A page-turning novel of suspense about the perfect family, and the perfect lies, by the bestselling author of When I’m Gone and The Waiting Room.Adopted by her controlling foster mother at the age of eight, twenty-year-old Tara has seen little of the outside world. Lonely, punished for the slightest offense, her only distraction comes from watching the Feely family’s online videos. They’re an … family’s online videos. They’re an affectionate vlogging quintet and an internet sensation. Most important, they are Tara’s mental refuge. Then the opportunity arises for them to be something more. When Tara accepts an internship with the close-knit clan, they’re her escape.
Daring to run away, and defying Mother’s rules, Tara is welcomed into the loving fold. But the more Tara gets to know them, the more she realizes that not everything is as it seems. As secrets slowly surface, the image of the perfect family begins to crack. For Tara, it’s another trap.
To claim a life of her own, she’ll need a new escape plan. Because as the show’s popularity explodes, reaching even more fascinated viewers, Tara can’t shake the feeling that Mother is among their ranks. She’s watching. She’s waiting. She’ll never let her go.
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m really unsure of how many stars to give this book. This book started out all wrong. There was no adequate explanation given for how “Tara” got into the situation she was in and went down hill from there. How does someone stay in that kind of environment when they have so many opportunities to run?
I’m sure there are many others who will thoroughly enjoy this book so don’t take my opinion as gospel. Read for yourself and see how well you like the book.
Tara is a 20-year-old being held captive by her foster mother who is always “clicking” her false teeth. “Mother” keeps Tara locked in her room and often without food. Mother and Tara are both shoplifters and Tara has to wear a phony pregnancy bump when they are out stealing. Tara talks to her dolls and has a pet sparrow which was creepy. I was really disappointed in this book and I really had a hard time getting through it. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What It Seems is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that goes behind the headlines. A girl is kidnapped and years later escapes into what she thinks is an ideal family. But nothing is what it seems in this page-turner. Bleeker’s best book since Wreckage.
Excellent read
The story pulled me in right from the beginning and all I wanted to do was get my hands around Mother’s throat for what she did to this child. This book was a page-turner for me and I read it nonstop this entire weekend. Seriously, could not put it down! I was really attached to the characters, Who I felt were well written and fleshed out nicely, and I really cared about them, particularly Angela as she fought to find some normalcy with the Feely family. There were some nice little surprises in the story and a couple of horrifying events towards the end that I kind of had a suspicion about, but all in all, this was a very satisfying read. I will definitely be reading other books by this author. Well done!
This was an absolutely riveting read (I read it in one day). From the very first page to the very last, it’s gripping and heart-wrenching.
“I run my hand over my ever-swelling belly. The ill-fitting maternity dress is almost too small on me at this point. And it’s purple. I feel more like a love-starved singing dinosaur than a grown woman.”
As this is the first look that starts the beginning of the book, sounds pretty normal, a young woman pregnant but is it really? No, she is only pretending to be pregnant so her and Mother can go and steal stuff and sell it online. Twenty-year-old Tara had been adopted 8 years prior by a woman who she hoped could be a real mother to her as she lost her own. But life with Mother is not all it is cracked up to be. She is punished for the smallest infraction, especially if she does not do what is expected of her.
When she is locked in her room, she has her computer for company and takes to watching YouTube videos of a vlogging and internet sensation family. When she finds out that they are looking for an intern to help out for the summer she is excited to apply. She is very shy and thinks that she did not do well in the interview but is excited to find that she was actually chosen as the intern. To do this she needs to run away from Mother and never be able to go back. She takes the position and finds that the family is not what she thought they were. But what is the perfect family, was it something that Tara was hoping for?
This book is a page-turner and the end blew me away! Never saw that coming! A story that is well thought out and suspenseful. It is the first book that I had read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I love Emily Bleeker’s books. You know when you pick one up, you are in for a wonderful thrilling time. Tara is in the foster care system as a young girl. Her foster mother adopts her then is locked away her whole life. Tara loves watching a family on you-tube and puts in an application for an intern on their show. But things are never as they seem are they? This book is a creepy, fast paced thriller that keeps you on your toes!
From the author of: THE WAITING ROOM and WHEN I’M GONE comes WHAT IT SEEMS. Another great read by Emily Bleeker.
This book starts out strong and keeps going throughout. I was not sure if I was going to like this because of the theme but it is definitely a good one.
Angela is only a small child when she becomes a foster for MOTHER. She is put through so much pain and sheer torture that I wondered how she endured it all. From the very beginning MOTHER started playing mind games with Angela who she renamed Tara. She had to have total control over this girl and make her do what she wanted and she didn’t care how it was done. She was a true evil woman and Angela/Tara was terrified of her. She knew she had belonged to a wonderful family before the accident but after is when it all fell apart. She could not remember much and MOTHER would not let her forget that she was not wanted by anyone except her anymore.
At the age of 20, Angela had a fascination with the Freely family who was a You Tube sensation and soon became a part of their life. She was living a lie but didn’t know how to tell anyone. Her whole life was based on the only things she knew, stealing, shoplifting for items to sell online. She got involved with the Freely family and dreamed of being one of them. To her they were the perfect family. So full of love and caring.
Things are not always as they seem. Angela finds out some things that may turn her life around. She may be happy again. Or will she? Can she run from her past. From the twelve years she’s been taught by the best. Been taught how to steal, lie and hid. Taught by her MOTHER? Will she ever find the happiness she longs for. The love she desperately needs? Will her life ever be normal again?
This book as some characters you will hate. Deeply hate. But it has some that you will love and you will root for. I loved Angela. I felt for her. I cried for her. I cringed when she was hurt so badly. When she was forced to lie to save herself. This book will make you feel some things that you won’t soon forget. It’s so full of emotion. It’s a sad one for sure.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Lake Union, #Emily Bleeker for the ARC in exchange for my complete and honest review.
I give this one 4 stars and do highly recommend it. Just have plenty of tissues handy.
What It Seems was a solid 4 star read for me. While I probably shouldn’t have, I felt terrible for Tara, but I also spent most of the book wondering why she believed all the things she believed. Of course, people can suffer from something similar to Stockhold syndrome or just flat out be lied to and they believe the lies. It happens every day.
Tara’s fascination with the Feely family was understandable given how many people in this crazy world we live in also devote a lot of time to “famous” YouTubers, vapid celebrities and some of the bizarro-world TV shows tha twe see every day.
I found this story to be a good look into how people believe the beautiful, polished, isn’t my life perfect? image that people on YouTube and other social media sites would like you to believe.
You do have to suspend your sense of disbelief for parts of this book, but overall it’s a very interesting story and I’d recommend it to people.
I’ve enjoyed other books by Emily Bleeker and am looking forward to her next book.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in my review are my own and freely given.
Tara was adopted by her foster mother when her parents gave her up. For 12 years, she has known only this solitary life at Mother’s beck and call, subject to whether or not she pleased her. Her escape? She secretly watches the “perfect” Feely family on YouTube. When they advertise for an intern, Tara applies, not even thinking that they might actually choose her. When they do, Tara takes the opportunity to break free. Though things with the Feelys aren’t quite what she expected, Tara (now Angela) starts to feel more normal, though her lies and omissions are tough on her, especially trying to hide them from Henry, her new co-worker. Is she really safe? The freedom gives Angela the opportunity to rely on herself, and, also uncover memories of her past.
WHAT IT SEEMs by Emily Bleeker is a thriller and a page turner. Tara/Angela is a different and complex character. She would frustrate me a bit, but then I would remind myself that she was so young when she ended up with “Mother” that the life was all she knew. The story was interesting and well-written, with some twists that surprised me. There were a few things that made me wonder, but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
As a parent, there were some scary situations that are my worst nightmare. This was a solid read and it will keep you interested and turning pages as you root for Tara/Angela and her future.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#WhatItSeems #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley
Experimental Excellence. With this book, Bleeker does something she’s never done before – writes a tale in first person. And for this particular tale, that was likely the only way to make this story as good as it is. This story involves some pretty heavy abuse, but that actually drives the reader to want to find some resolution… and drove me to complete the 304 page book in less than 12 hrs, which is a rarity even for me. An excellent take on the not-what-it-seems side of a popular cultural phenomenon, while also an excellent tale of survival and what a person will do just to get to the next day. Truly great work from an author I’ve been following since her debut a few years ago now. Very much recommended.
Emily Bleeker, author of “What It Seems” has written an intense, riveting, captivating, edgy suspenseful novel. The Genres for this story are Psychological Thriller, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex, complicated, emotionally unstable, selfish, quirky and strange. There are betrayals, secrets, and twists and turns.
Tara has been raised by a controlling and manipulative foster mother when she was eight years old. Her foster mother basically keeps her isolated as much as she can, and Tara fears the punishment that she will get if she doesn’t cooperate and behave the way the foster mother expects her to.
Tara has a computer, and has learned how to get around and starts watching online videos. She becomes obsessed with a video family, the “Feelys” and wishes she could be with them. An opportunity presents itself for Tara to apply for an internship by e-mail. While running errands with her foster mom, Tara runs and gets an interview. Could this really be Tara’s ticket to happiness? Will Tara’s foster Mom really let her go?
Does anyone know what the perfect family should be? I loved the exciting and intense ending. I would highly recommend this suspenseful thriller.
This is the third book I’ve read by Emily Bleeker and I was so ecstatic to get my hands on this book. After reading two of her other books – Working Fire and The Waiting Room – I knew I would be reading her again. This latest book once again kept me glued to the pages…she can definitely tell a story like no other!
Right from the start, I was intrigued by this story and found myself completely consumed with it. Once I started it, I had a hard time putting it down and ended up reading this book in two sittings – I just needed to know what was going on and how things would ultimately play out. And let me just say this – this is definitely one of those books where you think you know what is going on but you couldn’t be further from the truth. This is one of those books where there are little twists here and there that sneak up on you and to me, that just hooks you even more.
This is definitely a book where things are absolutely not what they seem. And I love that play on words that Emily Bleeker uses here. What it seems is not always what it is. This book gets under your skin and doesn’t let up. Tara has an awful life…she is trapped with an abusive “Mother” and the scenes with her are just heartbreaking. When Tara finally figures out a way to escape, you cannot help but root for her and at the same time, you find yourself completely sucked in even further for fear of her being caught by “Mother.” But did Tara find herself something better? Was this vlogging family exactly what she thought them to be, based on what she saw online?
This is the type of book that stays with you long after you finish that last page. Between the rollercoaster of emotions it evokes and the complex characters, it really is quite an exciting read. I love Emily Bleeker’s books and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. In the meantime, I’ll be reading the two books I haven’t yet!
I haven’t read a whole lot by Emily Bleeker yet, in fact the only other book I have read is Working Fire, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with What It Seems. What I got was a real page-turner that I had a hard time putting down!
What It Seems had a couple of surprises, but overall I could definitely see the direction it was going. It is not a thriller, but more suspenseful and I spent a lot of the book wondering where things would end up. I didn’t feel like there was too much mystery, but the writing was really good, and I found myself glued to the pages.
I loved that What It Seems was different from the books I’ve been reading lately and that Bleeker went a different direction than a lot of authors right now. Even though I felt like I knew what was going to happen (which I did) it didn’t remove any of the enjoyment for me, and I loved the pacing! If you are looking for something quick that you can read in one sitting that is more suspenseful than thriller, I would check this out!
Thank you to NetGalley for my advance review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I thought this book was okay and found the story line was somewhat predictable. It started out a bit slow, but picked up a bit the further I read into the story. I felt bad for Tara, but didn’t really like her. Some of the choices she made were odd, but given her tragic circumstances and her relationship with the adult figure in her life, Mother, she may not have been able to see any other choice. I thought the author did a great job with the character of Mother. I felt chills go down my spine whenever she was referenced in the book…she was so creepy!!
This was an interesting story of a child/Tara raised by a woman after her biological parents were no longer in the picture. I think there was enough of a story to make you believe what you read but as it got closer to the end you find out more to the true story than what the adoptive/foster parent revealed to Tara. Some of the things that took place were a bit stretched due to how Tara was raised especially at the end of the story. I think the storyline was fine but it took until the end of the book to really want me to figure out what really happened.
This was a very different kind of story, that had me turning pages. I’m not a binge reader, and like to savor the journey, but this book really stoked my curiosity as to what was coming.
An eight year old girl wakes up in a strange place, with an unfamiliar woman, explaining that she is her foster mother. She states that the girls mother gave her away and she is adopting her. Thus begins her life within strict confines and dark locked closets, always hungry, always frightened, until she is released to help Mother shoplift.
Tara, her new name, builds her own family of dolls, which helps her absorb the abuse that is constant and allows her to survive her prison. Her computer helps her find a uTube family that she feels a part of.
This is a story of loneliness, longing for connections, our need to be part of a group and how courage can be found in dolls, blogs and a locked room, in order to escape.
My thanks to #NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book gives you a knot in the pit of your stomach from Chapter 1, and gives new meaning to “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. You see evil and unthinkable acts, but you see resilience and the will to live. But, things are not always what they look like. Sometimes you just never know what you are capable of, until you have no choice.
Little Angela is running away from home, mad at her mom for yelling and not paying attention to her. An accident happens and she comes to live with her foster ‘Mother’. Here, she learns a whole different life. Now, at age 20, she gets the courage to take control of her life, by applying for an internship with her favorite you tube family. But, are things as perfect as they seem?
The storyline is fast paced, coming together well. Great characters that make your emotions go from 0 to 360 in a few paragraphs. First book I’ve read by this author, I look forward to reading more.
Thanks to Ms. Bleeker, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
This is seriously a sick and twisted book. It deals with child abuse & abduction. The characters were highly flawed that at one point, I find myself gritting my teeth in annoyance & perhaps anger.
The story centers around Tara a 20-year old (12-year old) young woman who’s been mentally & physically abused by her awful foster mother since she was eight. She isolated Tara like a hermit, forbids her of even the simplest sort of social interaction like a normal person does. To support their needs she forces her to shoplift & wear a fake-pregnant belly all the time. They almost got caught so ‘mother’ starved & locked her inside her room as punishment. Poor Tara finds comfort by watching a Family Vloggers on YouTube, or talking to her dolls & bird.
Trying to finish this book was a struggle. But I kept plugging along because of my curiosity & I just hate to be a quitter. Plus, I kept reminding myself that Tara’s a victim of a Psychopathic upbringing. Anyway, there’s just so much of a reality in this book about how Psychopaths seem to have an uncanny ability to home into basic human vulnerabilities. Puts them in unique positions where they’re able to gain the upper hand in choosing their victims. I totally felt bad for Tara she was deprived to rightfully live a normal life. The Feely Family, they remind me of those ‘Influencers’ who carefully fake their lives by manufacturing their posts based on social approval, likes, validation in views & success in followers.
Overall I’m not sure I can pinpoint what exactly prevents me from loving this book, I think it’s just a personal thing. Ain’t saying this one is bad, but I rated it 3.5/5 because my feelings throughout on this are playing a game of tug-and-war at the moment.
This book will be released on March 17, 2020. Thanks to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first book by this author, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Overall I found the book to be an original storyline, but not a very believeable one. This book just didn’t click for me, although I can say it was very well written. When I don’t connect with a book, I always suggest others read and make their own opinion concerning the book because not everyone enjoys the same thing.