Oh, boy! Let me preface this review by saying that I have to go back and read The Memory Watclher, and I reserve the right to revise my opinion. Nevertheless, Kent is a master tension builder. Throughout my first reading, I was tense and uncomfortable in the mind of the characters. No matter which perspective I took, I felt uneasy. Seriously, I couldn’t tell whom I felt was the most unhinged and whom I felt needed saving. Creating that kind of visceral instability while not neglecting plot or pacing is requires a deftness not many possess.

And yet, despite my ability to critique The Watcher Girl from an academic perspective, I couldn’t read it without taking breaks. I dare you to try.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the
ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fascinating, intriguing thrill ride! Grace thought she was doing a little investigating into her ex boyfriends life and opened up a whole unknown can of worms!! Had me squirming in my seat and on edge at times wondering what was really going on!

Facebook stalking is a real thing - and this story will show you how it's sometimes a GOOD thing. This is my third book by this author and I seem to be up & down with her books, The Stillwater Girls being my favorite! This story is just under 300 pages and was definitely entertaining. I probably would consider this more of a domestic suspense type book. I didn't exactly understand what was going on or what would even happen toward the last 60% ish of the story. I still couldn't put this down and did end up liking it!

Thank you NetGalley & Minka Kent for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller author that I have been enjoying is Minka Kent and The Watcher Girl was another great twisted story by her. The book starts with Grace who was adopted as a child and felt that she never fit in with her family, especially since her adoptive mother ended up in prison for murder and that she learned that her nanny as a child under a pretense there to take Grace as her own. The Watcher Girl is a sequel tale but can be read as a stand-alone as I haven't read the first but was able to catch the gist of the story. In this book, Grace has returned home after eight years away and has the feeling and desire to make things right with Sutton. However, when she gets to her hometown and meets Sutton's new wife and daughter, things are a bit off as it looks like Sutton is abusing Campbell. As the book goes on, we read as this weird obsession starts to form with Grace and her saviour complex and Campbell with her abused wife complex, and Sutton with this controlling attitude. But is all that it seems? The Watcher Girl was a great thriller but does show readers that you can never judge a person by their outlook as what's on the outside could be entirely different on the inside if you scratch beneath the surface. I have to admit, I was hoping for a little bit more on Grace's biological mother and would love to see a story about her and what she went through as that sounds like it could make a good romantic suspense / edgy tale in itself.

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

This is the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed it. A great plot, well written. Recommended

I didn’t realize The Watcher Girl was a sequel until I read the book. It worked as a stand alone novel. I’ve read other books by Minka Kent so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get in to this book. I found the plot and characters hard to believe and the ending predictable.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of The Watcher Girl by Minka Kent to review.

Review to follow.

Normally I really enjoy this author. Maybe it’s because this book is a sequel?, but I just never took to this story and couldn’t wait for it to be over.

This book was interesting, but fairly predictable. It was a quick, fast-paced read and I did enjoy it, though I like some of Kent's other books better. If you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers you will enjoy this one.

I wasn't aware that this was part of a series until after I had finished reading it , however it did extremely well as a stand alone book. I was able to follow along easily, and certainly did not have any gaps I needed filling.

It was a fast paced thriller, with a few twists and turns. Nothing too out of the ordinary but a fun page turner - similar to watching a (really good) week day movie. I enjoyed the characters, and even though Grace was unlikeable, I still enjoyed her and it was realistic to her circumstances.. I found it hard to put down, and with the chapters not being too long I did find myself saying "just one more chapter".

The ending did leave a lot of questions for me, and there were issues / events that came up throughout the book that weren't answered. Hopefully this means there will be another book in the series to link everything togther!

A great thriller if you need a quick and exciting book. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Minka Kent for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-watcher-girl/

Grace McMullen is not a likable person. She fully admits that and seems to have no care for other people, hasn’t been in touch with any of her family for years and seemingly has no friends, besides her boss Jonah.

Grace is a “watcher girl”, someone who removes things from the internet; revenge porn, critical reviews and sometimes things more sinister. She spends most of her time alone, behind a computer and that is fine with her.

Having left her boyfriend Sutton 8 years ago, deciding she had too much baggage, Grace searches on the internet and finds he has gotten married. Not only has he gotten married but his wife looks exactly like her, they live in her hometown and their baby is named Grace. Making a decision that she must apologize to him for the way she left so many years ago, she goes home to her family that she has not seen in many years and finds that Sutton and his family only live three blocks away from her family’s home.

Grace’s stalking of Sutton’s house almost immediately results in an accidental meeting with his wife, Campbell. While a tentative friendship develops, Campbell does not know who Grace is. According to Campbell, Sutton has become manipulative, controlling, and threatening and she has the bruises to prove it. Grace is surprised, having never known Sutton to be anything less than a loving person. She blames herself for having turned his world upside down when they broke up. She wants to protect Campbell and baby Grace, but that is when things get weird. Some of Campbell’s stories are not adding up and Grace doesn’t know who to believe.

The Watcher Girl starts off as a sequel to The Memory Watcher but becomes so much more. I have not read The Memory Watcher and did not know this was a sequel until the end of the book. This book is well written, with very developed characters. There are several side plots with her family that make the book more interesting, including her Mother who is currently in jail for murdering the woman who cheated with Grace’s Father. The Watcher Girl immediately grabbed my attention and I read it in one setting. One of my favorite parts of this book was watching Grace confront her own demons, but also owning up to her faults at the same time. As the reader, sometimes I struggled with seeing things with the situation that I felt Grace should have seen. Minka Kent has done an incredible job creating a troubled family and what can sometimes result from misguided intentions. While Grace seemed very intelligent, it was her naivete that caught up to her at the end.

Really enjoyed this, but then I like Minja Kent's books. She doesn't disappoint. You get good characters, good plot, and a satisfying ending.

Highly recommend.

The Watcher Girl is a psychological suspense. with a surprising twist. Grace McMullen had a troubled childhood which has caused her to have some emotional issues. She broke up with her boyfriend eight years ago as she didn't want him to have to deal with her baggage. She has a high security job where they are hired by individuals with questionable things about themselves on the internet. She and her boss scrub the data from the internet. As a result she can obtain information about anything or anyone on the internet. She becomes concerned about her ex-boyfriend as she finds out that he has moved to her hometown in the neighborhood that she grew up in,. HIs wife is a look alike to her and he has name his daughter Grace. These facts make her concerned that he has not gotten over her. She heads to her hometown to watch him. She ends up running into his wife who befriends her. This books has some surprising twists and turns. I recommend it.

Love all Minka Kent books but especialky this one, keep me Hooked from the beginning and through out. The subject is very Well develop ! Would recommend without hesitation. Thanks NetGalley for thé ARC

3.5*
Grace has returned home with the hopes of creating some much-needed closure with ex-boyfriend Sutton. But what precisely does Grace want with Sutton? After all, he’s moved on with a new wife and daughter.

The first 50% of this book was unputdownable! Very creepy, highly exciting. I felt the build up towards an inevitable explosive end you’re certain is just around the next corner. And then…zippo. Nothing. I actually thought I somehow missed the twist. Nope, it was there, It just fell flat.😕

This book reminded me of the anticipation of an ice-cold soda on a hot, summer afternoon. You’re parched and the soda in the fridge is calling your name. You fill your glass tumbler full of ice and grab that frosty soda. Finally, twisting off the cap to hear the explosion of bubbles. Only to get 'pfft' as all your excited little taste-buds ask, “what happened?”😫

When I began this book up I wasn’t aware it was a follow up to The Memory Watcher, which was a solid five-star read for me. I suggest starting with that read to get the entire background on Grace.

Though the ending was a letdown for me I will definitely be picking up this author’s next release.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

I’ve loved all d minka Kent’s books so far so this one was disappointing for me. The story was just kind of disjointed and it fell flat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

2.5/5

3.5 Just Checking, OK Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
Oh, how we have such a hard time letting go. We have clutter in our homes and it turns out we have clutter in our minds. Relationships may be over but the need to see what is happening with those exes is hard to let go of. Thank goodness we have the groundbreaking new technology today to helps keep up.

Yes, there is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. all ways to stay connected to others and this is how Grace McMullen making sure Sutton Whitlock has moved on from the relationship she ended with him. As Grace looks deeper and deeper into Sutton's new life, she sees many disturbing things. She decides to move back to the same town as him to truly make sure he heals.

Only that is not exactly what happens, instead, Grace becomes friends with Sutton's new wife. She sees things that may not be the best for this woman and daughter and must decide how to handle what she sees.

All this from watching and tracking from the net. What Grace seems to have forgotten is someone could be watching her too.

Grace is returning home after staying away for many years from her hurtful, dysfunctional family. Grace has recently found out that her old and wonderful boyfriend that she walked out on eight years ago has remarried and should be living happily ever after but it seems there are real problems in paradise. Sutton's wife Campbell is the mirror image of Grace and he has even had the audacity to name his baby daughter Grace! Grace wants to visit Sutton and make things right and hopefully find out that Sutton hasn't gone off the deep end because that could mean his wife Campbell is in serious trouble. Grace only has good intentions but without meaning to she opens several cans of worms and before long she knows she and Campbell are in danger because someone has also been watching Grace's every move and if she doesn't leave town soon she might not get away at all.

This was an intriguing and very fast based book that had some clever twists. Grace is an interesting character with a unfortunate backstory that led to the complicated person she became. I didn't realize there was a prequel to this book and I think it would have helped me understand Grace a little more but this book definitely can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed all the characters for better or worse and finding out more about her family and why she wanted to distance herself from them. This was a great little domestic thriller and I recommend the book to any mystery/suspense lover. I didn't realize I had purchased this book when I requested it on Netgalley. Just wanted to add it was money well spent.

I want to thank the publisher "Thomas & Mercer" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have the this book a rating of 4 Intriguing 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

This is the second book I’ve read from this author and I really enjoy her stories.

This one was so entertaining and fast-paced that kept me at the edge of my seat, grabbed me from the start and couldn’t stop reading until I finished it.

The writing is easy and fresh so it is easy to keep reading and mantains a reading rhythm.

I truly recommend her work, go check it out.

Ooh what a fun little suspenseful mystery! I loved the twists and turns of this one. It was addictive - each turn of Grace's life. As she came back home, as she revealed the job she did, the history she had, the life she dodged. Once she goes to see her ex and try to understand if he's okay, it was hard to put the book down. I loved how it all played out. Quick, short and so deliciously twisted!

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>