All Eyes on Us is a gripping thriller that will leave you flipping pages. I finished it in one day on the train because I had to know what happened.
Summary
PRIVATE NUMBER: Wouldn’t you look better without a cheater on your arm?
AMANDA: Who is this?
The daughter of small town social climbers, Amanda Kelly is deeply invested in her boyfriend, real estate heir Carter Shaw. He’s kind, ambitious, the town golden boy—but he’s far from perfect. Because behind Amanda’s back, Carter is also dating Rosalie.
PRIVATE NUMBER: I’m watching you, Sweetheart.
ROSALIE: Who IS this?
Rosalie Bell is fighting to remain true to herself and her girlfriend—while concealing her identity from her Christian fundamentalist parents. After years spent in and out of conversion “therapy,” her own safety is her top priority. But maintaining a fake, straight relationship is killing her from the inside.
When an anonymous texter ropes Amanda and Rosalie into a bid to take Carter down, the girls become collateral damage—and unlikely allies in a fight to unmask their stalker before Private uproots their lives.
PRIVATE NUMBER: You shouldn’t have ignored me. Now look what you made me do…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
All Eyes on Us is a thriller that will not only feel that ominous lurching in your stomach, but also scare you in how heart wrenching the story is for Rosalie. Both Rosalie and Amanda are sort of masquerading in their lives, putting on shows, and managing their families expectations. But for Rosalie, she’s hiding her lesbian identity from her Christian fundamentalist parents who have tried to convert her (and the scars this has left on her).
Themes and Thrillers
All Eyes On Us is a story of when people can pinpoint exactly what digs beneath the surface, our insecurities, our fears, our doubt. It’s about what happens when the spotlight is on us, blinding us, causing us to perform our lives. But also what happens in the shadows. How our nightly transgressions and regrets change how we are viewed in the spotlight.
In many ways, both Rosalie and Amanda are both trapped in their situations. Caged in by what people expect of them, what they envision for their future, battling against the desires in their hearts. The face behind the spotlight, behind the veneer and the images, false pretenses and pretty lies. They are both trapped by a future she doesn’t want and a family who sees another version of her.
Overall,
We witness a look at parents who think they’re preparing you, with their ideas and expectations in mind. And as we keep reading, our perceptions of the side characters, their lives and both Amanda and Rosalie shift. How do we feel about their actions knowing their motivations? What does it mean to us when the people around us can’t see us, when they look but can’t see, when we look but don’t see?
Giveaway
I am holding a US only giveaway for a finished hardcover of All Eyes on Us make sure you visit my Twitter in order to retweet the giveaway tweet! While you’re there make sure you enter my giveaway for some arcs! It will end June 16th at 11:59pm EST and is US only. If you win a copy on any other of the blog tour stops, then you can’t win multiple.
About the Author
Kit Frick is a novelist, poet, and MacDowell Colony fellow. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. When she isn’t putting complicated characters in impossible situations, Kit edits poetry and literary fiction for a small press, edits for private clients, and mentors emerging writers through Pitch Wars. She is the author of the young adult novels See All the Stars, All Eyes on Us (2019), and Windermere (2020), all from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books, and the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs (New American Press). Her fiction is represented by Erin Harris at Folio Literary Management / Folio Jr.
Tour Schedule
June 10th
The Hermit Librarian– Review
Hauntedbybooks– Review & Favorite Quotes
The Bookish Libra– Review
June 11th
Moonlight Rendezvous– Review
Morgan Vega– Review
A Few Chapters ’til Love– Q&A
June 12th
Musings of a (Book) Girl– Review
Utopia State of Mind– Review/Creative Post
Some Books & Ramblings– Review
June 13th
onemused– Bookstagram Review
Kait Plus Books– Q&A
The Reading Corner for All– Bookstagram
Snark & Squee– Review
June 14th
Bookishly Nerdy– Review & Favorite Quotes Cinnamon Summers– Bookstagram Here’s to Happy Endings– Review