IT’S EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE…BUT ONE SHE WILL NOT ACCEPTIn an unthinkable flash, Emmy Fisher’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Leah, seemingly drowns close to shore one summer night—at least that is what the police report says. In deep grief, Emmy needs time and courage before she can enter Leah’s bedroom. But when she does, she finds something at first bewildering, then unspeakable, as she begins to … unspeakable, as she begins to understand the full implications…
She uncovers evidence that Leah had been secretly involved with someone, someone perhaps older, someone with dark appetites.
Bit by bit, the last few months of Leah’s life unfold in a terrifying way that Emmy can hardly imagine.
All she knows is that she has to find the person who took her sweet daughter’s innocence. No matter the cost.
The truth will set her free. Or bury her.
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WOW!!
This book blew my mind!! Talk about keeping you on your feet. Anything you think while reading this story is probably wrong!! I couldn’t have predicted how this story would play out.
Courtney Evans Tate knows how to write a captivating thriller that will mess with your mind!!
I will say, I LOVED how this story ended. I thought it was the perfect Ending!!
Read this story if you are looking for something unique, chilling, and all encompassing. If you are a fan of the psychological thriller….this is one to read. Definitely one for my Best of 2019 list!!
Emmy Fisher is the mother of 15-year-old Leah. Receiving news that Leah has drowned while out one night has her deep in grief. It’s only when she goes into her daughter’s bedroom that the questions begin.
Her daughter, it seems, has been in a relationship with an older man … someone who had o hesitation in taking Leah’s innocence and not in a good way. Leah’s life was nothing like her mother imagined. Why did she not know? Why did her daughter not turn to her for help? And was her drowning a suicide … or murder?
This is a well written page turner. Narrated back and forth in time by the mother and daughter, the telling of the story was nicely paced and blended seamlessly. The characters are finely drawn. Emmy’s quest to find the man Leah was involved with leads her to a possible three suspects that all hint to having secrets. This one kept me glued from first to last.
Many thanks to the author / Harlequin-Mira / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Favorite Quotes:
She wants to sit and float on top of her board, staring at the moon, pretending the rays hitting her skin are fairy dust.
Bars always smell the same, even when they have open windows on the end of a pier. Like… old peanuts and neon lights, and felt-top pool tables and desperation.
My Review:
This cleverly paced and well-contrived tale started slowly and gradually built into a gripping tale that occasionally had me cringing and frequently found me biting my cuticles. I had narrowed down my list of suspects from four to two before all hell broke loose and removed all doubt. The premise was original and relevant and unfortunately could happen all too easily in any society. Ms. Tate’s writing was emotive and evocatively detailed, conjuring keen visuals in my cranium as I read. Her active storylines were cunningly constructed and perfectly pitched for each idiosyncratic character.
While the subject matter was a bit disturbing given the inappropriate and predatory behaviors involving a minor, the narrative was more intensely driven toward the well-crafted intrigue and mystery rather than provocative sensuality, although there was some of that as well. I was fully invested and bristling with curiosity as I gathered clues, formulated theories, and cast aside possible perpetrators, but I would never have anticipated this conclusion. Courtney Evan Tate is a sly and crafty wordsmith. This was my first exposure to her clever arrangements of words and I anticipate delving into many more.
This book starts with a bang and keeps you enthralled until the last page. The mom is so well written that the reader is able to feel her sorrow and understand her feelings of betrayal. It’s a story of family and love and friendship with lots of other unsavory pieces.
Emily is 36 and owns a hotel in the Florida Keys where she lives with her daughter, Leah. Emily and Leah have always been close and Leah is a popular person in her circle of friends. Right at the beginning of the book, Emily allows Leah to go on a night time swim by herself and when Emily goes to check on her, Leah is gone. Even though a body is never found, the police quickly turn this from a search and rescue to a death by drowning incident and they close the books on it. When Leah is finally able to go into Leah’s room – weeks after her drowning – she finds a diary that Leah had been keeping and is shocked. Not only are there nude pictures of an older man (no face is showing) but there is a blog that describes Leah’s infatuation with an older man who she refers to as Ry. Emily’s heartbreak turns to deep rage as she sets out to unmask who this monster is who has stolen her daughter’s innocence–and perhaps more. Who is this man? Is it the new youth minister who spent extra time with some of the girls, is it the man who lives in bungalow 3 at her hotel who no one knew much about, is it his son who visits on summer vacation or someone else on the island who was more than interested in her daughter and was luring the romantic Leah into trying things that she is uncomfortable with.
This book had me guessing throughout and it wasn’t until the last 50 pages that the older man was revealed. It came as a bit of a shock and I wish there had been a few more clues along the way pointing toward this person so it wouldn’t have been so much of a surprise.
Overall, this is a tense and exciting book that will have you turning the pages until the end.
The secret life of a young naive innocent teenager is stolen right before her eyes. A child predator took advantage of a young girl by manipulating her into believing she was valued.
The timeline switches between the past and the present. The past and present unravel the truth about the mystery of what happened to her daughter.
Emmy chases away the days questioning all that was lost. Her mind won’t rest with the unanswered questions regarding her daughters secret life.
Overall:
I liked the delivery of this story going back and forth between the present and the past. For in the past the reader discovers the secret life of Leah. In the present the reader watches it all unfold. The emotions that Emmy expresses upon learning who she thought her daughter was and who she became was sad. “Not a one of us is a completely open book for everyone to read, not even to those closest to us.”
Every time Courtney introduces a character I scrutinize them, questioning all the details, trying to decide if they are the mysterious individual who had a secret life with Leah.
I loved Emmy’s character and her tenacity to unpuzzle the truth about her daughters dark secret life with an older guy.
Courtney tapped into a young girls innocence with raw honesty. The emotions and feelings portrayed by this innocent young naive teenager hit its mark. Courtney has really grown as a writer. These last three books Saving Beck, Such Dark Things, and I’ll Be Watching You have been her best work to date.
There are some books that are good and some that are spectacular. This is a superb book. It’s the type of book that you don’t want to stop reading. I couldn’t get enough of this story.
Unbelievable and very scary…. I think I held my breath through most of it. Excellent story.
Excellent book, kept me reading for hours. Easy to read with great characters and story line.
Nothing can compare to a mother’s grief. Emmy is reeling from the realization that her daughter drowned near the shore, but Emmy refuses to believe that her daughter is no longer on this Earth. Going through the motions of running her family’s inn, Emmy just cannot bring herself to walk into the room that holds all of the memories of Leah’s life. With Leah’s dog Bo by her side, Emmy finally takes the step into the place that holds the treasures of Leah’s entire world.
While sifting through the barrage of photos, Emmy discovers a secret that her daughter was keeping. The proof of a forbidden relationship was staring Emmy in the face. How could Leah keep a secret of this magnitude without anyone knowing the details? As Emmy uncovered more about the secret her daughter was harboring, a nagging feeling about the circumstances surrounding Leah’s death began to grow. Could there be more to this tragedy than meets the eye?
I’ll Be Watching You is a dark novel that explores death, tragedy and a secret that will devastate a family with its revelation. The underlying mystery surrounding Leah’s death will lead Emmy on a journey that can only be described as a mother’s worst nightmare. As the plot unfolds, readers will find themselves transported from the past to the present throughout this novel. The journal entries that Leah left behind become a pivotal magnifying glass into the secrets that will uncover something more sinister than anyone could ever imagine.
Courtney Evan Tate always manages to delve into the darkness in a way that is disturbing but so addictive. While the subject matter is tragic and hard to pull away from, Tate works her magic to create a very realistic tragedy that will captivate you with each turn of the page. A dark thriller that will leave you in tatters while uncovering the mystery that looms over Emmy and her family.
May evoke triggers for some readers.
This is a dark narrative exploring the ramifications of wavering self-worth. The plot revolves around the disappearance of a young girl who was, unbeknownst to anyone, in a twisted relationship with a pedophile. Her mother discovers the truth and fights for justice. Throughout the story, there is this constant underpinning revolving around the issues these women have with self-respect. The tertiary characters are interesting and play a pretty dynamic role in anticipatory factor of the story line. The plot moved at a decent pace but there was too much foreshadowing throughout the script that it took away the edge preceding the plot twist. 3 stars.
I’m going with a 3.5 on this one.
This one was a bit slower and more predictable than I am used to with this author. The story starts off with a bang but then it really slows down as it unravels. It was a true slow burn for most of the book and then we get to the end and it felt a bit rushed in my eyes. The writing in this book however is in true Courtney fashion and once again proves she can write anything.
All the secondary characters really drove this story. They, for a bit, made you question whether your predictions were right which I found fascinating but in the end it was always who I thought. I think one of the biggest surprises however was how the past truly shaped the future of Leah and all those who loved her. That is one thing I can honestly say I did not see coming until it was unraveled for us.
This is another solid story for Courtney and I can’t wait to see what she does next in this genre. She’s really growing as an author and that is one of the best things to be a small part of.
Enjoying the last night of summer before school starts, sixteen year old Leah vanishes. Her grieving mother refuses to accept that her only child was gone. Riddled with grief she starts her own investigation and uncovers the secret life her daughter had.
The twists will keep you guessing.
The truth will shock you.
The ending will haunt you.
Courtney Evan Tate’s writing talent knows no bounds.
I couldn’t put this book down. It’s the best book I’ve read so far this year. The beginning grabs you with theway it opens and it doesn’t let go until the very last page. I’ve never read a book that opens talking directly to the readers.
This every mother and parents nightmare. To think you know your child and then discover that they’ve been living a secret life. That they aren’t who you thought they were.
Emmy stumbles upon thing that are left behind by her daughter and it’s all very disturbing. But as the book unravels you start to see things as they are. Leah is just fifteen, young, naive and innocent.
The book is told from two different points of view. One in the first person and the other in the third person. It’s written so well that it doesn’t really matter. All I wanted was to keep reading and find out who had taken advantage of Emmy’s daughter.
I wish there was a little more and that something’s had come to light and not left the way they were.
There are a few suspects and a few twist and turns. It’s a heart pounding, page turner that won’t turn you loose until the last sentence.
I highly recommend this book. This book shows how pediphiles prey on their victims and how easy it is for them to find their victims. A must read.