They’re Watching You

By: Chelsea Ichaso

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

It's been two weeks since Polly St. James went missing. The police, the headmistress of Torrey-Wells Academy, and even her parents have ruled her a runaway. But not Maren, her best friend and roommate. She knows Polly had a secret that she was about to share with Maren before she disappeared—something to do with the elite, ultra-rich crowd at Torrey-Wells.

Then Maren finds an envelope hidden among Polly's things: an invitation to the Gamemaster's Society. Do not tell anyone, it says. Maren is certain her classmates in the Society know the truth about what happened to Polly, though it's no easy feat to join. Once Maren's made it through the treacherous initiation, she discovers a world she never knew existed within her school, where Society members compete in high-stakes games for unheard-of rewards—Ivy League connections, privileges, favors.

But Maren's been drawn into a different game: for every win, she'll receive a clue about Polly. And as Maren keeps winning, she begins to see just how powerful the Society's game is—bigger and deadlier than she ever imagined. They see, they know, they control. And they kill.

©2022 Chelsea Ichaso (P)2023 Tantor

Keeps you guessing till the end...

Really enjoyed Chelsea's book! It keeps you guessing at every turn and keeps answering questions while forcing you to ask new ones. Would envision the whole thing with her detailed and descriptive language. Would definitely recommend for fans of YA, Thriller, and Mystery!

Meh

THEY’RE WATCHING YOU is a difficult book for me to review. I’m a big fan of Chelsea Ichaso and would love to pick her brain to know where she comes up with her ideas.

Who doesn’t love a boarding school book? Secret society? Sign me up. However, this society/cult was more sociopathic than anything a person with even half a moral compass would join. Teachers and police are also part of the group, so going to adults isn’t an option and potential members are coerced/blackmailed into joining.

I liked narrator, Maren, but didn’t understand her motivation for repeatedly risking her life to find her missing friend. How would dying help locate Polly? For someone so smart, Maren acted recklessly. And she knew it.

Though THEY’RE WATCHING YOU kept me entertained, the amount of eye rolling will prevent me from recommending.

Was the society real and who was trustworthy.

Some of it was what I’d call childish by some of the characters but I’m “mature” adult who needs to get into a younger person’s frame of mind.

I wanted to know if the secrets were real. And who could be trusted?? Was the society evil? And other questions too numerous to list. So I’d say the story and the mysteries definitely piqued my interest.

Language takes away from the story.

So I think the story was decent, was it believable? No not really. I also think some things moved too fast/ the timing of the main character getting involved was too convenient. The thing that bothered me the most was some of the phrases and figurative language that were used. Things that NO ONE would actually say.

The number of times a character was referred to as "growling"...
"The cold sinks down past my cloak and the clothes under, past my skin and layers of fat and muscle and tissue, past my innards..."
"Spindly legs of terror centipede through my stomach..."
"The darkness congealed around me like molasses"

These things just took away from the story because then I was distracted by the absurdity and couldn't pay attention to the story.