I was hooked from the start and if she ever decides to write within this genre again, I'm all for it.ģ.5 stars. I'm sure many people won't mind the Theo/Sydney subplot, but to me it just felt like the book was strong enough without the added distraction.Īnyway, there's no doubt about it, Alyssa Cole can write a readable book. I'm generally not interested when a romance is intro'd in a horror/thriller book, because that's not what I came for. I also wish that the romance.hadn't existed? Theo was a fine character, although I wasn't nearly as invested in him as Sydney, but I honestly didn't feel that their relationship needed to be anything other than a friendship. While that's my main critique, I realize it's probably a result of When No One is Watching being the author's first rodeo in the thriller genre, and is something that will improve over time. Personally, I preferred the slow build of unease and psychological tension that was present in the beginning, and if Cole had stuck with it rather than go full on action movie by the end I think I would have liked it better. However, the overall execution was a bit off, specifically concerning the jumpy pacing and everything that went down in the final 1/4 of the story. There are definitely moments when the intended effect of this story comes to fruition.

I also think that the Rear Window and Get Out comparisons are accurate, and the elements that make those stories so gripping are apparent in this book as well. Let's start with praise: all of the (good) characters are easy to care about, and I was automatically rooting for Sydney from the very first page. Gentrification is insidious and Alyssa Cole's idea to tie the injustice that accompanies it to a thriller plot was some big brain shit.

When no one is watching alyssa cole