Today I’m sharing my review of When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. This book just came out and has been getting a lot of hype on Instagram.
Synopsis
Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo.
But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.
When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other—or themselves—long enough to find out before they too disappear?
Why did I decide to read this book
The synopsis sounded amazing and I received an advance review copy so I decided to read this book earlier this month.
Rating
4 Stars (An Excellent book!)
My Thoughts
This book is marketed as a thriller. I’d say it reads more like a drama/suspense book and then the thriller part happens within the last 20% of the book. I really enjoyed this book, it is a slow burn but the plot kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended. This book has a little bit of everything: good character development, suspense, some creepy atmosphere, a love story, and a twisty ending.
What I liked the most about this book is that it was entertaining but at the same time made you think about real life issues like gentrification. I liked how the author incorporated that and issues like racism into the story line. It was very unique, I had never read a thriller that incorporated those topics.
I listened to the audiobook which features two narrators (one for each point of view). The narration is great but it was a little hard to follow the last 20% of the book so I wish I had read the physical book for that part. I do recommend the audio just know that the last part gets a little hard to follow in that format.
Content Warnings
Death, drug abuse, infidelity, racism, classism
Who I recommend this book to
If you are into psychological and twisted books this is for you!
Get the Book!
Did this review of When No One is Watching convince you to read it? You can get the book from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
