Jess’s mother was the first victim of a serial killer, nicknamed the Magpie Man, when Jess is 7. At 17, he remains at large and has killed 12 more women. Jess uses a chance on a new YouTube reality series to try and find the killer.

The story is told in the first person and follows Jess as she signs up to the reality show and her life at home and school as she tries to flush out something that will catch the killer.

While the premise was novel and the storyline well written, I didn't quite share the feeling of tension experienced by the main character. This may just be that I am a bit older than the target audience. That aside, the final reveal of the killer was a surprise.

Ten years ago Jess’ mother was brutally murdered when she was just seven years old and the suspect was never caught. Subsequently there were many more victims and the murderer, who has not even been close to getting caught, has become known as the magpie man.
Jess is determined to put things right and when the opportunity arises to appear on a social media programme she plans to use it as a platform to entice and catch him.
This is a very credible and engaging thriller. The characters are sympathetic and engaging. I enjoyed this to the end not guessing everything correctly along the way.

Jessica's mother was murdered 10 years ago by a serial killer given the name of the Magpie Man, who has murdered more since.

Jess is chosen along with 5 other people to film a vlog over four weeks with the one who has the most viewers to carry on for another 2/3 months.

It was a really interesting premise, with good characters, though Jess got a little annoying, there were some interesting touches, including the gathering of the victim's families.

What I could not stand was the typos and missing letters which made the book hard to read in sections, sometimes lost the thread of the story while I was trying to work out what was being said.

On the whole a good read,

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so glad I was. I couldn't put this down!! I had to tear myself away a few times. It really kept my interest and I thought it was a really good story. Can't wait to read Vincent Ralph's next book.

#AreYouWatching #MagpieMan #NetGalley

I was quite intrigued by this book as it has a similar vibe to Black Mirror. This is a fast paced psychological thriller and quite unique as social media is used to try and catch the killer. It is aimed at teens/yound adults but I still enjoyed it. The only thing that put me off is that the ARC was full of typos and missing letters, otherwise I would have enjoyed it alot more. But all in all, it is a great debut novel.

An interesting idea, the use of social media to generate interest in the murder of her mother so many years before. Enjoyed it as a holiday read, some of the characters felt a little under developed as far as their relationship to the main character. A nice couple of twists in the story line kept my interest to know how it all panned out. Would read other books by Vincent Ralph as they are published

Are You Watching? Takes an interesting concept of viral Big Brother style ‘show’ and blends it with a crime thriller. It hooks you in, much in the same way Jeanne Ryan’s Nerve did in 2012.
It provides you with plenty of time to get to know the protagonist before the fear pulls you further in and keeps you awake until the last page is read.

Jess’s mother was killed by a serial killer 10 years ago when Jess is 7. The killer is nicknamed the Magpie Man, so called as he steels beautiful things. However, he has never been caught, so Jess decides to feature on a YouTube reality series to try and identify and finally capture the killer.

This is a really accomplished debut novel. It is a fast paced psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and turns to keep your heart racing until the end. I didn’t realise that this book had been pitched as a YA book, and I am certainly not the target audience but I’m pretty certain this book will be a hit with all fans of psychological thrillers not just YA.

Are you Watching is a very addictive, well written YA thriller with a modern day take as one young girl joins a reality t.v. show to try and catch her mother’s killer. But baiting a serial killer may not be the best idea ever….

Vincent Ralph manages to get the emotion v the thrills bang on target – this is a serial killer thriller and works well on that level but it is also a tale of grief, loss and trying to move forward. I related very much to both Jess and her Dad, whilst you do have to occasionally suspend disbelief as to what he lets her get up to, their family unit is intriguing and melancholy.

With plenty of twists to keep mystery fans happy and an ending that works, Are You Watching is a great addition to the YA genre.

Recommended.

Fast paced and thrilling I think this would appeal to older teenagers and it is one I would definitely recommend to them

17 year old Jess, like many other teenagers is desperate to be the star of a reality show. However she doesn't want fame for the sake of it but to try to find out who the Magpie Man is. Ten years earlier her mother was the first victim of the Magpie Man, a serial killer. Jess is selected for the YouTube series and soon she is receiving messages from someone purporting to be her mother's killer. As the series goes on she taunts him, hoping to draw him out but has she gone too far?

This is an entertaining young adult book which I imagine will appeal to teenagers. Jess is a sympathetic protagonist and develops throughout the process of searching for the man who took her mother away from her at the age of 7. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was fast paced and thrilling and I managed to read this in one sitting! I liked Jessica as a character as she had the right balance going on as it made her seem realistic due to her flaws. The Magpie Murder was not who I was expecting and I wished it had been a figure who was more prominent in the story as the killer just appears in the last third and the build up of who it is was kind of "oh it's that person who we don't really know anything about".
The premise and tone was interesting and that was what made me want to read it so quickly. There were a few moments when Jessica was talking about her mum that really touched and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

Jess's mum is murdered by the magpie man when she was only seven years old. Ten years have passed and he's commited many more murders but the police are no closer to catching him. Jess decides to use social media to try and catch the magpie man before he strikes again.

The story was intriguing from the start and i felt i was able to connect wth Jess and really feel the emotional rollercoaster her life is. Some of her plans are a little questionable which bothered me a little. I personally wasn't able to figure out who the magpie man was so was surprised by who he was.

This was a great book.


Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting storyline but for me it went on a little too long and just didn’t grab my attention enough. I did read to the end and would look for other books by the author.

I particularly liked the use of social media in this book, in a world of reality stars and people constantly posting on social media you could imagine this happening.

Jess’s mother was killed by the Magpie Man when she was seven, she was his first victim but not his last and he has never been caught.


Jess is now 17 and auditions to be a reality star, they are looking for people who they can film for one day of the week on YouTube. The show is about Real Lives With Twists.” Jess hopes that by telling the story about her mothers death, this will help someone to remember a vital clue or draw the killer out. But who is watching her?

I couldn’t put this book down, I hadn’t worked out the identity of the Magpie Man, so the ending was a complete surprise for me.

This whodunnit made me tear up at one point. The interaction between Jess and her friends is so touching.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

A very well written scary movie book.the characters draw you in.had me hooked right from the start.a book you cant put down as you need to keep reading until the explosive end.twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Unfortunately this book wasnt for me. I was expecting something completely different. So it's no fault of the author. Possibly my own misconception.

super interesting premise and story! reminds me of the YouTubers who do look into real crime stories and how that influences actual crimes. the actual document seemed to be full of typos which made it hard to read, however.