When No One Is Watching
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
3.7
(25.8K)
Alyssa Cole
An instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLER!"I was knocked over by the momentum of an intense psychological thriller that doesn’t let go until the final page. This is a terrific read." – Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author*A Marie Claire Book Club Pick* Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…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?Featured in Parade, Essence, Bustle, Popsugar, Elle, Shondaland, Marie Claire, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Good Housekeeping, Brit + Co, Real Simple, Lit Hub, Crime Reads, Blavity, Ms. Magazine, Hello Giggles, The New York Times, Town & Country, Newsweek, New York Post, Refinery29, Woman's World, Washington Post, the Skimm, Book Riot, Bookish, Huffington Post, and more!
Thriller
Mystery
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More Details:
Author
Alyssa Cole
Pages
368
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2020-09-01
ISBN
0062982664 9780062982667
Community ReviewsSee all
"4.5⭐️ Ok I loved this from start! It wasn’t slow to me at all but I also think anyone who thinks this book is too farfetched is missing the point. Thrillers (and horror, which this has an element of) for the most part…are. However this genre really lends itself perfectly to illustrating the true horrors inflicted on people of color, both individually and systemically, and anything in this book if not objectively factual (the author well researched the suppression of property ownership and gentrification throughout US history) has roots in truth. When you remember (or realize) that, it makes it easy to go with it.
At first this has the feel of a literary novel about the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood. Then the sense of discomfort slowly creeps up until morphing into full fledged anxiety. It had my heart in my chest at once dreading and anticipating *the thing* to come. I loved this book, both the story and what it had to say."
"We need more stories like this! The detail on Black culture and history was PEAK. I finished most of it in one sitting. What the main character was experiencing was so relatable. Give us more Alyssa Cole! "
M
Maya
"I TRIED YALL! I really tried! I just could NOT get into this book for the life of me. I thought it would redeem itself as I kept going, but it just became so unbearably slow moving. I get that slow burn thrillers are a thing, but I just needed something to HAPPEN for the love of GOD… You mean to tell me 10 CHAPTERS IN we still don’t get any “thriller” elements to the story whatsoever? As someone who also loves reading about the effects of gentrification on BIPOC neighbourhoods in literature, believe me - I wanted to like this so bad but I couldn’t take it anymore. DNF."
"When No One is Watching was my introduction to Alyssa Cole, and I loved this thriller. I've been a little burned out on mystery / thriller books this year, and haven't come across many I've enjoyed, but When No One is Watching stands out.<br/><br/>This book is a tough read at times, and sometimes I felt so helpless while reading it because the world just sucks. I'm not going to go into everything, though, because you should just read it without extra info. Add this one to your fall TBR!<br/><br/>CW - racism, depression, suicide"
"This was honestly amazing. I had a lot of hang ups about it because I don't often reach for black thrillers but it surprised me in the best of ways and showed me that I have nothing to be afraid of and actually should be ashamed that I turn myself away from them. Excellent at building suspense about a very real subject that, though I have never gone through it, scared the hell out of me. I loved it to say the least and look forward to reading more books like it, or just thrillers with black main characters period."