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Thursday, April 4, 2019

REVIEW: I'll Be Watching You by Courtney Evan Tate @harlequinbooks @Court_Writes @tlcbooktours @jessmapreviews

I'll Be Watching You 
by Courtney Evan Tate

Thanks so much to MIRA Books and TLC Book Tours for this advanced copy and stop on the review tour! Another buddy read with my girl, Jessica, for our #allthebookreviews #ATBR2019 reads and once again, we agree!


Publisher: MIRA
Publish Date: March 26, 2019

Paperback
336 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Domestic Thriller, Mystery, Suspense


Leah, a popular sixteen year old, is uncharacteristically apprehensive the night before her new school year begins. She decides to take a moonlight paddle at her divorced parents’ Florida beachside inn to take the edge off her anxiety. Moments later she vanishes in the water without a trace. The police assume death by drowning since sharks had been sighted nearby earlier in the day. They do a cursory investigation and that's it. The community comes out to give support, but days later her mother Emily is still wondering what happened to her beautiful daughter. And why is there no body?

In the days that follow, Emily accidentally discovers pornographic images of her daughter on her laptop. Some appear to be selfies taken for someone else's pleasure. Others are clearly taken by a voyeur and sent to Leah. Shockingly, they reveal darkly tantalizing clues to an older man’s involvement. Emily's heartbreak turns to deep rage as she sets out to unmask who this monster is who has stolen her daughter's innocence--and perhaps more. As her suspicion falls on various locals who, as unlikely as they may seem, may have lured Leah into risky, even deadly, behavior--the youth pastor, the long time resident in bungalow 3, his son who visits from New York--she trusts no one. Suddenly her once close knit community, itself its own paradise, has been invaded by evil, an evil that is still lurking in the shadows--one that she is determined to expose.

My Review:


As an avid thriller reader, I am always overjoyed when I find a "lighter" thriller that really hits all my buttons.  I'll Be Watching You certainly does that! The author brings us an extremely well written thriller with multiple POVs and I ALWAYS love it when we get the view of the predator.

The creepy thing about books like this is the plausibility.  Creepy older man taking advantage of a young, naive girl.  Here's the thing with this book - if you read a ton of thrillers like I do, this will be nothing new in terms of story line.  HOWEVER, the way the author pulls everything together is intentional and fantastic.  There's no unnecessary scenes or fillers - it's just immediate satisfaction in terms of diving right into the story and never letting up until we get to the ending.

The ending only slightly bothered me in the fact that the perpetrator came a little out of left field.  While I appreciate the red herrings, I would've liked to have seen just a tiny bit more in terms of puzzle pieces. 

What I loved the most was how the author really draws you into this story and I felt myself getting angry, having hope and getting anxious.  It's rare that a lighter thriller will provoke so many feelings from me.  

★★★★

Jessica's Review:



This was my first book by Courtney Evan Tate and I had heard great things about her previous release, so I was ready to dive in! I’LL BE WATCHING YOU is a solid thriller that kept me engaged the entire time. I loved the writing and the character development. I feel like in some thrillers or suspense novels we can kind of miss out on that.


I’ll always be a fan of the stalker thrillers. It’s so real and a situation many people, unfortunately, find themselves in. You never know if someone is following you or watching your every move. The action begins right away with Leah’s disappearance. Emmy is shaken to her core when she hears that her daughter has disappeared – when her paddleboard washes ashore the missing person’s case turns into a death. Emmy is determined to find out what happened to her daughter and she won’t rest until she finds her body – dead or alive.

You really connect with the characters and I loved how Tate unfolded the events. There was a great pacing and plenty of twists thrown in to keep you on your toes. If you’re a fan of the stalker thriller/disappearance suspense genre, then this will be perfect for you. I will definitely be going back to pick up her other book!

4 stars

1 comment:

  1. I really like a thriller that does have that plausibility piece, just enough to creep you out when you leave your house. Thanks for being on this tour!

    Sara @ TLC Book Tours

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