A review by fpgreviews
You Watched in Silence by H. Lee Justine

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Caitlyn's life fell apart when her best friend disappeared without a trace, leaving her living with homophobic parents in the middle of nowhere in Washington. When disgraced influencer Bella Greene turns to her group chat of devoted fans looking for a live-in nanny for her seven-year-old twins, Caitlyn jumps on the job offer, hoping to change her life and overcome her depression. Things aren't how they seem at Bella's Victorian mansion, though, with animals turning up dead and mysterious threats against the influencer, who is hiding more than Caitlyn realizes.

This book was written so beautifully and poetically, and had a compelling romance arc as well as a very interesting unreliable narrator. There are a lot of questions about Caitlyn's level of mental stability and her identity, which are all wrapped up nicely by the ending. The isolated setting of the Salmon Islands in Washington and the Victorian manor adds to the horror aspect of the novel — Bella's rented manor is near the woods, and a good bit of the book is set in the woods. 

The book also does a good job of highlighting the horrors of influencer culture and family vlogging. A lot of people don't realize how many of the men who follow family vlog channels are pedophiles, and even Caitlyn isn't aware of that fact until the damage is already done. Although Caitlyn is an unreliable narrator and not the best person objectively, she's a sympathetic lens through which to show these issues, and the issue of nannies who have to sign NDAs being taken advantage of by the men hiring them. I enjoyed the twists and mostly did not predict them — I did guess that Bella's husband was going to fall for Caitlyn, but that is just unavoidable to wonder about if you've been reading news about authors lately. It also touched on how dangerous it is for online mobs to accuse innocent people of pedophilia. You Watched in Silence was a very well done novel and I really have nothing but praise for it. 

You Watched in Silence releases November 18 from Blackstone Publishing. Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing and H. Lee Justine for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
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