make this month. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get some reading done (7 months till I finish grad school, is it too early to start counting down). I started reading the tagged book & liking it so far
October book spin bingo list, not sure if the top or bottom will show up. Not having much free time to read with school & all but I‘ll keep trying to get a few books read
I was looking at my shelves because I didn‘t have anything for #screamathon week 2 prompt.. all of the books I have planned were white women, 1 white man and then I added in RL Stine because it‘s the season but still nothing for the prompt, kind of embarrassing, so I ordered yet another book for my TBR, but it sounds really good. I am not mad about this. But this is an out of control amount of books that I think I‘m reading in October 🤣📚🎃
pan⭐⭐
This one is tough to rate. Was it a thriller, as advertised? No. The first 3/4 of the book was setting up more of a social justice storyline, and the last 1/4 was pretty outlandish. I don't want to completely discount this book, because I learned a lot from it about gentrification - I just think that the author cheapened the seriousness of the topic by trying to turn it into a thriller, seemingly as an afterthought.
panBook 93
I listened to When No One is Watching. It's touted a thriller but isn't remotely thriller before the second half. It's about a New York neighborhood going through gentrification. The characters aren't believable or likable. ⭐⭐
#LMPBC #WhenNoOneIsWatching #AlyssaCole
Last week I started reading this book but it became a turnoff to me as I was looking forward to reading a thriller as it is advertised on the cover. The author in the beginning points out the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood is happening. I am so tired of hearing about Systemic Racism and Critical Race Theory that I‘m unable to read on and get to the thriller part of the book. Now let me explain:
suvata, Crazeedi, Elizabeth2, MaleficentBookDragon, Eggs, Bookish_AF, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, DarkMina, magyklyXdelish
Love Cole and Koomson. Should be a great event! 🥰
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shelf-lifesizzling-summer-suspense-with-alyssa-cole...
#LMPBC #WhenNoOneIsWatching #AlyssaCole
@Bookish_AF Received this in the mail today! Can‘t wait to read it!
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I waffle between a so-so and a pick.. This was pretty good. The narrative pushed forward pretty steadily to a big ending. I appreciated that gentrification was a focus in the novel and the author seemed to have done her research, but I wonder if the end took away from that a little? Overall I‘m glad I read it.
There‘s a relatively short window of perfect outdoor reading weather at this time of year before the humidity starts setting in. This weekend is going to have such weather (70 and sunny). I hope to be doing this a LOT, despite the yellow cloud of pollen everywhere 😂
#LMPBC
My May #LMPBC books have arrived! Cant wait to get started, I‘ve been looking forward to both of these.
pickOmg you guys, I finished my second book this month 😱😭
Reading this one during the trial of Derek Chauvin was really something else. This is a thriller like no other. It shows the many layers of systemic racism and points out the many ways in which society desperately needs to change.
Thank you for picking this book for #LMPBC I‘m glad I read it.
#BookSpinBingo
so-soAudiobook pick:
This book has major "Get Out" vibes. I appreciated parts of it, but at times it seemed to be suffering from an identity crisis. Social commentary or thriller? It just seemed too disjointed to me.
