I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll is my first book by this author. It came up advertised for me on Goodreads, and I didn’t even read the synopsis. I read the title, saw the cover and glanced at the reviews before buying a copy of the book. In the first few pages, I got a major Girl on the Train vibe. Mainly because a woman was on a train witnessing something that wasn’t quite right. But she was also drinking, so my mind went directly to wondering if if she could be trusted. Find out, by reading the book!

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll Synopsis

“When Ella Longfield overhears two attractive young men flirting with teenage girls on a train, she thinks nothing of it—until she realises they are fresh out of prison and her maternal instinct is put on high alert. But just as she’s decided to call for help, something stops her. The next day, she wakes up to the news that one of the girls—beautiful, green-eyed Anna Ballard—has disappeared.

A year later, Anna is still missing. Ella is wracked with guilt over what she failed to do, and she’s not the only one who can’t forget. Someone is sending her threatening letters—letters that make her fear for her life.

Then an anniversary appeal reveals that Anna’s friends and family might have something to hide. Anna’s best friend, Sarah, hasn’t been telling the whole truth about what really happened that night—and her parents have been keeping secrets of their own.

Someone knows where Anna is—and they’re not telling. But they are watching Ella.”

Goodreads

What I Loved

There was a lot going on in this book. I loved that there were so many questions to be answered. It’s the kind of book where you have a new theory with every single chapter. I Am Watching You is a fast-paced book that requires the reader to stop and think. No matter how much you try to connect all the dots, the book will keep you guessing. Finally, the ending came with a bang and it was not at all what I expected. However I did have quite a few issues with the book as well…

What I Didn’t Love

While I enjoyed the book in general, I have a lot of complaints. Even now, thinking about the book, a day after I read it, I am confused about how I feel about it. The characters had a lot going on, but there wasn’t much depth to them. I don’t feel like we learned too much about them or that there was any character development – with the exception of Michael the PI.

It read more like a book that was part of a series, but as far as I know, it isn’t. I would 100% read a part two, although my expectations wouldn’t be too high. It was all about what the characters did and said, without exploring them beneath the surface. In the past, I’ve complained about how male writers have written female characters, but here my issues are with how the female author portrayed men. They were either brutish and soulless or overly feminine.

Looking through other Goodreads reviews, other people had the same issues as I did. Although many also complain about the ending – which I did enjoy. Finally, I was thrown off by the author switching from third to first person. This should have been something that the editor caught as well. I have limited experience with writing fiction, but I did write a short story where I changed my mind and had to go through it, changing first person to third. So I can relate to not being sure which is better, but sticking to one is vital in a good book.

Summary: I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll (#affiliate) is an interesting book with a variety of characters and events. There is a lot that isn’t quite relevant to the plot which makes it feel like part of a series, which may be done on purpose. If you can get past the first to third person changes in the writing and the lack of character development, then the story is worth a read. I enjoyed discovering everyone’s secrets and seeing (almost) everything come together. I would definitely be interested in reading more by Teresa Driscoll, a BBC TV news presenter turned author.

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