I felt that this was a good, suspenseful read, which not only was well written, but also very important for our social media addicted society. A story that I felt was chilling, because it could and likely has or will happen. Chilling, tense, thrilling, and shocking! Grab a copy today, if you love those books that use social media to scare you!
Will make sure I buzz it up.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Are You Watching?’ by Vincent Ralph in exchange for an honest review. It was published in ebook and audiobook editions on 19 December with its paperback edition due to be published on 6 February.

I quickly realised that I was enjoying this story and so bought its audiobook edition, narrated by Rosie Day, to listen alongside reading the eARC.

This thriller is marketed for Teens & YA and its main character and narrator is 17-year old Jess. While I am outside of this demographic, I adore crime thrillers and found this to be an engaging story.

Ten years ago Jess’ mother had been the first victim of a serial killer, nicknamed the Magpie Man. Since then he has killed twelve more women, carving a number on each body and leaving no forensic evidence behind.

Now Jess has applied to be one of five young adults, who have experienced something extraordinary, chosen to be part of an online reality show. Jess hopes that by telling her story it will generate interest in her mother’s death. It does this but also draws out the killer, potentially endangering Jess and those close to her.

This proved an intriguing whodunnit and its short chapters created a sense of immediacy with Jess’ experiences. There were a few times when Jess did something that made me wonder if she’d ever seen any crime or horror films. A certain lack of caution and mistrust of authority that naturally led her into dangerous situations.

I enjoyed the use of social media in the narrative and felt that it was an entertaining read that also had a serious underlying message.

I also appreciated the inclusion of both the Q and A with the author providing background on aspects of the novel and the publisher’s notice about resources available to anyone who has experienced issues to those raised in the book.

An assured debut. I certainly will be on the lookout for his future projects.

Couldn't seem to get into this one at all for some reason. Sorry. Thank you for the ARC netgalley. Perhaps a second time reading it maybe.

Review

I tried so hard with this book, to work my way through what I now understand to be typos. I initially thought it was urban slang and spent ages with an urban dictionary trying to dissect the words. But no, it was terrible editing.

It overshadowed the book for me and sadly I gave up in frustration. I rate this book 1 star 🌟

Thanks

Thank you to the author Vincent Ralph and publishers Penguin for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

Are You Watching is a well paced, exciting debut novel. A Young Adult thriller, worthy of a read whether you’re an older teen or adult. An easy book with lots of short chapters to keep you reading “just one more!” Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An excellent, suspenseful read about a young girl, Jess, who establishes an online YouTube series in an attempt to catch The Magpie Man, the man who murdered her mother years before. The online series takes hold and builds an impressive audience. However, one of the people watching is The Magpie Man and he’s closing in.

It’s in turn an exciting , scary and emotional read and I loved it.

I certainly don’t fit the target YA audience but, for me, this is a page turner that can be enjoyed by many ages. It’s fast paced with excellent, interesting characters and a fabulous ending. My enjoyment was only marred by the dreadful editing of the ARC Kindle copy, which had terrible half finished words, causing the reader to stop/start unnecessarily. However, I don’t feel that it’s fair to penalise the author for this lazy editing and so, for me, a fabulous 5*.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House children’s for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

"Are You Watching?" explores both the positive and negative aspects of social media and having an online presence, the impact of grief and loss and the power of friendship. Protagonist Jess has a distinctive voice from the outset, though perhaps sounds a little young for seventeen. I found this a quick read and an enjoyable Young Adult thriller.

This was a fast paced and thrilling read I devoured the book in one afternoon.

The main protagonist is 17-year-old Jess who has applied to be the star of a fly on the wall YouTube documentary all with the aim of getting justice for her murdered mum.

Her mum was murderer when Jess was just seven years old and the serial killer is still at large.

With the cameras rolling and the worlds eyes watching Jess pleads and goads the killer - will she finally solve the case when the police have failed to do so for so long?

Is the killer someone close to Jess? Who is putting the old newspaper clippings in her bag?

Jess’ friendship with her two best friends is really strong and reminiscent of my relationship with my besties.

The use of social media, bullying and teenage angst works really well in this story making it a modern mystery.

As with any whodunnit mystery there’s some red herrings as to the identity of the Magpie Man - I hadn’t worked it out so it was a surprise for me.

Great story with twists galore leaving you doubting everyone, did not see the ending though so really well done!

This is one of those books (few and far between) where giving a 5-star rating does not go anywhere near far enough to summarise the book.
It never flagged and had lots of differing events and emotions (although as you would expect happiness is an emotion that is sparse). I never believed I would have been so engrossed in a book concentrating on social media and YouTube filming. Nowadays (ok I am 73 so growing up in a very different world) everything seems to have to be messaged or videoed for any emotion to be displayed. You have to be seen to be upset or happy - not simply keep emotions to yourself.
I even read the Q&A section at the end with the author and this simply does not happen with me. He recommended 'A Good Girl's Guide To Murder' by Holly Jackson so on this recommendation it is my next read.
A slightly amusing anecdote is that in my Netgalley review copy any 'fi' or 'fl' combinations were missing so there were lots of new words to work out e.g. 'my rst time' and 'ghting'. Still in no way did this hamper me
Superb and should be appreciated by all age groups.

Not for me I’m afraid. A long and dragged out novel that meant any suspense slowly withered away as the book went on, and a rushed ending that was quite unsatisfactory.

I’m not sure if the recurrent typo that other reviews have also commented on is intentional - if it is, I would advise removing it, as it is just irritating and adds nothing.

This was a very interesting and topical book involving social media and the world of reality celebs,, except the fact that behind all this is a murder mystery, The unfinished type was a bit difficult at times but I managed to overcome these. Vincent deals with violent death and those who loved and left behind very well although at times it seemed a bit chic lit and for a younger market.

I'm not sure whether I enjoyed this book or not. As a YA book i would have expected it to be snappier. The story was good, but there were several times that, in my opinion, it meandered when it could have gone straight on. Saying that I didn't guess who it was until they were identified and it did keep me going back to it.

I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

I really enjoyed book. It was current and up to date with the use of social media. It kept me gripped and I didn’t guess who the baddy was. Will look out for more by this author

I never got the opportunity to truly get involved in the story due to the formatting of the ARC Kindle copy. It was atrocious, the typos and incomplete words were infuriating. Making it difficult to progress with ease through the novel. What should have been a tense thriller was reduced to a start stop motion, that hobbled progress and interest. Annoying as that was, is wasn't my only reason for this 2 star rating.

I like and enjoy reading YA, but it got to a point - early on this book where I thought, 'Is this how kids behave nowadays?' 'Nah, really? Because it seems like nonsense'. Then there's the recklessness and thoughtlessness lumped in too. Altogether just put me right off.

But I digress, as I haven't explained why I think the plot is attempting to be convoluting but really is stringing so many red herrings along that you feel you're in a fishmongers and to mix metaphors, until eventually, you can't see the woods for the trees or fish pie for fillets.

10 years ago, Jess's mum was murdered. The killer hasn't been caught and has kept on killing. Her life has never really recovered from this tragic event, her dad is now a shell of himself, her friendship groups have changed and she herself is haunted by what was lost. Thus, when Jess gets the chance to star in a YouTube reality show, she grabs at the opportunity to flush out the killer. Jess want to find this serial killer - The Magpie Man - and get justice for her mum.

Sounds good I thought and I'm all onboard with this - a little bit like a true crime episode and bang up to date using the internet and social media.

Yet is wasn't

I found Jess exasperating perhaps it was the attempt to make her bold then reticent and then shrug it off on her being a teen. This is someone that's grown up with the internet, knows about scary movie tropes and yet does all the things most likely to terrify or get herself killed. Why? Is her quest worth it at any cost?
The justification given for her Dad allowing her to participate in the show and continue to do so given the events that occurred is baffling. Yes, justice is need but at the expense of more trauma or another life?

And the mystery is?

That got me thinking about who Jess's mum was. We know she's important to Jess and her family and ultimately to the police as she was the first victim of a serial killer but what do we really know about her? That clearly is the crux of the matter. She is held up on a pedestal which is to be expected, so it took a while to realise there was no context to the mum: good relationship with the dad, few friends, nuclear family plus her own mum. It is a sliver of a person, why kill her.

So, it's either a stranger or someone in her life, a character we've already met or someone on the periphery of her life. There is no obvious reason to kill her.. That's when the subterfuge really began to get on my nerves. How many individuals - men - can you set up to be the killer before it gets to the point that you really don't care who it is - you just want the name?

All you want to know is the name; motivation, the back story isn't even a consideration.. And to get to that point, you had to go through scenes that added no value other than padding the story. One example is the big build up to the school trip as this mystical event, was a let-down, it proved only to be a plot device. Another is Mr Collins story, I can't even. It makes no sense - the motivation is idiotic and implausible coming from a teacher who interacts daily with children. Gah!

Final thoughts

To conclude, I liked that it contextualised grief because it was easy to forget that whilst Jess' life is the one on display - the most obviously broken - thrust front and centre, it takes a while to think that she's not the only one with heartache, who’s received devastating blows as a consequence of life's vagaries.

So, it's an okay read in my opinion, I don't dislike it but there's nothing that I really like - I didn't even care about this senseless death.. Maybe it's because I'm not a massive fan of reality shows as that angle when read, really held no interest for me which was a shame, as it was the drawing point from the synopsis. Or maybe because I'm not down with the kids and don't know how they behave, and my expectations were way off. Either way, anyway.... that’s it and like the book, my pacing comes to an abrupt stop.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s for an ARC of this book in exchange for a candid review.

The whole world is watching, but are you?

When five teens with something to prove are given a coveted spot on a new reality YouTube channel, Jess is both thrilled and nervous to become one of them. She is the daughter of The Magpie Man's first victim. And now she wants justice.

Ten years ago Jess' mother was murdered less than a minute away from home. Her young daughter was still innocent to the evils of the world and so her father conjured a more whimsical story to account for her mother's disappearance. This new version of the tragedy painted her mother as a shiny and coveted object that a mysterious man took for his own. And with this explanation he unwittingly gave birth to the name of a serial killer, one who would go on to steal many more of families' brightest women.

He is still murdering and he is still unknown, but Jess is convinced that someone somewhere knows something and that her new found fame will help to shine a fresh light on a cold case.

This was a thrilling tale that combined navigating the tricky world of internet fame with the harrowing focus of a family torn apart by grief. Linking the two is Jess' mission. Her friends are on board but her father less so. The world too is divided, by opinions on her and the case, but none of this matters to Jess and her focus remains on the mother she never got to truly know.

Raw emotion dominated the story-line, as I had anticipated, and Ralph approached this subject matter with a sensitivity yet never shied away from broaching the darker side, such as anger and neglect, that was also born in the wake of it. I also appreciated the focus on how this tragedy impacted the father Jess has left, the relationships with her peers, and her treatment at school

Alongside this, the story had some truly chilling moments that had me wishing I had not chosen for so late an hour in which to consume this story! The author really allowed the grief and the horror to simultaneously shine through and both depicted and allowed the reader to relive both emotions for an ultimately chilling puzzle to be slowly pieced together.

The grand reveal might have felt slightly implausible but it was such fun to get there and the book was one that had my heart racing as fast as I could turn the pages. Addictive writing and a compulsively readable story-line made this a first-rate YA thriller!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher,, and the author, Vincent Ralph, for this opportunity.

A different take on social media and catching a killer which I guess makes sense with the amount of podcasts nowadays trying to batch a killer. I feel the book could have been a bit shorter it meandered in places but it was interesting.

This was a very interesting and topical book involving social media and the world of reality celebs,, except the fact that behind all this is a murder mystery, The unfinished type was a bit difficult at times but I managed to overcome these. Vincent deals with violent death and those who loved and left behind very well although at times it seemed a bit chic lit and for a younger market.

An interesting storyline but just didn't grab my attention and seemed to go on just a tad too long.

I liked the whole idea of the book, especially in today's age of everything being on social media platforms but the characters and storyline need alot more planning and execution.

Definitely a teen read!

2*

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Are You Watching? By Vincent Ralph was a very engaging book. I received a copy for review on my kindle which had some formatting issues and was missing ‘fi’ on all words beginning with those two letters, but I persevered because the book was so good. All I wanted to do was to read the book every moment of every day.

Jessica was just 7 when her mother was brutally murdered just a few minutes from their home. She was the first victim of a serial killer who has yet to be caught ten years on. Jessica has a plan to change that. She enters a competition to be the star of a reality tv programme called The Eye streamed live on YouTube one a day for three months. This is outside of her comfort zone, but she isn’t doing this for the fame, she is doing this to catch a killer.

“My mum was killed by the Magpie man.’

The guy nods and I wait for him to reply.

When he doesn’t, I say, ‘Fifty-one seconds from home she was strangled to death and left to be rained on all night.’

They say to start with a bang and that’s the biggest bang I’ve got.”

There were definitely times when I wanted to shake Jessica for the foolish things she did and her dad for the foolish things he continued to let her do. This continued lack of action was probably the only criticism of the book, but I chose to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the story.

“I want to catch the Magpie Man and this is how I’m going to do it…It was Dad who gave the murderer his name. He said the Magpie Man liked shiny things and Mum was the shiniest of all. He said she’d been borrowed.”

Her dad was broken after her mum died. I thought the author did particularly well at illustrating their grief and the way it had an effect on every aspect of their life. It felt real.

“Your grief journey changes when you aren’t looking. It moves in fractions; black shifting through a thousand shades of grey. Eventually, it transfers into something else: a dull ache; a numbness that becomes the norm.”

Both Jessica and her father were very well written characters.

“Some broken people look fine from the outside, but not my dad. He wears his heartbreak like a second skin, his eyes grey and heavy, his grief shouting over everything else.”

I loved everything about this book and I did not for one minute guess who the killer was.