I was given a preview read - I had not read Bailey's first novel, so I had no idea what to expect. The premise of the book reeled me in and that is why I wanted to read it. I'm not going to explain what the book is about because you can read the plot synopsis yourself. I gave the book 4 stars because the plot pulled me through - there are a few twists and a lot of false paths that his book takes, which made me want to keep picking up the book to see what happens next. Where this book falls flat are the characters, the two main ones, you just don't want to root for them - they each have their flaws, some of which were very off putting to me, but like I said the plot itself pulled me along and in the end I really enjoyed the overall tone and plot of the book

Amazing! I loved this page turning psychological thriller! The alternating past and present timelines and the alternating POV between Sarah and Holly added to the complexity and mystery. I read over half of the book in one day as I had to find out who was behind the mystery. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was completely wrong!

This is a must read for individuals that love psychological thrillers! I look forward to reading more twisty thrillers by Samantha M. Bailey.

***** Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, Samantha M. Bailey, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

A taut and twisty psychological puzzle, this book, exposing you to “Before” and “Now” timelines, alternatively told from the POV of the two main protagonists, will leave you tense and wondering just who you can trust, what to believe, and ultimately, just what the heck is going on?

Sarah Goldman, a forty-one year-old photographer, mother and wife lives in a Vancouver home that is both gorgeous and cozy, with her COO husband Daniel, and their six year-old son Jacob. Sarah’s first-person POV crackles with intimacy as she shares her anxieties, insecurities, and shakily exhausted attempts to cope, readily admitting that her “mothering is smothering” as “everywhere I look I see danger”.

Holly Monroe is a twenty-two year-old auburn-waved beauty, who enters the Goldmans’ lives as a summer-term babysitter for Jacob. Holly is a strange (and perhaps sociopathic?) character - her third-person POV is chilling, matter-of-fact and coldly disturbing as we watch her somewhat dispassionate account of her wildly dysfunctional home life, behavioral adaptations and growing obsessions. It’s difficult not to feel empathy for Holly, whose escalating tactics are as horrifying as they are undeniably reflective of a terrible emotional void.

Recommended for lovers of character-based psychological suspense, claustrophobic tension and mounting unease, this book is destined to keep you guessing, right up the dramatic ending with a twisty “reveal” you may or may not have seen coming.

A great big thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I loved Samantha Bailey’s previous release, Woman On The Edge, so I was really excited to read an advanced copy of her upcoming release. Watch Out For Her isn’t a bad book, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I found it to be a little too slow moving for my taste, although it does pick up a bit in the later half of the book. I also found the twist to be a bit predictable.

Follow along as a paranoid mother watches as her babysitter seduces her husband, then follows them to a new house when they move... or does she?
Sarah's miracle child, Jacob, is her everything. When she finally decides to let someone help her with him so she can pursue her photography, she and husband Daniel think they have struck gold when they hire Holly, the daughter of a local pharmaceutical CEO and community mover and shaker. Jacob takes to her immediately, and Holly fits seamlessly into the family. Her father and stepmother, all about the money, barely know who she is unless she's helping them seal a deal with a wealthy investor, so she slips under the radar with all that's going on in her mind and heart. Never feeling loved for who she is, she latches onto Sarah and Jacob, so when things all turn upside down, no one knows who or what to believe.
A fast-paced read that had me guessing till the end, I was very surprised at who was REALLY watching out for Sarah and her family. More importantly, who WASN'T.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - Sarah hires Holly to take care of her son Jacob. Holly so wants to belong to a family - hers kicked her out. She feels like she belongs but her stepsister is hurt that she spends more time with her new family than her. Sarah's husband seems gone often - what is he up to? Sarah tends to be a worrier and has cameras installed. And when Holly decides to snoop and find out what is going on in this house - things began to tumble.

I really enjoyed this story about two woman trying to find their way. When Holly joins the Goldman household, it’s a cozy and comfortable setting that provides a mother daughter relationship that Holly and Sarah have always longed for. However, all of the main characters are hiding something that will put their relationships with one another at risk. I enjoyed the ending and discovering the identity of the ultimate villain in the story.

Another great book from Samantha M. Bailey. I was a huge fan of Woman on the Edge and was thrilled to see she was releasing another book. Watch Out for Her did not disappoint. I found myself hooked from the very beginning and didn’t want it to end. Can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next. She is be an auto read author for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Just a note that this book is actually Bailey's 3rd book. She wrote a cute rom com under a different publisher. It's worth checking out. Bailey goes in the mystery / thriller direction again here in Watch Out For Her. The word meaning can be looked at in two ways. As a protective way, the way a mother or good friend might look after someone they care for, or a menacing stalker-y, obsessed way. You decide which way the characters were watching each other at different times in the book.

Sarah and Daniel Goldman are leaving Vancouver behind with their young 6 year old son Jacob, to move to Toronto where Daniel has a new job and will be close to family of his, while Sarah is leaving hers behind. They had an indulgent lifestyle in Vancouver, and a full time babysitter despite being a single income family. Sarah tried to rediscover her love of photography, while Daniel was secretive with his man cave. This story is told in now and then, with Sarah's perspective starting in September in Toronto, and Holly the babysitter in the start of the summer. This writing device adds to the suspense, and the questions the reader has- which is how I read the book in 2 days.

Holly comes from an affluent family, her dad is a multi millionaire owner of a pharmaceutical company and a doctor. He expects Holly to finish medical school and work for his company, help bring in sales. How he expects that is made less clear by him, perhaps more so by his wife Lissette, Holly's stepmother. Holly is close with her stepsister Alexis, who is a nurse who can't find a job. That part didn't make sense, as even before covid there was a nursing shortage. But this book is not written to include covid, which is fine. As Holly gets closer to Jacob and Sarah, she starts to feel like part of the family rather than hired help- and odd job for her wealthy parents to demand of her during her summer after 1st year of med school. Holly also snoops and finds things that make her concerned for Sarah, secrets and lies from Daniel. I wouldn't say Holly was an unlikeable character, she was sympathetic because of her cold upbringing. But the things she did and the reasoning she used, showed very much a lack of judgment, reasoning and logic. After all that part of the brain isn't fully developed until the mid 20's and Holly is 22. It just didn't add to the plot, rather it left some unanswered questions and seemed difficult to believe what Daniel's secrets were or Holly's plan to "help".

What I did like was the slow building paranoia and fear Sarah had in Toronto of her new neighbors and finding hidden cameras in the rental home, feeling watched, getting mysterious texts. The guess I had about which person connected to Holly was correct but as to whom she was masquerading as was surprising, the author had a good red herring. It was even more surprising to learn about Holly and what happened with her after the move east. I had to suspend some disbelief that one, how nobody would [redacted] certain signs or clues.

I did enjoy this book so I rounded up 3.8/5☆ to 4 stars, book release is 4/19/22. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This was not a bad story. Parts of it were very good and parts of it made you think that Holly was not quite the person you thought she was. Then again, that could be true for many of the characters.
Holly and Alexis are step sisters with parents who treat them horribly. Holly becomes babysitter to Jake and wants to be a part of their family. Jake's mom, Sarah, is the ideal mom in Holly's eyes, but I found her to be paranoid. The dad wasn't much better, but acted the opposite of paranoid.
Different chapters, different voices, gave the chance to see the situations from many sides.
Maybe no character was truly as you might think.
Thank you net galley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a curious story. The author did a great job with character development. I think this would actually be a good movie. The storyline is a bit sad where Holly just wanted to have someone love her when her family disowns her for stealing. The lengths this young woman goes to for comfort and love is remarkable. There are twists and turns throughout the story to keep you engaged. I did get a little bored waiting for the shoe to drop but otherwise, it's a quick read. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This review is in my own words.

OMG I loved this book!!! I love Bailey’s writing style. She kept me absolutely riveted throughout this entire book from the first page through to the last! I loved the alternating character POV and I loved the nonlinear timeline! I loved not knowing who to like and who to trust and my opinions kept morphing as I read! I cannot wait for her next book!

👀 BOOK / REVIEW 👀

Hello, my name is Kayleigh and I am OBSESSED with @sbaileybooks ❤ She is not only the kindest person alive, but incredibly talented. I have been begging for a copy of #watchoutforher (publishing April 19, 2022 by @simonandschuster) because her first novel, #womanontheedge was so freaking fantastic.

I zipped through this in 24 hours while balancing an insane workload and other responsibilities. This book is THAT GOOD. And super creepy. I actually checked outside my windows a few different times to make sure someone wasn't taking my photo without consent 🙃. I really loved that this book did not focus on a cheating husband with the family babysitter. Instead, so much more sinister was happening underneath!

And guys, swipe to the second image. This is the first time my name has ever been included (among so many other amazing bookstagram accounts) in the acknowledgement section. This made me tear up, Sam! So grateful for our friendship 💓

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - grab it ASAP!

I loved everything about this book; the writing was crisp and clean, the plotting was perfect and the dual POVs worked extremely well. I'll be reading everything Bailey writes.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada & Netgalley for the digital ARC. It was my pleasure to write an honest review!

Watch Out for Her by Samatha Bailey has a central theme of acceptance. What extremes would you take to be accepted by others and what if you are not? Sarah and Daniel take Holly into their home after she is banished from her own home. She is a terrific nanny to their son Jake. Holly and her sister Alexis both banished from their home form a bond. They are the Ying and Yang. After Sarah and Daniel develop marital issues problems arise for everyone. The is a turn paging psychological novel that will keep you guessing to the final end. Very well written and I would definitely recommend.

This was the exact book I needed to read. I was in the mood for a dark, domestic mystery and boy did WATCH OUT FOR HER deliver.

The story is told from duel POV"S, Sarah (the mother) and Holly (the babysitter), and while it covers the relationship between mother and babysitter, it also explores each of their own story lines and more.

There is so much happening in this wild ride: obsession, stalking, gambling rings, blackmail, prostitution.... the list goes on. It's a wild ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada & Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for a copy of this book, my review is my own!
This was an amazing book! And the first time that I have checked out this author.
The story somewhat dragged on, and I did guess the “twist” it was a great ride to get there. I liked the multiple points of view which I felt helped you understand the characters and what they were going through. I did like that the author didn’t fall back on the typical babysitter/husband trope and that none of the characters were “squeaky” clean. I would recommend at a 3.5 rounded up to four stars! And I will/would check out more from this author!

I was engrossed in this story from the first page. The alternating points of view and timelines for each chapter was genius. I had to keep reading to find out what happened.

As a fan of psychological thrillers with explosive family dynamics, I found myself really enjoying this book. I wasn’t a HUGE fan of the characters, but I found the storyline intriguing and it kept me up late into the night because I was eager to finish and see what was going to happen! I thought it was well written, although it did drag on at times, but this was my first Samantha Bailey novel and I’m definitely a fan! Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It was quite the page turner for me, I could barely put it down. Also, I didn’t have the twist figured out, so that was definitely a plus!