Reading Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey will keep you on edge and up at night. The novel takes you down two roads--one led by Sarah Goldman, a mother and wife, and the other by Holly Monroe, their twenty-two year old babysitter. The two twisted and curvy roads eventually merge into a shocking ending.
Sarah Goldman is a complicated woman with as many faults as anyone else. She's an over-protective mother, but often for good reason, and a devoted wife who questions her husband's integrity and honesty.
Holly Monroe is the babysitter hired to free up some of Sarah's time so she can focus on her photography passion.
Embedded in one another's lives, Sarah and Holly form a complicated relationship that defines what they're both looking for, but in different ways.

Watch Out for Her is a family-oriented psychological thriller that Samantha M. Bailey manages to add more than a hint of tenderness. A page-turner that will keep you hooked, obsessed, and looking over your own shoulder. A must-read this summer!

- Heather Hummel Gallagher, award-winning author of Whispers from the Heart

I'm a huge fan of Samantha Bailey. When I learned she had a new book coming out, I couldn't wait to read it. My anticipation matched my enjoyment... Watch Out For was an impossible to put down, fast-paced domestic thriller. The story was unpredictable and featured realistic and well-written characters. I loved the alternating POVs too. I can't wait for whatever Bailey rights next!

Absolutely fantastic thriller from one of my go to authors! Plenty of twisty goodness and creeptastic fun. Loved it!!

I almost didn’t finish this book because I didn’t like the mail character, Sarah Goldman. I thought she was insecure and paranoid. But I did because I wanted to know what her story was. Sarah and her husband Daniel, have a six year old son, Jacob. To help Sarah out since she seems to be so stressed and over protective of Jacob, they hire a sitter, Holly for the summer. Now Sarah can work her passion which is photography. Holly comes from a wealthy family and doesn’t want to follow her father’s plans for her. She wants a new family and the Goldman’s are just want she wants. But Holly, has secrets, as does Daniel, so is Sarah really paranoid?
Then the family moves from Vancouver to Toronto to get a fresh start and now Sarah believes Holly is stalking them. There are a lot of tense moments, which kept me reading. Did I come to like Sarah at the end? No. Did I like all the paranoia and red herrings? Maybe a little. Overall. This was an unsatisfying thriller for me.

Mystery story about a young adult girl that is rejected by her rich family and accepted by the family she babysits for the summer, and a mother she never had. Interesting plot occurring in Vancouver and Toronto. I enjoyed the emotional connection with the characters and could not put the book down once I got into it. Some motives of the characters were questionable, but the paranoia and drive for the truth of Sarah, the mother, kept me interested in what was actually going on in the story. Enjoyable and exciting read!

Watch Out For Her is a domestic thriller that left me with mixed feelings.  It kept me interested and was an easy, straightforward read perfect for a beach or plane (I read half of it on a bus), but never quite gelled for me.

It’s told from the perspective of the mother, Sarah Goldman, and the college-age babysitter, Holly, who is hired to look after Sarah and Daniel’s son Jacob.  The book begins after Sarah, Daniel, and Jacob have moved from Vancouver to Toronto to get over whatever happened in the summer with Holly. It switches back and forth between Sarah’s viewpoint in the present and Holly’s viewpoint in the past.  What does Holly want with the family?  And is she the one stalking the family in their new life in Toronto?

I like mysteries with this conceit: two different time periods, with opposing characters whose secrets are slowly revealed.  The same events are different when seen through each woman’s perspective.  This was the biggest strength of the book for me.  I loved the little surprises in how Holly’s motivations differed from what Sarah assumed.  I also appreciated the Canadian setting, as a Canadian myself.

However, Sarah and Holly felt like fairly flat characters to me.  I never fully understood their motivations, and they didn’t seem developed beyond the mystery.  I didn’t know why Sarah took photos, or why she was so paranoid even before anything strange happened.  I didn’t know enough about Holly’s background to understand the choices she made.  There are some questionable moments where the characters seemed to behave in odd ways just to drive the plot.  The ending also felt rushed.

Although it didn’t fully work for me, Watch Out For Her did keep my attention.  I think it will appeal to fans of domestic thrillers by authors such as Shari Lapena, Paula Hawkins, and Gilly Macmillan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my review copy of this book.

I could not connect with any of the characters, the plot, or the writing so I dnf'd. this one early. Thank you for the opportunity to read this AC, but since it wasn't for me, I will not be leaving a review on social media.

I fell in love with Samantha's writing after reading her first book and couldn't wait to get a copy of this one. I was Not Disappointed. Such an amazing book, I devoured it so quickly. I loved the way she perfectly portrayed the silent battles of motherhood through her character Sarah. The guilt of trying to protect our children at all times, while also giving them space and freedom. The struggle to not loose oneself while still being a present and involved mother. I also loved the other main character Holly, although she was in serious need of therapy from her issues with her parents, she was still such a full, well developed character that I felt connected to. The storyline was well thoughtout and flowed smoothly. Great book. Thank you so much to netgalley and the author for the free advanced copy of this book, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wanted to get this book finished before its pub day. It took me a few chapters to really grab my attention, but once it did I could not put it down. Watch Out for Her is a twisty, fast paced, domestic thriller told in dual timelines, the past and present. The past being told by Holly, a 22-year old rich girl who craves attention and approval from her father and the present being told by stay-at-home mom Sarah.

I actually found both Sarah and Holly to be annoying at first, and I could not figure out who the crazy one was. Once I started to get halfway through the book though and started piecing two and two together it became a little bit predictable. I figured out the ending, but that didn't stop me from really enjoying this! I would recommend it to anyone who loves a fast paced thriller with dual perspectives. These are my favorite kinds of thrillers!

*Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC for this book! Really enjoyed this read!

Watch Out for Her by Samantha Bailey was a fast-paced psychological thriller. The story grabbed my attention and quickly drew me in. I was anxious to see what would happen next. The author provides an illustration of how quickly secrets, deceptions and suspicions can lead to tragic consequences. This one kept me guessing until the end!

Sarah, Daniel and Jacob Goldman move from Vancouver to Toronto to get away from their babysitter, Holly Monroe. The relationship started when Daniel suggested that Sarah needed more time to herself for her photography. Jacob adored Holly and Holly found in Sarah a mother she never had. When Holly gets too involved in the Goldman's lives, they decide to suddenly move to Toronto. In Toronto, Sarah finds hidden cameras and starts to receive strange text messages. Has Sarah's past caught up to her? Who's watching her now? This is a spine-chilling family drama that kept me on the edge of my seat. It is a suspenseful tale of trust, voyeurism and obsession. It is told in 2 points of view - Sarah (Now) and Holly (Before). The characters are well-drawn and the plot is intense. Lots of great twists culminate into a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. If you love psychological suspense then you will enjoy this book. I would like to thank Simon and Shuster, Canada and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review. To be published on 4/19/22.

Where to start?! I loved this book so much — the writing style, the flow of the chapters, the alternating past and present timelines, and the alternating POV between Sarah and Holly added to the complexity and mystery. The women both have a unique tone, and a relatable fallibility that makes you question their reliability as narrators.

This was my first book by Sarah M. Bailey, and it did not disappoint! I was immediately hooked and could not put it down!! If you haven’t given this author a try yet, please do! You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster + @netgalley for my e-copy ARC.

I found the book a little too slow to start. The alternating chapters of present and past worked well in this story along with the change of viewpoints. You could feel the emotions of the characters strongly as the story progressed. the author unwound the story well and it picked up the pace about halfway through. I thought I had it figured out but was truly surprised by the ending. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced reading copy of Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey.

I went into this book not knowing anything (how I personally like to go into thrillers).

Bailey crafts a dual timeline story. Now chapters are from the perspective of protective mother and housewife Sarah. Sarah feels drained from the day to day tasks of caring for her son and husband as well as keeping up with a household. She wants to pursue her interest in photography and find a piece of herself she feels she lost. Sarah and her husband Daniel decided to hire a babysitter, Holly, for the summer to care for their active six year old Jacob.

The before chapters are from Holly’s point of view. Holly is a young twenty two year old trying to get out from her fathers thumb. Holly is from a wealthy family and feels pressure to get a medical degree and continue the family business and legacy.

These two women’s life intersect in an engaging thriller. Right from the first chapter I was swept away with the story and couldn’t put down the book. Unfortunately, the ending was a bit of a miss for me.

I desperately wanted to love "Watch Out For Her" by Samantha M. Bailey. I have seen so many thriller writers raving about this one, and I love domestic thrillers. The premise seemed like something I would love, too, or I neer would have requested it.

Unfortunately for me, this one never pulled me in. All of the writing felt stilted, particularly the conversation. I made the difficult decision to give up on this book because if I dread picking up a book, it's an automatic DNF for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read this one prior to publication.

I really enjoyed this book. I love dual timeline books and chapters from different POVs - which this book has both! The present chapters are from the mother Sarah's perspective, while the then chapters are from the babysitter Holly's perspective. It was hard to put this book down because at the end of each chapter I wanted to know more! The ending wasn't exactly what I expected, but I did guess one part! Overall, it was a quick read and loved that it was set in Vancouver/Toronto and written by a fellow Canadian!

Bailey knows how to write a book so that I'm hooked from early on in the book and need to know where it's going. Her other book, Woman on the Edge, was also a gripping thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I finished "Watch Out For Her" by Samantha M. Bailey last night. I enjoyed this story, even if I did figure out a couple twists fairly early on. I still wanted to bread to figure out the how of it all. The only issue I had was with just how problematic the main characters were, I just wanted to tell one to grow a backbone, one to grow up and act her age, and another to quit being such a secretive jerk. But I suppose in the end it wouldn't have been much of a story if these characters weren't the way that they were!

Overall, I'd recommend this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this ARC to review!

Another great thriller from Samantha Bailey! Highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves thrillers!

Count Samantha Bailey, the queen of compulsive reads, among my favorite modern thriller writers. Her latest novel, Watch out For Her, is a stunning exploration of obsession, fear, and trust through the lens of motherhood as Sarah Goldman and her son's beguiling babysitter Holly form a complicated friendship. Bailey keeps readers guessing, not just about the story's true villain, but also the nature of Holly's relationship with Sarah's husband. Even Sarah herself is not as unambiguous as she initially seems. I devoured every page.

This is a story of what a mother will do to protect her family. Sarah Goldman is the main character who is paranoid and lacks communication and a backbone.
I struggled to connect with her, and this story. It was boring and poorly written.