Thank you netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I finished this book relatively quickly. I remember on a number of basis that it was like reading a Lifetime Movie only from the crazy obsessed antagonist's pov instead of the "victim's" Overall there wasn't really a likable character in this book from my perspective. It took a while for me to realize that the main character Delta was not a reliable narrator of what is going on around her. You can tell she's more focused on this delusion of being apart of this family because in her mind they are the pentacle of what perfection is (powerful, rich, great taste, etc) Every once in a while she would drop little bits of information of her history such as when (i think i'm interpreting this correctly) she blackmailed her high school boyfriend's parents to pay for her college education because said boyfriend supposedly whipped out a knife on her. Or another boyfriend that she was with for awhile and then his roommate made outlandish accusations about her and changed the locks. That is literally all you get on these little blurbs and I'm like...okay....are you going to go back to that or...no? okay then. In the lifetime movies these holes would be filled in by the last minute PI that shows up with all the info, but there's no PI or super villain monologue. You're just left wondering and trying to put some of these pieces together. Again, she's an unreliable narrator so there's quite a bit of info that could be part of her delusions. There's also this one character that just stops showing up and I THINK she may have killed him because he confronted her about her lies, but again I'm not sure. I think I would have liked this story more if we got the flipped POV from the family every once in a while to give us a full picture.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!! This was such a great thriller that I couldn’t put down. Finished in one sitting. Would highly recommend!

The Photographer is a great thriller with a unique plot. If you're looking for a book you can't put down, it's this one for sure!

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter is a suspenseful thriller with a fast paced storyline that keeps you guessing from page one. The book opens with a scene of a woman, Delta Dawn, who alludes to more secrets as she is photographing a child’s birthday party. Little tidbits are sprinkled throughout her interactions with the Straub family that cause you to have more questions than answers. Then as Delta shares more about her secret indulgences, questionable past, and photo editing habits you are even more intrigued.

As Delta ingratiates herself fully into every aspect of the Straub family you can not help but wonder what her nefarious purpose is. But, you can feel the tension mounting. However, you soon learn that Delta is not the only one with secrets to hide as you learn more about Amelia, Fitz, and Natalie Straub. Delta is the type of character that will haunt you with her sociopath tendencies, but you just love to hate her as you want to find out why she is so focused on the Straub family. The Photographer will grip you and leave you wondering who is trustworthy and who is already willing to look the other way in hopes of achieving their goals.

All the characters have flaws and secrets which draws the reader even further. You can not help but try to figure out who to sympathize with and who is at fault. Trust me though, you will be shocked when it is not at all what it seems.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

I think was a thrilling slow burn read. I liked the characters and the aspect of the plot but like I said it was a slow burn which made me at times a bit frustrated.

But once the drama begins to unfold I think the unsettling nature or the story gives readers a fun and wild ride.

You know those books that just seem like they’re going to be exactly perfect for you? I mean, come on, a thriller about a photographer? That literally sounds like it was made for me. As soon as I read the premise, I knew I had to have it. But...unfortunately, it fell very flat for me. I feel like the plot didn’t develop the way that I had hoped it would. I kept reading expecting something big to happen, but it just didn’t. The ending was okay, and made up a little for the rest of it, but still didn’t completely redeem it for me. I wanted more explanation behind the way that Delta thought (because wow, girl is DERANGED), and without that, she just came off as a very crazy, obsessed person for no real reason. I kept finding myself asking “but...why?” Any time she would do or say something.

I did enjoy and appreciate the research that was obviously done around photography and the career as a photographer, it was cool to see my career path in a story, however the things she did with her talents just made me so uncomfortable. I’m not sure if it’s because as a family photographer myself, I was imagining myself doing these things and it just hit too close to home? But whatever the reason, it just left me feeling icky. Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I encourage anyone who likes a slower burn, jealous obsession thriller, to pick it up and give it a try! Just because it wasn’t for me does not mean that it isn’t for someone else.

This was frankly just weird and disturbing. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either. Something was just lacking for me. Perhaps it's that the characters were just so offputting. shallow and unlikeable and no one seemed to question things that any sane person would. How they all acted and reacted just wasn't believable to me. But maybe that's the point...

This was a book that I ended up not finishing due to lack of interest in content. For that reason I was unable to rate more than one star.

This was a fast-paced read for me. The protagonist Delta was crazy and obsessive, making this a psychological thriller where we spend all our time inside Daisy’s head! The writing and character development was excellent.

This thriller lacked the plot twist that makes me gasp or say wtf did I just read. I generally didn’t feel in suspense while reading.

This easily could be on me though, I read a lot of thrillers so if this one interests you, give it a read!!!

I rate this 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for good reads.

Thank you @minotaur_books and Mary Dixie Carter for my advanced copy of the book!! Loved the package so much!

Delta Dawn is a photographer in New York City specialized in photographing the kid's birthday parties of the city's elite. Through her job she meets and befriends Amelia and Fritz Straub and their daughter Natalie. After a time, Delta has woven herself into the Straubs' lives...but to what purpose?

The Photographer is billed as a suspense/thriller and it's been toted as a female version of You by Caroline Kepnes, However, The Photographer lacks something that You has in abundance: an actual element of danger.

What we have in Delta Dawn is an unreliable narrator. The story begins innocently enough, then, throughout her narration, Delta gives us the slightest glimpse into a traumatic past that hints at sexual and physical abuse. But, do we believe her? Delta gives so many reasons not to trust her, and I was cringing at the fact that the Straubs so easily let her into their life. Either they are naive or too trusting.

This book fell flat for me. I wanted to like it because the premise sounded amazing, but the characters are one-dimensional and the plot felt forced. The one thing that kept me reading was that I wanted to delve more into Delta's mind and figure out what made her tick.

The Photographer is Mary Dixie Carter's first novel, and wow, what a debut! I sped through this book because it was so engrossing that I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. Delta is a fascinating protagonist, and even though she did some things that really stressed me out, I just didn't want to stop reading about her. I didn't want this book to end, so my only complaint about The Photographer is that it wasn't long enough. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review an incredible book by an amazing new author. : )

The Photographer combines the perfect elements of an unreliable narrator, ulterior motives and a setting that just feels a little "off" in a stellar debut from Mary Dixie Carter. A photographer catering to the elite and privileged in NYC, Delta is often behind the scenes creating perfect images of imperfect situations. This sets a dangerous tone when Delta is hired to photograph another birthday party of a family she'd like to be part of-rather than behind the camera. Delta figures out how to make herself indispensable to the Straub family and manipulate more than their pictures. If you are looking for a psychological mystery that will leave you guessing until the end pick this one up today!

Carter has done a great job with Delta as an unreliable narrator, not giving too much away and casting suspicion on everyone and everything. This is a strong debut and I cannot wait to read her next releases!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book wasn't what I had at first expected at all. Delta is one twisted chick and kept surprising me throughout with her creative psycho, stalker mind games and thinking. I read this book within 24 hours because I just had to know what happened. Great first read for me by Mary Dixie Carter!

3 1/2 stars - Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC. I love the concept of this book and I found it fascinating to see how a photographer works to bring out the best in the photos. Other than that, the main character was wacko - actually almost all of them were :). Fun read!

This book was crazy from start to finish. It was definitely unbelievable at times, but it made it interesting for sure. I feel like the ending was very abrupt for all the build up of the story.

Overall a fast and addictive read!

The love of a family can be hard to see, and with social media it’s not always what we think it is.
When a photographer is asked to take pictures of a girl’s birthday party for a prominent family, she begins to fall in love with the family. With stories of her son, who is with his father in another state, she pulls in the heartstrings of the mother. However, just like social media, everything is not as it appears.
I truly wanted to enjoy this book as I love photography. This book was not what I expected and it honestly frustrated me.

This domestic suspense is unsettling and disturbing. A NYC photgrapher becomes obsessed with a family after shooting their daughter's birthday party, and infiltrates herself into their lives. The lead character is very unlikeable and creepy, but comes off as the perfect friend snd confidenant. The story was entertaining, but you always felt dread in the pit of your stomach that something awful was about to happen. Decent enough, but didn't blow me away.
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur, and Mary Dixie Carter for providing a digital ARC of The Photographer in exchange for an honest review.

This book was... different. It wasn't quite a mystery and wasn't quite a thriller, but didn't really fit into a different category. It was definitely a slow burn. The twists were somewhat predictable. It was sort of a story about a stalker...but not? It was obviously interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, but by the end I found myself underwhelmed.

I have mixed feelings about The Photographer. The premise is really good and grabbed my attention so I was pretty excited to get my hands on the book to read and review. However, the story is a little bit slow for me. There are times I wound up losing a little bit of interest. But the book did start picking up more and made the book more interesting. The only other thing that bothered me a bit is that there aren't any redeemable characters in the story. I found myself not really liking any of them even though I did feel bad for the woman who was trying to have a baby. I did end up liking how the book ended even though I still wasn't really a fan of the characters.

I had such a hard time getting through this one. It took me over a month of picking it up for a little bit and then having to set it aside after I struggled through a few pages. I finally finished it today though. I wish I could say it got better over time, but it was just boring. I felt like it had such potential in the beginning with Delta having stalker tendencies, and even possibly homicidal ones as well. Then nothing ever happened. The end was extremely disappointing for a "thriller and suspense" book. She never did anything thrilling in my opinion.