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sinsandscares's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
🎧 Narrated by Emily Ellet
Nightwatching is a gripping and deeply unsettling read. The opening chapter is pure terror. A mother, home alone with her children during a blizzard, faces an intruder. But the true horror unfolds after as she fights to be believed, to regain her children, and to even trust herself.
This book captures the hypervigilance women are forced to have, the way their concerns are dismissed as paranoia or attention-seeking. Sierra does a phenomenal job making the reader feel that firsthand. Even I found myself questioning the protagonist, wavering between doubt and belief right until the end.
Readers expecting nonstop action should know that while the first chapter is intense, the rest leans more into psychological suspense. The entire story is told through the mother’s inner monologue, which heightens the isolation but leaves other characters less fleshed out.
I listened to this on Libby, and Emily Ellet’s narration was fantastic. Her voice work, especially for “the Corner,” added so much depth.
This is not just a thriller but a sharp, unsettling reflection on fear, doubt, and the fight to be heard.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
elysianbud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sarahkate22's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
justacowboy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really did like this book. Was it super original for a thriller plot? Not really, but that didn't take any of its thunder. The scary/stressful moments of this book never disappointed and the twists where very well thought out and placed nicely!
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Kidnapping
Minor: Pedophilia and Death of parent
smnappy8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
astoriareader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- A mother and her two, young children are home alone. Outside, there is a blizzard. Inside the mother has tucked her son back into bed in the middle of night.
- The mother hears some noises, including footsteps, and discover there is an intruder in the home.
- They live in New England in a house built in the 1700s, and there is secret tiny “room” or small space, which is hidden behind the paneling of a wall. She hurries there with her young kids. They hide & try to be as quiet as possible, while the mother tries to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, the intruder goes around the house looking for them, and at times, he talks out loud to them. The intruder sounds familiar to her.
- My favorite thriller, suspense of 2024. I know it’s only May, but there’s just no chance of a book surpassing this one.
- Atmospheric, claustrophobic.
- Excellent pacing.
- I can’t believe this was the author’s debut novel?! No notes. It’s perfect.
- The writing is outstanding, and some of the best I have read in a long time.
- I loved the main character’s running thoughts throughout the book.
- Since there is a lot of action & tension, I was surprised by how much backstory & character development are in this story.
- I could NOT put this down. It consumed all of my thoughts. I finished in under 24 hours. I stayed up late reading, then woke up early to read before work, then read on my lunch break, then read as soon as work ended😂
- My blood pressure was so high the ENTIRE time I was reading this book.
- I wanted to fight the police officers and the father-in-law!
- Super interesting themes intertwined. I loved how she explored cultural bias, gender bias, victim blaming, glorifying horrible people, and 👏🏼never👏🏼believing👏🏼women👏🏼!!!
Graphic: Sexism, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.75
“Easier to believe a woman’s lying than that bad things happened on your watch. Easier to believe the simplest thing is always correct. And it’s simple to say a woman is crazy.”
I kept seeing this debut everywhere and the premise sounded delightfully creepy, so of course I ended up giving in and decided to add Nightwatching to my priority TBR. It's true that hyped books can go both ways for me, but I'm SO glad I listened to my intuition here... Because the fact is: I was completely bowled over by this claustrophobic and simply spine-chilling story. WHAT a read! It's funny how part of me absolutely hated my time with Nightwatching, while I was also completely hooked and in awe at the same time. This sounds completely contradictory, but I think that if you have read this story you will probably know what I'm talking about. I absolutely loved the chapters set in the present, which were both intense, daunting and had that perfect ominous atmosphere. The setting itself is simple, as most of the story is set at the house... But in only worked in this story's favor for me. I initally wasn't a fan of the flashbacks at all, but as soon as you start to understand the importance of those same flashbacks all is forgiven. I absolutely loved the writing style, which I admit won't be for everyone... But if you are able to connect with it, it will truly take this debut to the next level for you. The way the plot is built up and how you start questioning everything that you are reading is also extremely cleverly done, and it only made me want to turn those pages even faster. I simply HAD to know what really happened that night! All in all a fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what Tracy Sierra will come up with next.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
the_rainydayreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death and Death of parent
ameliabedelia22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting