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When No One Is Watching
When No One Is Watching: A Thriller | Alyssa Cole
126 posts | 124 read | 3 reading | 78 to read
Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but the neighborhood she loves is being erased before her very eyes. FOR SALE signs are popping up everywhere, and the neighbors shes known all her life are disappearing. To preserve the past, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour: Displaced: A Peoples History of Brooklyn, and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block her neighbor Theo. But Sydney and Theos deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the efforts to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised. When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other or themselves long enough to find out, before they too disappear permanently?
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britt_brooke
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️ The gentrification storyline and social commentary were thoughtful and realistic. I wanted more of that. The thriller / mystery felt unnecessary, the romance was forced, and the steam was totally cringy, and quite honestly, out of place. #bookclub

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Susanita
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Pickpick

The tag line for this book is Get Out meets Rear Window, and that‘s not wrong. Until the wild and very rushed ending when it turns into Bourne Identity.

My book club agreed with Roxane Gay‘s assessment on Goodreads: great premise and interesting historical information … with pacing issues. Still I‘m not sorry I read it and give it a pick.

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The.Great.Catsby
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Mehso-so

The pacing of this book was all over the place.
There is sooo much explaining and not enough "story telling". Around 60% something thriller-y finally happened. The ending felt so out of place. Sure, there was a build up to it, but suddenly she... well, i don't want to give it away.
If this wasn't marketed as a thriller, I would have enjoyed it more. But unfortunately, that's not what happened.

⭐️⭐️

02.02.2024

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Susanita
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1. I‘m still deciding!
2. Tagged is for one of my book clubs.
#two4tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 2mo
26 likes1 comment
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Mary_Reads
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Pickpick

2024: 6 If you're into Jordan Peele movies this will be a fun read. Thrillers are my favorite genre to listen to in audiobooks. Really grab and hold the attention.

19 likes1 stack add
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bookandbedandtea
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Mehso-so

I liked the first third(ish) of this but then the romance between Sydney and Theo took center stage and I just didn't believe they were into each other, beyond lust. THEN came the last third(ish) when EVERYTHING became so OTT I stopped being able to suspend my disbelief. Maybe it's because the story tipped over into straight up horror and I've never read a horror story I liked but this didn't really work for me.

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HiMyNames_Alyssa
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Pickpick

Woof. This one was a doozy. It's definitely worth the ride. Not so much creepy but still worth the denotation of 'thriller.'

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this thriller about the fight against racism and gentrification. Some aspects were far-fetched but really, I think it‘s just that Cole took multiple things at once simply one step above reality. It got more violent toward the end than I expected; it made sense with the story but I think the tone could have been foreshadowed better. My August #bookspin

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Melismatic
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It appears this short story isn‘t on Litsy but I highly recommend! It‘s available on Amazon/Audible and follows the dangers of social media and toxic masculinity. I was literally holding my breath listening.

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marleed
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Pickpick

I don‘t know that I liked this, but I‘m glad I read it (I think), and I understand how this could make for an interesting bookclub discussion. I appreciated the historical aspect told through the gaslighting of a fictional old Brooklyn neighborhood‘s as it‘s gentrified and stripped of its history. It went off the rails as the thriller aspect turned into a horror story. Very strange and disturbing but somehow a pick of a book I wanted to bail.

5feet.of.fury The ending was very unexpected! 10mo
marleed @5feet.of.fury It was! I didn‘t really like where the story turned, yet I can‘t stop thinking about it. I think I‘ll search to see if a bookclub discussion was posted about it (since it was published in 2020) and maybe that will help me get this book out of my head! 10mo
87 likes2 comments
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Lizwarnerpdx
Pickpick

I re-read this for book club. It‘s starts out a bit slow & confusing, but gets more intense as you read. You‘re not sure who to believe, who to trust. Is the neighborhood gentrifying? Or are the black residents disappearing and being replaced by white people flocking in?

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Jolynne
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Pickpick

I appreciated the true history of Brooklyn, community bonds, gentrification, and social injustice. This was a great thriller until it became a bit far fetched.

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Lenamarcela339
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3 likes1 stack add
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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

This takes that feeling that gentrification is an intentional attack, and personifies it to the nth degree. A new take on a thriller about white supremacy where the truly scary part is questioning just how close to reality is skirts. #GoodNotGreat #JoyousJanuary #Booked2023 #SetInANeighborhood #Pantone2023 #ElectricBlueLemonade @alisiakae @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Clwojick @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds interesting. Well done 👏👏👏 1y
Cinfhen This book went a little too off the rails for me but i appreciate your thoughtful review. 1y
CocoReads We read this for book club last year and along with The Guide by Peter Heller, they were our two scary/creepy books for last year. Rarely do we venture into a creepfest but they were also probably 2 of our best discussions. 1y
See All 6 Comments
IndoorDame @CocoReads I can see this being an excellent book club pick! 1y
5feet.of.fury The ending was too much for me, but I loved the initial premise, atmosphere & characters 1y
IndoorDame @5feet.of.fury @Cinfhen the ending was definitely not satisfying for me either! I might have loved this if it had gone in a different direction to wrap everything up. But I still appreciated the symmetry of it, and the allusion to Tuskegee. 1y
65 likes6 comments
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bookaddict30
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Mehso-so

Rating: 3 ⭐⭐⭐
This was my first time reading a book by Alyssa Cole so i wasnt sure what to expect tho i did expect to like it since it was listed as a Thriller but sadly felt disappointed cause this WAS NOT a Thriller at all just a Mystery. The Characters were Okay but not very likeable cause of how they acted toward certain neighbors. Kim was my favorite for speaking up.

Overall an OK Thriller but not what i expected.

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bookaddict30
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Currently Reading
Genre: Thriller
The gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she‘s known all her life are disappearing.

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Kboltz
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Pickpick

Wow! Brooklyn is the setting and a horrific act of gentrifying takes on a whole new scary reality for Shelby. Every character and thought is written by this author through race, greed and idealisms. Wow! Page337, “Funny how much race matters until it doesn‘t.”

15 likes1 stack add
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xicanti
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September stats! I had a lot of 7s last month; appropriate.

I spent WAY more than usual, thanks to the return of the Children‘s Hospital Book Market, but I got more reference titles than anything else so my TBR didn‘t explode. Whew.

Quality wise, I found one new 5-star read (tagged), upgraded a former 3.5er to a 5 (GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir), and found a stellar 4.5er (LESSONS IN FUSION by Primrose Madayag Knazan). Good times.

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xicanti
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Pickpick

HOLY CRAP, Y‘ALL. I‘ve seen a lot of people say this book starts off way too slow, but I felt the intense creepiness right from the get-go, and Alyssa Cole only strengthens that feeling as more pieces of her plot click into place in advance of that explosive finish. It‘s stressful, scary, and so, so plausible—the hallmark of a great thriller. I‘m in book-love. 5 stars.

45 likes4 stack adds
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TamTracy
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Pickpick

I‘m a junkie for sociological issues intermixed with psychological. I loved this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DGRachel
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Pickpick

Grumble. Grumble. At 50%, I was bored and wanted it to be over. At 65%, I wasn‘t emotionally invested but started to be curious about what was coming and how things would end. At 80%, I was completely sucked in, horrified, and invested. On the surface, this is about the gentrification of a predominantly Black neighborhood in Brooklyn, but the full truth is so much darker. A begrudging pick for a clever, if slow burn thriller. Grumble. Grumble.

Littlewolf1 This was such a good book for me… I loved it. 2y
5feet.of.fury I thought it had a weird ending, but I liked it too 2y
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Roary47
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Pickpick

4✨ For me this book didn‘t start out interesting. There was a lot of cursing and seemed like everyone was upset with everyone else. Our two mains Theo and Sydney become fast friends. Then strange stuff started happening. At first it seemed like it was racism with a mix of rich vs poor causing a bunch of people to leave their homes. Then after Sydney and Theo made some really big confessions it all went down. Whoa!

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LoverOfLearning
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Mehso-so

Overall was a quick read but at times lacked detail.

Sydney's historically black Brooklyn neighborhood is falling fast and her neighbors are suddenly disappearing without warning. A story about gentrification, conspiracy, suspence, paranoia, greed, and mystery.

It left me with unanswered questions which I understood. The ending felt a bit exaggerated and I predicted the ending very early in so had no shock factor for me sadly. 😪

3.25 stars

Smartypants @LoverOfLearning yo, I felt the same way about this book. It seemed like an awesome premise but ultimately was pretty disappointing. 2y
LoverOfLearning @Smartypants yeah was just okay really. I didn't read the back.cover before I read the book.. but if I did I may not have picked it up. So it got me put of my comfort zone at least! 2y
47 likes2 comments
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LoverOfLearning
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I can't tell you the last time I read a proper fast paced thriller!! Picked it up for $5 at Barnes and Noble with a purchase of a drink at the Cafe. Uhm heck yes.

I actually haven't even read the synopsis yet so no idea what it is about. So I hope it'll make it even more interesting for me!

Who's read it and what did you think?

she.hearts.horror I enjoyed it! 2y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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all_4_kb
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Good morning !

BookishMadHatter Looks like you started yours off right 2y
all_4_kb @BooksAndYarn yessssss☺️ 2y
55 likes2 comments
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Bamazin
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Book 19
Flight reads … goodbye south hello west coast

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JessTedrick
Pickpick

Loved it! It took me awhile to get through because it was making me so anxious to read. The writing is amazing and the twist is perfect.

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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

While this was not really a thriller it was an interesting look at gentrification. Gentrification has been seen as a way to improve communities (at least that‘s the spin put on it) it goes much deeper. Lots of families & communities (particularly people of different races) that have lived in areas for generations can become displaced. Anyhow overall I enjoyed the book & the spin the author put on an otherwise difficult subject. #bookspin

ncsufoxes The Urban Displacement Project has lots of interesting info on this subject matter, https://www.urbandisplacement.org/gentrification-explained 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
21 likes1 stack add2 comments
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5feet.of.fury
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Finish current 📖:
When No One is Watching -Alyssa Cole
Fractured -Karin Slaughter

Read 📚:
Pretty Girls -Karin Slaughter
Home Before Dark -Riley Sager
Stranger in the House -Shari Lapena

Listen 🎧:
I-5 Killer -Anne Rule
Chase Darkness With Me -Billy Jensen

#outstandingoctober
@Andrew65
Go #TeamSlaughter
@Clwojick

Andrew65 Good luck 😊👍 Love the Karin Slaughter book. 2y
16 likes1 comment
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ncsufoxes
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#bookspinbingo board for October, not sure what progress I‘ll make this month. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get some reading done (7 months till I finish grad school, is it too early to start counting down). I started reading the tagged book & liking it so far

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Looks great!! I have this book on my TBR as well!! 2y
10 likes1 comment
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ncsufoxes
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October book spin bingo list, not sure if the top or bottom will show up. Not having much free time to read with school & all but I‘ll keep trying to get a few books read

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
6 likes1 comment
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5feet.of.fury
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I was looking at my shelves because I didn‘t have anything for #screamathon week 2 prompt.. all of the books I have planned were white women, 1 white man and then I added in RL Stine because it‘s the season but still nothing for the prompt, kind of embarrassing, so I ordered yet another book for my TBR, but it sounds really good. I am not mad about this. But this is an out of control amount of books that I think I‘m reading in October 🤣📚🎃

alisiakae I‘ve heard good things about Alyssa Cole‘s books! I accidentally read my pick for that prompt this month, so I‘m stretching it a bit and using an Afro futurist novel. I‘m counting the aliens in it as supernatural/paranormal creatures 3y
16 likes1 comment
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Kris10H
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Panpan

⭐⭐
This one is tough to rate. Was it a thriller, as advertised? No. The first 3/4 of the book was setting up more of a social justice storyline, and the last 1/4 was pretty outlandish. I don't want to completely discount this book, because I learned a lot from it about gentrification - I just think that the author cheapened the seriousness of the topic by trying to turn it into a thriller, seemingly as an afterthought.

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MelKelsey
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Panpan

Book 93

I listened to When No One is Watching. It's touted a thriller but isn't remotely thriller before the second half. It's about a New York neighborhood going through gentrification. The characters aren't believable or likable. ⭐⭐

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Jen2
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Pickpick

Wow, he‘ll of a twist!!!

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EadieB
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#LMPBC #WhenNoOneIsWatching #AlyssaCole

Last week I started reading this book but it became a turnoff to me as I was looking forward to reading a thriller as it is advertised on the cover. The author in the beginning points out the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood is happening. I am so tired of hearing about Systemic Racism and Critical Race Theory that I‘m unable to read on and get to the thriller part of the book. Now let me explain:

EadieB Critical Race Theory leads to Marxism which causes class conflict. Marx wanted revolution workers to gain consciousness of their plight, seize means of production, overthrow capitalist class and usher in a new socialist society. Marxist-style revolutions end in disaster. Marxist practices and ideas unleash man‘s darkest brutalities. The American dream is that all people‘s can transcend their origins through education, hard work & good citizenship. (edited) 3y
Rachiiebookdragon I found the majority of this book a slog but the ending was definitely worth the slog, I recommend it just for the ending 😊 3y
Rachiiebookdragon Just finding Evelyn Hardcastle, and definitely do not recommend this book, a slog, confusing and kind of boring 😴 3y
See All 13 Comments
EadieB I‘m not participating in this “wokeness” attitude of being truly anti-racist as it is anti-capitalist and leads to Marxism in the end. Equity-based forms of government would mean end of private property, individual rights, equity under the law, federalism and freedom of speech. It would be replaced by race-based redistribution of wealth, group-based rights, active discrimination and omnipotent bureaucratic authority. 3y
EadieB Critical Race Theory prescribes a revolutionary program that would overturn the principles of the Declaration of Independence and destroy the remaining structure of the Constitution. I recognize slavery history but the 1st Amendment protects citizens from compelled speech, the 14th Amendment provides equal protection under the law and The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on basis of race. 3y
EadieB Critical Race Theory promotes race essentialism, collective guilt, and neo-segregation which violates basic principles of equality and justice. We should all be talking about aiming at excellence, a common standard that challenges people to achieve their potential. “Excellence beats diversity every time.” (edited) 3y
SamAnne Respectfully, it‘s harder to realize the American dream when the generations that came before you were denied the home loans, education, faced various discriminations, etc. A whole lot of white Americans built wealth on the backs of enslaved people in this country. Acknowledging that does not make us Marxist. Yes we all need to work hard to to make it. But it‘s not Marxist to recognize it isn‘t a level playing field. (edited) 3y
EadieB We must promote the true story of America - a story that is honest about injustices in American history but places them in context of our nation‘s high ideals and the progress we have made towards realizing them. We must have courage to stand and speak the truth. Truth and justice are on our side! 3y
EadieB @SamAnne I didn‘t say that we were Marxist, I said that the Critical Race Theory will lead to Marxism. It‘s based on the principle of how to get people fighting one another. (edited) 3y
DarkMina @EadieB I agree it will certainly accomplish the opposite of what they claim it will. People need to think about who all this racial division benefits and why. Don‘t fall for it. And don‘t even get me started on the 1619 project. 3y
EadieB @DarkMina 1619 project is just a way to rewrite history and is based on false facts. 3y
Crazeedi @EadieB just now saw this agree with all you said❤ 3y
EadieB @Crazeedi I knew you would! 3y
40 likes1 stack add13 comments
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SW-T
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23 likes1 stack add
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Sydneypaige
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Get Out, gentrification style.

6 likes1 stack add
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EadieB
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#LMPBC #WhenNoOneIsWatching #AlyssaCole

@Bookish_AF Received this in the mail today! Can‘t wait to read it!

Bookish_AF Yay! Last time I checked the tracking it said Friday so I am glad for the early arrival!! 3y
EadieB @Bookish_AF Yes it got here fast! Thanks! 3y
50 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lauren890
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I waffle between a so-so and a pick.. This was pretty good. The narrative pushed forward pretty steadily to a big ending. I appreciated that gentrification was a focus in the novel and the author seemed to have done her research, but I wonder if the end took away from that a little? Overall I‘m glad I read it.

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Bookish_AF
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There‘s a relatively short window of perfect outdoor reading weather at this time of year before the humidity starts setting in. This weekend is going to have such weather (70 and sunny). I hope to be doing this a LOT, despite the yellow cloud of pollen everywhere 😂

#LMPBC

EadieB I‘ll be reading outdoors too this weekend! 3y
magyklyXdelish I love that pen!! 3y
Bookish_AF @magyklyXdelish haha yes they are my left handed pens! I have a few, including in red and blue as well 😅 3y
36 likes3 comments
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Bookish_AF
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My May #LMPBC books have arrived! Cant wait to get started, I‘ve been looking forward to both of these.

BookDragonNotWorm Can't wait to see what you think of Kill Creek ! It's been on my list forever and I keep putting it off. 3y
Kris10H I LOVED Kill Creek! The other one, not so much. 3y
32 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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magyklyXdelish
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Pickpick

Omg you guys, I finished my second book this month 😱😭

Reading this one during the trial of Derek Chauvin was really something else. This is a thriller like no other. It shows the many layers of systemic racism and points out the many ways in which society desperately needs to change.

Thank you for picking this book for #LMPBC I‘m glad I read it.

#BookSpinBingo

EadieB Nice review! Looking forward to reading it! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
MaleficentBookDragon I read this one and The Vanishing Half, and watched the Amazon Prime series Them all within one month. Plus, I work at a TV station so we were all holding our breathe this week while preparing for the worst.
I had to move on to a cozy mystery after all that.
(edited) 3y
31 likes3 comments
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EatSleepRead
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Mehso-so

Audiobook pick:
This book has major "Get Out" vibes. I appreciated parts of it, but at times it seemed to be suffering from an identity crisis. Social commentary or thriller? It just seemed too disjointed to me.

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magyklyXdelish
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Started this one early this morning before bed. Only a couple chapters in but I‘m liking it so far. I can tell this is one that‘s gonna make angry. Only 40 pages in and we‘ve already been introduced to like 5 awful people lol

#LMPBC

EadieB Sounds interesting! 3y
MaleficentBookDragon Oh yes you will be angry. I was yelling at the book a few times. 3y
33 likes2 comments
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Sharanya
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Pickpick

Whew, that was a RIDE. I‘m not well-versed in thriller as a genre, so I can‘t speak much to whether or not this stood up in terms of plot & pacing. What I CAN say is that this book made me *feel* the effects of gentrification in a way that research & hot-take-articles could not. The love, horror & loss that Sydney feels is palpable & beautifully written. Imperfect, maybe, but still a heart-wrenching social thriller about community & home. ★★★★☆.

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Karkar
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Pickpick

Fished this one up today. This was great!! Love that she has additional resources at the end so you can do further research. I have several of them marked to read and dig further into some of the topics in the book.

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canbku
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Pickpick

This was great! I've read too many thrillers lately. The pacing in this one was different, but it really accelerated.

91 likes3 stack adds