Slow going but because of that it helped set the story as well as the Atmosphere, and the suspense that comes with each turn of the page .

While I enjoyed this book, I enjoyed Kelly's other novels a little more. This one was just a tad too slow for me-however, still unsettling and atmospheric!


I have since bought a copy of this novel for my library at home.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Erin Kelly for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

DNF

I started this novel, and then shut it after several pages. Erin Kelly has amazing synopsis writers, but I find the writing drags a bit, no real suspense and it just ends with a pat conclusion. I am not going to read this one or give it a review on Goodreads.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me. It started strong, I love a great hook to pull me right into a mystery. But where it lost me is when the married protagonist goes back to her hometown, only to start an immediate and all too enmeshed banter with her ex-boyfriend. I just cannot invest in that kind of toxicity enough to continue reading.

I really enjoyed this take the history of Victorian asylums. I loved the narrative structure, different point of views and changes in timelines throughout the book and was happy that it was easy to follow. Helen and Marianne were fascinating to me but I wasn't as interested in Honor. Despite this, I still liked the overall story and liked that it was very different from the typical thrillers.

I had a hard time getting in to this one. It was a little slow and confusing. But, as the story unfolded it definitely got better and I found myself invested in wanting to know what happens. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble getting into this, but once I did, I found it to be an interesting and original plot. It dragged at times and sometimes I confused the characters, but an overall good read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Erin Kelly for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Erin Kelly’s STONE MOTHERS is a slow-paced mystery with a few twists. The book covers some interesting themes like the stigma attached to mental illness and poverty. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into the story. It seemed to hint at a crime, but by the time we got to the truth, it was underwhelming.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of Stone Mothers.

I was a little excited to read this book when I googled 2019 best psychological thriller books and this was listed. Unfortunately I got about 20ish% in and was so incredibly bored. The characters were just not super interesting and nothing about the storyline was either. I felt myself dreading to read on because I was just not interested.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This book sounds amazing, but at this time it just isn’t for me. I think it will be great when I am ready to come back to it!

This book was interesting for me . I loved the parts about the past at the asylums . I love thrillers and this was no different. The beginning went little slow for me but as the book went on i was able to gets b letter feel for the characters and connect . would definitely read another book by the author.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me this opportunity.


I think that this book was definitely Dark, maybe not really so much of a thriller for me realistically. I think that for the most part I did enjoy this book, it was great. It was interesting and a little something out of the box for me. I tend to stay away from thrillers and anything horror related (not saying this is) I think my genre is more fluffy related lol.

I think that the writing was definitely not something I was particularly happy with or really interesting. The back and forth was more confusing than anything honestly. Also some of the motivations for all of the actions taken by these women were sometimes really annoying or comical.

I think that it had a great premise and it was what truly pushed me to read this.

This was my first book by the author and I think that describing it as a thriller may be doing it a disservice. The book had it's interesting points but it was slow and took me a long time to get into it.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. Erin Kelly wowed me in Burning Air, had me easily distracted while trying to read He Said/ She Said, and completely missed the mark on this one.

This was all right for me. I was very intrigued in the beginning and I always gravitate towards stories set in or around mental institutions...but for some reason I just ended up losing interest as the story went on.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This story focuses on the lifes of three main characters whose pasts all have a tie to Nazareth Mental Hospital.
Marianne and Jesse grew up in the town of Nusstead where Nazareth Mental Hospital is located.
Helen spent time as a patient in the hospital after her parents forced her to voluntarily admit herself. Generations of families, including Marianne and Jesse's, have been employed by the hospital until it's closing. Helen had a part in the closing of the hospital. Marianne and Jesse spent their youth exploring every deserted corner of the building until one day a tragic event happens that ties the three together.
The story is told in parts that individually relate the stories of the three characters, both their pasts and the present time and what the connection between the three is.
The storylines tie in to each other very well and I found the history of the Mental Hospital and it's practices very interesting. The raw emotions and angst of the three are more than just words on paper, hitting at the very core of the reader.

This book seemed like it was made for me! I love Erin Kelly, I love books about teenage girls and asylums. However, it wasn’t my favorite.

I liked the parts that took place in the past and thought they were pretty compelling and well written. I didn’t like the present day parts. They seemed messy and a bit nonsensical. The parts with her husband were strange and her daughter didn’t add much. I think it would have been better without so much back and forth.