Thank you to NetGalley, Jacquie Walters & Hachette Audio for the audio galley of Dearest in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Mulholland are usually big hits with me, so as soon as I saw this eerie cover & read the synopsis, I knew I needed to give it a go.

This was one of those stories that makes you say "What the F@$K did I just read?" Don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This was a bit different than what I had anticipated by the synopsis. It was soooooo weird. Flora's mother breastfeeding Flora's baby was creepy AF & I could feel every bit of Flora's rage during that scene. I did get a little confused toward the end regarding whether everything Flora experienced with her mother was real or all in her head, but I think that was the author's intention - to make the reader go "Wait - WHAT?!?"

This story was definitely 100% original, which automatically gives it a bump up from me. As for my final feelings? I'm still not really sure. I didn't dislike it, but I also don't really know exactly where I stand on how much I did like it. It was an odd one that I still haven't wrapped my head around, which likely means the author accomplished what she was going for.

I am rating it at 4-Stars because I don't think it deserves less than that, but based on my still unresolved feelings, I can't rate it any higher.

This book was the BEST form of birth control ever! 🫠 The first half of the book has basically scarred me for life by going into extreme detail of all the things I never cared to learn, the body horror of what can go wrong with your body as a new mother. 🤢 It does have my favorite kind of FMC, unhinged. If the last 40% of the book hadn’t been an improvement I would have given a less than 3 star rating. Warning - this book definitely has a very specific target audience. Now excuse me while I go pour bleach in my ears to try and forget the first half of that awful story 🤪.

Jeepers Creepers, this book didn't tip toe, it plowed through what-did-I-just-read territory!?! Seriously, I wasn't quite sure the entire time I was listening to the audiobook what to make of it, yet I could not stop thinking about this book when I put it down. Plus, the author narrated the audiobook and did a fabulous job! This book takes being a new mother and motherhood to a whole new level. She had me questioning if Flora is experiencing postpartum psychosis (different from postpartum depression and involves hallucinations) or some other mental health diagnosis, or was something sinister happening? One thing is certain, exhaustion can really mess with one’s mind.

Flora is a new mother whose husband is deployed. When her daughter comes early, Flora must care for her newborn while experiencing lack of sleep, breastfeeding issues, loneliness, and misses her estranged mother. Thankfully, Flora's mother shows up to help but will it be the reunion she hoped for??

Wowza! Bizarre books begin to go delve further into the mother daughter relationship; bizarre things begin occurring at an alarming pace. Is Flora in danger? Is she a danger to her daughter? Is what is happening real? Is she hallucinating? I couldn't help thinking repeatedly, this woman needs help! When her husband suddenly appears and wanted to tell him “Get her help now!" But does she need help or is something else at play????

Again, this is a strange one that I had a hard time rating. Hats off to the author for creating a unique and unsettling book which kept this reader thinking about it even after finishing the audiobook.

*This book does touch on motherhood, difficulty breastfeeding, exhaustion, family secrets, and mental health.

Postpartum psychosis plus new motherhood and a side of supernatural horror = Dearest. This was an entertaining debut read by the author who kept me engaged with her narration. As a mom who once struggled with nursing and the exhaustion of newborns, I could definitely relate and parts of this novel had me chuckling. I did guess most of the twists and even though there’s some graphic scenes it wasn’t too scary or creepy for my dark reading taste. One irk were the definitions (were those really necessary?) and some of this plot felt overdone to me.

A truly unsettling story that made me feel nauseous and reminded me why I won't be having children. A strong debut from an author to watch. I wonder how fast someone will buy the film rights?

First time mum Flora is experiencing the highs of motherhood with her new baby daughter. And every possible low imaginable. Seriously, the descriptive writing of every disgusting bodily fluid, smell or sound that could emanate from a human body made me physically sick. To add insult to injury, Flora is doing it alone as her husband is away in the army. Enter Flora's mother whom she hasn't spoken to in years. Flora is happy at first, until she realizes she let mummy dearest into her house.

This book was so creepy. Was Flora going mad, experiencing post partum depression? Was her mother there with ulterior motives? Or maybe her imaginary friend wasn't so imaginary after all. I felt Flora's struggles the whole way through as more and more people questioned her parenting and her sanity, including herself. I predicted a few of the twists but not all. The ending was wild, right to the last second.

I listened to an audiobook version narrated by the author herself. I think she did a great job. The characters were all distinctive and the climactic scenes were done well. Content warnings - child death, suicide.

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 absolutely loved DEAREST. The premise sounded right up my alley and happily, this exceeded my expectations. I just had my first baby this summer, so a horror novel about a new mom deep in the trenches with her newborn reaching out to her estranged mom for help definitely hit home for me. Every little detail she uses to depict new motherhood was SPOT ON. The body horror of breastfeeding, the mind melting exhaustion, the paradoxical love for your baby and desperate desire to not be responsible for keeping a vulnerable tiny human alive for an hour or two…all of it was so real and accurate

One of the most impressive things about this book was the plotting and pacing. Several times I was like HOLY SHIT WHAT A HUGE TERRIFYING CLIMACTIC MOMENT and I’d be at only 40%. I was nervous the book would just lose steam, but it held strong and kept me horrified the whole way through. Of the two major plot twists, I didn’t see one coming at all, and the other I was starting to guess a version of and was still shocked.

Ultimately, this is a novel about postpartum depression/anxiety/psychosis, the beauty and horror of parenthood, mother/daughter relationships, and grief. It has funny moments, painfully accurate moments, and disturbing ones.

Loved the ending, too. So foreboding! 10/10 no notes. Will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Woah, this was wild! I can't believe it's a debut, it's SO good. And, for once, a marketing comparison that is totally accurate - fans of Ashley Audrain truly will love this one. Very creepy and emotional. I can't wait for spooky season and everyone to read this one. I think it'll be very popular. The audio is fantastic - very easy to follow along and I was completely hooked the entire time. Highly recommend!

Thank you Hachette Audio | Mulholland Books, Netgalley and Jacquie Walters for the Audo Arc of Dearest.
Narrated by Jacquie Walters..

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was admittedly attracted to the dark vibes and boy does it get dark. Flora, a new Mum, finds the edges of reality start blurring when their daughter is born a few weeks early and she has to navigate those early weeks on her own due to her Husband being deployed elsewhere. A surprising guest comes to her aid, her own Mother who she's not spoken to for years but all is not how it seems as something else seems to of come in the door.

Being a Mum and remembering those early days, weeks of sleep deprivation and possible post natal depression, this book hit home. It is raw and undeniable in its direction. I can well imagine that some readers may find this book triggering and other may find it kind of cathartic ( which I did ). Jacquie tackles the dark side of the mind with compassion, yet believably detailed. You not quite sure whether Flora is being haunted by a dark, unseeing force or she is slowly sinking into the dark depths of post natal depression. Its gritty in places and gory in some descriptions which, for me, made it an uncomfortable but great read.,

Jacquie narrated her own book, which I always really enjoy when writers narrate their own books. Jacquie has a great, well paced voice. Sinister where it needed to be and full of emotion,

5 stars

What is it about? A new mom, attempting to go through the birth of her first child and daughter, baby Iris, mostly alone. Her husband is deployed and her father lives a few hours away and no friends mentioned. She has an estranged relationship with her own mother and although she “cut her out” of her life, (due to her mother treating her poorly) she finds herself wanting her mother back in her life more than ever ever during this stage of early motherhood. Then one lonely night she writes her mother a letter - and she shows up at her doorstep! What happens next is where this book becomes a horror novel.

The characters: Flora: the new mother, afraid she is losing her mind during the first few weeks of motherhood. Mother: somewhat of an enigma, we are told who she is through Flora’s eyes and at times seems like a good mother and at times seems borderline abusive.

How I felt about it? This reminded a bit of the Exorcist if I’m being honest. There were parts that to me were “gory” and although I think this book was fantastically written and overall incredibly well done- it didn’t work for me personally because of the gruesome nature. Still 3 stars because I know this will work for a lot of people.

Thank you @NetGalley and @HatchetteAudio for an audible version of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Uncomfortable, uncanny, and vaguely horrific. A new fantastical twist on postpartum depression, narrated by the author herself. This one has a lot of twists and turns. Especially the last part: some rather sharp turns, in all senses. Frankly, this is where the novel lost me. There's just a little bit too much of everything. And we've encountered these tropes before. Hauntings, invisible friends, murders ... I'll avoid spoiling too much. Still, you're never quite sure if it's all in the lead's head or if real monsters lurk. There's also a lot of body horror here, centred on birthing and early motherhood. I'm not sure how I felt about it. The whole depiction of the lead's mother in one scene just struck me as unfortunately ageist and tired. I will still pulled in, though! And this is a perspective rarely writ. A compelling and unnerving thriller.

I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan of creepy, isolated type stories that include mothers, children and an outsider. I have a slight feeling that since I don't have children, I was able to really enjoy the story even more. I hear from a lot of moms, that it's hard to read about the tougher parts of motherhood. Whether, they don't want to think about all the sleep they didn't get or how painful breastfeeding can be ( if it was hard to grasp at first). But I ate it up!!! The audiobook was narrator by the author and i think she did an amazing job. I would most definaly say this is for fans of Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, and Brandon Massey, IYKYK

Omg omg omg. I was so completely into this book. I listened all at once. It was so relatable at first. Being a new mom is hard and our girl is doing it alone while her man is doing military stuff. But then she either starts going mad or she's haunted. It is all basically the same when you have a new baby. Somehow it gets twistier and twistier.
I do not want to spoil a single part so I will stop here.
The narration cannot be topped too! Just all around a creepy experience.

Super creepy! A great read, or listen actually, as I was able to enjoy the audiobook version, narrated by the author herself.

Flora's husband is deployed when their new baby, Iris, is born. New motherhood is tough enough, without going it alone and so Flora reaches out to her mother for help, despite them having been estranged for some time.

Although having her mother around is a huge help and Flora is able to repair their relationship to some level, strange things start to happen; vivid dreams, the return of Flora's childhood imaginary friend, voices through the baby monitor and things moving around.

When things started to piece together, the twist BLEW MY MIND! And yes, I skipped back and listened again, to make sure it wasn't me losing my mind, along with Flora! Wow!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Jacquie Walters and Hachette for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I had a rough time when I had a baby, miserable and sore and no sleep and I thought I was going to lose my mind. The author does such a great job portraying that early period of motherhood, and that feeling that reality is cracking. That's why it's so great after such an intense buildup when things just get really really weird. I meant to listen to a few hours and go to sleep after a long day but I ended up needing to stay awake and finish because I needed to know what happened.
The author is the narrator, and the narration is just perfect. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook of this insane psychological thriller

Well that was...weird. But good, definitely good. It's creepy and melodramatic and hyper-realistic all at once. The post-partum experience, with all the attendant fears and neuroses and anxiety that so many women face, is represented in its extremity - but the extreme nature is nevertheless surprisingly resonant, setting aside the obvious horror story aspects of the novel. It's ultimately an engaging tale, but was a little uneven to me - mostly in the hyper-dramatic ending. Still, I found myself wholly drawn in and uncertain what was going on for a large part of the story. Was she losing her mind? Was it truly an evil force? Was it real or gaslighting? It made for a tense and eerie listen that heightened the creepy factors immensely!

I love that it was the author narrating so she knew exactly how the present her story. Just finished this a couple of hours ago and I have already started recommending this title. I love how you weren’t sure in the beginning if she was having a mental health crisis and/or being possessed. Great use of high tension situation made even more disturbing by adding a supernatural element. That you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy and I have added the author to my watch list.

Flora is spiraling. The sleepless nights alone with infant Iris while her husband is deployed are catching up with her and her ability to distinguish between what is real and what isn't is diminishing. But one thing she feels certain about, her connection with Iris and her love for her. Her awareness of this love awakens in Flora a desire for her own mother. After sending her estranged mother an email laying out her feelings, her mother arrives, prepared to be the supportive and loving mother Flora often longed for - or so she hopes.

This story is chilling. It's one of those good 'ol horror tales that leaves the reader puzzling over the details and making connections long after putting the book down. This book was frightening but so solidly told that I felt glee at its conclusion. Nothing beats a tidy ending. There are some gory/gross moments but I don't think any of them compare to the descriptions of Flora's engorged breasts and nipples being infected. Ugh!

Walters voiced the audio edition and I really enjoyed listening to her read this book. I don't think anyone else could have captured that "It's a barnyard sing-a-long!" quite like she does.

I'm recommending this book for purchase for an academic library that is trying to beef up its fiction section. And as scary story season swiftly approaches and students come to the front desk asking, "Where are the scary books?", I will happily point them in the direction of this dark and spooky book that I'm certain will keep them entertained and a little grossed out.

This is one impressive debut!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | 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.

The author did a great job narrating.

This is a fantastic thriller/horror book! I was immediately sucked in, and loved it from the beginning to the end. Theres a good amount of creep and suspense in the story, which kept the book super entertaining and made for a fast read.
A new time mom, Flora, wonders if she’s losing her mind, or is there something worse happening to her?

The author did a great job with the writing of the story. I listened to the audio version of this book and the author did an excellent job in narrating the story too!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio copy of this great book!