You Watched in Silence by H. Lee Justine weaves a spell with mystery, suspense, and wit, delivering a shocking finish you won’t see coming.
***Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC***
You Watched In Silence Book Stats
Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Queer
Author: H. Lee Justine is an accomplished career ghost writer whose work has been featured in NPR for her work with her clients. You Watched In Silence is her debut novel.
Themes: grief, guilt, parasocial relationships, online bullying, boundaries and ethics within family-oriented content creators, the secrets we keep, and the slippery slope of second chances
Content Warnings: suicide, mental health, depression, mild homophobia, mentions of sexualization of a child, and animal harm
Representation: LGBTQ+, lesbian, gay, and sapphic
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The Synopsis
Caitlyn comes to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest to nanny for her favorite YouTube family blogger, Bella Greene. Who, after a public scandal, has been cancelled and became the target of stalking and ire online and in real life.
When Caitlyn sees the job opportunity pop up in her group chat exclusively for her fans, she leaps at the opportunity to learn more about the public figure and become close to her.
Yet, what promises to be an easy-peasy job quickly gets hairy when suspicious activities begin to occur and ghostly apparitions stalk Caitlyn. Secrets surface with danger threatening the safety of Bella and Caitlyn.
Craft & Style
I enjoyed how, from the beginning, Justine opened the novel with a bang, with a chilling scene. Immediately, you’re hooked into the novel as you’re trying to connect the dots. The tension and suspense are heavy and layered, and continued to build as the events in the novel escalated.
Also, the setting was superb and fit the eerie, moody vibe and the melancholic tone of the story, highlighting the paranormal elements.
Caitlyn’s voice and personality were a delightful mix of wit, sarcasm, and mystique. Side characters Adam, Bella’s assistant, and Hannah, the chef, were interesting but lacked some essential depth to make them fully three-dimensional. As for Ms. Bella herself, she felt duplicitous and fake, and was based on all the standard stereotypes we’ve come to associate with popular influencers.
Overall, I enjoyed the structure of this novel and the deeper themes and messaging it was exploring.
Emotional Impact
Aside from the mysterious and creepy vibes, there was depth in this story. Topics concerning parasocial relationships, online bullying, and the ethics of family vlogging with young children provided rich social commentary.
I also really appreciated the openness with which mental health was discussed. Caitlyn sharing her struggles with depression and taking medication was nice to see positively explored on page, especially in a thriller in which mental health and mental illness are too often used as plot points and twists, painting these issues in a negative light.
Furthermore, her description of what it’s like living with depression or mental illness was so spot on. As a person who deals with mental illness, I found this representation validating and authentic.
Lastly, I was rooting for the romance between Caitlyn and the chef Hannah. Despite their differences, they had great chemistry and a good team.
Notable Strengths
The social commentary inside You Watched In Silence is apt and timely. How Justine framed the differing arguments regarding the ethics and responsibilities of family vloggers filming with young children was written so well.
Additionally, the pacing prevented dips and valleys in the story, managing to grab and hold your attention throughout the novel with clever plotting that worked to build the suspense, lull you into a false sense of security, and then deliver a key plot point, heightening the stakes of the story.
Potential Hurdles
In this case, you can have too much of a good thing. While the social commentary was awesome, it was also a tad heavy-handed at times and aired on the side of being redundant.
While the pacing and plotting remained sharp throughout the majority of the novel, it did feel like the events towards the end happened at a breakneck pace. And, while the twist was delicious and I appreciated Justine not holding her punches. Some elements didn’t feel plausible.
Deeper Reflections
This novel had the wheels in my head turning as I considered the ethics of family vloggers. As one who’s enjoyed family vloggers with young children and enjoys taking comfort in the cozy family-oriented vibes, I failed to realize what possibly happens behind the scenes.
The lack of consent, internet exposure placing them in the sights of sexual predators, the fact that they had to “perform” a version of childhood that got likes and clicks, and how this content would follow them for their lifetime.
Justine’s critique of this industry and the necessary reforms that should be made to protect young children is something I agree with wholeheartedly. It’s one thing as a fully realized adult on your own recognizance to film and share your life online. However, forcing young children to do the same is unethical.
Rating & Recommendations
This was an enjoyable read for me, and I’m looking forward to what H. Lee Justine does next. This would be perfect for readers who enjoy twisty, moody, dark thrillers packed with punch social commentary, a queer main character full of mystique and wit, and an ending that will shock you.
Join The Conversation
While we’re on the topic of influencers, parasocial relationships, and family vloggers. What are your thoughts about the lengths to which Bella Green went to ensure her successful comeback?
Looking for queer representation you can sink your teeth into? Here’s my review for Bury Our Bones in The Midnight Soil, a Sapphic spin on An Interview with A Vampire.
