Holly is a girl desperate for the love she’s never gotten at home. I found myself sympathetic with her plight and liked her as a character, but the controlling father and wicked step-mother bit was a little much. That said, as she worked her way into the Goldman household, I really started rooting for her to be happy. Her true nature came out as she became the babysitter and nanny for the Goldman’s son. That was a sweet relationship, and her character grew immensely in it.

There were some very good twists in this book and surprises that came out of nowhere. I think the author did a good job keeping me interested as we learned about Daniel Goldman and his issues. When they moved from Toronto to Vancouver, things became creepy as they immediately discovered they were being stalked.

While I was absorbed for 90% of the book, it unraveled at the end. There were a few things that felt completely implausible and forced. Still, I think this is a good book and worth the read. There is a chilling feeling that the author does a great job in building. I’ll read her books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

I can see this novel being a popular choice for book clubs. It's a domestic-noir type, which is obviously very popular at the moment. Pair that with characters who have things to hide, lots of twisty moments, and a clear, easy to follow plot - perfect recipe for a group read. Is it my favourite of the genre? No. Am I likely to reread this one? Again, no. Do I think it's a worthwhile read and would I read more novels from this author? Yes and yes.
(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Wowow! This was an incredible thriller. Super short, snappy chapters and a thrilling ‘then’ and ‘now’ dual timeline! Definitely an author I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the future!!

This is not my usual go to genre but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
It pulled me in from the get go and kept me guessing.
I loved the fact it was set in Vancouver and Toronto.
Interesting characters and premise.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Simon & Schuster
April 19, 2022
10:1982155191
Psychological Thriller

How many people have felt abandoned or neglected? How do they handle this when all they want is to be accepted and loved?

This captivating tale is about 22-year-old Holly Monroe, a beautiful young woman who comes from a wealthy family. Her father, John, is the high-powered owner of Health ProX, a pharmaceutical company. He has planned out Holly’s life, and through his machinations, he uses her to make his business an international conglomerate. Holly is home for the summer after completing her first year of medical school. Though she has attained a babysitting job, John submits his demands to her to attract wealthy country club colleagues to become investors. He shows no love or affection shown to her; Holly’s only closeness is with her older stepsister Alexis, with whom she shares a very close bond.

At an event at the club, Holly’s dad approaches her, reminding her of her “duty”:

“Her father kisses her on the cheek and whispers, ‘Charlie Lang should be here somewhere. Make me proud, honey.’

“She takes a deep breath, then says something that surprises her as soon as it’s out of her mouth. ‘Maybe Lisette can have lunch with Charlie next week? Now that I’m babysitting as my job?’

“Her father laughs like she told the funniest joke. ‘You’re my ace in the hole. I’m counting on you. And Lisette’s already arraigned for you to approach Charlie tonight.’

“Her heart sinks.”

However, abhorrent her “duty,” Holly will do anything to gain her father’s approval.

Sarah Goldman is a middle-aged mother of six-year-old Jacob. She is alone with her son watching her life pass before her. She loves her husband Daniel but feels rejected because he is always working. To make her feel better, Daniel, a busy executive, hires a nanny for the summer so Sarah can have time to herself and to get back to photography, a passion she put on the back burner.

This is where Holly comes into the picture. Jacob quickly adores Holly, and Holly thinks things will be better—not only for her but for Sarah, whom she looks upon as a mother figure. However, Sarah is somewhat suspicious of Holly. Why would a wealthy medical student take a babysitting job? But the more Holly does for her, the more Sarah depends on her.

The problem is Holly craves being part of Sarah’s family. She despises her father and his commands for her to do anything to procure funding for his company, no matter how despicable. She is only a pawn to him, and to make matters worse, Lisette, her stepmother, agrees with her father. Holly never knew her mother, who died when she was born, and Lisette has never been a mother figure, not even to her own daughter, Alexis.

The babysitting situation goes well, giving Sarah time in her darkroom while Holly entertains Jacob during the day. Holly inserts herself into the household, right where she wants to be—not wanting Daniel—just longing to be a family member.

When Holly is home, she steals Lisette’s diamond bracelet worth thousands. She hides it in her drawer, self-satisfied she’s pulled one over on Lisette. The trouble is, Lisette is a snoop and finds it. She and John confront Holly. Her father is appalled by her actions and kicks her out of the house while Lisette smiles smugly. This turns out to be Holly’s way out from her father’s tyranny. With tears, she lands on Sarah’s doorstep in the middle of the night, begging to stay there. Of course, Sarah allows her in, feeling sympathy for her, but this is supposed to be temporary. Temporary is not in Holly’s vocabulary, for her plan is to be with them forever.

How does this work out for Sarah and Daniel? Holly soon turns into a conniver and manipulator. She confronts Daniel about something she’s learned about him. Then Sarah is shocked to discover the things Holly does in her home. Sarah, horrified, suggests they move from Vancouver to Daniel’s job offer in Toronto. This way, they’ll be away from Holly for good—but will they?

Strange occurrences happen at their new residence, which terrifies Sarah. Daniel also becomes apprehensive of Holly showing up and divulging his transgressions. Has Holly come way across the country, and is she stalking them?

The chapters are divided, noting the events in both women’s lives: Sarah’s is described in the first person, while Holly’s voice is in the third. The author also bounces to “before” and “after” in the time frame from Vancouver to Toronto. One may conclude this pattern would be confusing, but the narrative is so well written and joined together it flows effortlessly.

Watch Out for Her, a hair-raising, suspenseful page-turner, will have one watching their back wherever they go, but what really gets to the novel’s heart is the unexpected and chilling ending.

This was a good basic mystery read. Not a lot of suspense but still fun to read. The ending twist was predictable. This is a book which I would recommend to those looking for a quick read mystery.

Sarah, Daniel, and their young son have just moved over 3 hours away to a new home after a major falling out with their nanny, Holly. Holly saw herself as a part of their family…and suddenly, they were gone. Sarah had every reason to leave, but has Holly found her? Why are there cameras in her brand-new rental? And why is her husband acting oddly?

Samantha Bailey’s new read, Watch Out For Her, was a fun and quick read! I did guess fairly early on “who did it”, but it was a surprise exactly how the twists played out! Recommended for a light domestic suspense that explores unconventional family dynamics.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sarah moved her family across the country to get away from a life spun into turmoil. Back in Vancouver Sarah was a mom to Jacob, a wife to Daniel, and struggling to find any other identity besides those. She hired Holly to babysit Jacob and Holly quickly becomes a member of the family. Holly is hiding quite a few secrets and as their lives start to unravel, Sarah makes a quick move to Toronto hoping to leave the past behind them, but it seems like trouble is determined to follow her wherever she goes.

This twisty page-turner will keep you on the edge of your seat. Bailey does a wonderful job of giving you just enough details to keep you guessing. I can usually predict the ending of psychological suspense novels, but this one took me until just before the reveal to figure it all out. While I couldn't personally relate to a lot of the struggles of these characters, I still felt invested in their story. If you're looking for a quick suspenseful read, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Sarah Goldman wants to leave all the bad memories behind when she and her family move across country to Toronto. Living with her husband and six-year-old son, Jacob, in a quiet little suburb, she still can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Still watching her. Has she really left the past behind, or has it followed her there?

Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey is an intense suspense novel that will keep you reading long into the night. It will have you questioning who the real predator is, and who is the prey. And how far will this person go to get exactly what they want? Don’t turn out the lights because someone may be watching. I highly recommend this amazing suspense novel the the talented Ms. Bailey.

Sarah and Daniel, and their six year old son, Jacob, move to leave secrets behind, but the secrets come with them. Even more secrets emerge, threatening their marriage. A very tense and gripping psychological thriller.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My thanks to Net Galley and Simon.and Shuster for allowing me to review this wild ride of a book.

What did Sarah and Daniel Goldman s trusted babysitter Holly do to make just them pick up and move with no word? Read and you will find out and love it! It's told from the POV of the Goldmans and Holly which will come together. Highly recommend.

This book was quite a ride!! I couldn't put it down!! The plot kept me guessing and I did enjoy the characters. I would definitely recommend to a fellow thriller lover.

I received this ARC through NetGalley (thanks!) and I enjoyed it. To be fair, I think I've rounded up to 4 stars.

It kept me engaged and wanting more every time a chapter ended. I had a sneaky suspicion about certain people at about 60% way through the book, but the ending still gave me a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. I appreciate the book for that.

This is my first Samantha Bailey book (I have yet to read her debut) but I would definitely pick up another book by her.

Two POV and two timelines. Susan and Daniel seems to have the perfect life then came Holly. A gripping psychological thriller, that had a gripping plot, that reading with enjoy. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion for. Net Galley and Simon and Schuster.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the story for me. I loved this authors first book and was excited for this one. It started off strong and I was excited to see how the story played out. It’s a before and now told in two POV. I did guess a big part of it, but by the end I was just waiting for it over.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my free advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

Publish date: April 19, 2022

Wow.! Hang in for a ride. The books had me hooked from page one. Secrets, lies, whose telling the truth.

My first by this author bit definitely it my last !

Do not start this book until have lots of time because you won’t be able to put it down! Daniel and Sarah have what looks like an ideal family. Sarah is a photographer, Daniel has a good job and they have one son, Jacob. In comes Holly and everything changes. The story is told from two POV and timelines. Holly is sort of an outcast in her own family. She doesn’t fit her father’s plan for her so they throw her out and she lives with Daniel and his family. Everyone is harboring secrets. Of course I didn’t figure it out, but I never do! Thank you @netGalley for the advance copy #WatchOutForHer Bravo, i see a best seller here! @SamanthaMBailey #Simon&Schuster

This was an addictive read. I didn’t know who the crazy one was - Sarah, Daniel or Holly! Although I guessed towards the end, it was a good read getting to that place. Really enjoyable psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley, and Samantha Bailey for the ARC of this book, I look forward to reading more of Samanthasks books!

I want to start off by giving a super huge thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC.

I have read Samantha Bailey's first book Woman on the Edge, and was absolutely captivated by it, and was so thrilled to have a chance to read and review Watch Out for Her before it gets published. I cannot wait to grab my physical copy of this book!

That all being said. This is an absolute page turner of a book. If I didn't have mommy duties to tend to I would have finished this book in a day. I loved the different POV, the before and the now time lines as well, as it kept you wanting to read more. The sitting at the edge of my seat suspense with every turn of a page. I thought something bigger was going to happen with the husband as that is where my mind went. But I definitely did not see the plot twist at the end coming. I won't say too much more as I don't want to give the book away. Aside from GO BUY IT APRIL 19TH, OR EVEN PREORDER THIS MASTERPIECE.

Sarah and Daniel Goldman hired Holly to take care of their 6-year old son. He adored his live-in babysitter and Holly loved having a family who seemed to care, at last.
All seemed to be going well, but Sarah had secrets which she wanted to keep hidden, so was always suspicious of Holly and one day she saw on her security camera, something that made her want to move away quickly and not let Holly know. It seems that each one has secrets, and only after the move, do some secrets become revealed.
I thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.