I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book, as I feel like I was predicting the ending as the book was going. However, it did have some twists and turns I didn't expect and ended up being a pretty good book. First read from this author and I would like to read more from the author.

Delta Dawn is a popular photographer for children's parties. When she shows up to Natalie's party, she wishes she could be part of the family. She sees an opening when she is oddly asked to babysit. The story that stems from this was a little illogical. I could not believe this is something that would really happen. I realize this is a fiction book, but I buy none of it. I had to force myself to finish this story and I wish I hadn't. It is just too far fetched for me.

Delta Dawn is a photographer that mainly takes pictures at children’s birthday parties. She becomes very taken with Natalie’s family after photographing her birthday party. She begins babysitting for her and finds all kinds of ways to intertwine herself into the family, it turns out Delta is harboring lots of secrets and her intentions aren’t as pure as she would have everyone believe.

This is a disturbing book. Reading it makes me hesitant to let anyone we don’t know get close to my family. Human nature is to see the best in people and sometimes that can be our downfall. This is a good read that I would recommend to others.

The concept of the book "The Photographer " seemed interesting to me. Delta Dawn (like the song) is a photographer. She specializes in children, especially at their birthday parties. On one such occasion, she is hired to photograph Natalie as she celebrates her eleventh birthday with friends in her home. Her parents are both architects and they reside in a beautiful home in a much desired section of Brooklyn, New York. Delta is instantly envious of the Straub family and wants to belong in their life. Delta becomes instantly obsessed with the family and offers herself to babysit and run errands to become more devoted to them.
It does get creepy at times with the underhanded ways that Delta manipulates her lies throughout the book. She seems to have suffered a great deal of emotional trauma growing up and feels to the need to better her social standing in anyway that she can.
A fast read, from Delta's viewpoint. I was surprised how naive the Straub family was depicted.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went back and forth between the digital ARC and audiobook for this one. There was no problem going back and forth between the two. The narration "voice" matches perfectly for obvious reasons. I did find it to be read very slowly. The entire book had that same slow moving pace.

The book is basically what happened when a psychopath meets a narcissist. Delta Dawn (go ahead and finish singing before we move on) is a sought after photographer. She first seems too be, at the very least, socially awkward. She does not really know how or why people behave and does her best to mirror what she sees. As time goes on, you get to know that this is not just to fit in, but extremely manipulative on her part.

Delta becomes far too obsessed with a family she photographs for their daughter's birthday party. Obsession manifests as a lot of creepy little behaviors and grows into full on infiltration. Delta weaves herself into the Straub's life and home, even when it means she has to cut someone else out of it. There is a slow building tension as she ramps up her behavior from that's weird to manipulation to cuckoo crazy pants.

The Straub's unbelievably let her into their lives far more than most people would have. The mother is unaware of the feelings or motives of others, seeing everything through her thick veil of narcissism. Her husband is mostly absent, seeming to avoid the home and family as much as possible. Only Natalie, the daughter, really sees Delta. And she seems fascinated most of the time.

The Photographer was one of those slow burning books. I don't always like those because they are often boring for long periods of time in an attempt to lull the reader. This was just one truly creepy thing after another until it has to fall apart. I look forward to seeing what Mary Dixie Carter can do in the future. https://readeotw.wordpress.com

Wow! This book has a lot to unpack! I’d definitely classify this as a slow burn, and it did keep my interest, but overall ended up falling flat for me.
Delta Dawn is a New York based photographer, specializing in children’s birthday parties. She has a gift for taking an average photo and making it extraordinary...almost like something that it is not entirely. When Delta is hired by the Straub’s to shoot their daughter’s birthday party she soon finds herself obsessed with them and willing to do anything, I mean anything, just to be closer to them. This book definitely kept me guessing what was going to happen next, like how could these people get any creepier?! Many times, especially at the very end, it was hard to tell the difference between reality and the character’s imaginations. The whole thing definitely gives off a late night Lifetime movie type vibe. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Delta Dawn is a photographer who's hired for an 11 year olds bday party when she decides she'd really like to be closer with this family. She offered to baby sit when they're in a bind and from there the story gets a little wacky because of course drama ensues. While this may not have lived up to popcorn thriller status, many may enjoy it. I thought the levels I had to suspend disbelief were way too high and made me less connected with the plot

Delta Dawn quickly becomes obsessed with the family who hires her to photograph their daughter's birthday.
There is no confusion or slow build - Delta is clearly unhinged, desperately searching to make a lasting connection.
She offers to babysit Natalie after the birthday party, taking advantage of the opportunity. She pokes around, takes pictures of the house. Begins to envision ownership.
Delta builds a quick friendship with Amelia, playing upon Amelia's self obsession. She befriends Natalie- providing much needed attention and support.
Chilling. Unhinged. Cringe moments. The plot could use some polish.

Not rating. I tried to get into this but there was something about the writing I just couldn't get into.

What an unusual and immersive read this was. Unsettling at times, disturbing most of the time, and the main character a true enigma. Delta Dawn (named after the song) is The Photographer. This is a character study, more than a thriller. Be forewarned that none of the characters are especially appealing. Delta is a whiz with a camera, an amazing photographer, whose talent I envied as an amateur photographer myself. It’s a subject dear to my heart, as I’ve done several photo restorations for others and it has been very rewarding, so I envied her knowledge of how to use and manipulate PhotoShop, which I’ve never found easy to learn.

Getting back to this story, the cast of characters is short. Delta and three members of a family that Delta is obsessed with, a couple with an 11 yr old daughter. She met them as clients, photographing the girls birthday party. She also dates a male friend of the family whom she gets intimate with, but only for information. She’s a master manipulator. She eliminates the possibility of an intrusion to her agenda of a side character who is pregnant and seeking adoptive parents, by manipulating photos yet again. This is the core of the novel, her attachment to this family and her determination to “belong” to them. How she manipulates her agenda is unbelievable, yet believable.

The reader soon realizes that beautiful Delta is talented, intelligent and bat-sh*t crazy. She has affluent clients, photographing their families, often times yearning for their lifestyles. She is the only narrator of this story, but we don't always know what is real and what is fabricated? How do we know she’s beautiful? Just ask her, she’ll tell you. How do we know she is intelligent? Her vocabulary and tenacity confirms it.

She inserts herself into her subjects lives on photo paper, as if she is one of the family, transposing/photo-shopping her image into their images, and saving them in a special folder where she can go and look at the photos and pretend they are real. She thinks she deserves all that they have, but why? The reader doesn’t get enough background on her past to know if that’s true, or what made her the enigma she is today. I found that a flaw of this novel, but otherwise, the composition was excellent.

Sometimes Delta seemed genuine in her “love” or affection for the family she is obsessed with. At times you feel sorry for her and think how lonely she must be, and at other times you are flabbergasted by her actions. Rolling around naked on a silky carpet... seriously?

I found the novel often distasteful and strange, but compelling. I had to keep reading. The author impresses with this original and immersible debut.

My thanks to #netgalley and a favorite publisher #StMartinsPress for the opportunity to read and provide my honest opinions of this work. Get your copy on release day 5/25/21

Delta Dawn is a photographer with a very unconventional (to say the least) view of the world and her role in it. She would be a much more compelling character if the hints about her past were more substantial so the motivations behind her behaviors would be more than just guesswork. Dawn is much too complicated for the reader to rely on mini-clues and even though I found the story cleverly crafted, I was unsatisfied by Dawn’s character development.

Delta Dawn is a NYC photographer who captures the photos of elite families and makes them her own through editing and manipulation to create her own fantasy/ideal life through the images. She is hired to take photos of Natalie Straub’s 11th birthday party and falls in love with the family, becoming obsessed with them, wanting so badly to be a part of their family. She sets a plan in motion and her true psycho comes out.

I was drawn to this book because I’m a photographer, but after reading this book, I’m not sure I want to label myself as one anymore! This book was eerie - the way Delta took the time to edit and recreate images she took of families, placing them around her house because she felt these people were her family; it just gives you goosebumps. I thought the ending was a little short, I wanted more dramatics to really capture Delta’s psychotic personality. I almost felt as if I was waiting for something shocking to happen, like a twist I didn’t see coming, but it never did. Overall, it was a good book and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!

I want to thank St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I appreciate it.
This is a really good book. It has a very thriller -ish vibe to it, but also is a good character study . Delta Dawn is a photographer in New York, She makes her living doing pictures of families, at birthday parties and other functions. She develops a friend ship with one family, going out of her way to ingratiate herself with them. The question is why? And just who is she? She gives a back story to the family, but is it true? This book has an unreliable narrator, a fragile family structure, and a young preteen girl.It is intriguing and twisty in all the right ways. The end was a little rushed , in my opinion, and not as satisfying as it could have been. However, i enjoyed the ride and highly recommend it.

I will say I was expecting more from this title, given the praise I’ve seen about it. Delta is quite the character to be invested in. She’s got a dark and twisty imagination but also, pure intentions. Or more so what she believes she’s doing is good. For the greater good. But ultimately in the end, what she did to Fritz and Amelia made my skin crawl. All in all it was an enjoyable story to get immersed in, but not all it was hyped up to be. Definitely had the wow factor and I’ll be watching for more Mary Dixie Carter.

This book was riveting from start to finish! It was delicious in its disturbing events! I loved the thought processes of Delta, felt sorry for Natalie, and was intrigued by the entitled Amelia. I hope this author writes more books, because this one was fabulous!

I knew I had to get my hands on The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter from seeing the cover which instantly made me wonder what was going on? I had to know. And you will too once you dive into this book.

Check it out:

As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite: snapping photos of their children’s birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for.

But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn’t behind the lens but a part of the scene—in the Straub family’s gorgeous home and elegant life.

That’s when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting for Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; finding chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she’s bathing in the master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren’t all she can manipulate.

This is a quick but disturbing read. It’s not super fast-paced suspense but it pulls you in and you keeps you wondering WTF is going to happen next.

Out on May 25.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC to this book.

It's about a photographer who is sought after by the rich and elite of NYC. She is commissioned to do an 11 year Natalies birthday party. She is so envious of this family she starts babysitting for Natalie, becoming great friends with Natalies mom Amanda, and envying Amanda's life with husband Fritz. So she does some really sneaky things, not only the usual lies and betrayal, but as a professional photographer, she knows how to manipulate photographs to make things look the way she wants them to. A thriller for sure. 4 stars!

Delta is a very good photographer, she uses her gift for many purposes but mostly to create art, and take photos for people for income. She doesn't live in a high income bracket but hopes to change that. She meets Amelia , Fritz and their daughter Natalie. Delta sees this opportunity to become part of their affluent family so she starts by offering babysitting. She loves this family, there is nothing she wouldn't do for them.
I enjoyed reading this book, it was a bit creepy but not too bad...and my favorite character was the daughter Natalie. She seemed to see all of what was going on..smart thing.
I want to thank Netgalley for this advanced copy and the publisher as well. This has been an enjoyable read.

This book definitely succeeded in conveying the creepiness of the main character, a photographer who inserts herself into an affluent family's life. I liked the juxtaposition of the false reality of the family living a life to by photographed and displayed and the photographer trying to live a false life through them. Delta, the photographer, has a very flat affect, and although this does make her feel more creepy, it also limits how much the reader can dig into her psyche. For a psychological thriller, that's part of the thrill, to dig into what makes a character tick. The other part is feeling fear for a sympathetic character under threat, but this family wasn't all that sympathetic. Overall, great premise, but it needed more depth and emotion.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A photographer, who is unhappy with her circumstances, creates a fantasy life through interactions with her clients. One particular family appeals to her and through her relationships with each member, she creates a new life.