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dbotica's review against another edition
4.0
After a brutal divorce, Sydney moves back to her childhood neighborhood in the same building as her mother. Though the house is the same, the neighborhood is rapidly changing around her. Neighbors that had lived there forever are moving away without so much as a goodbye as she witnesses gentrification happening literally overnight.
After her ex-husband called her crazy and had her committed against her will, she's making sure to get all of the facts straight before expressing her concerns to others. She sees the neighbors, but they rarely act as if they see her, like she's invisible.
As Sydney digs into the history of her neighborhood with her new neighbor, Theo, it almost seems as though history is repeating itself. Where are her neighbors going? What can she do to stop it? Can Theo be trusted or is he a part of it, too?
When No One is Watching had me up SO late more than one night because I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know what happened next. I would absolutely recommend this book for the thriller aspects as well as the real life scenario of gentrification (even on a more dramatic scale). Your neighbors are there today, but will they be tomorrow?
After her ex-husband called her crazy and had her committed against her will, she's making sure to get all of the facts straight before expressing her concerns to others. She sees the neighbors, but they rarely act as if they see her, like she's invisible.
As Sydney digs into the history of her neighborhood with her new neighbor, Theo, it almost seems as though history is repeating itself. Where are her neighbors going? What can she do to stop it? Can Theo be trusted or is he a part of it, too?
When No One is Watching had me up SO late more than one night because I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know what happened next. I would absolutely recommend this book for the thriller aspects as well as the real life scenario of gentrification (even on a more dramatic scale). Your neighbors are there today, but will they be tomorrow?
jladuke's review against another edition
4.0
This book was quite the thriller with social commentary! This book clarifies that the scariest monsters can appear benign. My biggest mistake was starting this book at bedtime. I "one more chaptered" myself into staying up until 3:00 am to finish it, because I had to know what was going to happen next. I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about gentrification afterwards.
I would absolutely read another book by Ms. Cole.
I would absolutely read another book by Ms. Cole.
jasiekelch's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
karenhogg's review against another edition
3.0
I agree with other reviews. The ending was too rushed, but I love her writing style.
painausten's review against another edition
3.0
Ooof. This was really good and brought so much suspense, I found myself getting tense just walking around my house alone. I think the execution was off, though, because the entire suspenseful buildup lasted until the last 10% of the book, which seemed to bulldoze its way through to the end. I wish we had more time to really uncover how awful the truth turned out to be rather than making it all an action sequence that seemed to only take like an hour.
kristenafionis's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐️- This story started out so fresh and intriguing. The premise surrounding gentrification and the racial injustices that come with it is timely and I enjoyed reading this storyline in the thriller genre. Things went wrong for me towards the end when events became too fantastical to be believable.
mtiscareno's review against another edition
1.0
Guys. I never ever ever abandon books. It’s not something my English teacher heart lets me do. But I just couldn’t with this book. Just couldn’t.
michrichter1's review against another edition
4.0
The idea of a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood populated by obnoxious Karens ready to call the cops on people who’d lived there for decades was compelling, to be sure. And Sydney was a fascinating main character, though not the most reliable. I loved some of the neighbors, especially Mr. Perkins and his old dog, Count. I was rooting for Sydney and Theo and definitely cursing Ponytail Lululemon.
I was really pulled in and it was a page turner for sure. But then the last 100 pages were full of revelations on top of revelations. The pacing wasn’t as balanced as it could have been, so it kind of meandered at points but then there was a mad scramble toward Crazytown.
I was really pulled in and it was a page turner for sure. But then the last 100 pages were full of revelations on top of revelations. The pacing wasn’t as balanced as it could have been, so it kind of meandered at points but then there was a mad scramble toward Crazytown.