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a_plot_to_remember 's review for:
Nightwatching
by Tracy Sierra
Nightwatching follows an unnamed woman and her two kids, who are home alone one night during a blizzard. When the unnamed woman hears a noise- because old houses are always making random noises - that sounds like the tread of footsteps, she grabs her kids and hides in a secret room until they're able to escape or the intruder leaves. But does he ever leave?
Home invasion stories always manage to creep me out and this one was no different. I love that we have the isolated setting - old house in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm - already this book is off to a suspenseful start! We also have flashbacks between chapters, getting to know our unnamed FMC and her family. I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading an entire book without knowing the names of the characters, but I actually kind of liked that they were never revealed. It added a lot of mystery to the story. I also enjoyed how the author explored heavy themes, such as grief, loss, and family dynamics. While I was frustrated with the FMC at times, I also felt bad for her and the trauma she endured.
While I enjoyed this book, I did have some issues with it. The FMC was so unreliable that while it was fun trying to figure out what really happened, it was also frustrating because it created a lot of grey areas. So much so that it kind of made the intruder reveal at the end a little lackluster for me. The ending also happened rather quickly, and it lacked the payoff after building up all that suspense for the last 330 pages. I was also really frustrated with the police interrogations - it definitely portrays the reality of how men in power treat women. I was so mad during those scenes lol.
Overall, it was a well-written book. I enjoyed my time reading it, even though it fell flat for me by the end. I would still recommend it though because I tend to have mixed feelings about popular tropes so my issues with the story were my own problem and not the author's.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Home invasion stories always manage to creep me out and this one was no different. I love that we have the isolated setting - old house in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm - already this book is off to a suspenseful start! We also have flashbacks between chapters, getting to know our unnamed FMC and her family. I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading an entire book without knowing the names of the characters, but I actually kind of liked that they were never revealed. It added a lot of mystery to the story. I also enjoyed how the author explored heavy themes, such as grief, loss, and family dynamics. While I was frustrated with the FMC at times, I also felt bad for her and the trauma she endured.
While I enjoyed this book, I did have some issues with it. The FMC was so unreliable that while it was fun trying to figure out what really happened, it was also frustrating because it created a lot of grey areas. So much so that it kind of made the intruder reveal at the end a little lackluster for me. The ending also happened rather quickly, and it lacked the payoff after building up all that suspense for the last 330 pages. I was also really frustrated with the police interrogations - it definitely portrays the reality of how men in power treat women. I was so mad during those scenes lol.
Overall, it was a well-written book. I enjoyed my time reading it, even though it fell flat for me by the end. I would still recommend it though because I tend to have mixed feelings about popular tropes so my issues with the story were my own problem and not the author's.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5