Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Someone Is Always Watching

Another book I feel conflicted about, it has a very interesting plot and the concept is very unique and complex. The mystery really caught my attention and I was determined to read until the end to find out what happen.

However, I was left confused about some things regarding the memories. It took me a while to understand it. I also felt some parts feels dragging especially in the middle part of the story.

I really like getting to know the characters and the secret pasts each of them has. Some of them really caught me by surprise and made a good plot twist. Although, I wish there’s more depth to the side characters as well.

I don’t know if this is going to be a series or remain a standalone, if it is a standalone then the ending doesn’t feel very satisfying cause it left with some unanswered questions that I wish were resolved at the end of it.

Overall, it’s still a pretty good story. A dash of romance, strong friendship and unexpected twists makes this book quite enjoyable to read.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Death, murder, sexual assault, mention of suicide, fire injury, suicide attempt and child death.

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

Content Warnings

jenn_m_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I love reading Kelley Armstrong. And I was very excited to get a ARC digital copy from NetGalley!

This book was a fun easy read. I like the general idea of the book but I am going to be honest after about 3 quarters of the book I was ready for it to end. There are just some issues in the book that are so unbelievable to me that made me question what the heck I was reading from time to time. Having said that I did like reading this book and the end wrapped up nicely.

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roshanreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC of this book!

I picked this book up, and it pulled me in almost immediately. I was flying through the pages to get more information and find out who was behind everything. I ended up giving this book four stars and would definitely recommend it.

There are some spoilers after this point.

The book starts with an introduction to the dynamic between Tucker and Blythe that define most of their interactions for the rest of the book, and then we’re straight into the action. Things start getting weird when one of Blythe’s friends seems to suffer what people refer to as everything from a mental health episode to a psychotic break, becoming paranoid about the school’s security cameras and talking about how her parents aren’t truly her parents. It peaks when Gabi murders the vice principal of the school with Blythe watching, before hitting Blythe in the head with the same trophy and disappearing. This sets off a whole chain of events that leads Blythe, Tucker, and Tanya to uncover the answers behind why they, and some of the people around them, are having strange memories and dreams.

I thought the way we’re introduced to what’s happening was great. There wasn’t any waiting around while small, strange things happened. The first sign that something was wrong was everything going terribly wrong in one go. It only gets more out of hand from there, but Kelley Armstrong wrote it in a way where not a single discovery seemed like it had come out of nowhere. Even a comment from a side character that I initially brushed off ended up being incredibly important to the plot and the big reveal at the end of the book.

Despite the plot ending up very close to literal brainwashing territory, I just accepted everything because it felt like it fit into the natural progression of the story.

The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five was that the end felt like it just appeared out of nowhere, including what felt like a sudden change from “the adults won’t help us” to “the adults are sorting everything out now”, which was kind of weird to put in the last chapter. I was kind of looking forward to an evil corporation messing with people’s heads. On top of that, the way the suspense of a reveal was dragged out over an entire section or chapter, which I wasn’t a fan of, and it started to grate on me after the first time it happened. Especially when we got towards the end.

All in all, if you’re a fan of Karen M McManus with a bit of Phoenix Files, I would recommend this book to you. It was a fairly quick read with action from the very beginning and it continues pretty consistently right until the end. I think it’s a book that will hold up to rereads, especially since I was flying through it so quickly that I probably missed a few details that I’ll find next time. This was a super fun read, and I’m super glad I got to read it before it came out. I will probably be talking about it for a while in the future.

Content Warnings

maddireads13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

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