Reviews with content warning for Violence - When No One Is Watching

The ending felt rushed and a bit ridiculous, especially because the plot up to this point was fairly gradual and realistic. It made the action at the end less authentic and hard to follow.

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almond's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A window into the real-life impacts of gentrification. Compelling story and great narration.

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alindeman's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is an absolutely chilling read. Incredible storytelling, harrowing subject matter, with incredible relevance to todays world and society at large. Without giving too much away, this book explores the depths and malevolence of systemic racism, the people perpetuating it, the people victimized by it, and those watching it all unfurl from a distance. It very much feels like a Jordan Peele movie. The first half or maybe even 2/3 of the book you don’t really know what’s going on and nothing *majorly* scary has happened yet. It’s a series of unsettling events that could be coincidences… or are they? This book does an INCREDIBLE job at leaving you feeling unsettled, without exactly knowing why, and an insatiable desire to continue reading. I cannot overstate the skill of the writing and storytelling- I felt gaslit right alongside the characters: “did that really happen?” “Was that a coincidence?” “Am I going crazy?!” Which no doubt was exactly the effect the author was going for, and succeeded at. I must say despite the thriller aspect holy shit is this depressing. I think it’s so depressing because it reflects the real life horrors white supremacy has inflicted upon black people for centuries (and continues to). The most terrifying part of this book is it is not far-fetched fiction at all. Honestly I would love an authors note speaking to the historical phenomena referenced in the book, or I suppose recommendations for further reading since there is so much to unpack. This book really makes me want to learn more about the historical practice of gentrification, redlining, and the connection btwn slave owners and banks, though I’ll admit I’m afraid of what I will learn. I think this is an incredible, beautifully written book that everyone should read. I think it’s especially impactful for white people to read as it gives insight into what it’s like to be black in America and the dangers they have faced and continue to face.

PS- I also really enjoyed the romance (side plot) and the growth of the white character, Theo.

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neverlandpages4's review

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dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

• The cover is what first made me want to read it, but when I saw it was inspired by “Get Out”, I knew I had to read it because I love that movie.

• I will say that there aren’t many resemblances, but they both have that energy of suspense and dread throughout the entire book/movie.

• If you’re a fan of Get out or Ace of Spades, then I’d recommend this!

• I’ll be honest and say that I had no idea what gentrification was before I read this, so it was a very informative and interesting book that was unlike anything I’ve read before.

• I absolutely loved how the writing was so casual and witty, it’s definitely very easy to read because it was like every day conversations that you hear, so the dialogue flowed easily.

• I also liked the main character, Sydney. I loved reading from her perspective, seeing the world through her eyes to truly understand the way she felt.

• This had so many great discussions about history, gentrification, racism, slavery, segregation, and so much more that I thought was very important and eye opening, and a lot of it was just heartbreaking to read, knowing that those things actually did happen.

• I also adored the community and neighborhood in this book, the way that the neighbors looked out and cared for each other was really wholesome. It was like a big, loving family.

• I was looking forward to the ending the entire book because I was constantly seeing people talk about the shocking twist at the end, and for me, a lot of it was predictable. There were still some shocking parts, but it was nothing I couldn’t see coming tbh.

• Aside from the twist, the ending was really infuriating. I won’t spoil anything but some of the characters had my blood boiling. Just the audacity and the lack of humanity that they had was disgusting.

• Overall, I’d highly recommend this book, and I think that it would be informative for everyone, but check the trigger warnings because it deals with a lot of heavy topics.

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genny's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed both Sydney's and Theo's POVs. It took a bit too long for the plot to really "get going", IMO, and I considered DNF'ing. However, the moments of sudden tension were effective, and the final 20% of the book was very fun! It was like Alyssa Cole snapped her fingers and went "alright, it's the last stretch, let's pull out all the craziness". I just wish the story had better pacing overall so that the finale didn't feel so rushed.

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pj_steph's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I overall enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the writing of this book. My favorite parts of the story were discussing the history of gentrification and going in depth on the horrors of the people who live in the neighborhoods. I will say the pacing was a little off. The beginning was a bit slow, but the ending felt REALLY rushed. I thought the middle had the best pacing. The mystery started to pick up and pieces were starting to come together, but then it kind of snowballed at the end. I'm definitely adding more Alyssa Cole to my TBR!

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captainwinter's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

The perfect book to read on Halloween. I was expecting a cosy mystery book, but is definitely more creepy and dark than cosy. It was gripping from start to end and it truly did give off The Get Out vibes. Slightly uncomfortable read because I do think we all know this is exactly how something like this (gentrification, white supremacy, bad people in high positions) would play out…

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