Title: Watch Me
Author: Jody Gehrman
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Pages: 308
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Date Started: February 5, 2018
Date Finished: February 12, 2018
Format: Kindle

*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Where do I even begin with this one? I’ll start by saying this book was not quite my cup of tea. I was eager for a creepy, suspenseful stalker book that made my skin crawl. This was not that book. Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say that half of this book was not that book.

Watch Me switches between two points of view: Sam (the stalker) and Kate (the stalked). Kate is a creative writing professor at a local college. She has published one fairly successful novel, one flop, and can’t seem to find her inspiration. Her husband has left her, and her best friend is pregnant, so she experiences this overwhelming feeling of isolation. Sam, on the other hand, is one of her students. It soon becomes clear that he is not only infatuated, but dangerously obsessed with Kate.

My beef with the novel: Kate is clearly attracted to Sam (even once she starts to realize that he is a stalker!) and parts of this book felt like I was reading a sappy romance novel instead of a psychological thriller. No. Just no. Sam, on the other hand, had a rich backstory and provided that element of mental derangement that I expected from this novel. The problem, for me at least, is that when the “prey” is not scared, there is a very much lessened sense of fear and suspense. In that way, Kate failed me as a victim. Alternatively, I could have appreciated a strong woman who was able to defend herself and remove herself from the situation, or even fight back. Anything would have been better than a doe-eyed, love-sick, passive Kate.

Other than my disappointment with Kate, this was a good thriller. If you can get past her as a character, this book has all of the elements that lead to a dark and twisted read. But I couldn’t. If you read this book, read it for Sam. This rating is for Sam.

Overall, 2.5/5 moose