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When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole @AlyssaColeLit @susandalian @jayaaseng @HarperAudio @librofm

February 5, 2021 6:00 am

When No One is Watching
Sydney Green has returned to the home where she was raised in Brooklyn, New York to care for her mother’s house while she was confined to to a nursing home. But the community Sidney knew seemed to be changing rapidly right before her eyes. For Sale signs are going up, lifelong neighbors inexplicably leave overnight, replaced with affluent people of a different ethnicity, and new shop owners are taking over stalwarts of the neighborhood. But more disturbingly, she senses a sinister element, especially as she begins her research into the community’s history for a tour she’s developing with assistance from Theo, one of the new neighbors.

This story turned out to be much more than I’d expected. I’m well aware of how destructive the gentrification of neighborhoods of color can be as I’ve witnessed some but this was insidious. The level of complicity rang too true to life and made me uncomfortable throughout the story. The mystery element added another layer of discomfort and soon I wasn’t as committed to solving the puzzle as I was worried about Sydney and Theo’s well being, along with others I’d come to care about!

While the dangerous aspects of the story might be inflated, the reality of how long-standing communities of color can be so easily displaced under the umbrella of gentrification certainly wasn’t. The author did an outstanding job of illustrating the positives of the neighborhood cohesion and the cost of the losses. The pacing of the story could be uneven because of the devotion to that element but it was worth the sacrifice. The two narrators did a great job inhabiting their characters, with Sydney coming across as possible paranoid and definitely mistrusting everyone outside of the neighborhood, and Theo as an opaque character who might not be trustworthy. They very much added to the mystique of the story. This is an important story that goes well beyond that of a thriller, though the ending was pretty exciting.

Book Info

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HarperAudio US · WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING by Alyssa Cole

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm

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(Thanks to HarperAudio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

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Posted by Jonetta | Blue Mood Café

Categories: Audiobook, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Tags: , ,

24 Responses to “When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole @AlyssaColeLit @susandalian @jayaaseng @HarperAudio @librofm”

  1. […] When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole […]

    Liked by 1 person

    By 2021 Audiobook Challenge – Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 6:15 am

  2. […] Women by Saumya Dave ✔What I’ve Done by Melinda Leigh What Lies Between Us by John Marrs ✔When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole When the Duke was Wicked by Lorraine Heath Wife After Wife by Olivia Hayfield The Wrong Family by […]

    Liked by 1 person

    By 2021 Beat the Backlist Challenge – Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 6:18 am

  3. Great review! I also just recently read this book. I enjoyed it but I thought the pacing was off as well and I preferred Sydney’s narration to Theo’s. Overall an interesting concept and a good read though.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl on February 5, 2021 at 6:56 am

    1. Thank you, Amy💜 I agree about the narration distinction. I came around to Theo as he revealed more of his backstory because that’s who he came across as being.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 8:32 am

  4. Wonderful review Jo. I read and enjoyed this one very much. I agree about the terrible impact of “gentrification” of black neighbourhoods and communities. My one problem with this book was the dip into the Sci-Fi feeling of the solution to the mystery. It is a well-written book with a great message though.

    Liked by 1 person

    By Carla on February 5, 2021 at 7:06 am

    1. Thank you, Carla💜 By the time I got to the ending, I was ready to accept just about anything if it included a rescue😏

      Liked by 1 person

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 8:30 am

  5. This sounds like an intensely moving story as well as a good mystery. Stories done well, like that, can be very impactful. Wonderful review for a compelling read!

    Liked by 1 person

    By Tessa on February 5, 2021 at 8:20 am

    1. Thank you, Tessa💜 That’s a perfect description.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 8:29 am

  6. Fab review Jo sounds like a good listen!

    Liked by 1 person

    By nickimags @ Secret Library Book Blog on February 5, 2021 at 9:06 am

    1. Thank you, Nicki💜 It truly was.

      Liked by 1 person

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 5, 2021 at 9:13 am

  7. Excellent review! I enjoyed this one and found some aspects too possible.

    Anne – Books of My Heart

    Liked by 1 person

    By Books of My Heart (@BooksofMyHeart) on February 6, 2021 at 10:37 am

    1. Thanks, Anne💜 The ending got a little out there but the rest I found credible.

      Like

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 6, 2021 at 11:24 am

  8. […] When the World Was Ours Bookidote – Marvel 1602 Blue Mood Cafe – Beach Read & When No One is Watching Reading Ladies BC – The Fragile Nature of Things & The Girl From the Channel Islands […]

    Liked by 1 person

    By Links I’ve Enjoyed This Week – 07/02/2021 #WeeklyRoundUpPost 🔗📆 🔗 #SecretLibraryBookBlog – Secret Library Book Blog on February 7, 2021 at 3:38 am

  9. I am getting this book. Fantastic review Jo

    Liked by 1 person

    By Shalini on February 8, 2021 at 1:24 am

    1. Thank you, Shalini💜

      Like

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 8, 2021 at 6:25 am

  10. I was living in NY when they gentified Harlem. There was an enormous change maybe not always for the better. Wonderful review, Jo!

    Liked by 1 person

    By yayareadslotsofbooks on February 10, 2021 at 9:30 am

    1. Thanks, Marialyce💜 I’d left NY when that gentrification started. The positive part of that transformation was they kept it a blended neighborhood. You’re right about it not being perfect but at least they tried to preserve its character.

      Like

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 10, 2021 at 10:14 am

  11. This definitely sounds like it has a lot more to it than a typical thriller. I’ve been wanting to try something by Alyssa Cole and I think this is the book I’m going to start with. Wonderful review, Jonetta!

    Liked by 1 person

    By thebookishlibra on February 11, 2021 at 7:52 am

    1. Thank you, Suzanne💜 No, it’s not your typical thriller, which made it more interesting.

      Like

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 11, 2021 at 8:44 am

  12. Fantastic review, Jonetta!!

    Liked by 1 person

    By jwjwhiteley on February 11, 2021 at 10:41 am

    1. Thank you, Julie💜

      Like

      By Jonetta (Ejaygirl) | Blue Mood Café on February 11, 2021 at 10:53 am

  13. […] When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole […]

    Like

    By 2021 Audiobook Challenge Update – Blue Mood Café on January 2, 2022 at 8:42 am

  14. […] 68. ✔Well-Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave 69. ✔What I’ve Done by Melinda Leigh 70. ✔When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole 71. ✔The Winning Hand by Nora Roberts 72. ✔Winter’s Camp by Jodi […]

    Like

    By 2021 Beat the Backlist Challenge Update – Blue Mood Café on January 2, 2022 at 9:49 am

  15. […] enjoyed When No One is Looking so when this audiobook showed up at my library, I quickly grabbed […]

    Like

    By Saturdays at the Café – Blue Mood Café on April 20, 2024 at 10:32 am

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