When No One is Watching
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- Create Date：2021-09-19 09:55:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alyssa Cole
- ISBN：0062982656
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Summary
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。 To hold onto her community’s past and present， Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo。
But Sydney and Theo’s 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 push 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？
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。 To hold onto her community’s past and present， Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo。
But Sydney and Theo’s 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 push 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？
Reviews
Cheryl Durham
，
This was my first time reading a book by this author。 I was on the edge of my seat and committed to finishing it in one day。 I wasn’t sure if Sydney， Kim， Theo and the others were psychologically unbalanced， pill poppers or possibly a combination of both。 I did know， however， that there was an undercurrent of things going on and I wanted to know its origin。Little did I know that the antecedents and aftermath would rest around the premise of gentrification。 How can society break the cycle of marg This was my first time reading a book by this author。 I was on the edge of my seat and committed to finishing it in one day。 I wasn’t sure if Sydney， Kim， Theo and the others were psychologically unbalanced， pill poppers or possibly a combination of both。 I did know， however， that there was an undercurrent of things going on and I wanted to know its origin。Little did I know that the antecedents and aftermath would rest around the premise of gentrification。 How can society break the cycle of marginalization？ Where do the marginalized go once pushed out of their neighborhood。 Can revitalization take place without forcing individuals and families out of their homes？ Why are most targeted areas in the brown and black neighborhoods？ Cole explores gentrification in such a thrilling manner。 One day a resident is seen…the next day their absence is noticed。 Before you know it someone else is moving into their residence。 Takeover starts and seems to have no end in sight。 The takeover seems to be supported by those with deep pockets and strong connections to law enforcement， banks and the like。 This read shows that such actions are repeated because it’s been successful elsewhere。 It also shows that not everyone will just cave and relinquish their property。 What happens when relinquishing doesn’t occur？ What happens when residents get information that they shouldn’t？ Can situations and outcomes like this occur today？ Cole makes you wonder。 Read…。this is well worth it。Note: Reader should be prepared to come across some foul language。 。。。more
Tawnya
，
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway！ This book was a fun ride。 Every time I figured out what was going on， another surprise came。 Once I got about halfway in， I could not put this book down。 The characters are all a bit unlikable。 I kept questioning who I was actually rooting for， and I couldn't figure out what I actually wanted to have happen。 The end was satisfying。 My only wish was that there had been more of a concrete conclusion with Sarah's brother。 I'll definitely be checking out I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway！ This book was a fun ride。 Every time I figured out what was going on， another surprise came。 Once I got about halfway in， I could not put this book down。 The characters are all a bit unlikable。 I kept questioning who I was actually rooting for， and I couldn't figure out what I actually wanted to have happen。 The end was satisfying。 My only wish was that there had been more of a concrete conclusion with Sarah's brother。 I'll definitely be checking out more books by Alyssa Cole！ 。。。more
Akona Ludidi
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A very timely thriller centered around gentrification， racism， and the opioid epidemic。 It's well-written with a conversational tone， and likable though unreliable main characters。 I appreciated how much research Alyssa Cole put into it and how even though I was learning about African American history it flowed seamlessly into the story。 Highly recommended。 A very timely thriller centered around gentrification， racism， and the opioid epidemic。 It's well-written with a conversational tone， and likable though unreliable main characters。 I appreciated how much research Alyssa Cole put into it and how even though I was learning about African American history it flowed seamlessly into the story。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Micheline
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It was ok。 I found hard to stay on。 Wouldn't call it a thriller。 It was ok。 I found hard to stay on。 Wouldn't call it a thriller。 。。。more
Liza
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Great concept for the book but paced too slow。 The story line is a great blend of history， horror， and conspiracy but is only seen 2/3 of the way through。 over all a fun read but I was expecting something a little more thrilling all the way through。
Hannah
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（9。1/10） - ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Content warnings can be found here If they ever turn this book into a movie， I'll be first in line to see it。 When No One Is Watching is such a ride， and I think Cole did a great job of escalating the story to a level where the implausible becomes believable。 While it started out at a somewhat leisurely pace， you kind of need that slower start to get a true feel for the neighborhood the book is set in， and for the characters that inhabit it。 For the most part， I think the gradua （9。1/10） - ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Content warnings can be found here If they ever turn this book into a movie， I'll be first in line to see it。 When No One Is Watching is such a ride， and I think Cole did a great job of escalating the story to a level where the implausible becomes believable。 While it started out at a somewhat leisurely pace， you kind of need that slower start to get a true feel for the neighborhood the book is set in， and for the characters that inhabit it。 For the most part， I think the gradual buildup was done perfectly and matched the plot very well， but the last few chapters unfortunately did feel very rushed and awkward in places。 As for characters， it personally took me a good while to give even the littlest of craps about Theo， and I didn't start seeing the point of including his POV until roughly halfway through the book。 Sydney， on the other hand， I understood immediately， and I really enjoyed seeing her interpretations of the world and the bite that she had。 Halfway through the book， the two POVs really do start playing off each other in a great way， and the contrast added fantastic dimension to the story。 I think this was an overall fantastic thriller with a few small issues here and there that can easily be forgiven， especially given the context and poignancy of the overarching plot。 Wholeheartedly recommend。 。。。more
Alyssa Frazee
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This one is hard for me to review！！ I stayed up late finishing it last night which is all I ever really want from a novel， honestly， so that was awesome。 I also thought the portrayal of gentrification was really， really good。 I got confused for a second in like chapter three and wondered if I’d requested the wrong book from the library？ It read like literary fiction， similar to Such A Fun Age （which i liked a lot but was definitely not a thriller）。Anyway， all this is to say that I agree with a f This one is hard for me to review！！ I stayed up late finishing it last night which is all I ever really want from a novel， honestly， so that was awesome。 I also thought the portrayal of gentrification was really， really good。 I got confused for a second in like chapter three and wondered if I’d requested the wrong book from the library？ It read like literary fiction， similar to Such A Fun Age （which i liked a lot but was definitely not a thriller）。Anyway， all this is to say that I agree with a few other reviews here: the premise was awesome but the pace was off （it suddenly becomes a thriller like 2/3 of the way through） and it was super violent and bloody at the end。 On the one hand， it seems like that’s the point — colonization IS violent so maybe it should be portrayed more explicitly that way。 But on the other hand， I don’t think gentrifiers are psychopaths （like they are in this book; by the time Kim had no feelings about her dad being murdered besides glee at getting to take over his position， it was clear that these villains were extreme caricatures） — maybe they are worse for not thinking their actions are violent， but framing it as such an extreme break from the existing social contract kinda jolts the book into violent thriller territory and away from the incisive social commentary that really crackled in the first third。 。。。more
Audra
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I requested this book from my library because it was sold as a thriller about the evils of gentrification in Brooklyn。 Well， I was born in Brooklyn in the late 60's and have worked in Brooklyn for the past 24 years。 So I am familiar with some of this。。。 Well。。。。the Brooklyn I know has more than the few more ethnic groups than those portrayed in this novel。Also。。。I wanted more of a thriller。 I felt that the romantic relationship between the main characters was somewhat forced/unnecessary。 I also I requested this book from my library because it was sold as a thriller about the evils of gentrification in Brooklyn。 Well， I was born in Brooklyn in the late 60's and have worked in Brooklyn for the past 24 years。 So I am familiar with some of this。。。 Well。。。。the Brooklyn I know has more than the few more ethnic groups than those portrayed in this novel。Also。。。I wanted more of a thriller。 I felt that the romantic relationship between the main characters was somewhat forced/unnecessary。 I also felt that the two main characters weren't the "strongest" characters。。。 they both came across a little whiney and cliché to me。 *****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT*****I think that the climax with the older residents would have been better served if those characters had been more fleshed out in the rest of the book， I wanted to know more of their story than that of the main POV characters。 That being said， I did like the author's writing style and would definitely read more of her books。 。。。more
Lynne Crossette
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I really liked this book。 I listened to on my library app。 Fun， far out， but with a message。 Doesn’t take itself too seriously while tackling serious issues。 This would be a great movie with its mash up of comedy， romance， drama， history，horror， and action。 Would educate people while taking them on a fun ride through Brooklyn past and present。
Leslie
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This was such a good book for several reasons。 This is basically a thriller about gentrification and it feels like a book that really needed to be written - there are a lot of horrors of gentrification out there that I don't think are really relayed （especially to the white population， which is me lol）。 The characters and storyline are great， and the book is really suspenseful without being too overly graphic or scary （like a lot of detective thrillers are） so it's safe to read before bed。 I'm n This was such a good book for several reasons。 This is basically a thriller about gentrification and it feels like a book that really needed to be written - there are a lot of horrors of gentrification out there that I don't think are really relayed （especially to the white population， which is me lol）。 The characters and storyline are great， and the book is really suspenseful without being too overly graphic or scary （like a lot of detective thrillers are） so it's safe to read before bed。 I'm now going to have to check out some of the non-fiction books about gentrification the author references in the back of the book to learn more！ I read this with a book club and I can't wait to discuss with them！ 。。。more
Ashley G。
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Enjoyable and easy read that went deep into the history of Brooklyn in a palatable narrative style。 How far will gentrification and capitalism drive a group of people set on overtaking a community。 In this book， it's farther than you think and somehow also just as far as you would think， but then somehow farther than you would ever imagine， but in an eerily plausible way based on what we know are atrocities against people without power。 Enjoyable and easy read that went deep into the history of Brooklyn in a palatable narrative style。 How far will gentrification and capitalism drive a group of people set on overtaking a community。 In this book， it's farther than you think and somehow also just as far as you would think， but then somehow farther than you would ever imagine， but in an eerily plausible way based on what we know are atrocities against people without power。 。。。more
Ashleigh Strathearn
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This started slow but then I couldnt put it down。
Caren Nelson
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Wow！ I’ve never read anything like this。 I could not put it down。 I don’t even have words for what I’m feeling， but I’m so grateful I took this ride。 Maybe I’ll try to write something more coherent after I’ve processed， but for now…。WOW。
Renee Anderson
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This book captures the feeling of life and one's surroundings changing faster than thought possible。 The double perspective provides insight into how events are perceived based on race in America。 There are many situations throughout the book relating to stories on news outlets today from racist acts， both subtle and overt。 This thriller has a slow build that wrapped me into thinking it could be a story of two people falling in love when I got punched in the stomach and directed toward the main This book captures the feeling of life and one's surroundings changing faster than thought possible。 The double perspective provides insight into how events are perceived based on race in America。 There are many situations throughout the book relating to stories on news outlets today from racist acts， both subtle and overt。 This thriller has a slow build that wrapped me into thinking it could be a story of two people falling in love when I got punched in the stomach and directed toward the main action。 Events that had me thinking， what is happening？， slowly turned to， am I crazy？ and oh， shit！ Settle in and get comfy， you may be sucked in。Summary:When No One is Watching is relayed from two perspectives， Sydney and Theo。 Sydney is a black woman who grew up in this Brooklyn neighborhood。 She went through a rough marriage and went back home to stay with her ill mother。 Theo is a white man who recently moved into the neighborhood with his girlfriend， maybe not so much his girlfriend as two people stuck owning a house together。Sydney decided to go on a tour of historic Brooklyn brownstones hoping to learn more about the history of Black America in the area。 As one can easily believe， the tour focused on the history of white men。 When Sydney asked questions of the tour guide， she was told to take her complaints up with the organizers or start a tour of her own。 She decided on the latter with reluctant assistance from her new neighbor， Theo。 The history they dig up on the journey to creating this tour may hit closer to home than expected。Topics: Racism， Violence， Trauma 。。。more
Meghan Wilde
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This was the first thriller book I’ve read in a very long time！ I forgot how much I enjoy them。 I like how Alyssa includes historical pieces of information in the story。 Excellent read。
Aimal （The Devils We Find）
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Full review on my blog: The Devils We Find。When No One is Watching is a thriller unlike any I have read before。 Frankly， I did not know what to expect going into this book， because of the lackluster Goodreads rating and my unfamiliarity with the author’s work。 I took a shot， and I’m so happy that I did because I have not been this enthralled by a thriller in a very， very long time。 ALYSSA COLE EXPERTLY CRAFTS THE MYSTERY， WEAVING THE NARRATIVE WITH SHARP RACIAL COMMENTARY， WHILE KEEPING THE CHAR Full review on my blog: The Devils We Find。When No One is Watching is a thriller unlike any I have read before。 Frankly， I did not know what to expect going into this book， because of the lackluster Goodreads rating and my unfamiliarity with the author’s work。 I took a shot， and I’m so happy that I did because I have not been this enthralled by a thriller in a very， very long time。 ALYSSA COLE EXPERTLY CRAFTS THE MYSTERY， WEAVING THE NARRATIVE WITH SHARP RACIAL COMMENTARY， WHILE KEEPING THE CHARACTERS LAYERED AND REALISTIC。To me， a thriller can fall flat on its face even if the mystery is the most unpredictable， twisty thing I have ever read， if the author has failed to flesh out the characters。 Flat characters don’t captivate readers。 But from the get-go， I knew that that would not be a concern I would have with this book。 Told from the perspectives of Sydney and Theo， the narrative does a tremendous job of building these characters’ back stories and personalities。 I was invested in both of these characters surprisingly quickly， and I liked them both despite their very deliberate flaws。 Cole did a phenomenal job of giving me enough clues to satisfy， while keeping enough hidden that I was still surprised。 The thrill and the mystery is tied inextricably to the gentrification aspect of the novel。 Partly because of this， and partly because of Cole’s vivid writing， I was reminded of Jordan Peele’s Get Out。 It’s sinister， and it’s conspiracy-driven， and somehow it feels completely realistic because of the history and the real-world themes that drive the story forward。 DESPITE LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY， AND DESPITE BEING ACUTELY AWARE OF THE CITY’S GENTRIFICATION PROBLEM， THIS BOOK STILL MANAGED TO GIVE ME A STRONG DOSE OF REALITY。I have been living in New York for almost a decade now， and I know that gentrification is a very real concern。 But reading this book and seeing how Sydney’s life， her emotional well-being and her larger neighborhood is impacted by gentrification， it pushed me to truly think about the issue in a meaningful way。 The uprooting of entire families and their histories， the demolition of cultures and communities， where businesses and people who have lived in the same area for decades upon decades are painted over because wealthy， usually white， people decide to move into that area – it’s a horrifying reality， one that we should all confront and fight against。 For that reason alone， I would urge people to pick this book up and think about the systemic issues it raises。BUT， A WORD OF WARNING: THIS BOOK IS VERY MUCH A THRILLER BOOK， AND IT IS ALSO VERY MUCH A ROMANCE BOOK。I found the romance incredibly well handled。 Both characters complement each other but also challenge each other in important ways。 The relationship unraveled quite beautifully， with progression as well as appropriate regression by virtue of Sydney’s mistrust of her white neighbors and her emotional turmoil regarding the neighborhood and her mother。 I thought the characters had great chemistry， and despite the difficult and tense circumstances they find themselves in， their dynamic brings a certain lightness to the novel that was much needed。SO， WHY DID I TAKE OFF A HALF STAR？ MY ONLY GRIPE WITH THIS BOOK WAS THAT THE ANTAGONISTS FELT CARTOONISHLY FLAT。Perhaps the overtly， in-your-face ‘villains’ were a way of building the sinister， hostile environment that Sydney confronts throughout the book – but I can’t help but feel that having some of the antagonists be more outwardly subtle and insidious would have achieved that sinisterness far more effectively。 Content warnings: Very overt depiction of racism; police brutality; death; violence; emotional domestic abuse。 。。。more
Shasta
，
This was a very slow read。 I feel like the the author focused so much on us getting to know the two main characters that the ending just fell away。 I didn't even feel like this was a thriller book because of the pace of the book。 I get what she was going for and I enjoying the premise of the book。 That's why I rated it higher。 This was a very slow read。 I feel like the the author focused so much on us getting to know the two main characters that the ending just fell away。 I didn't even feel like this was a thriller book because of the pace of the book。 I get what she was going for and I enjoying the premise of the book。 That's why I rated it higher。 。。。more
Kerri Reid
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I wouldn't really call it a thriller。。。。 I wouldn't really call it a thriller。。。。 。。。more
Lia | bookishthoughtsbyliaaa
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this was so weird but so good
Ashleigh Woolly
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I LOVED the first 1/2 and HATED the 2nd half。I loved the premise and the writing but something happened and it all fell apart in the end。 It was almost as if they switched authors and genres in the 2nd half of the book。 I thought this was going to be a very thoughtful and special novel but the ending ruined it for me。
Juhi
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I understand what the author was trying to do here， but all of the characters were tropes。 I am not a fan of how the character of Theo was written。 He seemed self-aware times， then also ignorant and then too self-deprecating， then extremely fetishizing - it was giving me whip-lash。 There was potential to have a thriller focused on marginalized communities that had an air of realism because of the actual impact gentrification has on people and how our legal system doesn’t protect everyone， but it I understand what the author was trying to do here， but all of the characters were tropes。 I am not a fan of how the character of Theo was written。 He seemed self-aware times， then also ignorant and then too self-deprecating， then extremely fetishizing - it was giving me whip-lash。 There was potential to have a thriller focused on marginalized communities that had an air of realism because of the actual impact gentrification has on people and how our legal system doesn’t protect everyone， but it veered too much into the fantastical realm for me。 The style of writing with Twitter slang is more suited for a long form essay， not a novel。 And the unreliable narrator theme with Sydney seemed wasn’t as fully fleshed out as I would like it to be and left some questions unanswered。 I am giving it two stars because I do want to explore the nuance around gentrification in Brooklyn more so will be reading the articles on her list of additional reading material。 。。。more
Hope Ndoci
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I'm going to give it a 2。8 - this just didn't do anything at all for me。 Listened to it on audiobook and it did translate well to audio， but I had no interest at all。 At least it was quick。 I'm going to give it a 2。8 - this just didn't do anything at all for me。 Listened to it on audiobook and it did translate well to audio， but I had no interest at all。 At least it was quick。 。。。more
Nancy
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Glad I found this book
Sandra Mendonça
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I would go as far as a 4。5！This story will capture your mind and heart。You'll get annoyed at how people in Gilford are treated and somehow feel avenged towards the end。There are some twisted parts， but somehow， what makes it scarier， is not actually doubting it could happen in real life。If anything， this book will make you understand and feel enraged at how "non white people" are treated， and maybe raise awareness about our own behavior。 Simple things can have huge effects。 Strength is in number I would go as far as a 4。5！This story will capture your mind and heart。You'll get annoyed at how people in Gilford are treated and somehow feel avenged towards the end。There are some twisted parts， but somehow， what makes it scarier， is not actually doubting it could happen in real life。If anything， this book will make you understand and feel enraged at how "non white people" are treated， and maybe raise awareness about our own behavior。 Simple things can have huge effects。 Strength is in numbers but also in a community， people that know you， love you and have your back。 。。。more
Melinda
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4。5 stars
Pam Moore
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DNF
إيمان❤︎
，
This is an interesting mix of a discussion about race and gentrification into a thriller plot， and I'm here for it。 However， I wish it wasn't so IN-YOUR-FACE and had the MUAHAHA-IM-EVIL type of "villains"。 It would have been perfect if the "villains" were more subtle about it This is an interesting mix of a discussion about race and gentrification into a thriller plot， and I'm here for it。 However， I wish it wasn't so IN-YOUR-FACE and had the MUAHAHA-IM-EVIL type of "villains"。 It would have been perfect if the "villains" were more subtle about it 。。。more
Margaret
，
4 stars！ ⭐️Enjoyed this thriller！ Learned a lot about the history of gentrification in Brooklyn。 The audiobook had a clip of an interview with the author which was a nice addition as well。 Would recommend reading and listening to it！
Michelle
，
Whoa！
Margaret
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Twisty gentrification horror/thriller + romance， so not your usual genre novel。 Interesting book， and a good vehicle to think about the issues of gentrification and changes to historic Black neighborhoods。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When No One is Watching
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When No One is Watching&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft