Always Watching

By: Chevy Stevens

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

She helps people put their demons to rest. But she has a few of her own....

In the lockdown ward of a psychiatric hospital, Dr. Nadine Lavoie is in her element. She has the tools to help people, and she has the desire: Healing broken families is what she lives for. But Nadine doesn’t want to look too closely at her own past because there are whole chunks of her life that are black holes. It takes all her willpower to tamp down her recurrent claustrophobia, and her daughter, Lisa, is a runaway who has been on the streets for seven years.

When a distraught woman, Heather Simeon, is brought into the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit after a suicide attempt, Nadine gently coaxes her story out of her - and learns of some troubling parallels to her own life. Digging deeper, Nadine is forced to confront her traumatic childhood and the damage that began when she and her brother were brought by their mother to a remote commune on Vancouver Island. What happened to Nadine? Why was their family destroyed? And why does the name of the group’s leader, Aaron Quinn, provoke complex feelings of terror in Nadine even today?

Then the unthinkable happens, and Nadine realizes that danger is closer to home than she ever imagined. She has no choice but to face what terrifies her the most...and fight back.

Sometimes you can leave the past, but you can never escape.

Told with the trademark powerful storytelling that has had critics praising her work as "gripping" (Kirkus Reviews), "jaw-dropping" (Publishers Weekly), and "crackling with suspense" (People), Always Watching shows why Chevy Stevens is one of the most mesmerizing new talents of our day.

©2013 Chevy Stevens (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

You can feel the emotion in this book

The description and emotion of this novel are very powerful. There are a lot of very uncomfortable scenes of molestation and violence and thw book centres on those events. There are lots of flashbacks which seem lazy with respect to plot development but it still works. There is a lot great about this book and it's easy to spend hours at a time listening to it. Worth the credit!

ONE OF A KIND!

My headline describes Chevy Steven's!
Her books so far have had me holding my breath, gasping, smiling, etc. etc.
This one actually brought tears along with all of the above mentioned.
Thanks to everyone involved in making this book available!

🥰🥰 Chevy Stevens 🥰🥰

Never read a book by Chevy Stevens I didn’t love! Always Watching was a fantastic read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really had a hard time connecting with protagonist

Was it the character herself -- most likely. Also may be in part the voice of the reader.

Slow moving

I thought the subject matter was interesting, but the story was too slow moving for me. It did not hold my attention long enough to even finish. I am almost two hours in and nothing has gripped me enough to hold on and find out what happens.
The narrator was not for me either. Her voice was too monotone and only contributed to my disengagement.

Always Watching or “The Perils of Pauline”

The basic story line is ok. However, the story becomes so whinny that it is exhausting.

Twister

Things are never as they seem. Just wish I knew what happened with Kevin. But I love Chevy Steven !

Amateur but interesting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened all the way through, but had to force myself. The entire production is at an English Lit class level of sophistication. Nadine is a psychologist who struggles with claustrophobia from suppressed memories linked to a traumatic incident in her childhood. Unplausable, but you read on, hoping for the best. Then you meet the boring surrounding characters. Robbie, the brother, is dull as dishwater. Her daughter Lisa, a grown woman with an addiction problem, is unlikeable. Her stepson Garrett, who we don't meet until the middle of book, seems only a convenient answer to some unresolved questions. The author keeps using the same phrases and we heard blood roaring or whooshing in Nadine's ears at least 5 times. No problem guessing the good guys from the bad guys, and no problem guessing the ending.

What didn’t you like about Joyce Bean’s performance?

The narrator sounded bored most of the time, but did a fair job in creating the characters and differentiating the voices.

Did Always Watching inspire you to do anything?

Find another book.

Any additional comments?

Good first try, but will look forward to this author's development.

Great story.

The book starts out kind of slow, but it is so interesting that you have to keep going. It speeds up and draws you in even more. I enjoyed it.

Chevy Stevens Is Brilliant-Her Books Enthrall Me

What made the experience of listening to Always Watching the most enjoyable?

Joyce Bean is a wonderful voice performer. Her narration allowed me to 'see' the story in my mind. Fantastic!

What did you like best about this story?

Dr. Nadine Lavoie's internal struggle as her role as a professional, adult and her experiences with Aaron Quinn as a child.

Have you listened to any of Joyce Bean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not heard Joyce Bean's performed before, so I cannot compare. I would not hesitate to listen to her work in the future. 5*

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, the whole book had me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to listen to the whole thing in one session.

Any additional comments?

The publisher's summary is very detailed. I urge you to read it, as I felt that I could not add much to it without spoiling.

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