This was my KindleFirst pick for April 2021. I jump at the chance to read anything by Minka Kent - her psychological suspense & thriller novels are top notch! However, this wasn't my favorite of her works.

The pacing and plot were intriguing and kept me turning the page, wondering what the twist was. It's told in first person POV and tells the story of Grace McMullen, who feels badly about her breakup with her college sweetheart, and visits her hometown to apologize. She deals with some family issues along the way, and eventually meets her ex's wife and daughter, who look like and are named after her, respectively. Then she suspects the wife is being abused -- and she becomes obsessed with protecting her. But as always, things aren't always as they seem on the outside.

I saw the big reveal coming before it happened, and it wasn't as twist-y or shocking as I expected. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters, either. And the side plot with Grace and her mother kind of fell flat and didn't advance the plot.

And this is a spoiler, but...as a survivor of an abusive relationship, I didn't appreciate that Campbell, really was just crazy and lied about the supposed abuse. Put a bad taste in my mouth.

Otherwise, I will continue to look for future books by this author, as I'm a big fan of her previous works. ( )

“At the end of the day, we can say everything we need to say to someone, but we can’t control how they receive”
― Minka Kent, The Watcher Girl

Review to follow.

Grace. Campbell. Sutton.

Those are the three main characters in this fast paced little book.

The Watcher Girl is a continuation of Kent's book, "The Memory Watcher." This is something I did not even know when I chose it! But it was a good thing as I was a huge fan of Memory Watcher.

I should mention this can be read as a stand-alone.

Grace is a jaded soul. She's had a rough past and is a loner. She spends most of her time doing her job which is to wipe the internet of things her company's clients do not like. That aspect was fascinating.

Grace has come home where her mom is serving a life sentence for attempted murder. Grace has come home to check up on her former boyfriend Sutton.

You see, Grace had left him, breaking his heart in the process. Grace has a commitment problem and felt Sutton was to good for her. However, she has kept tabs on him and is concerned that he has not got over her. He's married Campbell, a lady who looks just like her and making matters worse, has named their daughter after Grace. Grace wants to make sure he is OK and she wants closure.

There is much more to the story then that. But this is just a bare plot outline.

I enjoyed the book. It was a pleasant distraction and a book I finished quickly. Yet, I cannot say I loved this. There are a few reasons for that.

This book was very predictable. I could figure out much of it very quickly.

I also did not like the ending which I will get more into in the spoiler part of my review.

But it did not have that chilling suspense that Memory Watcher had. I have read other books by Kent. She is a terrific writer and is no different here. Her characterizations are stunningly strong and I do not think she has ever written a book I hated which is great.

She does the domestic thriller better than almost anyone.

It has nothing to do with the writing in terms of why I did not love it.

The book depressed me a bit. I liked Grace, unlike many other readers. I related to her (what does that say about me I wonder?) I mostly related to her deeply analytical mind as well as her cynicism

Now the ending wasn't BAD but some of it made no sense.

I also just did not feel like it was a page turner. I did want to know what would happen next but the book wasn't mind blowing like some of her others.

Now-SPOILERS:

The ending turned me off a bit. Please understand that I need to understand my characters. It sort of all fell apart for me when Sutton told Grace Campbell was lying to her. Did this make sense to anyone else?

I do not see honestly how Campbell could have become so obsessed with Grace had Sutton felt nothing for her. Plus it is implied that Sutton could not get over their breakup. At the end, there is a scene between him and Grace where he tells her everything Campbell said was a lie including that she and Grace were sisters.

This made no sense. Campbell's whole motivation for hating Grace was that Sutton still loved her. Now obviously Campbell was crazy but it never sounded to me like that story about Sutton crying as he burned the things he'd shared with Grace was false. It made perfect sense. Campbell knew her husband loved someone else and that someone else happened to be her sister. So, Campbell goes batshit crazy.

But if none of that is true it changes everything and all the motivations become murky. Why would Campbell even have cared what Grace did if he had no feelings for Grace? I find it hard to believe Sutton was not still in love with Grace. Plus, why would Campbell even make up a story like that? To win the trust of Grace? It seems things became awfully complicated when they didn't have to be.

I did not get why Campbell would make up a complicated story as to how she and Sutton met. What would be the point?

So, the ending was a point of utter bewilderment for me. And yes, darn it, I wanted these two together. The whole book was sort of heading that way. What can I say? I'm jaded but maybe a bit of a romantic since I did want these two to end up together and it seemed natural that they would.

Other then that, I have no complaints. It was a fast and fun read and I liked the main character. I wish the end had been different and the book had that "Memory Watcher" magic but I still really like Kent and will continue to be a fan. 3.5 stars from me. ( )

It seems reviewers are widely spread in their appreciation of Minka Kent. Well, I’m a new fan. She’s great at keeping the reader wondering. Is the protagonist a psycho or an angel? The plot zigzags from one surprise to the next. I could see a few coming; and delight when I didn’t. Even the denouement, if testing credibility, is a well-crafted shock. ( )

It took me until I was about 75% in that I actually cared about reading this book. Grace is stiff and unlikable, even withstanding her "childhood tragedies" that are often referred to but never clearly enough that make her a sympathetic character. Or maybe those parts were boring and I skimmed over them? Meh, maybe. I liked Grace's family, more than she does. Her relationship with Sutton, the reason she went to Monarch Falls, was interesting to watch unfold, as was the one with Campbell. Good ending, enough to let you imagine how a few other relationships could wrap up. ( )