Watch Over Me is so much more than a feel-good romance story
At first glance, Mila Gray’s Watch Over Me is a romance novel — but it’s also so much more than that. In its pages, Gray also manages to give readers a harrowing look at domestic violence and its aftermath.
If you were to take one look at the cover of Mila Gray’s Watch Over Me, you’d probably assume it was a romance. And there’s truth to that — Gray’s newest novel does show two young people falling in love — but it also tackles much more serious topics, and that’s where the real meat of the story is.
Watch Over Me follows Zoey, who’s forced to take her family and move to a new part of California after someone sets her car on fire outside of their house. She can only assume it’s her father. Although he was locked up for hurting her mother years ago, he’s out of prison now — and he’s vowed to get revenge on the daughter who put him there by testifying against him.
At 19 years old, this is the last thing Zoey should be worried about, but she’s accepted her fate by now. With the help of her older brother and his friend, Tristan, she and the rest of her family move to Oceanside, where hopefully their father won’t find them. But with the strange calls Zoey’s been getting, it seems he’s communicating with someone in the house.
This is the story Gray tackles as she builds the relationship between Zoey and Tristan, who admittedly have chemistry, despite suffering from a bit of a love-at-first-sight storyline. And the anxiety the two feel at the thought of Zoey’s father out there is palpable — and it’s a feeling the reader will experience as well, especially after reading the prologue and getting a glimpse at what’s to come.
With Zoey’s older brother overseas, she’s basically on her own when it comes to taking care of her family. Her mother is beginning to get over what happened years ago — and Tristan stops by to help from time to time — but Zoey
Watch Over Me unravels the trauma children from abusive homes experience afterward through Zoey’s storyline, but it also tackles domestic violence through its side characters. Not only do we see Zoey’s mother grow and come to understand what she must have went through, but we see how younger children — ones who may not necessarily understand what’s happening — handle the situation.
The relationships between all of these characters drive the story forward as much as their own personal experiences do. Gray knows how to make you care about her side characters while keeping the focus on the main perspectives. She also knows how to balance two separate storylines, even when one is much lighter than the other.
And there are plenty of light moments scattered throughout this story, regardless of the heavier subject matter. Not only does Watch Over Me offer readers insight into survivors of domestic violence, but it presents them with a story that shows things can get better. Zoey’s relationship with Tristan and decision to move forward prove that.
Anyone interested in a contemporary story that is equal parts light and dark should consider giving Watch Over Me a shot. It checks off all the boxes and offers something for every type of reader.
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