Watching You

by Lisa Jewell

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $16.99

Hardcover: $26.00

Kindle: $12.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $21.43 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Watching You by Lisa Jewell was published in 2018 by Atria Books.

Page Count: 336 pages (paperback) 336 (hardcover) 337 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 10 hrs 50 mins

Chapters: 69

Languages: English 

Summary of Book:

“The instant New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone delivers another page-turner about a shocking murder in a picturesque English town.

Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England, home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret and prying eyes lurk behind every curtain.

In Lisa Jewell’s latest brilliant “bone-chilling suspense” (People), no one is who they seem. Who has been murdered—and who would have wanted one of their neighbors dead? Watching You will keep you guessing until the startling revelation on the very last page.” – Atria Books

Author Biography:

“Lisa Jewell is the internationally best-selling author of sixteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel, Ralph’s Party, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and more recently her books have become #1 bestsellers in Canada and the UK. Her novels have sold millions of copies across the English-speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. 

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @lisajewelluk, on Instagram @lisajewelluk, and on Facebook @listajewellofficial.” -Atria Books

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

I read this novel for the Livre d’Amour book club. This was the first novel I have read by Lisa Jewell and was fairly nervous in reading something different. Partially, I was curious and excited as well. I was interested to fall in love with yet another author’s work. I therefore, dove into this novel with a positive mind, excited to see what world Jewell would take me into.

When I began reading, I noticed that the first couple of chapters introduce several different characters. I was fairly hesitant because I didn’t know who to attach myself to. I wanted a character to follow, so the beginning threw me for a loop. I did note, however, that the introduction of each character was done very effectively. Jewell gives you a blurb into the lives of these characters, giving you just enough to get to know them but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by so much information from the get go.

However, once the characters were introduced, the story began to unravel and intertwine. I was immersed into the lives of these characters. I didn’t know who the victim was going to end up being, so I found myself reading more and more to find out it was. I couldn’t decide who my favorite character was; I really enjoyed multiple characters. Jewell did a phenomenal job in creating multiple characters that readers can latch on to. One of my favorites was Freddie. I really enjoyed his interaction in the story and reminded me a lot of the boy in Home Alone 3.

The chapters are mostly short, and the story follows multiple characters throughout. However, it is very simple to follow the story, and the fact that Jewell waited until a chapter ended before moving to the next character was an extremely wise choice and one that I really loved. The story kept me guessing as to who would be murdered and who the killer would be, and considering I do not originally choose murder mysteries as my first choice, I can safely say that I would read more written by Jewell.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Gabrielle Glaister

Glaister’s narration was amazing and really drew me in. Her narration at 1.0 speed was too slow for me, but starting at 1.25 speed, her narration was excellent. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you’re used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

Other works by this Author:

• Then She Was Gone
• I Found You
• The Girls in the Garden
• The Third Wife
• The House We Grew Up In
• Before I Met You
• The Making of Us
• After the Party
• The Truth About Melody Browne
• 31 Dream Street
• A Friend of the Family
• Vince & Joy
• One-Hit Wonder
• Thirtynothing