I’ve really enjoyed previous books by this author, so I was excited to dive into this newest one. She delivered yet again, with a suspenseful and unpredictable story! I was on the edge of my seat racing through the chapters to see what happened next. Would definitely recommend.

Emily Bleeker is a survivor and it shows in her impeccable ability to tell a story of perseverance. I read this in under a day. 

Twenty year old Tara was adopted by the character we know as Mother when she was eight years old. She is practically a prisoner in her own home with little contact with the outside world. Her only escape is watching The Feely family’s YouTube channel in secret while Mother is sleeping. She dreams of being apart of their perfect family and when she has the chance to become their intern, she jumps at the opportunity. But the Feely’s aren’t as perfect as they seem. And will she ever truly be able to escape Mother? 

This is one bizarre, twisty ride and I ate it right up.

I received this book from Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a thriller, ripped from the headlines. Tara is a young woman, living with Mother. She is groomed to commit crimes to sustain their lives but lives in a world of hurt and anger. When an opportunity to leave it all behind arises, she jumps at the chance. The world she enters is sheer fantasy, a world of cameras and reality YouTubers. Nothing is as it seems and the noise is tightening around her. Will she find a way to fight back and become herself? Good book. Quick read. Escapism and rooted in possibility.

Twenty year old Tara was adopted by her controlling foster mum at the age of eight. She led a very solitary and isolated life, but she did what she could to get through each day. This was no life for a child, but escaping never seemed possible or was it?

I really had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately I felt there was something lacking and I just couldn’t  connect with the story or the characters. Although this book wasn’t for me don’t let my opinion stop you from reading it as there are many people who enjoyed this book. Give it a go and you can make up your own mind. 

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

This book is captivatingly suspenseful. This follows a young woman who lives with her controlling foster mother and the refuge she seeks in an online family who posts videos about their life. When she accepts an internship with the family and gets to know them not everything is what it appears online. Also, she knows her mother is watching the videos online because she's always watching and waiting. This was a great thriller to read.

Tara is a twenty year old woman living in isolation and abuse with her foster mother since she was eight. Her only glimpses at normal life are stolen moments watching a vlog about family life on YouTube.  When an opportunity to become an assistant to her favorite show arises, she jumps at the chance to escape. But the perfect family she loves on the screen is just an act, along with the lies she is forced to live to hide her own imperfect past. 
I liked seeing Tara's character develop from a scared little sheltered girl to a strong independent woman. I felt that the Feely children were just as abused as Tara was. Living their lives forever in front of a camera,  never allowed any unscripted fun seems just as much abuse as the mental abuse and isolation that Tara suffered. I was glad the story had a happy ending for Tara (Angela) but felt that the abuse would continue for the Feely children.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was an amazing book of survival and how much a person can take before they break. I’ve enjoyed Emily Bleeker’s books previously and this one is definitely a winner. 
Read this book!

“What it Seems” by Emily Bleeker follows the story of Tara, who was adopted by her foster mother when she was a young child. “Mother,” as Tara calls her, controls every aspect of Tara’s life. Forcing her to steal, locking her in the closet, and forcing her to wear a pregnancy belly when they are in public are just a few of the tortures that mother puts Tara through. Tara’s world feels broken, and the outlet in her life is watching the Feely family’s YouTube videos. She looks at this family as a model family, longing to escape her situation and become a part of it. When the Feely’s announce that they are looking for a summer intern, she jumps at this opportunity for an escape from mother’s grasp. Tara soon learns that appearances aren’t always what they seem as she joins the Feely family’s team. Even though she has escaped mother, she feels as if she’s being watched, and that mother might be waiting just around the corner. Emily Bleeker will suck the reader in with this story of a woman trying to escape her situation, with many twists and turns along the way. 
	From the beginning of this story, I wasn’t quite sure where I expected it to take me. I felt so many of Tara’s emotions along with her. From the first few pages I understood her love of her dolls and for the bird that would visit her window. I felt her loneliness that she experienced being locked up in that house with “mother” all of the time. Throughout many moments of the story, I wanted to reach through and give Tara a hug. I felt myself enjoying the earlier scenes with her being locked in the house better than the scenes with the Feely family.
	When it comes to the portions of the story taking place with this YouTube sensation family, I kept imaging the YouTuber’s that I watch and wondering if this was how their lives were, too. The Feely family added another dynamic to the story that seems very relevant to the world that we currently live in. One thing that I found hard to read during the Feely family scenes, was her description of how bad she smelled. I kept cringing and imaging myself smelling that awful and how embarrassing it would be. Poor Tara, forcing herself to keep up the act of being pregnant could never escape the smell of that suit. 
	I found this story to be entertaining overall, but the reason I am only giving it 3 stars is because I felt the pacing to be rather slow. Since this story was marketed as a thriller, I expected it to be much more fast paced with danger lurking around every corner. Even though my expectations were a bit different from how the story ended up playing out, I truly did enjoy the story. I found the ending to be very exciting and delievered the thriller vibes that I had been hoping for!
	Thank you so much to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my copy of this title!

***Will post review on my blog and instagram a week before Publishing date!

Tara is a prisoner in her own bone. Her foster mother uses her to steal things and sell them online. When she is home, she is locked in her room. She is able to sneak YouTube videos and falls in love with videos of families. Then one family offers an internship. Can Tara sneak away from her foster mother to apply for the job?

I found this story very interesting. Tara grows so much in the story and I loved watching her. She was put in a horrible situation and does what she needs to to survive. I also like the YouTube family and I can see why Tara enjoyed watching them. They represented the family she wanted but as is often the case, things are not always as they seem.

I definitely recommend this book. The main character has had a horrible upbringing and is rather naive which works well in this story. I read this book quickly because I wanted to hurry and see if it ended well for her. What she thought was real, is it really?

This well written mystery had enough suspense to keep the pages turning. It was an easy and enjoyable read and I finished it in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Mar 17, 2020

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by this author, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Overall I found the book to be an original storyline, but not a very believable one. This book just didn't click for me, although I can say it was very well written. When I don't connect with a book, I always suggest others read and make their own opinion concerning the book because not everyone enjoys the same thing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a ARC copy of book. All opinions are my own.

I am disappointed I didn't like this book more. I couldn't connect with the characters and the plot just did nothing for me. The writing was good though. 
3 stars

What it Seems is an appropriate title for this book because what the book is about is not what it seems from chapter 1. Tara chronicles life with her Foster mother but all is not what it seems. She jumps at the chance to intern at a famous YouTube family’s business and learns of her own background. No spoilers - a good mix of a mystery and psychological thriller.

I'm sorry I waited so long to read this book as I really enjoyed it.

Angela, the protagonist, is very easy to root for, coming as she does from such an abusive "home". I knew right from the first few chapters what the real situation was with Mother but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.

I also felt her emotions towards the Feelys were realistic, representing as they did the idealised family life she craved. The contrast between their public and private lives was well explored, and I enjoyed seeing their more cynical motives unfold.

I did feel everything was resolved too quickly and neatly, with neither storyline reaching a truly cathartic conclusion.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable read.

I’m a fan of Emily Bleeker so I was excited to get What It Seems! The book was good. Tara is trapped in a life of crime and an abusive “foster” mom. She spends her nights locked up with her only friends..... her dolls and The Feelys a YouTube family Tara watches secretly. Then Tara’s luck switched when she saw that the Feelys were looking for a intern and she was picked for the job. Is this internship her great escape or not what it seems....

I am an Emily Bleeker fan.  I love the level of suspense in her books.  I usually figure the plot out before the end but that is ok with me. I liked this book, the story was a bit difficult at times but it didn't stop me from turning every page.  I liked the  the book and recommend it.  Thanks netgalley for the complimentary arc of this book.  The opinions are my own

Tara (Angela), 20 yo, lives controlled by a woman who claimed has saved her from her own family as they didn't want her. She has to work for her, steals and sells through eBay. Her outside world is very limited apart than limited online world. She loves watching the Feely family through their YouTube channel "AllTheFeels" until one opportunity is opened for her to join them as an intern. 
I enjoyed reading this however the plot and story is pretty predictable. It's a fast paced reading yet missing the suspense.
THANKS Netgalley for an electronic ARC of this book.

This was an easy read that I just found to be okay. I was expecting more. It didn't grab me as much as I like from books in this genre. I would've preferred much more suspense, as that's what I was anticipating based on the blurb.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. 
Expected publication date: March 17, 2020
Tara was adopted by her foster mother when she was eight years old. Since then, she has barely left her house, spending most of her days locked in closets and catering to her foster mother’s nasty moods and attitude. Now twenty, Tara sees an escape through the form of The Feely’s, her favourite YouTube family, when they post an ad looking for an intern. Does Tara have what it takes to escape her mother’s clutches once and for all? 
“What It Seems” is Emily Bleeker’s fifth novel. I have not been fortunate enough to read most of her work, although I did get the chance to read “The Waiting Room”, which intrigued me enough to give this one a shot. This was a tough one to review, as the beginning of the novel had a “Room” vibe to it, and I was desperately intrigued, and then it veered off course, only to return toward the very end. 
Bleeker narrates this novel from the protagonists’ perspective, and we hear Tara’s story as she lives it. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and the ends of the novel, and I wanted to hear more about Tara’s foster “mother” and her descent into crazy. Needless to say, I did not get such indulgences, as the novel took a surprise detour into the world of YouTube videos and popular Internet families. 
“What It Seems” was trying to be modern, including the popularity of media influencers and vloggers, but for me, this part of the story was far less entertaining. I wanted to know more of Tara’s story when she was with her foster mother, before, during and after, and I was disappointed. 
That being said, this novel was still entertaining. Although I really didn’t connect to any member of The Feely family, I wanted Tara to do well, and I rooted for her to succeed. I was satisfied at the ending of this novel, as it answered all questions and brought the appropriate people to justice.