Watch Me: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

I love the uniqueness of this cover. It’s a great glimpse into what this book is going to be about. The broken glass over the image of the woman is creepy. However, once you look at the broken area and notice the dark night with a man’s image it takes on a sinister feel. That is exactly what I got from this book… dark and sinister hiding in plain sight! I’m always excited to read the debut book of an author. I feel like we’re gonna get some fantastically-enjoyable nights from Miss Jody Gehrman! One of the main characters, Kate Youngblood is an author of a pretty successful book. After 10 years of marriage she is a recently divorced woman who’s struggling a bit with her husband falling for younger women. Kate is currently teaching at a small town college. She feels herself being drawn to a student. Finally, she’s remembering that heat, that passion that’s been lost for so long. Here Kate is, all of a sudden, falling for a younger man… a student, no less! She’s feeling sexy again… feeling that sizzling heat again for a man… a much younger man! Our lucky young student, Sam, is just as infatuated with Kate… maybe a bit more so. Kate might be struggling with her infatuation but Sam is all on board and completely and utterly smitten. But Sam has a bit of a secret. He’s been in love with Kate for years and has been plotting his way right to her. Sam is completely crazy about Kate, and I mean that literally, not figuratively. I love how slowly, but surely, Jody Gehrman breaks down Sam’s character and shows us his true obsession. What a disturbing read from Gehrman! I was delighted that this was a debut, it sure didn’t read or feel like one. The dialog between the main characters was fantastic and the alternating POVs pulls you into their minds and makes you think. I love how we are given bit by little bit of the two flawed characters. Completely enthralling read! I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I will leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. Watch Me by author Jody Gehrman is a suspenseful psychological thriller about obsession. As you start reading the book and realize the chapters are written as a narrative alternately between Kate and Sam, you know it is going to be good. This is a compelling story with two very different people who long for something just out of their grasp. Kate Youngblood is a published author in her thirties who is having some difficulties editing her current book. She is under pressure from her agent to revise and make some changes before the book is accepted for publishing. The first book was a successful best seller while the second book fell short of Kate’s expectations. Her day job is a creative writing professor with mostly mediocre students. But there is one student who gets her attention. Sam Grist is a twenty-two year old student who lives by his own code. He attends Kate Youngbloods class and is writing his first book. Sam has become obsessed and has a fixation on Kate. He watches her at the campus and while she is in her home. Kate is going through a time of disillusion in her own life and is flattered by Sam’s attention. Will Kate cross a line between teacher and student? How far will Sam go to claim Kate for himself? Kate and Sam start a dangerous dance of desires and control which will lead to disaster.

3.5 Stars Watch Me is the first book of Jody Gehrman's I've read and I am left with mixed feeling's about it. The story was interesting and told in a very unique way. It rotated between Kate's first person point of view and Sam's second person point of view. The yous and yours of Sam's sections really helped pull me into the story. Kate was a character I couldn't connect with and the main reason I didn't rate this book higher. I really wanted to like Kate, but the majority of the time I felt she was rather annoying. Being able to connect or at least enjoy the main character is very important to me and a large influence on how much I enjoy a book. The plot itself was great and I enjoyed the writing style. If I'd been able to connect better with the heroine, I would have definitely given this book more stars. I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.