Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

This book was sent to Traveling Witt T for review consideration.

Summary: The Best Friend. The Confidant. The Senator. The Boyfriend. The Executive.

Five contestants have been chosen to compete for ten million dollars on the game show One Lucky Winner. The catch? None of them knows what (or who) to expect, and it will be live streamed all over the world. Completely secluded in an estate in Northern California, with strict instructions not to leave the property and zero contact with the outside world, the competitors start to feel a little too isolated.

When long-kept secrets begin to rise to the surface, the contestants realize this is no longer just a reality show—someone is out for blood. And the game can’t end until the world knows who the contestants really are…

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’ve read a few of Heather’s books and have really enjoyed them. And the ones I’ve read- well either a child is in danger/hurt/dead or a family is. And while that may sound creepy that I say I enjoy those books- that is just the subject matter she writes about.

So Everyone is Watching is a def departure from books like This Is How I Lied, Before She Was Found, and The Overnight Guest.

The second thing to know is that I am not a fan of Big Brother. I had no idea what Squid Game is until I Googled it. But I have enjoyed Heather’s books in the past and I was ready to see where we’d go here.

And for me, it was just ok. I read this book in early 2024 but am just now writing my review and nothing really remarkable is jumping out at me. Maybe it’s because I’ve read a handful of lackluster books this year, books that looked to be AMAZING, but left me wanting more. IDK. But 2024 has not been a year that I’m raving about books so far.

What I Liked:

I did love the cover.

I liked the secrets between the contestants and the tension between them as they began to see how far each would go for 10 million dollars. I also liked the secrecy in the when the show was going to air.

Bottom line: For me, some of the twists were over the top. The secrecy of who was behind the whole show and why their identity had to remain top secret. Some of the things that happened as the book unfolded felt more for shock value (and might would have played better if this was an actual TV show.)

In the end, while I think it’s good to stretch out of your comfort zone when writing, I do hope that Heather’s next book is more like the ones I mentioned and linked to my reviews than this one. However, that is just my 2 cents.

*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*