I’m a big Heather Gudenkauf fan, but I also felt that Everyone is Watching was pretty different from her other books that I’ve read. Check out my Review with Spoilers for Everyone is Watching and I hope I can help you figure out if this book is for you!
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Jen’s Quick Take on Everyone is Watching
![Original photo of Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf. The ebook on a shelf next to other books with pink spines.](https://www.jenryland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Everyone-is-Watching-by-Heather-Gudenkauf-original-photo.jpg)
- A popcorn thriller with a fast pace and multiple POVs
- A locked room setting and an I Know What You Did Last Summer Vibe
- A reality TV plot involving a small group competing for $10 million
- A fun, quick read for those who enjoy a lighter book
Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf: Summary
- Published by Park Row Books on March 26, 2024.
- 320 pages.
- 3.75 Goodreads rating on publication of this review.
Review with Spoilers of Everyone is Watching
I went into Everyone is Watching very excited. I really enjoyed The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf, which was a great slow-burn suspense. Also, you know I love a good Locked Room premise.
I’m not always a fan of book with Reality Show premises, because as a HUGE reality show fan, I find them hard to pull off. They often involve a lot of characters and I always keep feeling it would be more fun to watch. (The Hunger Games is about the only exception I can think of. Even The Tri-Wizard Tournament did not work for me.)
Everyone is Watching required some BIG adjustments of my expectations.
To enjoy this book, go in expecting a fast-paced popcorn thriller. The game being played, One Lucky Winner, seemed a bit like a cross between Survivor (with outdoor physical challenges and special tokens to find) and Big Brother (as the contestants were trapped in a luxury villa together. Sort of.)
Don’t nitpick everything, because there are things that will make you go, “huh?”
It was interesting to me that what I thought made the book good also made it implausible. You go in thinking that the five contestants (yes, only five) are strangers to one another.
Nope, many of them have connections from the past. Some recognize the people they knew right away. Others do not. This was something I tried not to think too hard about. I also tried not to think about how the person running One Lucky Winner was doing it with a staff of three people and using a vast fortune she made as an Instagram makeup influencer.
There was an “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Subplot I Enjoyed
I have a rule about true thrillers: they usually can NOT include flashbacks. A thriller needs a fast pace and escalating tension, and flashbacks work against that. So I’d argue this book is a bit of a hybrid. But the flashbacks helped develop two of the characters, Maire and Samuel, more than the others.
But overall, I think if you’re looking for a fun reality TV thriller, this is a good choice.
Spoilers for Everyone is Watching
- Why (and by whom) were the characters in Everyone is Watching gathered together?
- How did the characters in Everyone is Watching know each other?
- What was the ending of Everyone is Watching?
- What were the motivations of the person who masterminded all this?
Cat masterminded the game, which we knew early on, but why?
Catalina “Cat” had a grudge against everyone she invited:
- Maire and Samuel, her ex-friend and ex-boyfriend, because they both suddenly dumped her during college and she didn’t know why. What was the dirt she had on them? Damon told her that Maire and Samuel kissed AND been involved in some weird prank that killed a man, so she used that to torture them.
- Camille, because Cat and her ex-husband Jack were Camille’s marriage therapy clients and Cat suggested that Jack ditch the “toxic” Cat. What was the dirt Cat had on Camille? Camille had been seeing patients under the table for cash to avoid paying taxes. Camille also lied to the police about knowing Wingo, which got him killed by police. (I guess Cat found this out using her reporter skills.)
- Ned, because he was sexually harassing and assaulting women (including both Cat and Fern) in the workplace and getting away with it.
- Richard, because when Cat was a reporter, she had the details on his affair and secret love child, but he got her fired and blackballed. And she had to become a make-up influencer, which made her a fortune, so…
What Was the Ending of Everyone is Watching?
- Cat and Ned end up dead. They struggle over Cat laptop with all the group’s secrets on it. Cat then pulls Ned off the balcony (with its janky railing we were always hearing about) and they both fall to their death.
- Cat leaves Fern everything in her will. But Fern finds medical files that show that Cat was suffering from Huntington’s Disease, an incurable terminal illness.
- Poor Shauna Stonehaven and her completely innocent son continue to be harassed by the media.
- Maire goes back to her kids. She thinks about contacting Samuel, but decides against it.
- Fern sends $1 million dollars (out of her $10 million dollar inheritance) to Maire, with a note that says “you would have won.”
Was Fern “Nan” in Everyone Is Watching?
I don’t know! Camille is certain that Fern is “Nan,” her mysterious patient with the controlling, horrible boss. But Fern completely denies it. She does admit to the reader that she’s lying about knowing Ned. Is she lying about being Nan? I searched the book again for an answer and didn’t find one. Did I miss it??
Why Didn’t Any of These People Recognize Each Other?
- Maire and Samuel do recognize each other, but decide to pretend they are strangers.
- Camille doesn’t recognize Cat (her former patient) because Fern locked Cat in the wine cellar. Ditto Maire and Samuel, who do recognize “Lina” when Cat (Catalina) finally escapes.
- Ned finally recognizes Fern, but it takes some time. (Thirty-seven chapters!)
My Questions! Leave a Comment if You Want to Discuss:
How much autonomy did Fern have and was she playing her own game? After Cat sneakily invites Ned and lies to Fern about it, this is the last straw for poor Fern (who I still think must be “Nan.”)
Fern locks Cat in the wine cellar and seems to go off-script at times, like with the pill. Which is weird, because Fern KNOWS they both hate Ned.
But why doesn’t Cat just admit that she invited Ned? Does she think Fern wouldn’t go along with her revenge plot?
Please give me your thoughts. I read and respond to all comments! Comments with spoilers are welcome so proceed with caution if you have NOT read the book and want to.