Book Nook Girl

Legacy, Lies, and Longing: My Take on Watch Me

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by

IzzieMalley
in

Just a quick note: my reviews are subjective and represent my personal opinion. It’s not meant as a personal critique of the author or anyone who loves the book—just my take on it, to help others decide if it’s something they might enjoy too. 

Title:
Watch Me

Author:
Tahereh Mafi

  • Tahereh Mafi is a bestselling author and wrote the Shatter Me series, a personal favorite of mine. My only thing to note is that some readers boycott her books because of her political ideas and support of certain foreign policies.  

Star Ratings

  • Overall Rating: (4/5)

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • Spice Rating: (1/5)

Rating: 1 out of 5.
  • Impact: (2/5)

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Disclaimers

  • Trigger Warnings: Profanity, surveillance, emotional abuse, mental health struggles, and torture.

Summary

(READ SHATTER ME FIRST OR THIS WON’T MAKE SENSE!)

In the aftermath of The Reestablishment’s fall, the world is in tatters. Enter James Anderson: younger brother of Aaron Warner Anderson, who has infiltrated Ark Island which is the last stronghold of the old regime. Though he’s imprisoned, James views his capture as a success and a feat.

Rosabelle Wolff, a trained assassin, operates under constant surveillance on Ark Island. Her only living relative is her sister, who is chronically ill and is her sole reason for living. When ordered to eliminate James, she kills him yet he spares her life.

They have a complex dynamic and their story unfolds in a place where a trust is scarce, and emotions are dangerous. Watch Me delves into themes of identity, loyalty, and resistance, offering a blend of action, intrigue, and romance which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Main Character(s) Overview

James Anderson

  •  I overall enjoyed his character as it added some humor to the book, and as the author promised he seemed like a mix of Kenji and Aaron. In the first half I enjoyed seeing his character develop and actually focusing on him. 
  • The only fault of his was his blinding trust to Rosabelle again and again because it proved that he was just as naive as the others were calling him. Especially after she attacked his family and was repeatedly disruptive in the Rehabilitation facility. 

Rosabelle Wolf

  •  I honestly didn’t particularly enjoy her character or think her chapters were interesting to read. I usually enjoy how Mafi builds her characters but I just didn’t feel the same connection to her.
  • This might just be me but I was so upset how she continued to  betray his trust and he just accepted it and her behavior over and over. I feel like she and James didnt have the same chemistry the other series did. But that might change in future books or if she speaks more than like three lines in the whole book. 

Who’s my favorite character? 

That award would have to go to my two favorites from the original series: Kenji and Warner. (I love Juliette to obvi but she was barely in here.) They were honestly hilarious and I loved getting to see them as best friends and mores settled. To be honest, I really only picked up this book to read about them and the snippets didn’t disappoint. This quote wraps it up:

“”Don’t exaggerate because you’re jealous,” says Kenji. “If you want popcorn, all you have to do is ask.” “I shouldn’t have to ask,” Warner counters icily. “You’re supposed to offer.”” Best duo!

I Would Recommend It To This Specific Niche 

  • I would recommend this to fans of cutesy sci-fi-dystopian romances featuring legacy characters navigating trauma, identity, and surveillance under a crumbling authoritarian regime — with a soft spot for emotionally repressed assassins and snarky younger siblings turned reluctant heroes.

Favorite Quotes

  • “Minds and organs sacrificed at the altar of artificial learing” – uh wow. I thinks it’s very profound and relates to the current world as well.
  • *the entire Kenji and Julitee movie marathon scene*- self explanatory 🙂

Plot Holes/ My wishes  

I wish there was an interaction with Nazeera and I want more of her and Kenji’s story, and about how it ended.

I also hoped for more in Rosabelles development, I feel like we don’t really see much of her character, and I know she’s “dead” inside but still.. A spark of feeling or anything would have made me connect to her more. 

I wish there was more to James and Rosas relationship, the whole thing was basically asking questions and not getting answers and staring at each other like the title suggests. 

Extra things I feel like I should mention 

It will be difficult to fully comprehend this story without reading the prior series, the shatter me series. 

I’ve Concurred…. 

Overall I enjoyed this read, because I found it incredibly entertaining and easy to read plus she said book 2 was so much better. But for someone who didn’t care for the original series or with less tolerance for annoying main characters, I wouldn’t recommend.

Thanks for reading! Sorry for not posting in a while, school has been hectic!

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