One thing that is so great about the horror genre is it truly allows you to dive into the deepest parts of yourselves and allows you to put onto page manifestations of your darkest thoughts or moments. It's a genre that I think, more so than any other, really allows authors to be raw with themselves and the reader in a visceral way.

This book to me felt like one big metaphor about how scary early motherhood can be, how you don't feel that you can do anything right, how some things don't come naturally the way people tell you it will, and how much you change as a person after going through the 9-month ordeal of pregnancy and labour.

This book was able to put the fears of motherhood out there right from the first page and you watch as the main character slips more and more away from herself. The writing so easily plots the downward spiral of Flora and you are genuinely scared to turn the page as you have no idea what to expect next.

I felt this was a really good look into post-partum depression and post-partum psychosis and I felt the supernatural horror elements of this novel served as more of a metaphor for complex post-partum experiences and through this novel were we able to address the experiences of mothers going through those kind of things.

It's not THE representation of post-partum experiences but I do think through this book you can see the connections the author is trying to make. It was that part of the book that I found the most engaging. It is a raw study into early motherhood as well as a horror novel as well.

It also serves as a novel to unpack complex mother-daughter relationships. The relationship between Flora and her mother Jodi is a relationship that I feel many people will connect with, the toxicity, the passive aggressiveness, and the lack of agency as your own being. Merging this complex dynamic in a book with strong PTSD themes makes for one emotional and slightly volatile novel that had me engaged from the first page.

I can't believe this was a debut - the feelings this story evoked from me! It's one I will be thinking about for a long time.

I could feel the claustrophobia and fatigue rolling off Flora in waves at the start - trying to figure out if what was happening was real or hallucinations. I'm sure a lot of women have felt similarly after giving birth - the overwhelming love and protection for a child at the same time as resentment and loneliness.

I'd say it's definitely split into two main parts - Flora feeling alone and Flora feeling caged in. I was torn between not trusting her mum or wondering if Flora's warped mind couldn't see it was for her own good. Also, I got so mad at her husband, literally furious.

The twists and turns in this story are so good, some I guessed, others I didn’t, and some completely blindsided me. My only niggle is I wanted a tad more between the end and the epilogue.

Overall, I'm stunned at how real and raw the emotions felt in this. You need to read this - but maybe not whilst expecting...

Yes, I read a horror book, a dark supernatural story which gives you a real shiver down the spine! Flora is mother to newly born Iris and living on her own in Vermont whilst her husband Connor is on service abroad. She is not coping at all well and is suffering from PND or something similar. Her only friend is Zephie! A well written and well constructed story with some very interesting characters.

Briefly, Flora is desperate and asking for help she contacts her estranged mother Jodi who she hasn’t seen for years. Suddenly Jodi is on the doorstep and matters go seriously downhill from there, insects infestation and strange voices on the baby monitor just for starters!

I’m not and have never been a parent so my emotions may have been different to anyone who has a child, however, I can confirm that this is not a book I would recommend reading late at night. If you like your books, dark and scary, I think you’ll like this. A very good debut horror novel, creepy, full of suspense and palpable tension - one to give you a good adrenaline rush. Entertaining read and whilst not my normal sort of read it was compelling.

Proper creepy cover! I would say I enjoyed the first 75% or so of the book but the ending wasn’t really for me. Have read a few books with motherhood as the main theme in the horror genre and I really enjoy it but for me this one was a little too much on the supernatural side of things.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t had the greatest time with ARC’s recently, if they’ve been three stars then I’ve been doing well. So when I picked up Dearest, I wasn’t entirely sure where it would sit for me. But, it was amazing – five stars all day. I love a story about bad mothers, about difficult parenting journeys about the pain of being estranged from those that should vow to protect you no matter what. Dearest is a story done incredibly well in that vein.

Flora is a new mom who is struggling-her husband, Connor is deployed and she is doing it all on her own. Her dad and his wife pops in from time to time, but her village is just Flora. We’ve all been there right? These days it seems like young parents are doing it all on their own, a lot of the older generation seem to see their time parenting done as soon as the children leave the coop. Sad really.

So when mastitis and sleep deprivation get to her, she ponders about reaching out to her own mother. They’ve been estranged for years, it all coming to a head at Flora’s wedding. But, she needs someone. The dirty dishes are piling up, laundry lies discarded, unwashed and she can’t find the time to just shower. She needs the help, and so she sends an email to her mother asking why it is all so HARD.

Her mother turns up and boy does the shit hit the fan. They seem to have an infestation of beetles, she hears voices stalking the baby monitor and Flora feels out of her own body.

If you aren’t prepared to cry with this one, then I’d advise not picking it up. The tears flowed freely by the end.

Thank you Bonnier Books, Netgalley, and Jacquie Walters for giving me an early copy for an honest review.
Where do I start with this one?! First of all I was told "don't read too close to bedtime", and I was like "you can't tell me what to do!" Well guess who stayed up until they could see the light of day from their curtains? Me!!
The writing is brilliant, as it's immersive in the creepiest way. As much as you want to refrain from playing the images of what is going on in your head, the writing makes it inevitable for a whole horror movie sequence playing on your mind.
The frustration, fear, and anxiety our main character Flora feels is synced with our own emotions, meaning we feel exactly as much anxiety, fear, and frustration like our main character. I may not be a parent but the maternal instincts instantly kicked in the moment I picked up this book. After finishing the book I sat staring at the wall wondering "Jacquie...are you alright?" Because there were so many moments where my jaw hit the floor, leaving me utterly speechless.
This was an incredible debut and a must-read for all horror seekers.

And take it from me...do not read this close to bed time.

Thanks to the publishers bonnier books for allowing me to read the arc of this. I really enjoyed reading this as I haven’t read thriller in a while and this was such a good one to get back into the genre. The twists and turns were so well done and had me totally shocked and thinking what is going to happen next! Def recommend to any readers that love thriller or horror books.

Erm what?! I literally devoured this book in a few hours, once I started it I couldn't put it down.

A cleverly done horror that filled me with dread and fear every time I turned the page. Shock twists and turns that made me shout out loud.

A story and plot so good that I'm pretty sure I was pumped full of adrenaline whilst reading it.

There were points I was genuinely fearful of what would happen, coupled with the somewhat real nature of certain aspects of the story, it was the perfect blend.

Absolutely brilliant book👏

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. Due to be published 19/09/2024.

Can definitely see potential for this to be a movie. Love the supernatural/horror theme that keeps you guessing. It hints a postpartum depression and the feelings that some mother's experience early after giving birth and when trying to find their new normal. However, there are other forces working against the mum in this case and the story unpicks a lot of family history in order to help Flora find her way through.

This one definitely keeps you guessing 🙂

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was wild. I can understand how this book could be upsetting to people due to the nature of the setting so just a warning for any parents out there! I did really enjoy this though. It had twists that kept going throughout the book and the writing style was nice to read. I did guess some of the twists but only pages before they were revealed so they were not super obvious to me. Overall a really great debut!!