I found it an exceptionally interesting book mainly because Christopher's life mirrored my own to some extent. Christopher learns he is adopted and approaches NORCAP to trace his mother. They haven't traded since 2013 but I know someone who used them successfully. It is narrated in first person anonymously until you find out at the end who they are. The book started with a punch-up in the Prologue and I did wonder if the ending fell slightly flat and might have had more impact at the end of the book. I returned to the Prologue after finishing the book to figure it out properly as I was confused. On the other hand I wondered if this format was the best and perhaps kept you guessing. In two minds on that one but I'm a reader not a writer. I enjoyed the book enormously whatever. There were some interesting characters and references to that era that interested me. I found Phyllis rather OTT and gushing but what the author brought out so well in the book are the high expectations one feels in that situation and also how meeting a birth parent who has not brought you up is such a different relationship. They don't feel quite like your mother - the adoptive mum always keeps that role. A friend? A lover? But not a mother. They are someone special nonetheless. Christopher's obsession with the Ripper fascinated me as I followed the case too and it was scary. One evening two policemen called and interviewed my husband as he fitted the description of the Ripper. Tall, dark, living in Yorkshire and with a Geordie accent. I had to sign that to my knowledge my husband was not the Ripper. Of course it was an idiot from Castletown near Sunderland who sent that tape and threw out the police hunt. Then there was Ben in America with his story of adoption. It was really a very sad story but very compelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture. I shall post this to Amazon and to my blog after publication.

It took me some time to warm up to the book and the Christopher. But once I reached midway I had to find what happened in the end. Even though it may not grip you at the start, keep going!

It took my a while to get into this book because of the way it’s written but once I got about 40% of the way through I raced through it to find out what happened!

A good book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Missing the WOW factor for me though, hence 3 stars.
I would read another by this author in future

Just finished reading Mother, and really enjoyed it. The narrator tells the story of Christopher, who always feels at odds with his family. Aged 18 he prepares to go off to University, and in the old suitcase he uses, he finds papers to prove that he has been adopted. Chris doesn’t feel surprised by this, but then fixated on trying to find his ‘real’ family. Before he even meets his birth mother, he loves her obsessively, and can’t believe his luck when she loves him back. This is Chris’ story, and how obsession can be fatal. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

This book didn't grip me from the start and its taken a long time, nearly half of the book to even recognize who is who. Change in POV and like 'story telling' style just didn't work for me. However when I got to the end I understood why it was written this way but I struggled a bit with it.

Christopher wants nothing more than to belong, feel part of the family, find his roots. But his story is a lot more twisted and darker as it seems.

As much as this book wasn't really for me I'm sure some other readers would love it and I would recommend it.

Christopher discovers through finding a letter that he is adopted. He is on his way to university and had he not been so keen to go and open the dusty suitcase in the loft he never would have found it. This explains his hair colour, height and his brains, so his “parents” tell him. To him his siblings are the “real” children and he is the different one, not treated the same as the others.Will he get to meet his mother and if so how will they feel about one another? On the other side of the Atlantic Ben and Martha live together. Ben is getting his documents ready for a long distance trip, one that could change his life. The story is told in part by a third person who we do not get to meet for quite a while. One whom Christopher has told all about his life. There are also parts where we get the feeling of that person being nursed and frail but again not completely revealed. A very intriguing story very well told. I took to Phyllis and felt for Christopher. A stunning piece of writing, one of those books you remember for a long time afterwards. A highly recommended read.I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
(rest of links on publication day)

Another winner from this author. One of my favourite reads of this year. Kept me guessing throughout, fast paced with lots of twists and turns. Another one that is deserving of more than just 5 stars.

For me, a five star book is one where you are left still thinking about the characters & wondering where they go from the point where the author decided it ended. Mother definitely comes into this category.

Christopher never really felt he fitted in. His devoutly Catholic parents were not very demonstrative. He felt second best when a younger brother is born & gets called after his father. He feels his younger siblings are favourites. His family don't understand his enjoyment of books and desire to go to University. On the day he is packing to go away to start his first term at Leeds Uni he finds some letters that explain everything- he was adopted! No wonder he always felt like a cuckoo in the nest!

The story is told by an unidentified third party. This does make it a bit difficult to follow until you get used to it. It captures the atmosphere of fear in the North during the Yorkshire Ripper's reign and is a fairly accurate depiction of of the era.

I suppose Christopher was probably on the autistic spectrum with his intense interests and his social awkwardness. He sets out to find his 'real' mother and to find his happy ever after- and keep it no matter what.

At times I felt very sorry for Christopher but I found it almost impossible to like him. There is something profoundly 'off' about him. A feeling that under that nervous shy exterior lurks the propensity for violence.

The second half of the book came as a surprise- you knew something earth shattering was going to happen, but are still surprised when it does. I wasn't expecting it!

This was a definite five star read for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving my brain something to keep gnawing on!

First of all, thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

First of all, this is the type of book where you can't say much about it because it will spoil it for other readers.

In summary, Christopher finds out he is adopted and begins searching for his birth parents. At the same time, he is leaving home to study at University in Leeds.

Basically, from the beginning until the end of the book, we don't know who the narrator is. Then at the end, we find out that some of the facts that have been told to us by the narrator were actually lies told to the narrator by Christopher. I think that really killed the book for me.

The writing it good. There's plenty of tension as we explore the world of the students which is being rocked by the news of the Yorkshire ripper rapes.

Christopher and Phyllis are believable characters. I liked the idea of Christopher searching for his birth mother and it's believable that he dumps his adoptive parents as soon as he thinks he's found his 'real' mother. The problem for me was that I didn't like Christopher nor his 'birth' mother, Phyllis. Phyllis is willing (it seems) to ignore her husband and 12-year old twins and flirt with Christopher. There are hints that the two of them will cross the line. This makes for disturbing reading and keeps the tension up.

The ending and the twist is unexpected and vicious, and in some ways, I found it sad.

In the end, I have to say that, unfortunately, I didn't feel satisfied with the story, though, as I say, the actual writing was really good. I guess this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, SE Lynes and Bookoutre for the opportunity to preview 'Mother' by SE Lynes in return for this honest review.

It did take me a while to get into this book. It's unusually put together and the voice of the writer is not made immediately clear. However, overall, I did enjoy it. I found the subject matter heartbreaking, whilst also being enthralled and scared by the storyline and lead character.

Overall, a good psychological thriller with an excellent, well thought out, ending.

I’m really not sure what to make of Mother. The premise of the book sounded fantastic and was definitely something I would pick up to read. However whilst reading the book, I just felt it didn’t really grab me. I was expecting some spectacular twists and turns but found he whole book sadly lacklustre. I am aware this is my own opinion and others have loved this book but sadly it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Not all adoptions lead to happy relationships and/or improvement in family life, which is unfortunate. “Mother” written by British novelist S. E. Lynes is a chilling novel of psychological intrigue in a twisted tale of adoption and family life that resulted in lies and betrayals that eventually led to some shocking and unexpected consequences.

The story began in the late 1970’s before Christopher Harris was admitted to the University of Leeds. After accidently discovering he was adopted, he registered at NORCAP in Liverpool to find his biological mother. From the start, we realize that Christopher isn’t quite a typical college student. For starters, although he is handsome, he is socially awkward and his roommate Adam helped him adjust to his new college surroundings, he needed it.
After Christopher met and became connected to his biological mother Phyllis, he became unnaturally obsessed with her. It was strange that he simply turned his back on his adoptive family; the Harris’s had loved Christopher as their own, providing him a supportive comfortable home. When most young men were doing things with their buddies, drinking in the pubs and chasing women, Christopher wrote Phyllis long adoring letters wanting to spend as much time with her as possible. He even resented his half-brothers and Phyllis husband David when they needed Phyllis attention during his visits with his biological family.

The storyline featured music from the disco era, Lynes introduced a serial killer, later identified in the media as the “Yorkshire Ripper”. A female student from Leed’s (in Christopher’s social circle) was murdered, and all adult males were suspect, including Christopher. This development seemed injected and forced, and wasn’t a central story element. There were additional complexities and narratives that weren’t as believable or easy to follow as the story took a dramatic turn reaching a unique and unusual conclusion.
**With thanks to bookouture via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

This particular book I finished in one sitting last night. The story is told by an unknown person, and that, I would say is the pivotal point of the tale. There are many people who are actually involved in the passage of time, each with an individual viewpoint. This is a realization that will sink in fully  only with the completion of the book.

The central character is Christopher who feels like he does not belong. This feeling intensifies with time and revelations by time itself. There is an added mysterious presence of Ben who may or may not be essential to Christopher. There is justification of belonging and our own search for accurate internal reflection. The book is not excessively long and therefore cannot have a bigger review than this. It is a reasonably good thriller and has good pace and is a good read.

A big fat 5 stars! This book was fantastic I loved everything about it. The characters were likeable and the storyline was interesting enough to keep me engaged and wanting more. A hard book to put down. Really well written, a real page Turner.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for this review copy, which was given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kim from Bookouture for organising the Blog Tour and given me a space on it!

Christopher has never fitted into his family. He looks different to his other siblings and has been treated differently for as long as he can remember. When he is 18 and on the verge of leaving for University in Leeds he discovers that he was adopted. As far as he was concerned, this explained everything. He wanted to find his birth mother, and so contacted Social Services in Liverpool, where he was apparently born, to see if they can help track his real mother. When he finally meets her, he realises he finally has the perfect family that he has always wanted….and will do anything to make sure that it stays that way.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is going to be really difficult to review this book without giving away too many plot lines, so bear with me! This story is told from several perspectives. The main one is about Christopher. His story is told from an unknown narrator, telling you the story that they have been told from Christopher himself. I won’t tell you who the others are for fear of spoilers! The story is mainly set in the 1970/1980’s. It’s full of flares, afghan coats, cannabis and Tetley beer! The Yorkshire Ripper, who was a serial killer in the early 80’s, also gets quite a few mentions! Christopher is obviously a loner and has been like this for most of his life. Whilst rooming with Adam at University, he gets the opportunity to become someone different, helped along by Adam and his talent for clothes shopping, fashion advice and picking up women. Whilst Christopher is trying to be ‘one of the lads’, he’s also looking for his birth mother. When he finds her, he realises that this is the perfect family that he’s been looking for all his life and becomes very attached to her. He also keeps the fact that’s looking for her or even that he found her secret, not just from his friends but from everyone. The whole relationship between Christopher and his mother, to me, felt uncomfortable – it was more of a marriage than a mother and son – and you just knew that something wasn’t quite right. It’s very difficult to describe without giving away too much!

I love the era that the book was set in, and I thought the introduction of the Yorkshire Ripper storyline into the story was very clever. The unease and terror that the Yorkshire Ripper struck into the people of Leeds certainly comes across in this book and adds to the tension throughout. You do feel for Christopher at some points throughout the book, but then at other times I didn’t like him at all. The main people I had the most empathy for was his adoptive parents, who only ever had his best interests at heart.

The story felt a bit of a slow burner at the beginning, and to be honest, I didn’t really understand where it was going! It definitely was one of those books where the suspense built up very slowly, giving you the whole back story first. Then bam!!….right towards the end, the story changes! The plot line twists and turns into something that I just didn’t expect. I thought I had it all worked out, but was so wrong! All the slow build up was so worth it for that last quarter of the book!

A very dark, unsettling read. If you like fast paced action then this probably isn’t the book for you. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the read and I would highly recommend it!

Four Stars!

MOTHER. A great idea poorly executed. It took me several days to get through this, the only reason I did was to figure out why so many people gave it five star reviews. The writing was convoluted and sloppy. Story threads were misaligned, cut off and left to dangle. The author finished up by simply explaining the whole sorry mess.

A story of serial killings and unwanted babies taking place in Britain, this might be for you.

I gave it 2.5 half stars (didn't really like it) but rounded to 3 (ok) just because it had all the elements to make a story that I could like, but the writing just didn't do it for me.

Review Copy

3 Stars - This story is about Christopher who finds out that his parents aren’t his real family. So when he left his home for university, he tries to find his real mother. He finds her but…

My major problem was the writing; the story is told from Christopher's POV (3rd person) but through an anonymous (1st person). Well it was a bit hard for me and I don’t use to it. My other problem was it wasn’t really mysterious or complicated! So it became a little boring!

Thanks to S.E. Lynes, Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, SE Lynes, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

Christopher would never hurt anyone. Not intentionally. Even after everything that’s happened I still believe that... Christopher Harris is a lonely boy. A boy who has never fitted in to his family. Who has always felt something was missing from his life. Until one day, when he discovers a suitcase in his family’s attic. And a secret about his mother that changes everything. What price would you pay for the perfect family? Christopher finally has a chance at happiness. A happiness that he will do anything to protect…

MOTHER is a dark psychological thriller that hits all the right elements: superb character development, fast-paced plot, mystery elements, captivating writing, twists and turns, and a surprise ending. I couldn't put this one down, reading it in just one day. I highly recommend this one!

This book started off a bit slow and I started to get a little confused.... but oh my goodness what an ending! Christopher has always been a bit different and when he discovers a letter in the attic he starts to understand why. His search for his roots starts a very tangled web of lies right til the end. Do yourself a favour and read this book !! Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review