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celtic67's review against another edition
4.0
This was a brilliant read. It is told in the first person by Lily Gullick the main protagonist and unreliable narrator of the story.
Lily lives with her husband Aiden in a new build block of flats. Under the guise of bird watching she spies on her neighbours in a block of flats opposite, which is soon to be demolished.
Living in a world of her own she invents names and lives for the people she is spying on.
Then something happens that she has not invented, a neighbour is murdered.
This sends Lily on a crusade to find out what happened and bring the culprit to justice.
The first person narrative is an amazing tool in that it puts you in Lily's head and you experience everything through her eyes. As the story unfolds, and the tension increases you find yourself with questions. This book will grip you and have you turning pages frantically until you reach a satisfactory reveal. But will all your questions be answered?
I urge you to read this book. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks to the publishers, author and lovereading.co.uk for ARC.
Lily lives with her husband Aiden in a new build block of flats. Under the guise of bird watching she spies on her neighbours in a block of flats opposite, which is soon to be demolished.
Living in a world of her own she invents names and lives for the people she is spying on.
Then something happens that she has not invented, a neighbour is murdered.
This sends Lily on a crusade to find out what happened and bring the culprit to justice.
The first person narrative is an amazing tool in that it puts you in Lily's head and you experience everything through her eyes. As the story unfolds, and the tension increases you find yourself with questions. This book will grip you and have you turning pages frantically until you reach a satisfactory reveal. But will all your questions be answered?
I urge you to read this book. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks to the publishers, author and lovereading.co.uk for ARC.
howtobebooks's review against another edition
5.0
No doubt there are clear remnants of Girl on a Train and Rear Window in this psychological thriller, and having heard a fair few, sometimes it seems obvious who the culprit is.
However - the twists and turns to get to the climax are absolutely gut wrenching, the first personal dialogue writing in a journal is engaging and the contemporary plot is interesting - so it's well worth the read. Overall, definitely worth any hype.
However - the twists and turns to get to the climax are absolutely gut wrenching, the first personal dialogue writing in a journal is engaging and the contemporary plot is interesting - so it's well worth the read. Overall, definitely worth any hype.
bexellency's review
1.75
This was an okay thriller up to the point where you learn Lily’s husband died in a bike accident some weeks ago and everything has been in her head. But everything after that is strangely unengaging as your trust has been broken so why would you believe or be invested in it any longer? . The watching your neighbors plot isn’t original, has been done many times in many ways.
caitlin1066's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
debtat2's review against another edition
4.0
She’s watching you, but who’s watching her?
This book is quite hard to review as i don’t want to give anything away and spoil the twists that make this a great book. The reveals are brilliant and i certainly didn’t see what was coming!
If you like books like Girl on the Train and Gone Girl this one is for you.
It stands out from other books in the psychological thriller genre which is a rare treat as this book is told as a first person narrative, completely from our protagonist Lily. Almost reminiscent diary style but in a free-flowing form.
The book’s structure is another feature that makes this book stand out from the others in this heavily populated genre. Other than a prologue the book leaps back in time to over a month before ‘The Event’.
Of course we don’t know what that is because each day / section is prefaced as ‘42 days before it comes; 15 days before it comes‘. And so forth.
Then when we reach 9 days before it changes and Lily starts narrating forward.
It can get a wee bit confusing at times and will have you wondering what on earth is going on, but trust with me, don’t give up and you will be rewarded with the last section of the book!
There are hints through out that narrator Lily may not be entirely reliable, trustworthy, or even sane! She has a very unique take on things.
Lily is a quirky character, some of her thoughts and ideas are quite amusing.
I REALLY enjoyed the style of writing, and found Lily’s pondering’s to be surprisingly insightful and intriguing.
From the title of the book Lily is a watcher, she is a keen bird watcher but she also takes delight in watching her neighbours, so when a neighbour is murdered Lily becomes obsessed with finding the killer.
Lily is convinced she has seen things through her window that could help solve the case and takes it upon herself to investigate more with no concern for her own safety.
It is from there that the book starts to get interesting with plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing and thinking down the wrong path entirely.
It’s not very often that a book comes along that throws you a massive curve ball but this book manages just that.
It is fantastically creepy with a thrilling atmosphere that you can’t help but get totally absorbed in and Ross’s ability to build up such a strong sense of dread, fear, suspense and confusion is just great!
This is defiantly a book i will be recommending to my friends and family and i will be watching out for Ross Armstrong’s next book 🙂
This book is quite hard to review as i don’t want to give anything away and spoil the twists that make this a great book. The reveals are brilliant and i certainly didn’t see what was coming!
If you like books like Girl on the Train and Gone Girl this one is for you.
It stands out from other books in the psychological thriller genre which is a rare treat as this book is told as a first person narrative, completely from our protagonist Lily. Almost reminiscent diary style but in a free-flowing form.
The book’s structure is another feature that makes this book stand out from the others in this heavily populated genre. Other than a prologue the book leaps back in time to over a month before ‘The Event’.
Of course we don’t know what that is because each day / section is prefaced as ‘42 days before it comes; 15 days before it comes‘. And so forth.
Then when we reach 9 days before it changes and Lily starts narrating forward.
It can get a wee bit confusing at times and will have you wondering what on earth is going on, but trust with me, don’t give up and you will be rewarded with the last section of the book!
There are hints through out that narrator Lily may not be entirely reliable, trustworthy, or even sane! She has a very unique take on things.
Lily is a quirky character, some of her thoughts and ideas are quite amusing.
I REALLY enjoyed the style of writing, and found Lily’s pondering’s to be surprisingly insightful and intriguing.
From the title of the book Lily is a watcher, she is a keen bird watcher but she also takes delight in watching her neighbours, so when a neighbour is murdered Lily becomes obsessed with finding the killer.
Lily is convinced she has seen things through her window that could help solve the case and takes it upon herself to investigate more with no concern for her own safety.
It is from there that the book starts to get interesting with plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing and thinking down the wrong path entirely.
It’s not very often that a book comes along that throws you a massive curve ball but this book manages just that.
It is fantastically creepy with a thrilling atmosphere that you can’t help but get totally absorbed in and Ross’s ability to build up such a strong sense of dread, fear, suspense and confusion is just great!
This is defiantly a book i will be recommending to my friends and family and i will be watching out for Ross Armstrong’s next book 🙂
thechemicaldetective's review against another edition
5.0
It’s very difficult to review this book without giving anything away. And I definitely don’t want to do that, because it is such a compelling read, like unwrapping a many layered Christmas present or unlocking a puzzle.
The skill is the pacing, the slow reveal of … well all sorts of things external and internal… through constantly shifting shadows.
The first-person present-tense chatty voice ramps up the intimacy and tension as the story bowls along through nail biting close encounters.
"You are the master of your dreams."
This is the perfect holiday read! Just don’t read it alone…
The skill is the pacing, the slow reveal of … well all sorts of things external and internal… through constantly shifting shadows.
The first-person present-tense chatty voice ramps up the intimacy and tension as the story bowls along through nail biting close encounters.
"You are the master of your dreams."
This is the perfect holiday read! Just don’t read it alone…
tanninsandtales's review against another edition
3.0
Lily Gullick has just moved into a gentrified part of London. A keen birdwatcher and an even keener neighbour watcher, she keeps a log of her observations on both species.
One morning, Lily wakes up to the news that a resident of one of the council estates in the area has been found dead at home. What better opportunity to put her nosiness to good use?
[b:The Watcher|29482719|The Watcher|Ross Armstrong|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464741536s/29482719.jpg|49763575] is written in first person, and it feels like Lily is having a chat with the reader. She is sharp, funny, not always easy to understand but immensely likeable.
[a:Ross Armstrong|15076066|Ross Armstrong|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has penned an original thriller with spot-on social commentary and a main character with a remarkably strong voice. A debut that shows much promise.
(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)
One morning, Lily wakes up to the news that a resident of one of the council estates in the area has been found dead at home. What better opportunity to put her nosiness to good use?
[b:The Watcher|29482719|The Watcher|Ross Armstrong|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464741536s/29482719.jpg|49763575] is written in first person, and it feels like Lily is having a chat with the reader. She is sharp, funny, not always easy to understand but immensely likeable.
[a:Ross Armstrong|15076066|Ross Armstrong|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has penned an original thriller with spot-on social commentary and a main character with a remarkably strong voice. A debut that shows much promise.
(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)
tanninsandtales's review against another edition
Lily Gullick has just moved into a gentrified part of London. A keen birdwatcher and an even keener neighbour watcher, she keeps a log of her observations on both species.
One morning, Lily wakes up to the news that a resident of one of the council estates in the area has been found dead at home. What better opportunity to put her nosiness to good use?
[b:The Watcher|29482719|The Watcher|Ross Armstrong|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464741536s/29482719.jpg|49763575] is written in first person, and it feels like Lily is having a chat with the reader. She is sharp, funny, not always easy to understand but immensely likeable.
[a:Ross Armstrong|15076066|Ross Armstrong|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has penned an original thriller with spot-on social commentary and a main character with a remarkably strong voice. A debut that shows much promise.
(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)
One morning, Lily wakes up to the news that a resident of one of the council estates in the area has been found dead at home. What better opportunity to put her nosiness to good use?
[b:The Watcher|29482719|The Watcher|Ross Armstrong|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464741536s/29482719.jpg|49763575] is written in first person, and it feels like Lily is having a chat with the reader. She is sharp, funny, not always easy to understand but immensely likeable.
[a:Ross Armstrong|15076066|Ross Armstrong|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has penned an original thriller with spot-on social commentary and a main character with a remarkably strong voice. A debut that shows much promise.
(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)
marshaskrypuch's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but gave up reading about 50% in. An interesting premise but the character of Lily was distanced and off-putting, making the book a chore to read.