Thank you so much @Minotaur_Books & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 25 May 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Delta observes & captures the seemingly perfect lives of NYC's elite as a children's birthday photographer. She has an uncanny ability to transform moments into beautifully captured memories even if they aren't exactly true to reality. When Delta is invited to Natalie's 11th birthday party, she begins to realise that she doesn't just want to capture other peoples moments, she wants to become apart of them

WHAT I LIKED:
- I really liked the concept of being infatuated by another family

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- all of the characters felt under-developed and I found it difficult to connect or empathise with them
- some of the subplots just dropped off throughout the book (like the tenant living in the garden)
- I read quite a lot of psychological thrillers & this one was sadly forgettable
- I think a good villain is someone who you're appalled by, but you can understand their motivations & actions for what's driving them & why. I didn't get this with Delta as she was obsessed from the first chapter & the rest of the book felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- the ending was incredibly quick

Wow! This book was so crazy good I couldn’t put it down. This is a definite summer must read. The book is so well written that I finished it in lees than 24 hours.

Be careful who you let into your home! This debut novel had you on the edge of your seat, and I couldn’t put it down, I can’t wait for books by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Delta Dawn, the protagonist of this novel, makes her living by editing photos to make less-than-perfect occasions appear picture perfect. She also has an overactive and oftentimes lurid imagination, which leads her to create unsavory photos of herself and her clients. She lives vicariously through her photoshopped creations to the extent that fact becomes blurred with fiction in her mind.

Delta develops an unhealthy obsession with her clients, the Straub family, and engages in all kinds of creepy behavior to insinuate herself into their lives. This novel also addresses the topic of surrogate motherhood. However, I found the most engaging parts to be the descriptions of the residences and their furnishings, as well as the role of light and shadow in designing and photographing a home.

Published: May 25, 2021
Minotaur
I received a copy of the book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Mary Dixie Carter graduated from Harvard College with an honors degree in English Literature and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two young children.

“And if all else failed, of course, I could photoshop.”

Delta is a talented photographer who understands how to capture or create the perfect moment. She is good at what she does, and in her career, she has learned to read people reasonably accurately. When Delta is hired to photograph the Straub’s daughter's birthday party, what Delta sees through the viewfinder is so much more than she ever expected. As the lies start to pile up, the tales become even more twisted. With every shutter click, Delta finds herself slowly becoming trapped.

Wowza. This was such an interestingly devious book. The way it is written is so clever, and the use of imagery and light was brilliant—such a unique spin on a narrator. The voyeuristic spin on this plot was well done. The character development was top-notch, and the twists were beautifully executed.

As a debut novel, Mary Dixie Carter is off to a fantastic start. This was so well thought out, with excellent pacing and beautifully curated characters. This entire storyline is so unique and realistic but also understated and terrifying. The level of research and the attention to detail throughout this book is remarkable

Delta is such a dynamic character. The way she is written is a full circle; the emotion and the depth of her character are so eerie. Amelia is also an intense character. The raw emotions her character conveys are powerful.

There is a lot of very raw, vulnerable humanity inside this novel. But there is also a lot of deceit, obsession, and betrayal. What turns out to be the ultimate game of mommy dearest, what starts as innocent and sweet very quickly takes a turn for the devastating.

This is such a refreshingly twisted book. I have never read anything like this before, and I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative. I was not sure how things would end, but I definitely would not have guessed correctly.

With a lot of heavy emotion and brutal internal dialogue, dreams will be reached and shattered all as the light begins to fade on the count of three, smile.

The ironically named Delta Dawn has a career in New York City photographing the birthday parties of the city's elite children. It is on one such job that she meets the Straub family, taking pictures for their daughter Natalie's birthday. She is instantly smitten with the family, mother Amelia and father Fritz, as well as their stunning home. Both parents are architects and their own home is the best display of their skills. Delta is packing up to leave after the party when the Straub's babysitter cancels. This falls in perfectly with Delta Dawn's plan--she is a quick thinker and a master plotter and she has already decided she wants to worm her way into the Straub family. Quickly she volunteers to step in as babysitter and her master plot begins. Thus begins a tale of obsession.

This is a domestic suspense story, but there are no boiling rabbits here (aka Fatal Attraction). It is a slow burn. We look at the story through the eyes of Delta Dawn, who is not likable, but is admirable for her single track mind focused on getting what she wants. Although I admire this story it didn't totally work for me. Here is what I liked:
--The writing is really sharp and on point. It flows beautifully.
--The story doesn't depend on dramatic ploys, but rather builds slow suspense through viewing through the mind of the narrator, Delta Dawn. It is more difficult to build suspense in this manner, rather than having big scary events.
--Quick read that I kept reaching for and an interesting idea for the plot
But, at the end of the day it just fell slightly flat for me. Building a menacing suspense is all good and well, but I kept waiting for the penny to drop. It does, there is a bit of a surprise ending, but I guess I just expected a bit more. Other readers didn't feel this way, though, so just a personal preference. I would still rate it a well written suspense read that kept me turning the pages.

I am going to give this four stars for the good writing, but on my personal star chart it would get 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Mary Dixie Carter, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC.

Delta Dawn may be a talented photographer, but she’s also batshit crazy. She becomes obsessed with the Straub family after being hired to take photos of their daughter’s birthday party. She is determined to become a part of their family and finds ways to make herself needed- offering to babysit/housesit and even running errands for them. It doesn’t take long before they come to rely on Delta, but they have no idea of the madness they’ve welcomed into their lives. ⁣
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This was such an entertaining and enjoyable read, especially for being a debut novel. However, I did find the twists a bit predictable and grew tired of Delta’s antics by the end. The Photographer is a quick read and worth checking out if you like stories about EXTREME obsession. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur. Books for this advance reading copy. This book will be available 5/25/21.

The photographer is a slow burn psychological thriller. I could best describe it as obsessive, disturbing and a bit strange.

Delta Dawn is the woman you avoid your entire life. A professional photographer and a true psychopath. Delta comes with some baggage, both her parents are dead and she grew up in the land of make believe, Disneyland. I think this molded her into the person she is today. Delta will meet someone, learn their intimate details and then play it off as if it were HER LIFE. Delta's own life is very lonely and she uses her photography to fill the void . Delta becomes obsessed with the Straub's, a dynamic duo with a little girl and will do just about anything to be a part of the family......

I found myself frightened. People like this exist and they enter into our lives and take advantage of our vulnerability. This was a fast paced, quick read. I was completely creeped out by Delta. I would have no problem recommending the photographer to anyone who enjoys the thriller genre.

"Mary Dixie Carter's The Photographer is a slyly observed, suspenseful story of envy and obsession, told in the mesmerizing, irresistible voice of a character who will make you doubt that seeing is ever believing."

I found this to be a quick read, but one that required me to suspend a lot of belief. I was expecting a blockbuster ending, but it fell a bit flat for me.

The Photographer, the debut book by Mary Dixie Carter is a slow burn psychological thriller. Think of Single White Female, or The Hand That Rocks The Cradle.

It is a story about Delta Dawn, yeah try not to sing that every time you read her name, a photographer who takes pictures of rich kids birthday parties. Delta is CRAZY, and when I say crazy I mean certifiable, bat shit crazy, but dang the girl can hide it well.

She meets Amelia and Fritz Straus when photographing their 11-year-old daughter's birthday party, and while there, she decides she wants to be part of their family, so she begins to work her way into their daily lives with lies and manipulation.

Her past, except for a few details on her parents is really unknown, but she has enhanced, or made up one by using photos she has taken and worked her way into them with photoshop… Yes, The Photographer is strange, and it is disturbing with its story of obsessive behavior and psychotic envy.

It is a quick read, a fast-paced read that will have you turning the pages and feeling dread. This is the book you know isn’t going to end well, you just may not know how or when. There is no big twist to the story, so don’t go looking for one. The book is told from Delta’s perspective, which I thought was a nice change from most of the thrillers nowadays that are alternating perspectives with a big twist in the middle.

And while I had the ending pretty much figured out, other than some minor details, it did not take away from the suspense of the book. Author Mary Dixie Carter kept me entertained from page one with her gripping storytelling.

This was Carter’s debut book, and it was a great start to her career, intact it has me looking forward to whatever she will release next.

I think it's important to post about this one mainly because I think it should come with the trigger warning. 
The central themes of this story revolve around miscarriage, infertility, adoption, and surrogacy, and how these traumatic experiences negatively impact a marriage. Since the synopsis of the book doesn't mention any of these situations, I was completely blindsided. And since these are triggers for me, I decided to put this book aside. 
If these are not triggers for you, then I think you will like the story. It's a dark and twisted psychological thriller that echos You.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Mary Dixie Carter, and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. The plot kept me wanting for more. Though I felt it was a little rushed in the end, but all in all a definite enjoyable read. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating from me.

This was a super creepy domestic thriller. It makes you wonder who you let infiltrate your life and what their intentions truly are.
Also, this story terrifies me because you really don't know who can be secretly crazy. There were lots of good things about this story. It was well written and had a solid plot line, but I just found it to be a bit dull. It is definitely a slow burn of a thriller and there is no insane climax to the plot with blood and horror everywhere.
It is all very internal and mental.
I think this will get some good buzz upon its release later this month, but it wasn't my favorite thriller.

This properly-written and expertly plotted book were engaging, fast-paced, and exciting. Informed through the eyes of a skilled photographer, Delta sunrise, readers get a glimpse of how far one girl will go to have an excellent existence. What a promising debut! The plot kept me on my toes. Who can we believe? The Photographer is a frightening story that is disturbing fast —an extraordinary psychological thriller with a deluded fundamental person. With a lot of weird shit, I was extra attracted to the ebook for the simple fact it gave peculiar, weird vibes. I am enthusiastic about odd/strange, with that being said. It's far nicely written and, for sure, a real page-turner. No question. Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this ebook.

"In one image, I could extract more information than many people could extract from an entire book."

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter was a solid debut thriller from Minotaur Books. While reading, I did a combo of audiobook, print, and ebook. The author does the narration for this. I always love that because who knows the characters better than the author? I thought Mary did a great job with the narration, and this book gave me allll the creeps. I'm going to pick out a wedding photographer very carefully now!

I did see the ending of this one coming, which I usually never predict correctly; the same goes for movies, I'm the worst! I think it wrapped up nicely, I just wish we had more insight into the main character. I want to know why she was this way or what caused her to get to this point.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable and fast psychological thriller, and I'm looking forward to more from Mary Dixie Carter!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC edition of The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter.

First, commentary of the narration. Listen, if you write the book, do what you want, it's yours to narrate if you want. But also, maybe don't? There are so many talented voice actors out there that will really elevate your story, use them! Having said that, I just couldn't get into the unimpressive tones of the author. It definitely contributes to my feeling about the book.

I gave this one a serious try, DNF at 50%. It was just a bit too ridiculous. I've read plenty of books about obsession, stolen lives, stolen spouses, etc, and if done right they can be very entertaining. This one just made no sense. There wasn't enough context into why the characters did what they did, they just all seemed a bit crazy from the get-go. And on top of that, the story itself just never got off the ground. It definitely had potential, but I couldn't do it.

I received a complimentary egalley of THE PHOTOGRAPHER by Mary Dixie Carter thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. I also received the advance listener copy thanks to Macmillan Audio!

THE PHOTOGRAPHER begins with photographer Delta working a birthday party for a young girl. She’s captivated by the family and by the young girl’s mother. Soon she is finding ways to befriend the daughter and parents alike, stepping in as emergency babysitter and all around family friend. The family doesn’t really know the true Delta and they certainly don’t know the lengths she will go to to cement her place in their lives.

This is a book where I think going in blind is a big help! Getting inside Delta’s mind is a wild ride as she finds ways to spin a story that even she almost believes about her own life. This isn’t a book that is big on plot twists, but the wild extremes that Delta will go to kept me hooked to the story and needing to know what would happen next.

I think this is a book that lends itself well to audio since we’re getting so much of the story from Delta’s thoughts and the audiobook made for a great read! I was really hooked right up to the end needing to know how this would all turn out!

I will be looking to pick up more from this author in the future! THE PHOTOGRAPHER is out today!

This story had the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up. The main character’s level of obsession and self-denial is super creepy!

Delta Dawn is a talented photographer who has started photographing families and birthday parties for well-off New Yorkers. But she’s starting to believe she belongs there, in their houses, as part of their families.

She tries to make herself indispensable to one family in particular, believing she can become more than a hired contractor to them if given half a chance. Soon she’s Photoshoping herself into their photos when she’s alone, and imagining herself there beside them. And it doesn’t stop there.

Having a Bachelor's degree in Commercial Photography I found the Photoshoping parts fairly unrealistic in terms of what she’s able to pull off, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. This story is chilling, manipulative, and an eleven out of ten on the creepiness factor.

The Photographer is based on a photographer in NYC that specializes in photos of children’s birthday parties. She is extremely talented and has a way of editing photos to portray the perfect picture. Her hard work and talent has landed her amongst a clientele of the elite in Manhattan.

After photographing the party of Natalie Straub, Delta develops an obsession with being a part of their family. She does whatever she can to stay in front of the family- whether that is babysitting, picking up their dry cleaning, or even dating a family friend. She even goes as far as photoshopping herself into their family photos. She quickly befriends Natalie’s mom, Amelia, and when she finds out the one thing that Amelia wants, she decides that helping her with this goal will be the ultimate way to be a part of their family.

I read a lot of physiological thrillers, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. The main scenarios seemed a little outlandish and unlikely in this present day. I just wished it seemed a little more logical and had a better twist. Overall, it was a quick read, it just didn’t have the wow factor I was hoping for.

This one was OK for me. The story itself was a pretty fast read, but oh my, Delta is one seriously disturbed character.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.