Dearest by Jacquie Walters

Synopsis: A new mom in need of help opens her door to her long-estranged mother—only to invite something much darker inside—in this “fast-paced and frightening debut” (Rachel Harrison) about the long shadows cast by family secrets, perfect for readers of Grady Hendrix or Ashley Audrain.

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.

Just as Flora becomes convinced she is losing her mind, a surprising guest shows up: Flora’s own mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken in years. Can they mend their fraught relationship? Or is there more Flora’s mother isn’t telling her about the events that led to their estrangement?

As stranger and scarier events unfold, Flora begins to suspect the house is not as empty as she once thought. She must determine: is her hold on reality slipping dangerously away? Or is she, in fact, the only thing standing between a terrifying visitor and her baby? 

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If you’ve followed my blog for a bit, by now you may have noticed I enjoy horror, supernatural, and thrillers. So it would be no surprise that I wanted to read Dearest by Jacquie Walters. Horror books can sometimes be hit or miss and this one was extremely well done. The book was excellently paced, and I finished the bulk of it in just two days. (I am naturally a fast reader so take it with a grain of salt.)

I like books that keep me guessing and Dearest absolutely had me guessing until the last page. There were so many twists and turns I honestly wasn’t sure if the MC Flora was crazy, or if I was crazy. It is a bit spooky, and there were definitely a few parts that if you don’t like blood, or baby spit up might give you the ick. But it wasn’t anything excessive.

By the time I reached the end, this book had me questioning if I actually want to have kids.

Digging into the book; there was some serious reality moments, where you could easily see friends or family that have struggled with motherhood, postpartum depression, and feeling like they aren’t doing a good job. Not to mention Flora is married to someone in the military and when her baby, Iris, was born weeks early she was mostly on her own to tackle everything. Which is an entirely different set of challenges that so many people can relate to and one as a military spouse I sometimes have nightmares about.

She struggled from feeling inadequate and sleep deprived on top of breast feeding issues. Even as a woman it opened my eyes to more of the struggle we go through when having children. It’s not the pretty Instagram stories, with perfect outfits and sparkling clean homes. It’s not the cute and funny TikTok videos that make everything look effortless. There is that sense online that everything is going to be sunshine and daises when you have a baby, when reality is at times much more gritty then that.

There was a ton of family drama, and just when you think all the skeletons are out of the closet…. A new batch comes rolling out. About halfway through the book I got slammed by a huge plot twist, and it was after that I just couldn’t put it down. Even as they ran down to the end of the book- it was absolutely remarkable how the author weaved in all the pieces of this story together. Even though it was a wild ride, I never once felt like I was being rushed into things or that it didn’t make sense. If anything it sometimes had me questioning my own sanity along with Flora’s.

All in all I would highly recommend this book. Definitely good for a spooky month read or if you’re like me, anytime is a good time for spooky. Just if you’re expecting, or recently had a baby — proceed with caution. I wouldn’t say “don’t read it” but just take care of your mental health first. And if your gut tells you to put it down. Just set it aside for a few months, trust me it’ll be there when you’re ready for it.

Thanks for sticking around for another blog post, and if this is your first one, welcome! I took a short break due to some things going on in my personal life, but hopefully this post puts me back on track.

You can view and buy the book on Amazon here.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Re-readability Rating: 9.5/10