Delta Dawn (yes that is her name) is a photographer who takes photos of children’s birthday parties for New York City’s elite. When Delta is hired to photograph Natalie Straub’s party, she finds herself wishing she was no longer behind the lens, but a part of the scene. She ingratiates herself into the Straub’s lives by offering to babysit for Natalie, befriending her mother, Amelia, and finding chances to interact with her father, Fritz. Now Delta finds herself enjoying the finer things in life that the Straub family is accustomed to. Once she moves into a garden apartment in their townhouse, we see that photographs aren’t all that Delta can manipulate.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I love a good psychological thriller, but I had some issues with it. It was so implausible to me at times. The Straub family just accepts Delta into their lives and allow her to babysit their daughter without doing a background or reference check, really? Some of the decisions Delta makes were so out there that I found them unrealistic as well. I did think this book was fast-paced and kept me intrigued the entire time. It was a page-turner for sure, but I had hoped for more from the ending.

I listened to the audiobook, which the author narrates. I thought she did a great job and definitely enjoyed this on audio. Overall, I would recommend Mary Dixon Carter’s debut novel, but only if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.