If you just heard the phrase “your mother doesn’t love you” crackle through the new baby monitor in your children’s room, what would you do? The lengths a mother would go to for her own child…
The Baby Monitor by Rosie Walker
I was recently given the opportunity by Bookouture (Instagram HERE) to review The Baby Monitor by Rosie Walker. This was my first thriller of 2024 and it didn’t disappoint! Below you will find basics about the book, a brief summary, my review, why I gave it the rating I did, and if I recommend it. Happy Reading! I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Book’s Basics
- Genre: Mystery Thriller; Suspense; Contemporary Fiction
- Length: 338 Pages
- Publication Date: February 1, 2024
- Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
A Brief Summary
Main Character Miriam aka Mim has a history of mental illness. With Mim’s first pregnancy, she suffered from postnatal psychosis – something her husband Jeremy is afraid will happen again now that Mim has welcomed their second child Samuel. Jeremy being the seemingly protective father is determined to keep a close watch on his family in hopes that history doesn’t repeat itself. When Mim starts showing signs of postnatal psychosis shortly after hearing a creepy message come through the baby monitor to their 5-year-old daughter, Jeremy takes action, doing what he feels is best for her: a two-week stay at a high-end mental retreat. Little do they know, the message from the baby monitor is just the beginning of Mim’s journey to do whatever to takes for her children.
My Honest Review
Mystery thrillers are my favorite genre to read. I read them so much that for some books, I’ve gotten pretty good about figuring out who the culprit is, but then I read The Baby Monitor… This book had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind everything. Sure, there were moments where the book seemed to slow down, but the majority of it felt like a high-speed train going downhill at top speed all the way to the end. I couldn’t stop reading; with every flip of the page, I was desperate to find out what was happening and solve the mystery. And that ending! It was an absolute twist – something I wasn’t expecting at all, something I haven’t read in a thriller until now.
Walker’s character development was off the charts. Throughout the book, I was questioning everyone’s motives – maybe Miriam did it, maybe it was one of her friends, her mother, her husband, her therapist. Walker has an excellent way of making the innocent sound guilty to keep readers wondering as they read. (Side Note: Miriam’s friend Katy from the Hermitage retreat needs her own mystery about her past leading up to the Hermitage stay where she meets Miriam – I think there’s a lot to unpack there.)
One frustration I had with the characters was Miriam’s decision-making. She clearly isn’t a mystery thriller/suspense reader because she made some questionable/dumb decisions. And yes, I understand that the author purposely created her that way, but sometimes it was annoying. I just wanted to stand in front of her and yell in her face, telling her what to do. Which all that goes back to my point: Walker’s character development was exceptional!
Why This Rating?
I chose to rate it a 4.5 stars rounding down to 4 stars because I wish we learned more about the motive and how everything was accomplished. The very ending with the twist felt rushed and like a cliffhanger to me – I don’t know if that was intentional because of another book or if we as readers are to make it up in our minds – I would have loved a few extra pages or another chapter or two detailing how all of this was planned and played out.
Do I Recommend It?
Absolutely yes, I recommend! This was my first thriller of 2024 and I started the year off with a BANG! I was left guessing and questioning everything to the very last page, while feeling like I was in the room with Miriam trying to help her solve the mystery.
**If you would like to purchase the book, you can do so on Amazon HERE.**
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