Just Like Mother

Easy read. Unsatisfying. There are so many elements of this story that piqued my interest but none of them felt like they fully developed.

This was the perfect book to read while under the weather and quarantining while I waited for my PCR test results. It's simple and predictable enough to be easy on a foggy brain, but leaves enough enticing breadcrumbs that I wanted to follow to the end.

That said, I'm a little annoyed this is shelved as Horror. It's much more like a culty take on The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window than proper horror or Gothic fiction.

I feel this could have used some more ambiguity, and I would have appreciated a more empowering ending for our hero. But I was game for the ride. Whenever the main plot seemed a little too blatant or the workings of the cult strained my suspension of disbelief, I'd get a glimpse of Maeve's childhood that propelled me forward.

There's good character development, a compelling parallel to real life political horrors, and a creepy mansion in the mountains. It was a fun, quick read!

SPOILERS!!!!
****************
I really hate when books end on a hopeless note. After all the trauma and assault the MC went through, it was an incredibly unfortunate ending that nothing had changed. Would not recommend.

i really adored this story and the ending was so good. i just wish the actual cult was explored more because it felt a bit surface level but overall such a good read.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
I am not even sure how to start this.

Just like mother is a decent ride.

When it comes to books like this I do not get easily rattled and most times I can guess what happens next. I did know what will happen next in this book because, well It reminded me of a few movies combined. Books like this have been done before, same with movies and due to my age. It gets repetitive and cliche.

It is a “fast” read, but for me, it was predictable including the ending.

This was so scary and unsettling because it felt so real. The women depicted in this book definitely exist, and it was such a thought-provoking read in today's times. I loved everything about it. I had heard it was slow, but I felt that was necessary because I felt attached to Maeve. A few creepy sprinkles throughout kept me reading compulsively. I thought there would be more of Maeve's upbringing incorporated, but I'm glad there wasn't. I feel like it was just enough to parallel what was happening in present day. The creepiness does not let up, even up until the last chilling words. Will be thinking about this for a long time. 

4.5

Mommy Dearest



Have you ever gotten so excited by a book cover that you couldn't wait to read it?
This cover is chef's kiss! It is so freaking creepy I could barely contain myself! Add the fact that I have over 70 porcelain dolls in my bedroom, this book was a beautiful combination for everything I love.

This book follows two cousins who are separated when they are younger and through a DNA test website are brought back into each other's lives after over 20 years. What follows is some pretty creepy stuff.
This book gives you small glimpses into the cousin's past to show you basically why they are the way they are in the present. I felt the main character Maeve was so strong! I loved when she talked about why she didn't want to have children and embraced the fact that all women do not have to give birth to be valuable, or an asset to society. I think people are allowed to go on their own adventures. Maeve was only a child when she stood up to the “Mothers” who were basically in a cult-like entity where birthing more girls was their mission in life. So yea even with all her “issues” she kept that stuff together and knew what she wanted out of life. She is my favorite kind of protagonist. The way the story ended was nice and not what I was expecting. I really felt it was wrapped up with a creepy little bow at the end.

Rating: 2.88 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Cult
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: EEHH no
Trigger Warnings: Death of a child, Gaslighting, Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Attempted Murder, Rape, Abortion Talk

THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING OF SPOILERS. THE WHOLE POST IS SPOILER FILLED


Want to first thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this book. Oh man, oh man where do I even start?

One, the cult at the beginning. We don't get a defined idea of what they were. The mothers made no sense. We kinda get glimpses but that's about it.

Two, predictability. After a certain point early on you get the jest of it and figure out what is going on. The drive isn't there anymore. It makes the ending very... confusing and a wannabe for a plot twist.

Three, Maeve and Andrea. Maeve is... the trope of every dumb woman wrote by a man but she is written by a female which makes it worse. I know the author was probably trying to go for a Rosemary Baby thing but... come on. Been there and it has been done a million and FOUR times. Like... give me a damn break. Give me a freaking break with women being so damn stupid and not seeing clear big ass red signs. This really pissed me off. Andrea is your typical brat/Karen. The author really went HAM on the boring-over-done-needs-to-stay-dead trope.

Maeve coudn't put two and two together that since she was with Andrea bad shit started to happen? You are telling me Maeve was too damn stupid to put those two together? Even after that big ass fight EVEN after when Andrea would get her in trouble back at the home??

Four, Tyler being a creep. The time jumps made it even worse. We went from talking in the bar, to not text, to actual texting like a mad man, to a date, to two months, and then... that damn rape scene of him tying her up and blindfolding her and getting another man to have sex with no consent.

Five, the cops... what was even the point of them?

Six, the ending was just... because the rest of the book was basically fiery trash that it just... added fuel.

Seven, in the audiobook the chapters just have the name of the book so you don't even know what freaking chapter you are on.

The only reason why it is getting a 2 instead of a one because the first half-ish is pretty decent.

This story gripped me. Like, put my nerves on end the entire time. The premise is two cousins, Maeve and Andrea, whose lives get upturned as children after they leave the cult they were born into. After many years, they finally reconnect as adults. Maeve is coming to terms with her past, present, and future while reconnecting with her cousin that was her best friend as a kid. But not all is right and life quickly becomes a nightmare.

This book is gripping. It left me guessing and needing to keep reading to figure out what is going on. The ending is enough to turn your blood to ice. Maeve is also such a likable character and I was rooting for her throughout. This book also brings up, of course, motherhood and being a woman but not a mother. I've met many women who have strong opinions about motherhood and this book highlights the extreme way people can view it and their fellow women.

Highly recommend!

A bit predictable for the majority, but still really creepy. I've read a lot of books that have cults in them at this point, but this one just didn't stand out to me. A fun, but average thriller.

the ending brought it from a 3 to a 4, very inventive read albeit sometimes a choppy plot

I ended up DNFing this one. It went from a extreme of creeping me out and then was too intense with the explicit content for me. Just not something I could continue reading/listening to. I pretty much lost interest 50% of the way through