Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: Headline
Publication date: 16th April 2026
Content warnings: stalking, pregnancy, mental health, death

Other books by Naomi Williams:
The Woman in Ward 9

“How do you know you’re being watched… if you can’t see what’s in front of you?”

It’s no secret that I LOVED this author’s previous psych thriller, The Woman in Ward 9. It was one of my favourite books of last year and I still think about it! So naturally, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this one, and surprise surprise, I bloody loved it. It’s just as gripping and as twisty as the previous, with an absolute gut-punch of an ending. Another book I won’t be able to erase from my brain! 👏 So happy to be sharing my review of The Eyewitness by Naomi Williams!

About the book

Rachel Cartwright has a terrifying condition. Every 48 hours, her eyes shut – and stay that way for two long days.

When the darkness comes, she’s completely vulnerable. She can’t work. She can’t leave her home. And worst of all…

She’s certain she’s not alone.

Rachel can’t prove it. No one else believes her.

Except me.

As her doctor, it’s my job to help her. To protect her. To watch over her when she can’t watch for herself.

But the more time I spend with Rachel, the more I realise she’s hiding something. A secret buried deep in her past. Something she refuses to talk about.

And now…

I think someone is watching me too.

The beginning

Yep, gimme more of this already 😍 I have so missed this author’s writing and as soon as I met Beth, I knew this book would have me curious all the way through. Beth is an ophthalmologist (an eye doctor to you and me) with her own private practice, and she has a new patient referral. Rachel Cartwright is a criminal lawyer, but an unusual eye condition is ruining her life and the chances of her progressing in her career. Her eyelids clamp shut for long periods of time – 48 hours, to be exact. Then, she has 48 hours of her eyes being open, functioning normally. And the cycle continues. Can you imagine how this would change your entire life, how terrifying it would be? I had no idea that this was a real life condition, and I just had to Google it before I carried on because it fascinated me. I was really excited to see how the relationship between Rachel and Beth developed during Rachel’s treatment, and also see how Rachel’s condition affected her life. But aside from these characters, there are chapters from the perspective of The Watcher. Someone keeping a close eye on Beth…

“…the edge of the building on the corner appears like the blade of a knife. The sight makes me shiver in anticipation, because however bad things have been for you up until now they are about to get a whole lot worse.”

I loved learning more about Beth. She’s no longer with Joel, her ex-husband. Her mum is in a care home and isn’t really interested in her life. The only true friend she has is Max, the guy she turned down once but actually has feelings for. I really felt quite sorry for her! The author builds a wonderful picture of her and what her life looks like so early on and I found it so easy to connect with her because of it. There are hints about something in her past, something traumatic, something hidden away somewhere, and I thought this was a big reason why she wanted to help Rachel as much as she could, to do as much as was physically possible to treat her condition. What kept hitting me was just how original this storyline was. The author has taken a very real medical condition and put her own twisty signature on it, slowly turning it into an even bigger nightmare situation. When Rachel calls Beth in a panic in the early hours, convinced someone is in her home, someone she can’t see because of her blepharospasm, my blood ran cold. Would Rachel’s condition put her in more danger than expected?

The middle

We finally learn more about Beth’s own trauma. A patient relationship that went too far, one that took everything from her and ruined her life. Her own stalker. Could this be the person who is watching her every move all this time later? Was this the guy who couldn’t let her go? And could he also be targeting Rachel? It was scary thinking more about the identity of this person, what they’d seen, just how much they know about Beth. This one horrific ordeal had cost her everything, and I so hoped she’d get some sort of happiness with a new friend and new opportunities. I continued to love the friendship that was blossoming between Beth and Rachel, but with what had happened to Beth in the past, I was a bit nervous about how much she was sharing with her new friend. But even so, god I was loving the build up! We were inching closer and closer to finding out more about one specific event in Rachel’s past, something she isn’t willing to talk about. Something bad. I wondered if this traumatic experience in her life was the cause of her eye condition, or played a role in it somehow.

“I can feel someone else’s eyes on me. I’m not imagining it. I’m being watched, Beth. I know I am. And it’s scaring me to death.”

I felt on edge as Beth got more emotionally invested in her patient, her friend, this whole case, just as she had done before. It was clear she was stepping into immensely dangerous territory here but I just hoped she wouldn’t regret it. I felt so immersed in Beth’s own investigation into Rachel’s past. Even though she was certainly overstepping, even though it wasn’t really any of her business, I shared that pull she felt, her desire to find out the truth. And what she discovers was not only super upsetting, but terrifying too. I loved how all this swept me up and had me theorising for days. It wasn’t overly complicated which I think really worked in its favour, and I had my own little theory about who The Watcher was at this point. Her friend Max cautions her about how far she’s going with all of this, telling her it wasn’t professional, that she needed to let it go. But why was he pushing against her on this? The book gets darker, and I felt the intense need to keep Beth safe, just as Beth is desperate to keep Rachel safe. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this ending!

The end

The pacing here had me racing through those final chapters and even though I was desperate for the twist I knew was going to blow my socks off, I also didn’t want this book to end. There were some bloody terrifying chapters from The Watcher’s perspective which got shorter and shorter, making me think of this person’s proximity to Beth. And now they were really close. There was such a dark, but at the same time, emotional scene that had me feeling weird conflicting feelings, but I loved how it was executed. I knew this wasn’t the big reveal though, and I was still waiting with bated breath for it to come. Things were complicated now, for both Rachel and Beth. The past had come back to haunt Rachel, and Beth had become too ingrained in the whole thing. She was involved now. What she sees scars her for life. She will never be the same. But just as Beth had been there for Rachel in her worst moments, Rachel is there for Beth when the darkness consumes her. But oh my god. Yep. That bloody twist! Something felt very off for me just before it hit, and GOD. 🤯

“It’s time. I’m ready. I’m going to finish this once and for all, and you’re going to help me, sweet, innocent Saviour Beth, you f*cking idiot.”

I felt so many emotions here. I was not okay! The anger and frustration, but also the fear and dread for what the future may hold had my jaw on the floor. Absolutely horrifying, but so good! This gut-punch of an ending didn’t need to be drawn out. It didn’t need to go on longer than was necessary and the abrupt ending worked so incredibly well, leaving me sitting in silence afterwards. The shock of it, the sudden end and that haunting epilogue made this one of the most impactful endings to a book I’ve read in a long time. It was chilling, something that I’m still thinking about now, days later! Beth’s life would never be the same. Truly devastating. After loving the author’s first psychological thriller, The Woman in Ward 9, I was nervous about reading this one, and wasn’t sure it’d hit the incredibly high bar that her first book had set. I shouldn’t have worried! I’m so excited for whatever comes next. If you’re already a fan of Freida McFadden, Claire Douglas or Lisa Jewell, you will love Naomi’s books too.

Overall thoughts

The Eyewitness is a tension-filled, twisty and downright terrifying thriller following Beth, an ophthalmologist who takes on a new patient with an unusual eye condition. Rachel has blepharospasm; every 48 hours, her eyelids clamp shut and stay that way for two horrific days. When her eyes are closed, she is convinced someone is watching her, that someone is coming into her home. And while trying to get to the bottom of Rachel’s unusual problem, Beth must also protect her from whoever is lurking during her days in the dark… I was immediately sucked into such a unique premise, the author taking a very real medical condition and putting her own twisty signature on it. The result is the stuff of nightmares and I couldn’t get enough. This author knows how to send you on the wrong path, planting red herrings along the way, building up character backstories and revealing intriguing secrets, to then completely throw you with a showstopper of a twist. Just bloody brilliant.

I loved such full, intriguing characters. Characters who had something to hide, characters who cared too much, characters who you can’t help but suspect, whether they are guilty or not. I loved never knowing what was around each corner, and that’s one of the many things I completely adore about this author. This was such an easy book to get lost in, with an atmospheric, vividly described setting. It’s unnerving, dark and incredibly clever. Loved every page!

Huge thanks to the wonderful Lisa Timoney, aka Naomi Williams for sending a copy my way! You can grab your own copy of The Eyewitness right now over on Amazon* or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author over on Instagram for more updates!

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for your support!

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