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vacantbones's review against another edition
3.0
I really, really wanted to love When No One is Watching. I bought a copy soon after it was published and kept bumping it down to the bottom of my TBR list in order to read books that I was much less excited about. Unfortunately, this read just fell really flat for me.
The core messages regarding race in America are important, and When No One is Watching serves as a great, brief history lesson in gentrification and the cyclical nature of racist action in this country. The author does a superb job at drawing comparisons between the thriller aspects of the story and the historical context.
Something that really distracted me as a reader, however, was the way in which the "bad guys" of the book are portrayed as being almost cartoonishly racist. I believe that this book could've benefitted greatly from subtlety in this aspect. At points, the racist characters are very explicit in their hateful views, and it just felt like a caricature. The more subtle jabs in the novel were great - one of the racists has a Michelle Obama portrait in her living room, perfectly portraying the ways in which white people convince themselves that they *can't* be racist if they're not throwing out slurs. I wish this was the rule in this read rather than the exception.
I also did not care for the moments when the book started to read like a romance novel. I understand that the author has previously written romance novels, and it was definitely clear from certain scenes in this book that she's a pro at it! However, the parts where the book began to read like a romance novel felt at odds with the thriller tone, like I was reading an entirely different book.
I don't want this review to serve as me trying to detract from the importance of this book. The things being said in these pages are things that we need to hear. It's worth a read, but at times feels like it is one step behind what was achieved in Get Out.
The core messages regarding race in America are important, and When No One is Watching serves as a great, brief history lesson in gentrification and the cyclical nature of racist action in this country. The author does a superb job at drawing comparisons between the thriller aspects of the story and the historical context.
Something that really distracted me as a reader, however, was the way in which the "bad guys" of the book are portrayed as being almost cartoonishly racist. I believe that this book could've benefitted greatly from subtlety in this aspect. At points, the racist characters are very explicit in their hateful views, and it just felt like a caricature. The more subtle jabs in the novel were great - one of the racists has a Michelle Obama portrait in her living room, perfectly portraying the ways in which white people convince themselves that they *can't* be racist if they're not throwing out slurs. I wish this was the rule in this read rather than the exception.
I also did not care for the moments when the book started to read like a romance novel. I understand that the author has previously written romance novels, and it was definitely clear from certain scenes in this book that she's a pro at it! However, the parts where the book began to read like a romance novel felt at odds with the thriller tone, like I was reading an entirely different book.
I don't want this review to serve as me trying to detract from the importance of this book. The things being said in these pages are things that we need to hear. It's worth a read, but at times feels like it is one step behind what was achieved in Get Out.
stsylvester666's review against another edition
5.0
This book is AMAZING. Super smart and well written, this book has everything you look for in a thriller. Alyssa Cole did an amazing job and I can’t wait to read more of her books.
danamariea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lunaeternity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
amariew125's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? No
5.0
gemgem18's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
victoria_reynolds's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down. I'll be looking into this author's other books for sure. Such a terrifying idea based on the terrifying realities of our history.