A review by amrsalehduat
Dearest by Jacquie Walters

5.0

Dearest by Jacquie Walters is probably my 2024 Page Turner of the Year! Well, metaphorical page turning since I listened to the audiobook only to discover that it was narrated by the author! Really, this explained why the audiobook felt so spot on with its adaptation of the book. 

If I could describe Dearest with one word it would be “Intense.” Not just the absolute horror the plot evolves into as the story progresses but even the sections that are part of the real, non-fantastical world were quite intense. I’m talking of course about the experience of being a new mother which I don’t/won’t have experience with but the fact that I felt so trapped, overwhelmed, and anxious while reading this is a testament to the quality of the writing. This was crucial for the horror elements to work in my opinion because as the story shifts toward the supernatural the fears and struggle of being a new mother must land for the horror elements to work for all readers. Not just did Walters succeed but this was genuinely the most stressed I’ve been while reading a story for a long time and that’s the biggest compliment I can give to Dearest. 

Dearest is an incredible horror debut by Jacquie Walters that I just can’t recommend enough to anyone who wants to experience a true horror story that lives up to its name.