Yet another brilliantly written book by Lisa Jewell.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this superb tale.  Wonderful characters, totally engaging.  I would highly recommend you read this book.  4.5* from me.  My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Suspicion and paranoia make uneasy bedfellows

This is a murder story focussed on the people living around the victim, rather than on the police investigation.  The victim is secondary in that we do not learn their identity until the very end.

On the 24th March 2017, a body is found in the kitchen of a house rented by ‘Superhead’ Tom Fitzwilliam and his wife Nicola and teenage son, Freddie. Tom has recently moved into Bristol to turn around an Academy school which has been put under ‘special measures’. Darkly handsome he is the subject of his teenage schoolgirls’ and most other women’s fantasies. His reputation is impeccable, but does he have a darker side which merits Jenna Tripp’s mentally unstable mother Frankie staking out the house and warning anyone who will listen that he is a dangerous stalker?

Two houses away, Joey Mullen has just returned to Bristol from Ibiza with her new husband Alfie and is living with her brother Jack and his enigmatic wife, Rebecca. Joey soon falls under the Fitzwilliam spell and becomes the police’s main suspect for the murder.

Meanwhile, Freddie, a somewhat troubled teenager is also watching the comings and goings around Melville Heights and drawing his own conclusions.

This is a clever story where suspicion of Tom Fitzwilliam rests on an incident on a coach trip in the Lake District in 1996. Several sub-plots emerge as rumours arise about Tom’s interest in teenage schoolgirls, and the local residents see more and more of the woman watching him.

The relationships are complex and credible, especially those between the teenagers who are struggling to make sense of this difficult period between childhood and adulthood.

Suspicion moves from person to person, and the suspense is maintained until the final denouement. I really enjoyed it. 

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

An excellent book, the plot kept the reader guessing right to the end. Loved it. The storyline was exciting, a real page turner. Highly recommended. Five stars. 

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lisa Jewel for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Absolutely brilliant. I don't know how Lisa Jewell does it, but every time you think she can't better her last book, she goes straight out & does it! Fantastic plot, you just don't see the end coming at all, and how the characters are intertwined is a masterstroke. Loved this from page 1

Brilliant book with a story of school girl crushes and complex family relationships emanating from a row of houses in one neighbourhood.  I found it very gripping and could not stop reading it.

Lisa Jewell is rapidly becoming my go-to author when I want escapism, to be hooked from page one and to sit back and enjoy the ride.  This one opens with a murder scene and then goes back in time to examine all the characters and strands that lead towards this event.  Lots of red herrings, three very different narrators, totally engrossing.   A satisfying ending which I didn't see (all) of it coming although I had my suspicions. Good stuff.

I have read Lisa Jewell's previous titles and really liked them – this is why I was sure I was going to enjoy this one but Watching You didn't really do it for me. I found the plot interesting but I certainly knew what was going to happen from an early stage. The situations and scenes didn't make a lot of sense and it seems the plot didn't develop naturally for me – it seemed to be forced and incoherent. 

I did finish the book though because Lisa's writing is fantastic and I will definitely keep reading her work.

loved this book but then again I always love Lisa Jewells books if I'm honest... always full of good characters and t we i she and turns on the story line.

A fast-paced solidly-plotted page-turner with a fantastic cast of complex characters and enough twists and turns to really keep the reader guessing right til the end.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Century for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I have read a number of Lisa Jewell's books previously, so was expecting good things from 'Watching You' and it did not disappoint. Joey Mullen has returned from working abroad and settled in to life in Bristol with her new husband, Alfie. Then the local headmaster catches her eye and nothing will be the same again. Freddie Fitzwilliam likes to watch people. He knows he is different, but he doesn't know why. And he knows something isn't right with his parents. Jenna and Bess seem to be typical teenage girls, best friends for years. However, Jenna's home life is not all as it seems. So many threads to this story, that all come together in an action-packed and thrilling climax. I read this book voraciously, keen to know the next piece in the puzzle. An enjoyable and fast-paced read.

Joey returned home after years working in Ibiza with a new husband in tow. They are staying with Joey's brother until they get themselves on their feet. Joey can't really make her mind up what she wants to do with herself & as she aimlessly wanders through the days she becomes aware of Tom Fitzwilliam,the charismatic local headteacher. Before long she is obsessively watching him.

Joey is not the only one watching Tom. Jenna Tripp is a pupil at Tom's school. She is struggling to  hide the fact that Frankie, her mother is convinced  she is being stalked by evil cults. Frankie believes that Tom is part of this. Jenna has her own suspicions that Tom is not all he seems after seeing the way he is behaving towards her best friend Bess.

Tom's son is watching everyone- especially pretty girls! He films people, watches them through his binoculars. He is also suspicious of his father.

The story starts with a dead body in Tom Fitzwilliam's kitchen, keeping the reader wondering who is it? & whodunnit?

Lisa Jewell expertly keeps all the balls in the air as she juggles with the reader's suspicions. I found this a very atmospheric book. Everyone watching, no-one speaking, everyone guessing. This was a terrific read. Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This was a gripping mystery / thriller with lots of twists and turns along the way. This story was told by alternating characters and I found them all interesting. Great book.

🌟 I love Lisa Jewell she is one of my favourite authors, She is a master at creating tension and writing excellent characters, and Watching You is no exception.
The book begins with a fantastic bang with a dead body in the kitchen. From the outset we are left to guess not only who the body belongs to, but who did it, and why. A cleverly written book with gradual reveals, an intriguing plot and strong characters.

This book will get you hooked right from the first chapter... lots of twists and turns throughout....highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read Watching You by Lisa Jewell in exchange for my honest review.

I'm afraid the characters and the storyline just didn't hold my attention as Lisa Jewell usually does.

The book started with the murder immediately laid out which presented questions such as who was it and who did it. The story then took us back a few months before the crime and introduced us to engaging and well-developed, albeit unlikeable, characters. Told in multiple POVs (Joey, Freddie, and Jenna) it shows how they are connected to one character, Tom Fitzwilliam. Each of them is unique and have interesting stories to share. I get to see a deeper look into their lives and thus I was able to have a better understanding of some unquestionable and slightly disturbing things they did. A lot of times though, my perception of the characters change as the story unfolds and secrets were revealed. Even though there are lots of characters, I still find the story easy to follow. The plot may be complex yet it was expertly woven which made it such a page-turner despite being predictable. I managed to guess the killer early on even with red herrings left and right and thus wasn’t surprised by the reveal. However, there are still some satisfying twist and turn until the end. It may be slow at times but surprisingly, I wasn’t bothered by it. If anything, I was hooked. It got a strong start but even stronger finish and everything was tied quite neatly. Overall, it was unsettling but definitely a brilliant novel. Another solid work by Lisa Jewell.

This was my first book by Lisa Jewell and it is not my usual fayre. So the fact that I read it straight through was quite a pleasant surprise. It was hard to put down, the style so easy to read; plenty of red herrings and possible answers- we didn’t even know who the victim was until close to the end. I would say it would be almost impossible to guess whodunnit.
Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Wow, if you want a simple read then this is not for you. If you want a thrilling, engrossing read that doesn’t give you up or down TIL the end this is it. I had no idea who the victim or the villain was in this until right to the end. The adults in this all had their own secrets from the charismatic teacher, Tom what is he up to? Is he really this engaged with his students or does that engagement hide a sinister motivation, or his wife Nicola and the secrets in her past that we can only guess at. Then there is Joey unhappily married with an ‘obsession’ (her words) i5 Tom that is really surprising but what is the meaning behind that.
The story leads us from past events told in a variety of viewpoints to a present day cell as police try to ascertain from the many suspects just whom the right one is.
Prepare t9 be engaged, although I found the variety of viewpoints at times difficult to follow, I didn’t want to stop reading so engrossed and gripped by the story.

This is the first Lisa Jewell I've ever read and I really enjoyed it. I loved the character descriptions and the way little clues were fed into the story little by little. It was enthralling enough to want to read in two or three sittings and I'd definitely recommend it.

This was a good solid book by Lisa Jewell. 
The storyline was strong and the book has lots of interesting characters. 

During the first part of the book, I could not put it down as I was eager to know the twist. However when I read further in, it became pretty obvious. 

I liked the quirky sentence at the end, as it really got me thinking when I finished the book. 

It isn't my favourite Lisa Jewell book but I would recommend it. 

Reviewed on Bookclub by Mowie

I have read Lisa Jewell books before and have enjoyed them so was excited to start this one.  I have to admit, I did find it a bit confusing to begin with.  There are a lot of characters and the story switches from different perspectives for each chapter.  Joey has returned from abroad with her new husband in tow.  They have nowhere to live so they move in with her brother and his wife.  Joey develops an infatuation with their neighbour, a head teacher from a local school who is also twice her age, with this infatuation leading to a tragic conclusion.  

I struggled through the beginning of the story and didn’t feel connected with any of the characters.  As the story moved on so did my interest in it and by half way the pace had definitely picked up and I was enjoying it more.  All of the characters seem to be hiding something and they were all definitely watching each other!  A slightly creepy read with a shocking ending which I certainly wasn’t expecting.

I would definitely recommend this book.  If you find it a little hard-going at the beginning, persevere with it and keep going – it’ll be worth it by the end!