What do you think?
Rate this book
Just Watch Me
Not yet published
Expected 26 Feb 26
Fleabag
meets
Big Swiss
in this visceral, darkly hilarious, and surprisingly moving debut novel about a charismatic misfit who livestreams herself for seven straight days to raise money for her comatose sister's life support
‘Propulsive, witty and deranged - I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, you will love this book.’ Nussaibah Younis, author of Fundamentally
‘Fans of Melissa Broder, Rufi Thorpe and Ottessa Moshfegh will laugh, cringe, empathise, and be mesmerised by the spectacle of one woman’s attempt to solve all her financial and emotional problems in the most adventurous, public and high-stakes way possible. Just Watch Me is addictive and propulsive.’ Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes
Dell Danvers is barely keeping it together. She’s behind on rent for her bathroom-less studio apartment (formerly a walk-in closet), she’s being plagued by perpetual, spiking stomach pain, and her younger sister, Daisy, is in a coma at a hospital that wants to pull the plug. Freshly unemployed and subsisting on selling plant propagations to trust fund kids, Dell impulsively starts a 24-hour livestream under the username mademoiselle_dell to fundraise $14,000 for a week of private life support for Daisy.
In the dungeon of her stream, Dell is in control, banishing those who don’t abide by her terms of engagement and steadily rising up the platform’s ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence. On a dare, she discovers that she has a talent for eating spicy food, and her streaming fame explodes as her pepper consumption graduates from jalapeño to habanero to ghost. Finally, Dell is good at something—but as her behavior becomes riskier and riskier and a troll-turned-incel threatens to expose her dark past, Dell must reckon with what her digital life ignores, and what real redemption means.
Narrated in seven taut chapters, one for each day of Dell’s livestream, Just Watch Me careens us through a nonstop week in the life of this charismatic misfit with a heart of gold. Voyeuristic and visceral, audacious and outrageous, Lior Torenberg’s debut is both an incisive, zippy tragicomedy about the internet economy as well as a moving meditation on love, loss, and forgiveness.
‘Propulsive, witty and deranged - I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, you will love this book.’ Nussaibah Younis, author of Fundamentally
‘Fans of Melissa Broder, Rufi Thorpe and Ottessa Moshfegh will laugh, cringe, empathise, and be mesmerised by the spectacle of one woman’s attempt to solve all her financial and emotional problems in the most adventurous, public and high-stakes way possible. Just Watch Me is addictive and propulsive.’ Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes
Dell Danvers is barely keeping it together. She’s behind on rent for her bathroom-less studio apartment (formerly a walk-in closet), she’s being plagued by perpetual, spiking stomach pain, and her younger sister, Daisy, is in a coma at a hospital that wants to pull the plug. Freshly unemployed and subsisting on selling plant propagations to trust fund kids, Dell impulsively starts a 24-hour livestream under the username mademoiselle_dell to fundraise $14,000 for a week of private life support for Daisy.
In the dungeon of her stream, Dell is in control, banishing those who don’t abide by her terms of engagement and steadily rising up the platform’s ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence. On a dare, she discovers that she has a talent for eating spicy food, and her streaming fame explodes as her pepper consumption graduates from jalapeño to habanero to ghost. Finally, Dell is good at something—but as her behavior becomes riskier and riskier and a troll-turned-incel threatens to expose her dark past, Dell must reckon with what her digital life ignores, and what real redemption means.
Narrated in seven taut chapters, one for each day of Dell’s livestream, Just Watch Me careens us through a nonstop week in the life of this charismatic misfit with a heart of gold. Voyeuristic and visceral, audacious and outrageous, Lior Torenberg’s debut is both an incisive, zippy tragicomedy about the internet economy as well as a moving meditation on love, loss, and forgiveness.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 20, 2026
20867 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
fleabag meets big swiss...i could not be more in
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
November 18, 2025
couldn’t put it down . made my whole body feel itchy
December 28, 2025
Just Watch Me is character centered work that’s a sort of tragi-comedy. The book is an exploration of loneliness in our modern world, how self-exploitation online has become a new norm, and the dangers of putting yourself (and your private life) online.
I really enjoyed the dark humor and learning about the live-streaming community( I knew nothing about the online live streaming world prior going into Just Watch Me). Dell was a fascinating main character. She’s quick witted, unhinged, and the fun type of weird that you can’t look away from.
I alternated between reading the book myself and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster who did a fantastic job. Readers of character centered stories, with an unhinged main character will love this one.
Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg will be available on January 20. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Avid Reader Press for the gifted copy!
I really enjoyed the dark humor and learning about the live-streaming community( I knew nothing about the online live streaming world prior going into Just Watch Me). Dell was a fascinating main character. She’s quick witted, unhinged, and the fun type of weird that you can’t look away from.
I alternated between reading the book myself and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster who did a fantastic job. Readers of character centered stories, with an unhinged main character will love this one.
Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg will be available on January 20. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Avid Reader Press for the gifted copy!
January 1, 2026
4.5, rounded up. Dell is a fantastic MC- I didn’t always like her, or agree with her, but I couldn’t look away. Great debut!
August 12, 2025
ARC for review. To be published January 20, 2026.
3 stars
Dell Danvers is quite the mess. She’s barely scraping by in NYC in an illegal apartment, she’s just lost her job and her sister is in a coma at a fancy hospital that is ready to pull the plug. Dell needs money fast. She decides to fundraise/live stream for seven days to make rent and to raise enough to pay for one week of private care for her sister.
Dell’s followers mount as she gets into eating hot peppers for cash while her life continues to spiral. Will Dell find a way out?
The book skewed a bit young for me but I still enjoyed it. Dell seems to make a very wrong decision possible…but she makes it look a little too easy to make money online. Interesting book. 3.4 stars.
3 stars
Dell Danvers is quite the mess. She’s barely scraping by in NYC in an illegal apartment, she’s just lost her job and her sister is in a coma at a fancy hospital that is ready to pull the plug. Dell needs money fast. She decides to fundraise/live stream for seven days to make rent and to raise enough to pay for one week of private care for her sister.
Dell’s followers mount as she gets into eating hot peppers for cash while her life continues to spiral. Will Dell find a way out?
The book skewed a bit young for me but I still enjoyed it. Dell seems to make a very wrong decision possible…but she makes it look a little too easy to make money online. Interesting book. 3.4 stars.
December 31, 2025
this made my skin crawl in the most addictive way possible.
August 21, 2025
Holy smokes! So I went into Just Watch Me with zero expectations and I’m glad I did, because it turned out to be compulsive, chaotic and wildly intense in the best way!
Our main character Dell is quite a hot mess. Shes edgy, reckless and totally unapologetic. With her sister in a coma and her own life unraveling, broke after losing her juice bar job thanks to a run in with a finance bro, she throws herself into full time streaming. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to dislike this book based on how insufferable the MC is alone but I really enjoyed the book as a whole. Reading it felt like biting into a hot pepper, fiery yet impossible to put down.
What surprised me most about this story was how, beneath all the heat and chaos, the story also carried true tenderness. There were moments that had me tearing up as often as I was flipping pages in a frenzy.
This was such a fun, chaotic read, and one I’ll definitely be recommending. Big thanks to Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy. Just Watch Me hits shelves on January 20, 2026 and it’s one to keep an eye out for!
Our main character Dell is quite a hot mess. Shes edgy, reckless and totally unapologetic. With her sister in a coma and her own life unraveling, broke after losing her juice bar job thanks to a run in with a finance bro, she throws herself into full time streaming. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to dislike this book based on how insufferable the MC is alone but I really enjoyed the book as a whole. Reading it felt like biting into a hot pepper, fiery yet impossible to put down.
What surprised me most about this story was how, beneath all the heat and chaos, the story also carried true tenderness. There were moments that had me tearing up as often as I was flipping pages in a frenzy.
This was such a fun, chaotic read, and one I’ll definitely be recommending. Big thanks to Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy. Just Watch Me hits shelves on January 20, 2026 and it’s one to keep an eye out for!
![Profile Image for Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1746468325i%2F66224803._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 3, 2026
Streaming can bring you a lot of money, but also weird stalkers (not dark romance style!) that send you dickpicks.
Isn't that bizarre, how grief can devour? How it can make everything it touches just like itself?
Everything I ate, saw, said, heard, smelled was grief. I lost my coordination, in all senses of the word.
Grieving can look different in anyone, sometimes you take a break from university, move into an apartment that has no windows or bathroom, get fired dem several jobs and end up streaming and selling plants (that kinda want to take over your apartment).
Having someone watch you can be exciting, or frightening when there’s a possibility of a stalker.
But she’s mademoiselle_dell, not afraid of spicy chilli peppers or fire itself.
Really entertaining and weird.
Isn't that bizarre, how grief can devour? How it can make everything it touches just like itself?
Everything I ate, saw, said, heard, smelled was grief. I lost my coordination, in all senses of the word.
Grieving can look different in anyone, sometimes you take a break from university, move into an apartment that has no windows or bathroom, get fired dem several jobs and end up streaming and selling plants (that kinda want to take over your apartment).
Having someone watch you can be exciting, or frightening when there’s a possibility of a stalker.
But she’s mademoiselle_dell, not afraid of spicy chilli peppers or fire itself.
Really entertaining and weird.
July 28, 2025
wow this was so twisted and tense and moving i loved it
November 21, 2025
I love a quirky book & this one is quirky for sure. When I saw the blurb referenced Fleabag...say less! Couldn't get my hands on it quick enough.
Dell lives in a tiny space that would only be considered livable in NYC. While she doesn't have modern conveniences like a bathroom and air conditioning she does have a ton of plants....including the one living inside of her ear?!
She finds herself unemployed and needing to quickly make money for rent as well as private care for her comatose sister, Daisy. Desperate times call for desperate measures and her jalapeño plant has sparked inspiration. Dell begins by live streaming herself eating a jalapeno and quickly ups the ante in hopes of making a buck. Shock value = $$$. Habaneros, ghost peppers, shoplifting. Pretty much nothing is off limits.
Told over the course of a couple weeks this book takes us on a crazy journey that at no point did I know where it was headed. Unlike Fleabag I didn't really connect with the characters so didn't feel super invested or emotional towards them. I did enjoy the ending and the uniqueness from start to finish. I'd love to see more from this author for sure!
•Debut
•Quirky
•Grief
•Mental health
•Complex family dynamics
•First person POV
•Unreliable narrator
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley & Avid Reader Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publishing 1•20•26
Dell lives in a tiny space that would only be considered livable in NYC. While she doesn't have modern conveniences like a bathroom and air conditioning she does have a ton of plants....including the one living inside of her ear?!
She finds herself unemployed and needing to quickly make money for rent as well as private care for her comatose sister, Daisy. Desperate times call for desperate measures and her jalapeño plant has sparked inspiration. Dell begins by live streaming herself eating a jalapeno and quickly ups the ante in hopes of making a buck. Shock value = $$$. Habaneros, ghost peppers, shoplifting. Pretty much nothing is off limits.
Told over the course of a couple weeks this book takes us on a crazy journey that at no point did I know where it was headed. Unlike Fleabag I didn't really connect with the characters so didn't feel super invested or emotional towards them. I did enjoy the ending and the uniqueness from start to finish. I'd love to see more from this author for sure!
•Debut
•Quirky
•Grief
•Mental health
•Complex family dynamics
•First person POV
•Unreliable narrator
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley & Avid Reader Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publishing 1•20•26
January 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for providing an ARC of Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg in exchange for honest feedback.
This book was honestly crazy. I really enjoyed it, despite absolutely despising the main character. She was incredibly frustrating in her lack of accountability and insane behaviors...yet still wildly funny. Overall a bit unhinged. Reading this was like watching a train wreck in action that I just couldn't turn away from.
Definitely unique, and call me crazy but I felt like it almost had some thriller undertones. The MC was a bit devious and deceitful which created some buildup for a few interesting twists. Even though some felt a bit predictable, I still had fun uncovering them. Definitely recommend picking this up for a fun, modern, dark humor read.
Side note - pretty sure I will never look at habaneros the same way again.
This book was honestly crazy. I really enjoyed it, despite absolutely despising the main character. She was incredibly frustrating in her lack of accountability and insane behaviors...yet still wildly funny. Overall a bit unhinged. Reading this was like watching a train wreck in action that I just couldn't turn away from.
Definitely unique, and call me crazy but I felt like it almost had some thriller undertones. The MC was a bit devious and deceitful which created some buildup for a few interesting twists. Even though some felt a bit predictable, I still had fun uncovering them. Definitely recommend picking this up for a fun, modern, dark humor read.
Side note - pretty sure I will never look at habaneros the same way again.
Want to read
January 14, 2026Everyone has been raving about this, so apparently I need to bump it up my priority list xx
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
January 12, 2026
2.5 -- i wanted this to be so much better than it was 😭 the writing was kind of lazy and no character depth. ty to the publisher for the gifted copy.
January 17, 2026
@avidreaderpress | #gifted It’s looking like 2026 is shaping up to be a great year for books. I’ve already read a few and thought I’d do an early review of one of those, 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗠𝗘, a debut by Lior Torenberg. The publisher describes this as 𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘨 meets 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘴 and I definitely see that, but I’d also throw 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘰’𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 into the mix!
Dell is an NYU dropout living in a shoe box of an apartment, barely getting by, and she’s just been fired from yet another job. Add to all that, Dell’s in a deep depression because her younger sister, Daisy, is in an end-of-life coma. In an effort to raise money for her sister’s ongoing care, Dell decides to livestream her life for a full seven days. This is NOT an Only Fans situation, but instead simply the ins and outs of her daily life with a little spice🌶️ thrown in. As Dell’s daring increases in her livestream, more money pours in boosting her spirits. But, for how long, and how much of her life does she really want to share?
I loved that 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘔𝘦 went so much deeper than I thought it would. Dell turned out to be a complex character who my heart went out to. Torenberg’s vehicle to bring her to the reader was so unique and unexpected that I found myself more and more pleased with the story the further I read. Don’t let the premise fool you, this is an intense story of love, regret, and grief told in large part through quirky comic interludes. A terrific debut! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Dell is an NYU dropout living in a shoe box of an apartment, barely getting by, and she’s just been fired from yet another job. Add to all that, Dell’s in a deep depression because her younger sister, Daisy, is in an end-of-life coma. In an effort to raise money for her sister’s ongoing care, Dell decides to livestream her life for a full seven days. This is NOT an Only Fans situation, but instead simply the ins and outs of her daily life with a little spice🌶️ thrown in. As Dell’s daring increases in her livestream, more money pours in boosting her spirits. But, for how long, and how much of her life does she really want to share?
I loved that 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘔𝘦 went so much deeper than I thought it would. Dell turned out to be a complex character who my heart went out to. Torenberg’s vehicle to bring her to the reader was so unique and unexpected that I found myself more and more pleased with the story the further I read. Don’t let the premise fool you, this is an intense story of love, regret, and grief told in large part through quirky comic interludes. A terrific debut! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
August 1, 2025
Wow wow wow wow WOW! Just Watch Me is a book that I could not log off from. Dell, a NYU dropout and disgraced ex-employee at Juice Body, finds herself $14,000 short of paying her rent and keeping her younger sister on life support. Seeming to lack any other options, she begins to livestream her life 24/7, increasingly getting more and more desperate to earn anonymous donations from her viewers. This book spirals out of control, unforgiving towards its main character and unafraid to show the sadistic side of humanity.
Lior Torenberg’s writing is snappy and clever, but she also knows when to linger and stick a knife into you (especially with plant-like analogies). I was especially impressed by how accurately internet chatroom language and personalities were captured, complete with the one person who can’t stop shouting out the country their from and another person randomly revealing that they are a high school student a la “I have a math test to study for tomorrow :(“
At its heart, Just Watch Me asks its readers to reckon with redemption and who has the power to forgive. It’s one long crash out that is impossible to look away from. This is an amazing debut novel and one that people will be lucky to read in January. Thank you Avid Reader Press for the ARC, you little dungeon crawlers >:)
Lior Torenberg’s writing is snappy and clever, but she also knows when to linger and stick a knife into you (especially with plant-like analogies). I was especially impressed by how accurately internet chatroom language and personalities were captured, complete with the one person who can’t stop shouting out the country their from and another person randomly revealing that they are a high school student a la “I have a math test to study for tomorrow :(“
At its heart, Just Watch Me asks its readers to reckon with redemption and who has the power to forgive. It’s one long crash out that is impossible to look away from. This is an amazing debut novel and one that people will be lucky to read in January. Thank you Avid Reader Press for the ARC, you little dungeon crawlers >:)
January 3, 2026
Life is a funny thing. Life is messy and beautiful and tragic and challenging and chaotic and a clusterfuck of emotions. And that’s exactly what this novel is. A sensational, hilarious & reflective debut from author Lior Torenberg.
One of my favorite genres of stories is being locked into the deeply flawed point of view of a narcissist hot mess 20-something who is trying to figure out why life isn’t going the way they want. Love it. Can never put it down. But there is SO much heart behind the humor at its core (diving in topics of grief and loneliness) that it makes it a stellar stand out.
And that’s what you get with Ms Odelia Danvers. Fresh out of losing her job at a smoothie store (for throwing a jar of almond butter at a customer’s head), Del creates a LiveCam fundraiser and streams her life 24/7 for a week trying to raise money for her sister, who is in a coma. It’s chaotic. She is chaotic. But ultimately, she just wants to be something to someone.
This book is one of those experiences that will sit with you for a long time. I was mesmerized from the first to last pages. The characters are so chaotic, problematic but lovable, and flawed at their very core that it makes you remember what it means to be human. Humanity isn’t linear. People aren’t inherently good. Inherently bad. Everyone is going through something. And sometimes we all just need someone to lean on.
Disclaimer: please do not choose to lean on ghost peppers.
I genuinely could not put this down and I am looking forward to reading more work from this author! Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Reader & Simon & Schuster for this eARC.
One of my favorite genres of stories is being locked into the deeply flawed point of view of a narcissist hot mess 20-something who is trying to figure out why life isn’t going the way they want. Love it. Can never put it down. But there is SO much heart behind the humor at its core (diving in topics of grief and loneliness) that it makes it a stellar stand out.
And that’s what you get with Ms Odelia Danvers. Fresh out of losing her job at a smoothie store (for throwing a jar of almond butter at a customer’s head), Del creates a LiveCam fundraiser and streams her life 24/7 for a week trying to raise money for her sister, who is in a coma. It’s chaotic. She is chaotic. But ultimately, she just wants to be something to someone.
This book is one of those experiences that will sit with you for a long time. I was mesmerized from the first to last pages. The characters are so chaotic, problematic but lovable, and flawed at their very core that it makes you remember what it means to be human. Humanity isn’t linear. People aren’t inherently good. Inherently bad. Everyone is going through something. And sometimes we all just need someone to lean on.
Disclaimer: please do not choose to lean on ghost peppers.
I genuinely could not put this down and I am looking forward to reading more work from this author! Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Reader & Simon & Schuster for this eARC.
November 13, 2025
This book is such a wild ride and I was 100% here for it! I thought Dell was such an interesting character that I couldn't help rooting for. The concept of this book for one is completely wild. Dell starts 24/7 live streaming so she can raise money for her sister who's been in coma so she can put her on private life support. Things progress and just get crazier from there.
The writing style is super compelling and it was a super fun read that I highly recommend. I can't wait for this book to come out so I can get a finished copy!
thank you so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The writing style is super compelling and it was a super fun read that I highly recommend. I can't wait for this book to come out so I can get a finished copy!
thank you so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 3, 2025
Dell Danvers streams her life for seven days, escalating dares and attention‑grabbing stunts as she scrambles to save her comatose sister (and herself). The premise is sharp, a fresh twist on a familiar trope: a meditation on visibility, grief, and the intoxicating spectacle of being watched, of earning reward merely for existing. Torenberg’s ambition is unmistakable: dark humor, digital fame, fresh fruit, and raw vulnerability all collide into a bittersweet moral.
Yet the escalating stunts— pepper after pepper, a metaphorical scorched‑earth of attention and pain— often overwhelm the emotional core. I respected the heat, but couldn’t swallow the fire without flinching. The novel wants to make you squirm and clap at once, and it succeeds in concept, even if I found many parts simply indigestible.
A bold debut, uneven but deliberate, bright and loud: a livestream of grief and desperation where the Carolina‑Reaper of fame burns real pain. Admirable, incendiary, but impossible to fully inhabit without wincing.
Yet the escalating stunts— pepper after pepper, a metaphorical scorched‑earth of attention and pain— often overwhelm the emotional core. I respected the heat, but couldn’t swallow the fire without flinching. The novel wants to make you squirm and clap at once, and it succeeds in concept, even if I found many parts simply indigestible.
A bold debut, uneven but deliberate, bright and loud: a livestream of grief and desperation where the Carolina‑Reaper of fame burns real pain. Admirable, incendiary, but impossible to fully inhabit without wincing.
July 22, 2025
My friend wrote a book and I could NOT put it down. So many killer lines. It felt fun to read even though the subject matter was gruesome? That’s the balance right there.
November 10, 2025
God, this chick sucks. I love her!
Fired from her latest job, drowning in debt, and trying to move her comatose sister into private care, Dell starts streaming her life. Every minute of it. As her following grows, Dell performs increasingly humiliating and dangerous stunts in order to drill money out of her sadistic viewers.
Full transparency: I read this book (and wrote this review) on day three of the first cold I've had in like four years, so give me some grace (and some nyquil). And you know what? Maybe that's the ideal state to read this book in because I thought it was a good time! I love a weird, character-focused novel with a fmc who is kind of a terrible person–and let it be known that Dell does some rancid stuff in this book, but it all makes sense for her circumstances so I'm on board. I like the pacing a lot and it didn't really drag at points which is always nice to see in a debut. I like the streaming element and how genuinely scary the story gets in regards to some of the viewers and what Dell is willing to do. I'm a little mixed on the ending. Largely it was satisfying but there was like two major threads that we never really got an explanation for or any follow up on as far as I can tell. Honestly, if anything I would have liked this to be weirder and more disturbing because it's a hell of a situation to find yourself in.
If you support women's rights and wrongs, this book is for you! Expect spice...but not that kind of spice.
Thank you to Lior Torenberg and Avid Reader Press for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
Fired from her latest job, drowning in debt, and trying to move her comatose sister into private care, Dell starts streaming her life. Every minute of it. As her following grows, Dell performs increasingly humiliating and dangerous stunts in order to drill money out of her sadistic viewers.
Full transparency: I read this book (and wrote this review) on day three of the first cold I've had in like four years, so give me some grace (and some nyquil). And you know what? Maybe that's the ideal state to read this book in because I thought it was a good time! I love a weird, character-focused novel with a fmc who is kind of a terrible person–and let it be known that Dell does some rancid stuff in this book, but it all makes sense for her circumstances so I'm on board. I like the pacing a lot and it didn't really drag at points which is always nice to see in a debut. I like the streaming element and how genuinely scary the story gets in regards to some of the viewers and what Dell is willing to do. I'm a little mixed on the ending. Largely it was satisfying but there was like two major threads that we never really got an explanation for or any follow up on as far as I can tell. Honestly, if anything I would have liked this to be weirder and more disturbing because it's a hell of a situation to find yourself in.
If you support women's rights and wrongs, this book is for you! Expect spice...but not that kind of spice.
Thank you to Lior Torenberg and Avid Reader Press for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
November 4, 2025
GOT DAMN.
Unhinged girlies unite!
Another five star read for me! I am so thankful to Avid Reader Press, NetGalley, and Lior Torenberg for granting me advanced access to this title before January 20, 2026.
Dell is going through it. Her sister is in a coma. She’s broke and the debt is piling up, and oh yeah she doesn’t have a bathroom in her rinky-dink apartment, and she may or may not have a raging stomach ulcer.
After burning bridges at her juice shop job, she’s hit rock bottom and needs a way to make rent/bills/not starve.
So she turns to live-streaming her daily goings-on, and while it’s a slow trickle at first, her engagement hikes up as she begins to take on more dangerous tasks, such as inserting habaneros into herself, shoplifting, and even competing in spicy contests! With the intent of raising money for her sister, in hopes of putting her on a private life support health plan.
Her viewers LOVE HER, but there’s one who sees through the BS and aims to expose her lies.
I couldn’t put this one down and loved the mixed media formatting.
Unhinged girlies unite!
Another five star read for me! I am so thankful to Avid Reader Press, NetGalley, and Lior Torenberg for granting me advanced access to this title before January 20, 2026.
Dell is going through it. Her sister is in a coma. She’s broke and the debt is piling up, and oh yeah she doesn’t have a bathroom in her rinky-dink apartment, and she may or may not have a raging stomach ulcer.
After burning bridges at her juice shop job, she’s hit rock bottom and needs a way to make rent/bills/not starve.
So she turns to live-streaming her daily goings-on, and while it’s a slow trickle at first, her engagement hikes up as she begins to take on more dangerous tasks, such as inserting habaneros into herself, shoplifting, and even competing in spicy contests! With the intent of raising money for her sister, in hopes of putting her on a private life support health plan.
Her viewers LOVE HER, but there’s one who sees through the BS and aims to expose her lies.
I couldn’t put this one down and loved the mixed media formatting.
January 2, 2026
ARC✶REVIEW
#ad much love for my advance copy @avidreaderpress #partner
& @simon.audio #partner for the ALC
Just Watch Me
< @liortorenberg >
Releases: January 20, 2026
Bingeable AF! What a great book to start 2026 off with.
Dell is working at Juice Body when she’s fired. With her sister in a coma in the hospital, Dell needs to find a way to come up with some cash. Because the hospital needs open beds and they want to pull her sister off life support. But Dell and her mom don’t want that. Who would?
Enter LiveStream! Dell will live stream her life for a solid week, raking in the donations to keep her sister on private life support. But if she’s gonna get enough money she needs to up her ranking order. Thus begins this book.
This was such a unique and fun read, but it also had a mysterious side that I fully enjoyed too. And while it’s a fun read, it’s also a deep and complex story. It explores guilt, grief, redemption, and family happenings.
I also loved the social media aspect of this book. What one person is willing to do for money and how those who watch you - and build you up - can also tear you down and destroy you. Such an interesting read.
🎧: I also listened to the audiobook while following along and highly recommend it. Kelsey Navarro Foster does a phenomenal job narrating this book. She has one of those voices that are perfect for audiobooks and she slayed it.
Also loved the character rep. An engaging and thought-provoking read.
Lmao:
Didn’t realize pepper spray was made from peppers - never thought about it I guess
Also thought it was The Farmer and the Dell
Okay, now go google people eating Carolina Reapers and then Pepper X - thank me later. 😂
#ad much love for my advance copy @avidreaderpress #partner
& @simon.audio #partner for the ALC
Just Watch Me
< @liortorenberg >
Releases: January 20, 2026
Bingeable AF! What a great book to start 2026 off with.
Dell is working at Juice Body when she’s fired. With her sister in a coma in the hospital, Dell needs to find a way to come up with some cash. Because the hospital needs open beds and they want to pull her sister off life support. But Dell and her mom don’t want that. Who would?
Enter LiveStream! Dell will live stream her life for a solid week, raking in the donations to keep her sister on private life support. But if she’s gonna get enough money she needs to up her ranking order. Thus begins this book.
This was such a unique and fun read, but it also had a mysterious side that I fully enjoyed too. And while it’s a fun read, it’s also a deep and complex story. It explores guilt, grief, redemption, and family happenings.
I also loved the social media aspect of this book. What one person is willing to do for money and how those who watch you - and build you up - can also tear you down and destroy you. Such an interesting read.
🎧: I also listened to the audiobook while following along and highly recommend it. Kelsey Navarro Foster does a phenomenal job narrating this book. She has one of those voices that are perfect for audiobooks and she slayed it.
Also loved the character rep. An engaging and thought-provoking read.
Lmao:
Didn’t realize pepper spray was made from peppers - never thought about it I guess
Also thought it was The Farmer and the Dell
Okay, now go google people eating Carolina Reapers and then Pepper X - thank me later. 😂
December 6, 2025
Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg — 5 stars, no hesitation.
This book got its hooks in me within the first few pages. Dell is an absolute disaster of a human being — broke, panicked, grieving, physically falling apart — and somehow still marching herself straight into the world’s worst idea: livestreaming her life 24/7 to try to save her sister.
The setup sounds simple, but the execution is feral. Watching Dell spiral through this one week of nonstop streaming felt like rubbernecking at a slow-moving car crash you know you shouldn’t stare at… and yet you absolutely will. It’s stressful, cringe, unhinged, and weirdly tender underneath all the bad decisions.
This book consumed my brain for days. I was either reading it, thinking about it, or preparing emotionally for whatever deranged thing Dell was going to do next. Now that it’s over, I’m genuinely disoriented in that “book hangover, don’t talk to me” way.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC — I loved every unhinged minute of it.
This book got its hooks in me within the first few pages. Dell is an absolute disaster of a human being — broke, panicked, grieving, physically falling apart — and somehow still marching herself straight into the world’s worst idea: livestreaming her life 24/7 to try to save her sister.
The setup sounds simple, but the execution is feral. Watching Dell spiral through this one week of nonstop streaming felt like rubbernecking at a slow-moving car crash you know you shouldn’t stare at… and yet you absolutely will. It’s stressful, cringe, unhinged, and weirdly tender underneath all the bad decisions.
This book consumed my brain for days. I was either reading it, thinking about it, or preparing emotionally for whatever deranged thing Dell was going to do next. Now that it’s over, I’m genuinely disoriented in that “book hangover, don’t talk to me” way.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC — I loved every unhinged minute of it.
January 11, 2026
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Audio
Pub date: January 20th, 2026
4.5🌟 - I really liked it!
Thank you @avidreaderpress for the #ARC and @simon.audio for the advanced copy!
No better way to start off the year than with a weird little lit fic book! Our main character is going through it let me tell you, and is willing to do pretty much almost anything to raise money for her sister who is in a coma. Dell is willing to live stream herself unfiltered, try unorthodox dares, and lie, steal, and cheat to meet her goals. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her, but you will also severely question her judgement time and time again.
I too could not look away and binged it quickly within a day or so! This book takes you on a RIDE! It is a bit unhinged, but it felt really entertaining and compelling.
It’s been so long since I’ve read a book ahead of pub day, so keep this one on your radar when it’s pubbed later this month! Loved chatting along with @halisbooknook about this one!
Format: Audio
Pub date: January 20th, 2026
4.5🌟 - I really liked it!
Thank you @avidreaderpress for the #ARC and @simon.audio for the advanced copy!
No better way to start off the year than with a weird little lit fic book! Our main character is going through it let me tell you, and is willing to do pretty much almost anything to raise money for her sister who is in a coma. Dell is willing to live stream herself unfiltered, try unorthodox dares, and lie, steal, and cheat to meet her goals. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her, but you will also severely question her judgement time and time again.
I too could not look away and binged it quickly within a day or so! This book takes you on a RIDE! It is a bit unhinged, but it felt really entertaining and compelling.
It’s been so long since I’ve read a book ahead of pub day, so keep this one on your radar when it’s pubbed later this month! Loved chatting along with @halisbooknook about this one!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Scribner UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A weird girl book to watch in 2026, we follow Dell, a young woman who's just lost her job, has crippling stomach pain, and a sister in a coma. To obtain funds to pay for her sister's medical bills, she decides to start live-streaming her daily life, which escalates quickly into completing risky on-screen stunts for cash.
Our narrator is a flawed character, but I was always rooting for her. The book digs into her vulnerabilities and recklessness in an interesting way, and at times I laughed, at others I was incredibly stressed.
A brilliant read that should be on the radar for anyone who enjoys offbeat stories.
A weird girl book to watch in 2026, we follow Dell, a young woman who's just lost her job, has crippling stomach pain, and a sister in a coma. To obtain funds to pay for her sister's medical bills, she decides to start live-streaming her daily life, which escalates quickly into completing risky on-screen stunts for cash.
Our narrator is a flawed character, but I was always rooting for her. The book digs into her vulnerabilities and recklessness in an interesting way, and at times I laughed, at others I was incredibly stressed.
A brilliant read that should be on the radar for anyone who enjoys offbeat stories.
December 5, 2025
The cover was what caught my eye. I was also ready for a literary fiction. Wild this is a debut, the writing is incredible. This is not a book for you if you have to like your MC because damn Dell lives a questionable life and makes questionable choices. The amount of times I cringed through scenes but I had to keep reading. I could not stop. If you like messy this one if for you. 3.5⭐️ rounded up
Thank you NetGalley, Lior Torenberg, and the publisher Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley, Lior Torenberg, and the publisher Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2025
Wild and weird and sad and messy!!! Dell Danvers is a very unlikeable person who needs cash, and fast. Her sister is in a coma, and the doctor says it's time to pull the plug, unless Dell can raise enough money to keep her sister alive on private life support. She begins to livestream 24/7 in an effort to raise this money, but her followers need to be entertained, and Dell spirals into self-destructive and unhinged behavior, all while live. Dell is a mess, and she's mean, and kind of awful. She's also dealing with a strained relationship with her mother, and the grief of her sister's coma, and we do see moments of tenderness and sadness come through. If you can't stand a complex, unlikeable main character, this one might not be for you. I personally loved following her spiraling descent into madness, one hot pepper at a time.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC.
December 7, 2025
When we first meet Just Watch Me's protagonist Dell, she's a recent college dropout living in a utility closet-turned-studio apartment in New York City. She doesn't even have a bathroom; her neighbor, Lee, gave her a key to their apartment just so she can shower.
Things are, generally, not going well for Dell. Rent's due in a week and she's not going to make it, on account of just being fired from her job at a smoothie shop in Grant Central Station - the owner won't give her her last paycheck. Her only source of income is unreliable - she sells plants she grows from stolen cuttings on Facebook Marketplace. Oh, and her sister's in a coma. Things aren't exactly easy for her, but she's a fighter.
Until one day, on impulse, she decides to make an account on a website called LiveCast and stream for 24 hours straight, in order to raise money for a good cause because, you see, she has one week to make $14,000 - or her sister will be pulled off of life support.
What follows is as intense as a Carolina Reaper.
If you'd told me when I started this book that it would make me cry, I would not have believed you, but over the course of 270-ish pages - that fateful week - I grew to like Dell, even though she's an asshole. I was rooting for her. She's 20 years old, her life is kind of in shambles, and instead of raising a white flag and moving home to New Jersey, she's determined to make it work herself, by any means necessary.
This is a book that tosses curveballs after curveball at its readers, each one more interesting and more stressful than the last. I thought I knew what to expect - I did in fact guess where it was going about halfway through - but it still managed to pleasantly surprise me. Comparing this to Fleabag and Big Swiss was a smart marketing play. Loosely likable leads who struggle to find their place in a world that seems to constantly reject them. Phenomenal, phenomenal book.
Things are, generally, not going well for Dell. Rent's due in a week and she's not going to make it, on account of just being fired from her job at a smoothie shop in Grant Central Station - the owner won't give her her last paycheck. Her only source of income is unreliable - she sells plants she grows from stolen cuttings on Facebook Marketplace. Oh, and her sister's in a coma. Things aren't exactly easy for her, but she's a fighter.
Until one day, on impulse, she decides to make an account on a website called LiveCast and stream for 24 hours straight, in order to raise money for a good cause because, you see, she has one week to make $14,000 - or her sister will be pulled off of life support.
What follows is as intense as a Carolina Reaper.
If you'd told me when I started this book that it would make me cry, I would not have believed you, but over the course of 270-ish pages - that fateful week - I grew to like Dell, even though she's an asshole. I was rooting for her. She's 20 years old, her life is kind of in shambles, and instead of raising a white flag and moving home to New Jersey, she's determined to make it work herself, by any means necessary.
This is a book that tosses curveballs after curveball at its readers, each one more interesting and more stressful than the last. I thought I knew what to expect - I did in fact guess where it was going about halfway through - but it still managed to pleasantly surprise me. Comparing this to Fleabag and Big Swiss was a smart marketing play. Loosely likable leads who struggle to find their place in a world that seems to constantly reject them. Phenomenal, phenomenal book.
January 11, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Avid Reader press for the ARC, all following opinions are my own.
This was such an interesting read. We follow Dell Danvers as she navigates her life which is in serious upheaval. Living in a shoebox of an apartment with no bathroom, behind on rent and she loses her job. Deep in grief over her sister Daisy in a coma, she comes up with the idea to do a LiveStream of her life.
I really enjoyed this, it was crazy and funny and I loved Dells voice. The friend Lee was such a good support and I felt bad for them, when Dell would pull her shenanigans (which happened often).
I loved the ending and it ties everything up really nicely. It is suggested that this is for fans of Fleabag, I haven’t seen that show but think maybe I should!
This was such an interesting read. We follow Dell Danvers as she navigates her life which is in serious upheaval. Living in a shoebox of an apartment with no bathroom, behind on rent and she loses her job. Deep in grief over her sister Daisy in a coma, she comes up with the idea to do a LiveStream of her life.
I really enjoyed this, it was crazy and funny and I loved Dells voice. The friend Lee was such a good support and I felt bad for them, when Dell would pull her shenanigans (which happened often).
I loved the ending and it ties everything up really nicely. It is suggested that this is for fans of Fleabag, I haven’t seen that show but think maybe I should!
November 6, 2025
This novel is a good reminder to us all that you can be whomever you choose to be on the internet! When Dell is fired from her job at Juice Body she needs money so badly she begins to livestream everything she does. Her fans love it and begin donating money as her sister is in a coma. But we all know things are not always as they seem to be and Dell gets caught up in a whirlwind of things she never imagined!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews