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jaelyn7 's review for:
Watching You
by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first half of Watching You was the slowest a Lisa Jewell book has moved for me. I wasn't able to make a lot of connections in the beginning, and it's hard to keep characters straight when I'm not sure how they are related. Once I had the information to form an initial theory, the book moved at faster pace. I really enjoyed the premise of the ending, but I thought it was sloppy and didn't make sense in the context of the whole story. Overall, if you like the creepy vibes of everyone watching you, in addition to being okay with references to teacher-student relationships, this is a decent thriller!
What Worked for Me
The premise of watching someone and making assumptions based on their actions was an interesting one. In a way, the reader is "watching" all the characters! My favorite part of Watching You was the revenge ending. When I initially got to it, my first reaction was that Rebecca wasn't developed enough to be the perpetrator, but when I thought about it, there were a few hints dropped. I had just abandoned them for other theories! The wicked part of me wished that Rebecca got away with it and successfully framed Tom, since he didn't seem so innocent either.
What Didn't Work for Me
I was disappointed that so much page space was spent on Tom, Joey, and Freddie, and none of them were involved in the crime. I would have liked to see Rebecca get more page space OR incorporate one of the major players into the crime. The biggest issue I had was that both Tom and Nicola's natures remained a mystery. I didn't understand what Tom's true relationship with Nicola was. It was also inconsistent that such a heinous bully would turn into a depressed doormat. Essentially, I wasn't able to reconcile the characters described in detail with the 20-page end reveal. Maybe that's Jewell's way of showing that assumptions are often wrong, but this is not something I appreciate in my thrillers.
The premise of watching someone and making assumptions based on their actions was an interesting one. In a way, the reader is "watching" all the characters! My favorite part of Watching You was the revenge ending. When I initially got to it, my first reaction was that Rebecca wasn't developed enough to be the perpetrator, but when I thought about it, there were a few hints dropped. I had just abandoned them for other theories! The wicked part of me wished that Rebecca got away with it and successfully framed Tom, since he didn't seem so innocent either.
What Didn't Work for Me
I was disappointed that so much page space was spent on Tom, Joey, and Freddie, and none of them were involved in the crime. I would have liked to see Rebecca get more page space OR incorporate one of the major players into the crime. The biggest issue I had was that both Tom and Nicola's natures remained a mystery. I didn't understand what Tom's true relationship with Nicola was. It was also inconsistent that such a heinous bully would turn into a depressed doormat. Essentially, I wasn't able to reconcile the characters described in detail with the 20-page end reveal. Maybe that's Jewell's way of showing that assumptions are often wrong, but this is not something I appreciate in my thrillers.