Leanne Olson

Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey
Releasing April 26, 2022 from Simon & Schuster Canada

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.