Watching You by Lisa Jewell
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Released December 26, 2018
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Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.
As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.
One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…
Watching You is intriguing and will have you confused and not exactly sure what is going to happen next!
We know from the beginning that someone was murdered, and for the majority of the book I imagined the wrong person dead. I’m sure it was set up that way intentionally but I loved how it kept me guessing and on the edge of my toes throughout.
Watching You is told from multiple points of view and 3rd person. At times I found this a tad difficult to follow, but otherwise it was a very enjoyable read. There were things that felt injected into the story to intentionally mislead you, but other things that seemed mundane at times, that ended up having a much deeper importance than you realized.
The time and thought that went into Watching You is incredible. This is one of those stories that you can read over and over and find something you missed ever time you read. If you are looking for a suspenseful and psychological this winter, Watching You is the perfect book for the job.
I have this one coming up on my review list so was glad to see yours!
I hope you enjoy it!!