I really enjoyed this thriller about a small community and the affects of events a long time ago on people in it.

It is difficult to review a book like this without spoiling the plot because twists and turns are an element of the story.
The author creates a place and characters within it who are believable and well drawn. She takes you to plots and ideas that are unlikely but not unbelievable.

Recommended.

This was great: layered, nuanced and utterly believable. I was really drawn in, mostly because of connection with the characters. The crime storyline wasn't *that* tense, but I actually prefer that to a super-unrealistic denouement after a great deal of ratcheting up. 5 star read :)

What I needed after a previous difficult read was a book that would reel me in immediately and 'Watching You' certainly did that. Lisa Jewell as always has written a very clever story that had me suspicious of everyone and casting assumptions based on subtle clues.

Melville Heights is an idyllic Bristol neighbourhood but behind the rose tinted glasses many of its residents are hiding secrets. Joey Mullen is recently married but she is harbouring a history of secret obsessions and crushes that have previously taken over her life. Despite new husband Alfie's desire for a baby all Joey wants in life is her neighbour Tom Fitzwilliam. School principal Tom Fitzwilliam is also carrying around baggage of his own. Previous rumours of inappropriate relations with school pupils have followed him around and now it seems history is repeating itself as another girl seemingly falls for his charms. His attraction to Joey also is causing problems at home with is wife and teenage son Freddie. How can Fitzwilliam possibly keep up the appearance of this perfect life when chaos is all around him. Freddie Fitzwilliam, Tom's teenage son, likes to spend his time 'watching' and documenting the comings and goings of the townsfolk especially a number of teenage girls. Why is he so obsessed with spying on them and will he be found out? His voyeurism also leads him to believe that his father is having an affair, how will Freddie deal with this? His homelife is also not all that it seems. His mother is covered in bruises and constantly depressed. Can Freddie get to the bottom of why this is happening?

This is a story of casting assumptions and reading the clues. Everything that I suspected actually turned out to be the opposite of what was happening and Lisa Jewell has a very clever way of tricking us into believe something when it isn't really the case. I was hooked right until the end until I was practically blown over. What a twist! I did have to google what the ending meant though because I am not that clever but overall an amazing read.

Took a while to get me hooked. The writing was convoluted and it took me time to understand the story. Did finish but took me a couple of attempts.

Lisa Jewell delivers again. Slightly different from some of her earlier novels Watching You takes a darker road almost from the outset but it is one I was happy to take, confident in the knowledge that our author could handle it and oh my she did not disappoint!

Joey returns to England after several years abroad with a new husband in tow and they move in with her successful brother and his wife. Living in a beautiful house she can’t believe her luck and when she sees her good-looking charismatic neighbour she thinks returning home wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Her neighbour, a successful headteacher seems beyond her reach but she makes a point of trying to get him to notice her starting a disastrous chain of events. His teenage son meanwhile is watching neighbours, girls and anyone else who catches his eye from the safety of his bedroom. There are many strong believable characters who have different agendas, questioning just who is watching who? A story of human behaviours, good and bad that slowly unravels to reveal just who has the ultimate motive for murder. Well told but only 4 stars as I realised the main secret half way through. However this did not detract from my enjoyment of this original book.

A twisty, dark psychological thriller set in the small town of Melville with a large cast of characters; people who seem to be always watching each other. The houses and the neighbourhood are smart and stately but behind this facade lies a community watching and waiting. There's lies, darkness, tension and lust hovering under the fragile surface and it's all wrapped up with an investigation of a murderous crime.
This book is designed to intrigue you from the onset and then offer you a community to study and dissect; this is what grasps the reader and sucks you in, despite some slow pacing at times.
A clever, enjoyable and engrossing read.

Thank you for the review copy.

This is another terrific book by Lisa Jewell. I love her sharp, clear, crisp style of writing.

The story is set in a Melville, a suburb of Bristol. I was intrigued about her description of a row of painted houses and delighted to see that such a row really does exist in this area. Seeing images online of the real ones really helped to bring the whole story to life for me.

The story starts with a murder in one of the painted houses. It’s where Tom Fitzwilliam, a good-looking, charismatic head teacher of Melville Academy lives with his wife Nikki and their son Frank. Tom's family move around a lot as Tom is drafted into failing schools to turn them around. Frank is very bright and attends a local private school.

A couple of doors away from Fitzwilliams are Jack and Rebecca. Jack is a consultant heart surgeon at Bristol General Hospital and his wife, Rebecca, is a systems analyst. Living with them are Josephine, known as Joey, and Alfie. Joey is Jack’s younger sister by 10 years. She’s not settled to much in life and is married to Alfie who she met while they were both working in Ibiza. The magic of their whirlwind romance and marriage is wearing off and Joey is now lusting after Tom despite the large age gap.

Also in the neighbourhood are fifteen year old Jenna and her mother who is convinced that people are stalking her. Jenna and her best friend Bess attend the school where Tom is head. Bess also finds Tom very attractive and becomes expert of manoeuvring herself into situations where she is in close proximity with the dishy headmaster. Jenna gets more and more concerned over this relationship of 51 year old man and his fifteen year old pupil. And then Bess thinks she is pregnant....

There are many twists and turns and the pace is kept up the whole way through this book. The ending was just perfect and very satisfying as a reader.

I am looking forward to reading many more of Lisa Jewell's books as the ones I’ve read so far have been excellent.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK, Cornerstone for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Lisa Jewell's previous book so when I saw this I wanted to read it straight away.

As I suspected it, it was amazing. Joe and her attraction for the older man are exciting especially while she is battling with guilt bc she is married.

Every single storyline is emerging into one in the end, and everything will make sense even if you don't think while you are reading.

The best and most disturbing part in the book is the end, where Tom and his son find a hair in a memory box and it mixes up everything.

#watching You #Netgalley
Many apologies for late review, however not been too well with heavy flu. I enjoyed the book full of suspense where you could feel the tension, I absolutely love books like this where your heart pund faster, you hold you breath, and most of all feel the characters as if you really reall know them. I definitely rate this as a must read, I have read a couple of Lisa jewlell, books previously, they just get better and better.

Melville Heights is the place where people aspire to live one day because if you do then they have pretty well made it in life. The houses are breath-taking but when the story opens a body has just been discovered in one of the properties and the police have been called. There is no doubt that someone really wanted this person dead.
The story centres round the people who live in this exclusive setting and it soon becomes rather clear that money doesn’t solve all your problems. There are quite a few characters in this story but they are all so very different that there isn’t any confusion where they all belong. Tom Fiztwilliams is the newish head teacher brought into a failing school to work his usual magic to bring it back into line. He is a popular guy with pupils and parents alike, well apart from a minority who see him as too good to be true enigma.
There is also a bit of a crazy lady that believes he had followed her to Bristol so she is determined to out him for the stalker she believes him to be. This is such a busy book with a little bit of fatal attraction going on in the street, abuse and more than one teenager in desperate need of help in one way or another.
It wasn’t long before I was totally engrossed in this book, trying to work out if mad ramblings were true, what had happened in the past and just loving Freddie, the head’s son, the more I got to know him. Freddie has to be my top of the class character in this book. For me it was him that really swings this into a top class read. The more I found out about him the more the penny dropped.
I loved how the author included so many current topics in this story that different families were having to deal with. It felt so real with today’s society, cut backs and stigmas.
There is so many shocking twists that really threw me, just brilliant with a solid back story that just kept in the back ground. A brilliant read. Totally belting!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Well done Lisa Jewell - what a great page turner of a psychological thriller this is and aptly named!
In Melville Heights, Bristol, newlywed Joey (Josephine) thinks she’s happy with husband Alfie, until she sees neighbour Tom Fitzwilliam and can’t help watching him. Tom’s son Freddie is also watching - school friends Jenna and Bess. Jenna’s mum is watching too - Tom and Freddie. Through the book are extracts from police interviews as someone has been murdered, but who? There are quite a few characters in this book, all of which are equally as good and all have their own agendas. This book strongly highlights how people can become wrongly accused - you never know what goes on behind closed doors! I didn’t work out the main twist until nearer the end, but I did have a good idea about the final bombshell earlier on. Thank you NetGalley and Random House, Cornerstone for letting me review this book.

Melville Heights, Bristol, England, is a prestigious row of pretty, vividly painted houses that stand proudly overlooking Melville. However, behind the attractive facade someone is watching and waiting, and what develops will stun its inhabitants to the core!

Tom Fitzwilliam lives in Melville Heights, he is the headmaster of the local academy - a charming and popular member of the community, especially with the ladies! But if I’ve painted a picture of perfection, well of course that’s not the way it will go, because behind those very expensive twitching curtains, lies a darkness and someone will end up paying with their life.

This is a deliciously dark and tangled tale of burdensome and consuming lies, lust, and deeply hidden truths.

The characters (and there were many) whilst not always sympathetic, are well fleshed out and believable. The twists in the plot are convincing, in some cases well disguised and surprising. Highly recommended.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book!

Wow! What a twist this book has and for that reason I am giving it 5 starts as I truly loved how it kept me guessing and flirting between characters as to ‘whodunnit’ so to speak.
The book was written fantastically and set in a small town called Melville and the way the book was written really gave you a feel for the place and the same for the characters, really well described so you got a real insight into the characters.

The book covers quite a few topics and view points which I liked and this kept the book flowing. It was really hard to put this book down.

Can’t wait to read more of this authors books!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really appreciate it and enjoyed it. Lots so twist but fab ending

I found the first half of this book rather slow. It is full of endless detail about teenage life and issues. I realise that it was scene setting for the second half of the story but I felt that it took too long to get to the key themes. There are several major themes, Aspergers syndrome, early marriage, domestic abuse.
As the story moved into the second half, the themes moved along a little faster and the story began to emerge. I enjoyed the second part and felt that the twists at the end were interesting though not a big surprise. There were plenty of hints to lead the reader up the right path.
I felt that the issues raised for the teenagers with Aspergers minimalist the condition. These young people were settled in high school with only minor issues to contend with and expressed themselves well - including their feelings which is unlikely.
I recommend the book to the writers fans but I don't think it is more than a 3 star story

My first read by this author but I have already started looking at others to read by Lisa Jewell.
A psychological thriller that is a real page turner.
Newlywed Joey Mullen has returned to Bristol after working in Ibiza for the last four years. With her husband Alfie they are keen to start a new life. Joey is distracted by Tom Fitzwilliam who lives next door. He is a teacher at the local school and although twice her age, she finds him extremely attractive. An innocent fixation careers out of control and very quickly Joey is unable to stop thinking of Tom. Tom's son Freddie dreams of working as a spy and spends his day logging every-bodies daily business. Teenager Freddie is becoming attracted to the local women and they become the focus of his attention. One of his main targets is single mother Frances Tripp, who is convinced she is being watched. Frances' teenage daughter, Jenna, is worried these delusions are signs of her mother's deteriorating mental health, particularly now that her paranoia has found a specific target, Tom Fitzwilliam. Frances is determined to keep an eye on him until she can prove he is behind her persecution.
Interesting characters and a very enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Crammed with interesting and diverse characters, this well written, well paced and engrossing page turner is set in a small community where not much is private. Tom fitzwilliam is the highly respected highly applauded head of the local school and not only Joey is obsessed by him, but who is watching who and why? Who has been murdered and who is the murderer? Read it and find out!

story of infatuation - one that will keep you guessing and one that's definitely worth reading!!

I really enjoyed this book and was kept guessing for most of it. However, the reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I did predict how it was going to end. Other than being slightly predictable, this book was flawless. I think it may be intentional that you find out what happens before the people in the book do, but I like finding out at the same time as the characters because I think it makes it more hard-hitting and shocking. I really liked all of the characters and enjoyed learning the story from each of their points of view. They were all really well written and I was interested in all of their lives. There’s quite a few different characters in this book, so it’s definitely a relief that I didn’t find any of them boring or annoying. I also like how misleading part of this storyline is. I thought that it was going to be really predictable but I was definitely surprised. I didn’t want to put this book down, and read 300/488 pages before finally taking a break! Although it’s a bit slow-going and not much action happens at the start, I was still intrigued and hooked - although I don’t really know why! I think the writing is just so good that I was enjoying it even though not much was happening. It’s a real page-turner. This is the first book I’ve read from Lisa Jewell and I will definitely be reading more from her. I can understand why so many people love her books!

I have read Lisa Jewels previous books and have enjoyed them but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this one as much. I felt that the first half of the book was quite slow and I was really not enjoying it very much. Thankfully the second half of the book picked up a bit and I ended up quite enjoying it.