I really wanted to like this book. I liked the premise, but the delivery fell flat for me. Given the level of abuse Tara is subjected to, I would expect to at the very least sympathize with her, and I suppose I do when it comes to what she's endured, but try as I might, I never warmed up to her. I think a large part of that is due to the story being over the top and it stretches my suspension of disbelief well beyond my limits. We're supposed to believe that this woman runs an eBay seller account, her product pictures are some of the best on the platform, and she understands how to cover her tracks online so her mother can't find out what she does on her computer. But at the same time, she's quite childlike and accepts whatever punishment this woman doles out. I could go on, but rather than give spoilers, I'll stop there. In the end, this one had an interesting premise, but it didn't quite get there for me.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I was interested based on the blurb, as I am an avid YouTube viewer and enjoy a good thriller but the two stories didn’t connect as well as I’d hoped. 

It was hard to root for any one character, as everything felt a bit grey and flat. I liked the beginning story, a girl who is raised by Mother and knows her life isn’t exactly normal, but in the end I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story. The reveals were done well enough but I had predicted things early on so there wasn't as much of a punch when the truth came out.

I read this book in one day! It was pretty gripping from the very beginning and had me rooting for Tara through this whole thing. I sympathized with her struggle to just find a place in this world after getting the internship with the Feely's. Tara ended up being a strong person despite all the circumstances that made her appear "weak"

I have been waiting for this book!!! I have read a few books by Emily Bleeker. I love her ideas and her storylines. I especially love her characters. She has people in her book that you absolutely HATE but it brings the story together so well! .. I especially loved this book because it was up with the times of youtubing and blogging families. Everything that you see on the computer or on YouTube is never what it seems. And all that Glitters is definitely not gold!

What It Seems was a solid 4 star read for me. While I probably shouldn't have, I felt terrible for Tara, but I also spent most of the book wondering why she believed all the things she believed. Of course, people can suffer from something similar to Stockhold syndrome or just flat out be lied to and they believe the lies. It happens every day.

Tara's fascination with the Feely family was understandable given how many people in this crazy world we live in also devote a lot of time to "famous" YouTubers, vapid celebrities and some of the bizarro-world TV shows tha twe see every day.

I found this story to be a good look into how people believe the beautiful, polished, isn't my life perfect? image that people on YouTube and other social media sites would like you to believe. 

You do have to suspend your sense of disbelief for parts of this book, but overall it's a very interesting story and I'd recommend it to people. 

I've enjoyed other books by Emily Bleeker and am looking forward to her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in my review are my own and freely given.

Review of eBook

Tara, now twenty, has spent twelve years with her controlling adoptive mother, frightened into obeying her demands to shoplift in order to escape cruel punishment. Locked in and drugged to sleep each night, she finds her only freedom in the hours Mother sleeps and she’s alone in her bedroom, free to talk to her dolls, to feed Sampson the sparrow, and to watch the Feely family’s online vlog. 

A series of fortuitous events allows Tara, who’s often dreamed of freedom but never actually tried to leave, to see her way clear to escaping from Mother’s home and accepting an internship with the Feely family. Although the Feely family warmly welcomes Tara/Angela, it isn’t long before she discovers they aren’t quite as they’ve portrayed themselves on the vlog.

Has Tara/Angela moved from her imprisonment in Mother’s home to a new trap with the Feely family? Is Mother relentlessly tracking her down? Will she ever be able to claim her own life?

Life has taught us that, in certain circumstances, kidnappers are able to keep their victims for many years and, although readers want to think it’s improbable, real-life kidnapping victims have been held for more than eighteen years before being freed and returned to their families. 

Traumatized Tara/Angela tells her own heart-wrenching story, slowly revealing the important backstory that helps readers understand her thoughts and actions. Tension builds throughout the narrative and, although there are a couple of unexpected twists, the grim, creepy, trauma-filled story generally unfolds as readers expect. While Angela’s apparent ease at adapting to life outside Mother’s control, especially near the end of the story, tends to perplex readers, they are sure to be cheering for her to succeed. 

Recommended.

I really enjoyed ‘What It Seems’, I got serious Rapunzel retelling vibes from this book which my mind kept making references to but I think that was a personal thing! It has such loveable characters and I really cared about Angela. It’s fast paced and interesting throughout and the ending was nail biting. I’d happily read another title by Emily Bleeker.

Hmm. This was more of a hate-read than anything else. Tara is foster child who is still being held captive by her foster mother. She's forced to act pregnant and steal from stores. She spend any free time, watching YouTube videos about a 'too good to be true" family. 

Then a job opportunity with the family opens up and Tara finds out that nothing is the way it seems. 

So - Tara stinks. Like - that's a point in the book. She smells.  - okay.  This is a weird thing to share and frankly - what family would hire something who smells for some unknown reason. 

Eh, it wasn't great. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another fantastic Emily Bleeker book. Finished it super fast! Tara/Angela was adopted by "mother" when she was young and the details are never fully revealed to her. Tara grows up stealing for mother and is locked away at night in her room. Her only escape is with the seemingly picture perfect Feely family on YouTube. She jumps at an opportunity to become their intern in hopes to break free from mother, and gets it. Free at last, Tara has to keep the secret of who she really is. Unlike the title, this book it not what it seems! 

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "tense". Teeth-grinding, edge-of-your-seat, watching TV while your hands are covering your eyes, TENSE. 

The highly disturbing and traumatic premise of this book is mixed with exquisite storytelling. An abusive parent/child relationship, escapism via internet, a literal escape, and slowly the walls of secrecy start crumbling and the truth is finally revealed. 

Families are complex, and "What It Seems" digs into the dark family dynamics of abuse, using two different facades to cover similar problems. When it comes to what you're shown on the outside, nothing is quite WHAT IT SEEMS.

First I would like to thank Netgalley for granting me the ARC of What It Seems. I read almost nothing but domestic/psychological thrillers so it’s getting harder to find a plot that I haven’t already read 100 times. I can say that didn’t happen with this book! The plot was different straight from the beginning and kept that flow all the way through. I felt for Tara/Angela and couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. We all think we know social media personalities like we know our own personal friends and families, so imagine how scary it would be to realize we know nothing at all! I’d recommend this book to any lover of this genre, you won’t be disappointed!

DESCRIPTION: Tara lives with her abusive foster mother (who reminded me of the mother from Carrie). “Mother,” as she’s called in the book, forces Tara to fake a pregnancy in order to steal designer goods from department stores, which they later resell on eBay. If Tara does anything wrong, she is locked in a closet for days at a time with no food or water. Her only happiness comes from the computer in her bedroom, which she secretly uses to watch videos on YouTube. When her favorite family—the Feely family—posts a video saying they’re looking for an intern, Tara sends in a heartfelt essay that wins the family over. Winning the internship motivates Tara to finally run away from Mother, and she settles into her new life with the Feely’s. But the Feely family’s handsome young assistant, Henry, immediately senses that something is off with Tara. Can Tara finally build a real life for herself? And can she ever truly escape from Mother?

REVIEW: Guys, this one was great! It pulled me in from the first scene. I loved watching Tara's growth throughout the novel. I felt nervous the whole time for her, because she was hiding so many secrets from the Feely family, and I didn’t want to see her happiness come to an end. I also appreciated that the author gave her a romantic interest, since it’s my belief that EVERY good book should have a love story. Also, there’s very little foul language or sexual content in this book, which is a huge plus. And you guys know I love twists at the end, and I didn’t see this one coming. MAYBE if I’d thought about it more, I would've figured it out. But I was so invested in Tara’s story that I wasn’t trying to figure things out. I was just enjoying it! Definitely check this one out!

This book, I have to say, was mind-blowing with amazing characters and story-line. Though I didn't give it a full 5 stars because I expected more from it, I felt like the book ended so soon.

The story is told from Tara's point of view and she is an absolute sweet heart. She is definitely my favorite character. 

The book is filled with emotions and mysteries. It is a great pick for suspenseful feel good story lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy of this book.

What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

Brief Summary: Tara is a twenty year old living a very limited existence with her controlling foster mom. One of her few pleasures is watching the Vlog of the Feeley family on you tube. When an opportunity to intern with the family arises, Tara seizes it. Though getting up close and personal with this family is not what it seems to be. This is my first book by Emily Bleeker.   

Highlights: It is an interesting premise of a reality you tube famous family. It was good to see Tara grow into a strong young woman and overcome the abuse she suffered. It was also interesting to see how resourceful she is and the lengths she went through to keep her secrets.  

Explanation of Rating: 3/5: It held my interest but didn’t suck me in. It was predictable though suspension of reality was necessary to tie everything together.

Psychology Factors: This deals with serious topics of abuse, kidnapping, and sexual assault. 

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Having enjoyed  ‘The Waiting Room’ I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Bleeker’snew novel.  An interesting psychological thriller mixed with domestic noir brings us Tara, basically imprisoned by her cruel, inane foster mother.  Tara  escapes in her mind by following and becoming obsessively convinced that an internet sensation - a beautiful, loving, fun family video blogging , is not only the perfect family but her perfect escape.  Well, it’s not.  Tara runs away from Mother to join the new family and realizes that not only isn’t the grass greener, but her mother is out to find her.  Well written drama with timely issues, (influencers, vloggers)  I really cared about  Tara living with the aptly named Feely Family after her earlier situation.

Tara is mild and her personality has been crushed by her foster mother who controls her and rules her with a rod of iron.  Her only life is watching a vlog of a family and when she is invited to join the family she is hugely relieved as she feels that she will have some kind of normalcy in her life.

She did not envisage cracks appearing and everything not being quite so rosy as it looks like. Is her Mother still controlling her life from afar? Is this some twisted plan put together between the two families to control Tara and not to let her get away?

The writing in the story was good and though I did know how it was going to end, it did not detract from the novel.

Tara was adopted by her foster mother when her parents gave her up. For 12 years, she has known only this solitary life at Mother’s beck and call, subject to whether or not she pleased her.  Her escape? She secretly watches the “perfect” Feely family on YouTube. When they advertise for an intern, Tara applies, not even thinking that they might actually choose her. When they do, Tara takes the opportunity to break free.  Though things with the Feelys aren’t quite what she expected, Tara (now Angela) starts to feel more normal, though her lies and omissions are tough on her, especially trying to hide them from Henry, her new co-worker. Is she really safe? The freedom gives Angela the opportunity to rely on herself, and, also uncover memories of her past. 
WHAT IT SEEMS	 by Emily Bleeker is a thriller and a page turner. Tara/Angela is a different and complex character. She would frustrate me a bit, but then I would remind myself that she was so young when she ended up with “Mother” that the life was all she knew.  The story was interesting and well-written, with some twists that surprised me.  There were a few things that made me wonder, but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
As a parent, there were some scary situations that are my worst nightmare. This was a solid read and it will keep you interested and turning pages as you root for Tara/Angela and her future.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#WhatItSeems #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley

This book started off really well, it's a great example of a hook that leaves the reader with questions. The main character is also a good example of a strong female character. She grows, thinks for herself, and often solves her own problems, even when those circumstances would be insurmountable for most of us.

Unfortunately, I found that the rest of the book was weighed down with a lot of telling versus showing and a structure that could do with some improvement. While reading I felt like the structure worked well until I realised I hadn't read a flashback for ages and all of a sudden they were introduced again. 

There was also a scene that might be triggering for some readers and I felt that it wasn't handled particularly well and the seriousness of it was not really evident.

A violent upbringing for Tara, living a life of cruelty with a sadistic sociopathic mother slowly unfolds until she manages to escape. Emotionally crippled by her hideous upbringing, and living in fear of her dark sebpcret being discovered, she finds it hard to manage to trust anyone. What she thought would be a place filled with love, turns out to be a sham. 
An interesting premise which is mostly plausible although Tara is sometimes difficult to like.  It starts very well, I got. a little jaded in the middle,  but I enjoyed the final, third of the book.

Emily Bleeker introduces us to her main character Tara, who is 20 years old and has always been under her adoptive mother's control.  Some events transpire which allow Tara to begin questioning her life as she knows it.  Will she join the YouTube Feely Family as they intern? 

The character development in this story was strong and made me feel for Tara as she went through her personal discoveries.  This book is a fast paced story that investigates that things may not always be how they seem.