When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

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?

This was a very intense book and it totally held my attention from beginning to end. 4.5 stars because although I did enjoy the whole experience, I have a minor criticism or two.

First, Alyssa Cole has said that this isn't a romance. It is not romantic and sweet, but it has the structure of a romance, for the most part. I hesitated to read it because I wasn't sure about the book's structure, so if you're the same, don't worry.

I've only ever read a few books in the suspense genre, and it's usually somewhat difficult for me to identify with the main characters. I found Sydney very easy to relate to, partly because I also have an anxiety disorder, but more than that, because she's alone in life in many ways. I also feel that there aren't a lot of official resources available to me, but I am white and know that fact makes my path easier than hers, both in the real world and in this book.

I really liked how Theo and the white lesbians were not actively hateful, and would probably have all called themselves anti-racist, yet they still did not understand things, and still benefited from racism. IIRC this theme is more prominent in her book An Extraordinary Union, and more subtle here, but it's relevant. Probably a lot of white people read this book thinking ourselves anti-racist, but are we really? For example, I'm ashamed that I hadn't until now made the obvious mental connection between gentrification and colonization. That's really the focus of the book, and it has given me a new framework to understand some things.

I liked the romance a lot. There was a big gap between how they saw each other and the reality of things. I enjoy that type of plot in any romance, but it was very intense here, because the stakes felt so high. I thought both characters had excellent development to make it clear why they would have so much trouble trusting each other. I also found them both easy to like and cheer for.

Two criticisms: first, some of the side characters could've had a little more depth or detail, especially Drea and all the elderly neighbors. But I think I see why it was written this way: Sydney couldn't trust her own perceptions, and we were mostly seeing these characters through her eyes. Second, the ending: Like I hinted in my first spoiler, I was expecting this book to have an unhappy ending, and it doesn't. But the ending did seem to come from nowhere in a few ways. I may have missed some foreshadowing, though.

I already loved Alyssa Cole's books and I am excited she has published a book in a new genre. I recommend this book to romance readers and thriller readers alike. Above all, I really did enjoy the story. I did not want to take breaks from listening. The audiobook had two narrators, Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng, and they were both fantastic.