We're Watching You

by A.J. Carter

Lights, camera, nightmare.

When Blaise accepts an invitation to join a mysterious new reality show, she sees it as a chance to reset her life. Three couples, a secluded island, and a chance at romance with a complete stranger – what could go wrong?

But after a casual beachside ceremony with her charming match Eric, things quickly unravel. One of the other women vanishes without explanation, and the production crew's behaviour becomes increasingly suspicious.

As the idyllic setup deteriorates, Blaise senses something sinister beneath the surface. With trust eroding and tension mounting between all the participants, she must uncover what's really happening before she becomes the next to disappear.

In this nail-biting thriller, reality television becomes a deadly game where what's real and what's staged blurs into a fight for survival.
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Genres: Thriller

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

AJ Carter is a psychological thriller author from Bristol, England. His first book, The Family Secret, is praised by critics around the world, and he continues to regularly deliver suspenseful novels you can’t put down.

Sign up to his mailing list today and be the first to hear about upcoming releases and hot new deals for existing books. You’ll also receive a FREE digital copy of The Couple Downstairs – an unputdownable domestic thriller you won’t find anywhere else in the world: https://BookHip.com/WAXFLLP

Reviews

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hit by this author! I’ve read most if not all of his books, and this book is my favorite! An unlikely premise where horror meets social media! While seemingly impossible, there is a hint to how far some people go to be entertained. I especially liked that it wasn’t the typical domestic thriller. While I would have preferred a different ending, I understood the author’s motives. It’s a good book, and I recommend it!

[Tina Varga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was such a fun read! I was led in a direction I already knew we were going but it was an entertaining ride! I stayed up way too late as I couldn’t wait to finish it! If you love a good story then read the book!

[Erin Harley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I don’t understand how this was so highly rated? It was so repetitive and BORING!!!!!

[Lexi Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

predictable and left hanging

the story dragged and dragged. she kept repeating the same things over and over again. there was never really a big twist to this. i feel like they kinda revealed what was going on from the beginning. not fully but enough to not be shocked when you found out the truth. then the ending just happened out of no where

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blaise just cant find love, anywhere, and she really doesn’t think she will find it on a reality TV show, but throws her caution and sense to the wind and applies…..she is more than shocked when she is then successful

The show basically has 3 contestants meeting their matches at their wedding, they have never met before until they meet at the ‘celebration’ then they have agreed to be filmed for 6 weeks to see how they ‘get on’ with their wedded bliss

All on a beautiful island, paradise

Until paradise turns nasty, evil in fact and the 6 contestants realise they may have done more than agreed to a sham wedding

It’s pretty relentless in its action and I enjoyed the small creeping feelings of unease that were happening pretty early on until the full realisation of what they had got themselves into became apparent

Written with an edge as all this authors thrilllers are, one of my favourites by him...

[Lisa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Island Smooshed with Survior

I have absolutely no idea if the author, AJ Carter, bothers to read reviews, but I’m hoping he does.

Loved the premise and immediately knew where he was going, BUT not he was going to get there.

Bravo.

Well written (and edited) - proper use of em dash, and an apparent fan of the Oxford comma (as am I).

Have you ever read a book where you wanted more description, more backstory? Well, this author is fantastic at painting a picture. His descriptors are phenomenal. You won’t be left longing for more detail. Also, side note: his similes are to die for.

This would be a great beach read if you like well-written suspense novels.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is solid, and I do enjoy AJ Carter’s writing style. Unfortunately, the pacing of the story was just too slow.
The entire story is told from Blaise’s POV and in this case it resulted in a lot of repetitive thoughts. We spend so much time circling the same internal anxieties that it really drags down the pacing throughout the whole book. The ending felt a bit disjointed to me; it was rushed and left a few plot holes.

Want to see spoilers or trigger warnings? Check out: https://www.spoiltheplot.com/books/we...

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me say I did enjoy the book. It was a really good story idea and keep me reading constantly so I finished in 2 days. I am a fan of AJ Carter and have read dozens of his books. Now for the only two irritating things... one, the first chapter or two is terribly repetitious. The main character repeats the same things over and over. It was annoying. Secondly, if I had a $5 bill for every time AJ said "a smile that didn't reach his eyes" I'd have enough to pay my grocery bill for the week. That phrase was WAY over-used. Other than those two things, I enjoyed the book.

[celene irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant

Unfortunately Amazon only facilitate us with five star ratings. If I could give this book a hundred stars I would. It was absolutely brilliant from start to finish highly recommended. I wont give anything away but the characters were very easy to follow and I was hooked from start to finish. Thank you AJ I think I have most of your books read now. Keep up the good work

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dangerous game of real life vs reality TV. This was such a fun read!! I loved how fast paced it is. Although sometimes it felt repetitive with wording, it just added to the effect of filming reality TV is not reality at all, it is rehearsed and rerun, practiced over and over and over again and not at all what it seems.... I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a fast paced thriller!

[Carol Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different

This is not the typical island-adventure-gone-wrong read & I enjoyed it. However, I took issue with the lack of common sense in a few circumstances, which sometimes presents itself in books of this genre. That’s why it got 4 stars from me. Still, it kept me engaged throughout & I will check out other books by this author.

[Charlotte Lees · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations at the start of the book, basically the same concept as MAFS just more remote. However, I had suspicions of Blaise’s new husband, Eric, when he knew her name from the wedding yet she knew nothing about him - this was a small hint, maybe a mistake by the author, but enough to plant a seed that Eric wasn’t to be trusted, and as it happens, he wasn’t.

[Lisa Bernardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSANE!!!!

I read this in a matter of hours! Could not put it down! Oh my God. This was insane! I never imagined it would take a turn like this! What a crazy story. I now want to read everything this author has written. This is a must read for people who love thrillers, suspense, crazy psychological drama. TEN stars!!!

[Kaitlynn | angelbabyreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m only giving this 2 stars because it kept me hooked and I just had to know what happened. However, the writing felt really repetitive at the beginning so it kinda felt drawn out at the beginning and then the ending was rushed and left you hanging. It was good, but wasn’t worth me getting emotionally invested in.

[Autumn Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I couldn't put this down!

A reality show goes majorly wrong is the understatement of the century.

I didn't put the pieces together right away and this book kept me on the edge of my seat. So good!!

[Mary Ann McLeroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're Watching You

Oh! My! Goodness! Didn't know where this was going, then hoping I was wrong about the villain. Then the ending!!! Wonder if there will be another book or we just leave hanging.... Ugh

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

This is one of my favorite authors. Many twists and suspense and great writing.
I always find a few mistakes in the story which surprises me, I’d think editors would catch them!
But a great read.

[Brenda Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read. Can't put down kinda read. Knowing there was more to this, but just couldn't figure it out. One minute a character was a villain, but then would convince myself they weren't. And nothing could ever prepare you for the ending.

[Mary Nierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riviting!

My gosh, page after page keeps you so engrossed in the story, hard to put it down to complete your own mundane daily chores! Thanks, loved escaping into this amazing thriller! More please!

[Thundyr Myah · Rating 3 out of 5]

ending twist

Certainly didn’t expect exactly what happened at the end to be the way it ended. So that was very good. You could almost figure out why they were there, but the reason certainly was not what I expected. Very good plot.

[crystal kesler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Survival thriller

Action thriller
conceptually intriguing
Unexpected heroism
Unexpected antagonist
Dark layered plot with several twists
Attention keeper
Psychological thriller
Standalone series

[Esme Merrily]

DNF, because I lost my patience with constantly repeated phrases. He looked and something shifted in me. He smiled and something unlocked in me. And so on, so on. Sadly, I'm prone to exasperation these days.

[Jacquie bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An actual page-turner

First book in a long while that I genuinely couldn't (and didn't) put down. A few clunky errors in the writing are more than offset by the author's narrative skill, quirky style, craftful dialogue and maintenance of a story with this pace!!

[April Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish this one. It could have been an interesting story but it moved so slowly and there was so much redundancy, it felt like slogging through a pit of glue to get through each paragraph.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be given 6 stars

[Debra Furlong · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always ...

AJ has written yet another book that refuses to let you sleep. This one is stellar ... well, all of his books are stellar. Enough said!

[Samantha A Stark · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a page turner but very unlikely to ever happen.

[Brontesrule · Rating 3 out of 5]

Improbable but interesting.

[mrs carole webb]

Very good book, loved it from the start. Would of loved more at the end .

[Donna Kettlewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never warch really tv in the same light again i was on the end of my seat through it all great book