I did not know that this was a sequel when I read it; it can fully be read as a stand-alone and the story will make sense. I truly enjoyed this book and all the twists. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t! Like another reviewer, I wish the ending was better for Grace, but maybe there’s another story in the world? Thanks for the opportunity to read this. It was a great book.

5⭐️!
First of all, I didn’t realize until half way through this book that it was a sequel to the author’s first book, The Memory Watcher. This book is fine as a stand-alone and I was able to follow along with the story; but now I think I may need to read the first book!
Grace, an unemotional loner of a woman who is an internet sanitizer, returns to her hometown to make amends with her ex, Sutton, who’s heart she broke eight years earlier.
However, while researching him online, she finds that he’s married a woman that looks just like her, moved three blocks from her childhood home and named his baby daughter after her! Could Sutton truly not be over her and trying to replace her with a lookalike?
This is a psychological thriller that was more than just a stalking story. The more that Grace uncovers, the more questions that arise and I was suspicious of everyone!
This was a anxious page turner about obsession and stalking, family secrets and revelations and it had a twist at the end I was not expecting! I’m not sure if it was just me but when Grace found her closure, I was bawling like a teen girl!
All in all I loved this book! I highly recommend to anyone, especially to fans of the suspense/thriller genre!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Minka Kent for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was honored to be approved for The Watcher Girl, in exchange for an honest review. Minka Kent, has always been what i refer to as an "auto buy author" .I thoroughly enjoy Minka's writing style and feel she has a way of drawing you in while also making you addicted to the novel in your hand.

This is a sequel/follow up to the Memory Watcher but could easily be read as a standalone novel as well.. This novel has both key components of drama and obsession. The only downfall to this novel is that it was predictable. I was not a super fan of Grace McMullen. I found her to be a bit of a narcissist, although the character development was there, I found her to be unlikable with many demons. All in all it was an easy read that I did enjoy, i would not consider this one of my favorites, but it also will not deter me from reading upcoming novels by Minka Kent.

Minka Kent, The Watcher Girl, Thomas & Mercer, Seattle, 2021.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this advance reader’s copy – uncorrected proof, for review.

This novel has so much potential: a damaged main character, with a fascinating occupation; a plot woven around her potential redemption; family drama; and chance meetings that pose the possibility of solving at least one of the main character’s challenges. Grace McMullen tells the story in the first person, advancing her as the person with the strongest emotional tug on the reader. She is flawed, her attitude towards her family making this most apparent. However, she remains a character who is worthy of sympathy - we want Grace to win some sort of resolution to the challenges she has faced as a child and adult.

Grace has returned to her childhood home, unwillingly, but with a purpose. She wants to make amends to her former partner, Sutton Whitlock, for her past untimely and cruel dismissal of their relationship. As a watcher, she has investigative skills that take her into the hidden web world. Her capabilities have also made her aware that Sutton still suffers from the end of their relationship. Grace intends to apologise, explain, and ‘disappear…again’. Grace is also reappearing in her family’s life. Like Grace, her adoptive parents are dysfunctional – her mother is in prison for murder; and her father is with the latest of his many partners. In contrast, Grace’s younger sister and brother appear to have escaped the vicissitudes of being a McMullen. In particular, her younger sister wants a relationship with Grace, and is also her mother’s only visitor.

Interactions between the family members and Grace are well developed. Grace’s reasons for her withdrawal from her family, and dislike of physical and warm interaction, become apparent through her behaviour, discussions with other characters, and explanations. The latter are often cleverly posed in taut strong sentences that enhance the feeling that Grace is a distressed and driven woman That she is under pressure, from past and current events, her desire to make amends, together with a burgeoning social conscience, is juxtaposed with questions about her perception of events.

Grace’s investigative faculties seem to almost desert her as the story progresses. It is here that I became increasingly disappointed with the novel. Although the ends are tied up so that there is an adequate conclusion, I felt that the writer of the truly satisfying beginning had more to offer. As a progression of a damaged woman toward the prospect of living more satisfyingly, the novel worked well.

However, other aspects of the plot are problematic. Grace’s inability to assess some of the situations with which she is confronted seems at odds with the skills she demonstrates though her successful career. That Grace is simultaneously dealing with her developing understanding of herself, her family, and the purpose for her return is a partial explanation. However, I would have liked a stronger advancement of the reasons for her lack of insight into some of her experiences.

Brilliant!! Not once did I put this down and not think about it! Read in one day! Fantastic.
I fully recommend this one to someone who wants a fast and gripping story!

🥀 I’m shunning my darkness and shedding my armour 🥀

I’ve read quite a few books by Minka Kent now and for me they’re cozy reads. Okay that probably sounds a little weird given the subject matter but I’m just so comfortable and at ease with her writing and story telling.

This book had me hooked from the start and I loved it. I really liked Grace and I loved hearing all about her line of work. Many times throughout this book I was like Grace girl why are you so crazy and delusional.

Although maybe a little predictable in parts I really enjoyed the ride that this one took me on and the ending left me with a really good feeling. I’m a sucker for @minkakentauthor books and I think this might be my favourite of hers. I can’t wait to see what she releases next 💜

We LOVE a book that can be devoured in one day and we LOVE Minka Kent!!! This story had me believing I knew the answers until the very end. I literally didn't even put it down to eat. This book is about obsession and acceptance. I genuinely found this unpredictable and I enjoyed the ride.

A thoroughly enjoyable and fast-paced thriller! My favourite thing about this book is how well-written the characters are. I loved the protagonist, who was multi-layered, complex and memorable. Even the side characters were distinct and added so much colour to the story.

The mystery was more compelling in the first half of the book and got a bit predictable after that. However, I really loved the last few chapters and the ending. The protagonist's character arc was so satisfying.

Consider me a new Minka Kent fan. I'll be reading anything she writes in future!

Excellent psychological thriller. Grace is a young woman with a disturbing past that has kept her from getting close to many people. With her adoptive mother in prison for having her husband’s lover killed, and two siblings she barely knows, she doesn’t visit her hometown very much. When Grace learns that her former boyfriend that she left heartbroken is still obsessed with her, she travels back to her hometown to try and make amends. With several unexpected twists this book is impossible to put down. I have always loved Kent’s books and this one was no exception. Highly recommend.

Great read! I enjoyed every minute of it. Wished the main lead had more of a “happier ever after” but it can’t always be the case can it? Very well written and entertaining, and I’ll definitely be adding this author into my rotation.

Terror, mystery, twists and turns are all on board with this thrilling thrill ride of a thriller. Grab a beverage, put on something comfy and prepare for intrigue. Minka Kent will keep you on the edge.

"The Watcher Girl" proves coincidences don't exist.

After avoiding Monarch Falls for nearly a decade, Grace returns to her hometown to confront her ex. Sutton, the former love of her life and the man whose heart she broke, recently moved to her hometown, married a woman who looks eerily like Grace, and has a newborn daughter...named Grace. Thinking that she was only making a quick stop into her past to settle Sutton's apparent obsession, Grace soon realizes she has to confront her own buried demons.

With a premise of obsessive exes and confronting one's past, "The Watcher Girl" immediately grabbed my attention as a promising domestic suspense. This book is a loose sequel of "The Memory Watcher", though there's enough context given that you can read this as a standalone. Beneath the intrigue of this possible doppelganger premise, the plotline of Grace drudging up her family's twisted past and rebuilding broken relationships plays an equally (if not more) important role in the book's progression. While I enjoyed unraveling the truth of Sutton's new family, the tension was lacking and didn't drive home the suspense. Sometimes Grace's naivete and thought process felt like a purposeful attempt at misleading the reader more than it did a genuine contribution to the character's development. There were several side plots with Grace and various family members and they all felt like they were too easily resolved. It was often Grace asking a lot of questions and everyone giving her the exact answers she wanted.

If you're interested in a book about family drama with a side suspense plot, "The Watcher Girl" would be a great book to add to your shelf.

A pretty average thriller with nothing I strongly disliked, I did figure out quickly who the antagonist was, which was a bit annoying. The book was quick to read. I’m open to picking up more work from this author.

Something to note, is this book is a sequel to The Memory Watchers. However the book can be read a stand alone, I didn’t feel like I was lacking any major details.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and easy ready that definitely held my attention. Unfortunately I thought there were too many holes and unrelated backstories for such a short book.
The adoptive parents, mother in jail for murder, crazy nanny who pretended to be the birth mother, the father's new-age girlfriend with a mysterious past....just why? None of these had any relevance to the plot. I was excited to see how things wrapped up and intertwined but it didn't come together for me in the end. I enjoyed Ms. Kent's "The Thinnest Air" and "The Stillwater Girls" so I'll continue to be on the lookout for other titles from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grace discovers that her ex-boyfriend, Sutton, has moved on and married Campbell...who looks a lot like her. Their daughter has the same name as her, and they have moved to her hometown. Is this all just a coincidence? Grace thinks how Sutton's life ended up is because of her - because she broke his heart, disappeared and he still hasn't let go. To make things right with Sutton, she goes back to her hometown...just to be sucked into a friendship with Campbell. She sees bruises on Campbell and assumes Sutton is abusive...again blaming herself for creating a monster. Then she finds out that her return is for the worse..and that her thoughts were completely wrong..

Grace had a lot on her plate. On top of worrying about Sutton and the outcome of their breakup, she had her mum that she was searching for and she was having trouble staying in one place. She got very involved with Campbell, although it really wasn't her business. Although Grace should have been a lot more cautious (especially in her line of work), I find it quite disturbing that she didn't even scratch the surface of Campbell's history.

This book has a great start to it - it goes straight into the story without any dilly dally. It describes why Grace is 'damaged' quite clearly, and the story is very easy to follow. I love Kent's way of writing and how she made Campbell's story so believable. I definitely love Kent's plot twist - it took me by surprise!

The one downside I find to this book is that it didn't make me want to keep on reading (I did anyway because I don't like leaving a book unfinished).. it didn't make me feel engaged, no emotions invoked. Halfway through the book, the story was very disengaging. But 80% in, I found myself wanting to know the ending (80% in is a bit late, but it did come to that eventually!).

I received this as an ARC from the author. I was pretty confident that I would enjoy the book because it is a "sequel" to The Memory Watcher, which I loved.

I love Kent's writing style. It's easy to ready yet sophisticated, if that makes sense. I get most of my reading don at work and sometimes I have to stop frequently while reading one page. It is easy to get back into but it doesn't feel like I'm reading an elementary school novel.

Adopted my the McMullens, Grace has never felt like she belonged. When her adoptive mother earns herself a lifetime prison sentence, Grace's live is completely altered. Now as an adult, she struggles with relationships. Grace returns home after staying away for along time. She is a little awkward and more comfortable behind a computer. She decides while she is at home she will make peace with her ex-boyfriend Sutton but learns he is married to a woman that could be Grace's twin and even has a baby girl named Grace! Grace is convinced that he is not over her and he is obsessed with her. Grace's mission is to help Sutton move on and let go, but when she meets his wife, Campbell, the mission is aborted!

This story was clever and beautifully written. It kept me on the edge of my seat but I would categorize it as a milder thriller. It is a great opener to people who are wary about thrillers. Grace was a very likeable character despite her misgivings. There are a few twists and turns and who doesn't like twists and turns!! Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

What would you do if your ex boyfriend has started a life with someone who looks just like you, he gave his baby daughter your name, and he moved to your hometown? Grace can clearly see that something is amiss, and she's gone back to her hometown to try to give her ex some closure. But she ends up befriending his new wife instead.

Someone is clearly obsessed. But whom? This is the premise of The Watcher Girl and it is the perfect set up for a thriller.

This is a perfectly adequate thriller, and I actually found it to be on the milder side of some of the thrillers I've read in the past, so it is a good book for readers who are a little wary of the genre. This book has a lot of the contemporary thriller tropes, especially one that has the reader questioning everyone's sanity, including the main character. Anyone could really be the villain in this story. Who is the obsessive one? Who is watching whom?

I'm a little disappointed with one of the points of the ending. I was expecting one puzzle piece to fall into place, and it simply didn't. While, I think it was specifically written in a way to clear away that expectation, it still feels like there's one missing piece of the puzzle but the clear answer is sitting off to the side, and the author is telling me it doesn't fit without even trying it. I understand that not everything needs to be tied in a pretty bow at the end, and maybe if it had been, it would feel too surreal, but it still feels like the main character just ignored some pretty serious coincidences.

I enjoyed the book, but none of the aspects of the book really stood out to me. The tropes were familiar. The thrills were lukewarm. The ending seemed to miss a piece.

This is my third book by Minka Kent and she’s come to be known as my “weekend author” - when I want to sit down and do nothing but devour a book or two, this is who I come to.

Before I dive into the review of “The Watcher Girl” I will say that you should pick up her previous novel, “The Memory Watcher” and read that first. While TWG does an admirable job introducing you to the characters from Grace’s past (namely her family) and it could be read on its own, I felt like having read that novel first gave me a much richer appreciation for Grace, why she is the way she is, and how she interacts with those around her.

Now, on to the story! The story centers around Grace McMullen, someone who wipes away all the truly nasty things you (hopefully don’t) see on the internet. She broke up with her then-boyfriend Sutton 8 years ago, and the way she left him never sat right with her. After doing a little internet research she realizes Sutton is living in the past - married to a woman who looks just like Grace, with a daughter! named Grace, and living in the city Grace grew up in (that he had no connection to). Grace is worried he’s going off the deep end and she decides to fly back home from Portland, Oregon to my own lovely state of New Jersey and give Sutton the real, heartfelt, honest apology she believes he needs.

I chose the word “believes” there on purpose.

This entire novel revolves around Grace’s often vastly incorrect beliefs in people, events, feelings, ideas, relationships...and she’s a total mess because of it. There are plenty of other people who are also absolute messes here, but you can figure out who when you read it! I will say that I was rooting for Grace. I enjoyed her, and since I had read the previous book, I enjoyed seeing where those characters were now. The plot twists were fairly predictable (and whew boy, there are quite a few twists in this one) but overall I still really enjoyed the story. I really like Kent’s writing style - it’s very easy to curl up in a comfy chair with a hot drink and devour one of her books in a day, and then go add her other books to your “to read” pile immediately after.

As with all my reviews, here is my animal warning for “The Watcher Girl”: you should be safe! There’s one mention of a family dog given up for adoption (mentioned in passing) and a memory of Grace trying to keep a lizard as a pet but her grandma gets rid of it. That’s pretty much it!

Happy reading everyone and thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced release!

I love Minka Kent. I have four or five starred all four or five books I've read. "The Thinnest Air", "The Memory Watcher", "Stillwater Girls", "When I Was You"... loved them all. This one, though, was honestly just a mess.

I finished the book and I'm still confused. The idea in the beginning is that a girl, who works doing.....something?.... on the dark web, goes back to her home town in order to see how broken her ex boyfriend is. Ok. That's.... bizarre. But ok. Maybe there's a more nefarious reason we'll learn about later.

In the middle, she befriends the ex-boyfriend's new wife in order to..... do something? I'm not sure why. She doesn't want him back, and she doesn't want to hurt her, and she doesn't need them for money.....but ok, sure, for some reason she befriends the wife without the husband knowing.

Then the husband found and his ex and his new wife were talking.....but doesn't care? Seems angry but doesn't really do anything? Not really sure what that was about. He says to stay away. She doesn't.... because..... the wife claims to be the main character's long lost sister? Who met her husband while trying to find her biological sister? Then it turns out that was a lie. I think. I'm still not actually sure. Oh and also the husband is abusive. Maybe? I think they eventually explain it was just a clotting disorder.

Next it turns out the wife is crazy. (Again, I think but I'm not really sure). The wife takes her infant daughter with her to kidnap the main character and drag her out to a cabin (owned by some vaguely familiar person?) and decided she's going to kill her. Except wait! The husband magically catches on, figures out where they are and calls in the cavalry. The husband goes off to be a single dad and the main character is suddenly emotionally healed and quits her dark web job to be a productive member of society.

I just. don't. get it. This whole story was so all over the place I feel like I needed a road map to follow it. Which stinks because again, I LOVE Minka Kent and this one was disappointment. BUT I'm still really looking forward to her next book!

Grace McMullen left the man she loved 8 years ago. She has a troubled past and did not want him to have to deal with her baggage.

She's been following him online just to make sure he's okay ... but what she finds is troubling. He has moved on ... back to her hometown. Married a woman who could be her double. Has a young daughter named Grace. Now she's afraid that he hasn't moved on at all.

Making a decision, she goes back to her hometown, meets with her family that she's avoided for years and finds that the ex-boyfriend lives only a few blocks away. She waits ... and she watches.

An accidental meeting of his wife, Campbell, a friendship develops. Campbell has no idea that Grace is her husband's ex-girlfriend. According to Campbell, her husband has become manipulative, controlling, and threatening. Campbell has shown up more than once with suspicious bruises.

Did he do this much changing because she walked away from him? And how does she protect Campbell and her daughter? Who can she trust?

Grace becomes this creepy stalker that leads to places she does not want to visit. She has a dysfunctional family ... she was adopted and never felt that she belonged. Her adoptive mother, after finding that her husband was cheating, murdered the girlfriend and now resides behind bars for the next 20 or so years.

This is well-written, a little on the creepy side, with characters that are solidly drawn. Grace comes across as a very troubled woman, and unpredictable in her actions. There's a lot going on between the covers of this book, and every bit of it is compelling. The ending was quite surprising.

Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.