4.5 rounded up - DEBUT horror novel that I think is about to be huge on booktok. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

With paranoia, creepiness, and drama riddled throughout, this book is so wild and endlessly entertaining.

This was unsettling, eerie, and intensely suspenseful, captivating me from the outset, with moments where I felt like I was losing my grip on reality alongside Flora amidst the bizarre occurrences.

DEAREST is divided into 4 parts. It starts off as a psychological thriller (flirting with horror) about a new mom, who is clearly going through postpartum depression, and who suddenly starts to see and speak to her childhood imaginary friend regularly. And in the second half of the book the story becomes more of a supernatural (and kind of fantasy, too) horror.
In my opinion, this a very suspenseful novel about the 'ugly' side of motherhood combined with mental illness and how women still are neglected by others (especially men) when it comes to their struggles (of any kinds) after becoming a mother. And readers who might be interested in this book should be clear about that.
I'd even say that to new moms out there, who are struggling somehow with being a mother, this book might be triggering.

The chapters are very short and the writing is very engaging, so the reading becomes more dynamic and easy to go through.
The horror elements (when not related to the main character's state of mind) are decent enough. However, I'd say the supernatural horror side of this story begins and ends very quickly. This is not a long book, and the supernatural scary stuff only happens in the final 30%, so I couldn't help but feeling a little disappointed by how fast it ended. On one hand, it was bizarre. And personally I am into bizarre horror elements.
On the other hand, because I'm not a fantasy reader, per se, I thought the final act was a little too much for my taste. So far (with a few reservations) the story was very realistic but then the more 'fantasy' horror side comes and, to me, kills the realistic vibes I was getting from the story. I'm sure horror readers who also like some fantasy will not mind that, though.
The ending was a little abrupt in my opinion, too. But that didn't ruin my reading experience as a whole.

All in all, I'd say this a quite interesting horror novel. Depending on the type of horror reader you are this book will be fun or scary, and if you are a mother of toddlers, or about to become one, this might even be scarier and speak more directly to you.

Thank you, NetGalley & Mulholland Books, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

An incredibly horrifying debut by Walters that delivers chills when it grabs onto family secrets and new motherhood. This story begins spiraling towards a psychological thriller then is created into supernatural horror. Filled with dark humor and a high pace you'll devour this one in one sitting.

I'm sorry. This was so bizarre, completely outlandish and horrendously convoluted. The repititon in the first half, what with the engorged boobs, infected nipples, clogged ducts & Flora's internal dialogue about feeding the baby was so redundant, it was painful.

I'm going to stop there because I firmly believe that this was a case of the **wrong audience**. Audience being me as I'm sure many readers will devour this book.

Regardless and as always, I am so grateful for the opportunity to read the arc. So thank you Mulholland Books and NetGalley.

I feel like “ mother horror” is becoming a new sub genre, and this book fits it perfectly. I was completely captivated from page one. I genuinely had trouble putting the book down. It was both intoxicating and unnerving to be in Flora’s mind as it slowly unravels, and she begins to question her reality. Even if I did see some of the twists coming, they were executed in a way that was still completely mind blowing, and sometimes genuinely had me gasping out loud.

A twisted, dark mess of post-partum turmoil. I nearly filed this one under DNF until the second half sucked me in. This story rang true in many of the first time mom issued one can face. I could smell the scents, remember the pains, relive the exhaustion while reading this. Honestly, it was a struggle to experience again. Thankfully, the book took a bit of a supernatural turn and it reinvigorated my interest!

Thank you NetGalley, Mulholland Books, and author Jacquie Walters for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. “Dearest” is expected to be published September 17, 2024!

Flora is a new mom with her beautiful baby girl, Iris. It should all be bliss. She’s got her baby and everything should be okay. But she’s alone. She’s got intrusive thoughts and repeatedly seeing horrible ways her baby could get hurt. Her husband is deployed. Her dad and his wife just left. She can’t even breast feed right. Things are quickly going to shit. And then her mom comes. And it just gets worse. This book, to me, is a full on character study. What happens when a new mom with a traumatic past is left alone with her newborn baby and postpartum depression? Read and find out. Spoiler alert: it is not a fun and fresh time.

This was disturbing, creepy and super suspenseful. I really enjoyed it and thought found it to be captivating from the very beginning. At times I felt like I was losing my mind with Flora due to all the weird things that were going on. Being a mom of two toddlers I loved how this story gave real insight into the struggles women go through postpartum.

Thank you NetGalley & Mulholland Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Postpartum Psychosis is the vehicle for this horror book. Or, is there something more malevolent at work for new mom, Flora. When the baby comes early, Flora finds herself all alone as her husband is on deployment. Flora's dad and stepmother come for a short time to help out but then Flora is all alone with baby. And the expectations of being a mother. No sleep, breastfeeding failing, not eating, breast infection and then the delusion or visions or visitations begin.

Thus begins the descent of Flora both fighting for her daughter and her sanity. Motherhood and family trauma is explored within the context of a horror book. Bizarre and it works. Author Walters blurs the lines between psychosis and a supernatural situation well enough to keep the reader guessing for quite some time. It is also refreshing to have a commonplace occurrence (birth and motherhood) be the focus of the horror as opposed to someone running around with a chainsaw. Everyday life is enough of a horror show and Dearest is a great example of mining that resource.

Thank you to Novel Suspects for an electronic review copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I requested this based on the authors who blurbed it, even though mommy horror is very much not my thing, and I'm so glad I did. I had so much fun going on Jacquie Walters's wild ride. Yes, it's absurd and riddled with plot holes (including a big, giant, glaring one that is supposed to act as a twist about halfway through but really just makes nothing that happened previously make much sense at all), but this is horror; it doesn't need to be fully explained or completely rational. What matters in horror is whether it's creepy (it is), gross (yup), and/or atmospheric (three for three!) and if you buy into the world the creator has introduced, and Dearest hits on all of that.

Also? So nice to read a horror novel that isn't an enormous, sprawling tome. Dearest hits fast and furious, and it's stronger for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Flora is an overwhelmed sleep deprived new mother, whose husband is on deployment. Flora's estranged mother comes to help. Flora can't decide if she’s hearing things or she having a breakdown. Nicely done creepy book.

I tend to read one book and listen to one audiobook at the same time. Funny that in the two I was reading both had characters hearing voices.

Amazing book! Flora is home alone with her baby girl, Iris. Her husband Conner is away on deployment. Sleep deprived and losing her grip on reality, Flora is in desperate need of help. Motherhood is not as she imagined , she is lonely and falls into postpartum depression. She calls her mother who she hadn't seen in years, for assistance. The book is creepy with a touch of gore. The writing is well done, and I liked the short chapters. I would recommend this book.

So the beginning of this book was not at all for me and had many cringe moments. Then it got a bit interesting when the mysterious “mother” came to visit. Things eventually then got quite confusing. It did all kind of come together but this was definitely a weird book. Some paranormal thrown in randomly, and just all around disturbing parts about having a baby.

I am on a roll of reading “WTF did I just read” books lately…and I’m freaking loving it 😂 Dearest is wild. This is definitely an insiders look into Flora, our FMC’s, spiral into madness. The first couple parts, I was like ok..ok..this is getting kinda weird. Then the next parts were just chaos in the best way. I felt for Flora and also wanted to yell at her in some parts 😂 Even though I don’t plan on becoming a mom, this book gave me full body chills and made me realize how strong a mother-child bond can be. I couldn’t put this one down and that freaking epilogue 🤯

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 &| 𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4 🌟
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Now, this is WILD! I don't even know if I can express how wild this ride was. Imagine being a first-time mom, having PPD, and hallucinating! I mean, if you been a first-time mom, I'm sure you might have experienced something along these lines or maybe not.
Flora is a new mom enamored of her dauggter, Iris, who has arrived a few weeks early. But with her husband still deployed, Flora must navigate the newborn stage alone. As the sleepless nights pass in the loneliness of their half-empty home, the edges of her reality begin to blur.
What made me think Flora was crazy was when she started seeing and speaking to her imagined friend that she had when she was a little girl.
I wouldn't recommend a new mom to read this book, as it could be a little triggering! But other than that, it's highly interesting.
The audiobook is great! The narrator did a good job. She was easy to listen to and also to follow along on this journey.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept. 17
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Thank you, Netgalley, Mulholland, for the eBook and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really took my time to read this because I didn't want it to end. There are a series of events that unfold once you give birth. It is a common thing to label it "baby blues", "post partum" and even exhaustion. Would you add POSSESSION to the list? New mom, Flora, has been dealing with the baby blues that come with being a new mom, her husband been deployed, her lost connection to her mom, and the growing darkness in her secluded home. Expect family trauma, body horror, nonstop erratic plot twists and, are you waiting for more? This was such an amazing ride. I cannot wait to read more from Jacquie Walters.

ARC 📖 Review: Dearest by Jacquie Walters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: 9/17/24

I was HOOKED from the first chapter!!! I could not figure out what was going to happen and loved how it all unfolded in the end. It felt like I was watching a horror movie the entire time I was reading. Highly recommend this one!! Thank you @mulhollandbooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🪲🦛👹👶🏼

Flora is a new mom enamored of her baby girl, Iris, even if she arrived a few weeks early. With her husband still deployed, Flora navigates the newborn stage alone. But as the sleepless nights pass in the loneliness of their half-empty home, the edges of her reality begin to blur.

#dearest #jacquiewalters #netgalley #arcreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #bookreview #bookworm #books #bookish #booknerd #booklover

IT'S A BARNYARD SINGALONG! To every parent out there picking up this book - you will immediately know this phrase! Dearest is a perfect tale of the postpartum haze and mother-daughter dynamics. In what is both hauntingly beautiful and devastating, Jacquie Walters delivers a debut novel of epic proportions.

We are introduced to Flora, a first time mom with a military husband. She has given birth with the support of her dad and step-mom. Flora and her mother, Jodi, have a strained relationship, but as Flora wades into the treacherous territory of little sleep and a newborn to care for, she reaches out to her mother in desperation. The more time that Flora spends with her mother, the more Flora seems to question what she knows about the woman who brought her into the world.

I absolutely loved this! I am a big fan of novels that focus on mothers, but I think the mother-daughter relationship is especially fraught with complicated emotions. Any mother will be able to relate to the annoying sounds of baby toys, the struggles of not getting enough time to shower, and the uncomfortable vulnerability of asking for help. I enjoyed reflecting on the culture surrounding new parenthood and the necessary gadgets that you're encouraged to buy. The messaging to new parents is often "you are not enough" - buy this stuff to make up for your shortcomings! I will not be buying a birth husk for any of my children.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mulholland Books, and the author Jacquie Walters for an ARC of the amazing Dearest in exchange for an honest review.

My god, this was wild! It follows Flora and her 6 week old baby as she navigates the newborn stage solo while her husband is deployed. Sleep deprived and desperate, she reaches out to her estranged mother and when she shows up to help, things take an extremely dark turn. This really got to the heart of the postpartum experience in realistic ways that keep you guessing - is this normal or true madness? There are some twists/reveals that I did not see coming and had me SHOOK. Very unsettling stuff.