This book confused me although I did feel sorry for Christopher. Sadly not really my kind of book

Christopher never felt like he fit in with his family. When he finds out that he was adopted, it all makes sense and he begins a search for his birth mother, who he knows is perfect and will love him like he felt his adoptive parents never did. Parallel to this story arc is Christopher's sense of not fitting in with friends. In college he rooms with the outgoing and socially adept Adam, who helps Christopher adjust and become more comfortable with women. I did not feel the suspense building to a breath-taking twist. I did feel that there were a few off things, such as Christopher's feelings toward Phyllis, the bio-mom he finds. But other than his Oedipal complex, the sinister undertones were weak. Nor did I find the big reveal near the end to be surprising. Part of this was a result of Ms. Lynes subtle writing style, part due to how the story was laid out, and part because it just wasn't that shocking of a story. So while it was an enjoyable read, this was not a roller coaster of a thriller as it is presented.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of Mother by S.E. Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I've read by this author but it definitely won't be my last. It had me gripped from the very beginning and tells the story of Christopher who finds a letter in an old suitcase in the family attic and finds his whole life has been a lie but yet now it all makes perfect sense as he has always felt like there was something wrong with him and he has always wondered why he has never fitted in and thus begins his journey of self discovery. I absolutely loved this book and the surprises along the way had me totally hooked until the very end!!!

Can the need to belong, to fit in, drive a person to extremes? It seems that it can. 'Mother' is a well written and engrossing story about a young man who craves acceptance, friendship and love. He will go to astonishing lengths to make this need a reality. I was riveted from beginning to end. Highly recommended. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really have no idea where to start with this review to be honest! I still can't quite decide whether I'm on the fence with it, or whether I am off the fence completely.

The prologue reeled me in big time. In such a short space of time the author had gotten my attention, peaked my interest and left me wanting more. Honestly, I couldn't have wished for a better opening for this book.

Part of me was expecting the story to contain in the same vein, yet part of me was looking for something out of the ordinary. Y'know, a mixed bag type of thing. As I was reading the first chapter, I kept having to stop and check that I hadn't accidentally missed a part of the book out - I was extremely confused! The story is being narrated by an unidentified person who is basically narrating Christopher's life, including his feelings surrounding his newfound family bombshell. Whilst I found the bombshell theme incredibly interesting as it was set in the 1980's when things were a lot different to how they are now, I couldn't help but feel a little bit lost.

I thought the addition of the 'Yorkshire Ripper' was cleverly thought out, whilst also being combined exceptionally well with the fictional story S.E.Lynes has created. As the story progressed my confusion didn't let up. I got the gist about the emotional values surrounding being a mother and so on, but I couldn't seem to work the rest out. If I'm being honest, I wasn't too worried that I couldn't work things out at that moment because as I'm sure you already know, I am a big dunce when it comes to workout out the ifs, whys and hows when it to psychological thrillers/crime procedurals, or anything along those lines. At least I admit it, right?

Thankfully during the second half of the novel things began to make a little more sense and feeling shocked became a regular occurrence. For me, the element of surprise and grit was rather slow burning, yet it was written in such a mesmerising and clever manner.

As for the storyline itself, I appreciated the overall theme of the novel for sure, but I just couldn't gel with how everything came together and the journey the storyline took from beginning to end. Don't get me wrong the suspense element is extremely well crafted! The fact that I couldn't work the book out is of my own doing and not the authors I'm sure!

S.E.Lynes is like a composer of the literary world. Her writing skills are enchanting and very addictive on their own - I reckon that this author could write a story about a cow eating grass in a field, and make it come alive with no qualms at all. She really does have an exceptional talent. Whilst the storyline and I, didn't end up being best buddies, I am super excited to read more from this author. I haven't been able to stop thinking about 'Mother' since I finished reading it - it certainly has left some sort of mark that's for sure!

Thanks Bookouture.

This book was definitely all the stars. It gripped me right from the start, held me captive throughout and never quite let go of me at the end as I was left reeling with all the shocking discoveries along the way.
It's the story of Christopher; a bit of a misfit in his family growing up. One day, he makes a discovery which both shocks him, but at the same time it explains some of his feelings of confusion regarding his place in his family. A discovery coming at the same time as him spreading his wings and gaining freedom from the family he has never really felt completely a part of. We learn more of his past through an unknown narrator, as well as following the days and months post discovery as he, understandably, becomes obsessed with finding out the truth of all things and, once known, how they impact on both his life and those around him. As with all things based on secrets and lies, it can go one of two ways; good or bad, never just ticks along nicely does it? But when the lines start to blur and things get a bit tricky, the path is now set, it's just a case of sit back and watch the fireworks.
I am trying to be deliberately vague in my description as I am so scared of spoilers. This is a book where you need to find out certain things in the right place, at the right time for them to have maximum impact. There were some things I worked out ahead of the actual reveal but I don't think the author was trying over-hard to hide them. This was key to my enjoyment as I didn't need to waste precious time in trying to work out the background stuff and so was not distracted away from what was going on in the foreground.
Christopher is a very complex character. You do get to know why eventually and that did lend me towards feeling sorry for him, especially with some of the things that happened in the book. The time and place is key to some of his insecurities and conflicting feelings and I think that the author chose both very well as she manages to weave real life crimes seamlessly into her story here which, due to their nature, gives this book a very darker, more sinister feeling overall. The layer of confusion cast over some of the characters also assisted in setting the tone nicely.
The use of the unnamed narrator was also quite cleverly worked into the story. It allowed the author a few graces with subsequent curve balls but never at all did I feel cheated as the narrator did keep mentioning that this story wasn't theirs and was "as told to them". Anyway, with so many secrets and lies flying around pretty much from page one, it was quite evident that it was going to be one of those books! That said, it does require a bit of concentration to really get to grips with, I would recommend dedicating a fair chunk of time to read a decent amount. I don't think you will get the best from it if you just dip in a bit at a time.
All in all, a cracking book that kept me on my toes throughout. I have the author's debut already on my tbr but I have't got round to reading it yet. After devouring this one, I will be endeavouring to rectify this omission sooner rather than later.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

3.5*. Christopher Harris finds out the day he goes to university that he was adopted. He has always felt he has never fitted in. He has always felt something was missing from his life. Christopher finally has a chance at happiness - or has he!!!

I think everyone has told lies at some point. Most of us tell little white lies, these are exceptable, they don't hurt anyone. A small amount tell lies to make them sound better than they are. These are liars who will eventually get caught out. At first, and it took a while, to discover where this story was going. The second part of the book was a bit more tense and started to show promise of something good. And it did. There's not much else I can write as I would give the plot away. The last few chapters, for me, could have been left out of the book. I would have given the book 4* if they had changed the ending

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author SE Lynes for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book really packs a punch.
Great descriptions of Christopher, his lonely childhood and his escape to Leeds. Could vividly picture his drinking haunts in Leeds - from the Skyrack to the Three Horseshoes and even The Fenton - I recall them fondly. But I digress...

For a while, this looks like an ordinary story set in Leeds, under the spectre of the Yorkshire Ripper. so far, nothing too unpleasant.

But there's a sinister overtone with an unnamed narrator setting out that things go horribly wrong.... and this adds a layer of complexity and darkness to this tale of Christopher's time in Leeds and his search for his birth mother.

Frankly, to say much more would be a spoiler, so I would urge you to stop reading reviews and start reading this book! It's brilliant!

A full five star rating, no questions asked!

I’m finding it difficult finding the words to review this book .. as an adopted child this really was a book close to my heart. Very well written and sad and disturbing . Everyone wants feel they belong somewhere in life and being adopted that can be a hard thing . This is a book that really explores the devastation that comes with the feeling of being an outsider and the lengths someone can go to in order to get on the inside . My thanks to netgalley and bookouture for my copy

It really took me a while to get into this book which is why its not a 5 star as I wasn't instantly gripped , however once I got into it I really enjoyed it . Its told in the third person and you don't know who that is until the very end . Great ending but I wont say too much about it as it would be a massive spoiler . Christopher really creeped me out too as he becomes fixated on his birth mother and really wants her to himself , great writing , interesting and disturbing too . Thanks for the opportunity

Well that didn’t end as I thought it would!
I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet, but I can say that Christopher’s life changes when he finds something in his parent’s loft.
He sets out on a mission to find the truth and what happens next seems ok but there’s actually another side to this story.
I loved the way we were drawn in to the story and the different narrative perspectives really added to twists and turns in the book.
I can’t say much more as I really don’t want to spoil it so I will end here!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me a copy to read and review.

Well this felt like one long read. Longer than it should have. Interesting premise but not a particularly interesting read unfortunately.

Christopher Harris is a loner. Doesn’t really fit in with his family and always felt like an outsider in his own home. When he discovers a letter in his mother’s loft, it reinforces all his suspicions. He’s an adopted child. He is determined to find his real mother. She will make his life whole, make him fit into the world, love him unconditionally as he will her.

As he moves out of home and starts college he starts to track down his birth mother and make contact. She is married now with two children. He has no interest in them at all. All he wants is his mother. He wants the perfect life with her and nothing or no one will get in the way.

As he abandons his adoptive family and becomes part of his birth mothers, his obsession with her starts to become a little unnerving as he wants to spend more and more time with her, delighted when her husband and other children are out of the house and he has her to himself. Just how far will he go to protect the perfect relationship he has developed with his new mother?

The whole story is told by an unknown person who had a close relationship with Christoper for four years and who loved him. The mystery of who it is, is kept until the very end of the book and to be honest it just became an annoyance having this annonymous narrative.

The book itself felt extremely long despite being only 300 pages odd. It’s very wordy, meandering on without any real progress or pacing. It’s extemely slow moving, to the point of annoyance. I’ve no problem with a slow burner but this felt more like a short story or novella being fleshed out into a novel.

The other problem was Christopher. He’s our central “disturbed” character and he just isn’t that likable or interesting. We get pages upon pages of fairly repetitive musings from him about his mother and how she is perfect and how he just wants himself and her in the world. There’s also his fairly boring college life and his room mate which takes up large chunks of this book. I really struggled to keep going with it.

As you can tell I didn’t really enjoy this one too much. I found myself ultimately bored throughout a lot of it and it seemed to move at a snails pace with a lot being written without much being said. I was glad when I finished, purely because it was finished.

Sorry to say this one wasn’t at all for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and S.E. Lynes for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say this book and I didn't get along at all. I found the first half quite slow and a tad confusing due to the narration. And while the second half picked up in terms of pace, when the pieces of the puzzle started to come together, it all felt a bit too predictable to me. Overall, it just wasn't for me.

This was a good read and right from the beginning I found myself hooked. It is told in 3rd person but I couldn’t work out by whom until the final chapters. I kept looking back in case I had missed something after a glass of wine too many 🤔. Great work! The plot is quite deep and hints at incestious relationships but that is explained by the end of the book but I personally found this made the book even creepier. The story goes back in time and then to present regularly which makes it slightly confusing but it does all come together neatly in the end. . Highly recommended and 5 stars from me 👍

This book was definitely not my cup of tea. I thought it had a good storyline but wasn't executed properly. It was so slow throughout the whole entire book. I did enjoy the the last few chapters as the story finally made sense. You finally get to know who the person is telling the story and finally get to know the truth of what Christopher did. I'm not quite sure why they had all the references about Jack the Ripper as it really didn't fit well with the storyline. I got the references but really wasn't needed. I needed something more than this book offered. Maybe more edge of your seat thrills rather than the snooze fest it offered. It was very hard to get through. I hope someone else can see what I didn't see in this book. Happy reading!!!

I finished this last night. Oh my goodness, what a book!!! I'm still feeling a little bit traumatised by it, eek!

I’ll be honest, it did take me a while to get into. Due to working long hours and being exhausted, it actually took me six nights to reach halfway, and I was unsure what direction the story was going to take. I gave myself the evening off yesterday, and sat and read the second half in one sitting (I even managed to hold off going for a wee), and flippin’ ‘eck, what a second half that was. Bloody brilliant!!!

Mother has quite a dark and somewhat sinister feel to it. Set during the time of the Yorkshire Ripper, some of the characters are either afraid for their lives or concerned they’ll be accused of being the killer. This gave the book an unnerving and edgy atmosphere, as it made me suspect the characters even more than I normally would.

The other main focus is on adoption and the strong desire to connect with birth relatives. My husband is adopted, so this book had my mind doing overtime when it came to considering all sorts of less than pleasant reunion scenarios. Don’t think I’ll be encouraging him to hunt down his birth parents in the near future after reading this. Especially as he’s from Yorkshire and born in the late 1970s, so I’ve now linked the Yorkshire Ripper to my whole imaginary meeting of family scenario. Shudder!

This is definitely one of my favourite psychological thrillers this year. What I will say, is if you find it a little slow or unclear at first, it is well worth it for the second half. Just think of the first half as introducing you to the characters and their lives. Then things start to fall into place later on in the book.

I started off intrigued and ended up shocked and had tears in my eyes. My heart physically ached near the end of this book. I went from such intense emotions to a sort of deflated feeling of grief and regret, almost desperate to change the ending to make it easier to cope with.

You need to add this to your wish list or pre-order on Amazon for just 99p, as it’s published next week, and I'd hate for any of you who love dark psychological thrillers to miss out on this one.

I was really gripped by this tale and would give it 4.5 stars. It was nice to read somthing a bit different from my norm that kept me hooked, I will be looking to see what else she has written!

I haven't read this authors previous book but had heard a lot about it so was excited to read this one. I struggled slightly at the beginning to get into it and found it a little slow to get going but am so glad I stuck with it. When I got into it I whizzed through it and couldn't wait to see how it ended. I thorougly enjoyed it and thought the twists were fantastic and I certainly didn't see them coming. Would definitely recommend this book but be aware it was a slow burner.

The writing style of this book left something to be desired. I could not get into it.

What a compelling uneque read, I absolutely loved it. I thought I had the outcome sussed but how wrong I was. Christopher had never been what you could call a happy boy and when he found an old case in the attic the secrets held inside opened up a completely different chapter in his life. If you love a jaw dropping, heart stopping unforgettable read then look no further. Thank you for the ARC.