Wow. This book was incredible, there was never any guessing as to what happened next and when you think you know something you are way off base. This book really kept me thinking, I was even thinking about it those times I’d have to set it down and get my day to day activities done (trust me it was difficult) I would recommend this book to anyone that wants an excellent read where the full plot is not laid out for you from the get go.

The book is in several different parts, each from the view of a different character throughout a significant time period. I absolutely loved how it was laid out as each character had their own section but it just continued the story already laid out and even when it was further back in time you already and the info for the pieces to fit.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

Erin Kelly writes literary character driven novels.I got drawn right in to this one really enjoyed the heroine who was not perfect this book kept me reading late into the night.love when that happens.Will be following Erin Kelly.#netgalley #st.martins

Stone Mothers is the first book that I have read by Erin Kelly and I will admit, I am impressed. Any books that touch on or have to do with mental hospitals/asylums are automatically on my radar. Especially when they are done well, such as this book was! The history and detail that the author went into was amazing. I easily was able to visualize the settings. Not to mention, the characters were wonderfully built and intertwined.

There were a few slower bits to the story, but I think that just helps with the anticipation. You are given three main characters and slowly told how they have come to depend, and dislike, each other. I found myself absolutely abhorring Helen Greenlaw in the beginning. However, once we were further introduced to her character and her background I began to understand her. In the end, I found myself rooting for each character -- Marianne, Helen, and Jesse.

The story was great, the characters were great, and I will definitely be reading more books by Erin Kelly when I have the chance. There was only one thing I had a love-hate relationship with. The author was great at giving you tons of detail, but then leaving you completely hanging. There were a few parts towards the end of the book that I had no clue what truly happened. I definitely floundered around a bit ha ha!

I love Erin Kelly, I think she is an amazing author with an unbelievable ability to craft amazing characters and twist tales that surpass my expectations every time. This novel centers on Marianne who has built a life for herself away from the trauma of her native Nusstead and for circumstances outside of control she is forced to return and relive with no only the ghosts that haunt but all the pain that came with it. While the Marianne was intriguing, and as beautifully done as always, this book didn't draw me in in the way I expected. I think I'm going to be the outlier here, but everything moved too slowly for me. There was such a complex backstory, I think it was easy for it to draw away from the amazing plot. I found myself more wanting to get to the end not because I was dying to know but more so the novel could end and I could move on.

Overall, I thought the novel was an interesting perspective on institutionalization, did a fabulous job of interweaving the two different time frames, but the plot lacked a spark in sections and the ending just was a letdown. The whole thing just seemed to lack that spark that you can find in Erin Kelly's previous works that brings a novel to life and draws you in. I would totally recommend checking out any of Erin Kelly's previous novels, especially He Said/She Said and Burning Air.

The first book I ever read of Erin Kelly's was He/Said, She/Said in 2017 and this book also made my best of the year that year. Naturally, I've been excited to see what Kelly would follow up with ever since. Enter Stone Mothers. Marianne's husband has surprised her by purchasing them an apartment near her ailing mother, which also happens to be her childhood hometown - but, these apartments have been built where a now-defunct mental hospital used to be. Weird, to say the least. Marianne is extremely spooked by this but not just for the reasons you would think...as the story evolves, we learn Marianne's childhood sweetheart is a factor in this as well as a local politician. But what has them all so spooked and why?

Told in 4 slow burning sections, Kelly weaves an interesting tale that focuses on mental health, coming of age, poverty, government overreach and more. If you are looking for fast paced excitement with twists and turns abound, this will not be the book for you, however, if you can appreciate the long haul and the well written mystery as it evolves, I think you will enjoy this one just as much as I did.

I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #StoneMothers

Erin Kelly provides a narrative of past and present circumstance surrounding a woman who is abruptly faced with the unexpected. The story expounds upon sensitive subject matters of emotional and physical abuse, along with the ramifications of a life spent hiding secrets. Unfortunately, the plot pace was slow and the contextual character development was almost too elaborate. This lent to a lack of emotional investment in both the story line and characters. Unfortunately, this novel fails to deliver what is expected from this genre. 2 stars.

This had a slow start, but I was hooked after the first 50 pages and couldn’t put it down. My favorite part was that the main character is broken, has faults, yet she is still a hero. I wouldn’t call her an antihero, but she’s complex enough to be intriguing and unique. I couldn’t help but think “hmmm what would I do...” which is what I love about books - they force me to think about circumstances I may personally never face but foster a sense of empathy. The plot itself was a lot of fun. I can tell the author put a lot of heart and soul into this book, and it shows. Bravo!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Thiis one didn’t really engage me. Didn’t engage but so much with the narrative, the characters or the suspense, but it was interesting learning more about women’s asylum culture. Solid three

This was an interesting read. I was hoping it would be more suspenseful, and suck me in. I did stay interested through the whole book, but it never really had any oomph for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of STONE MOTHERS by Erin Kelly in exchange for my honest review.***

Past and present collide when Marianne returns home to help care for her ailing mother. She never expects her husband to surprise her with a second home on the grounds of a former asylum that holds secrets from Marianne’s past.

STONE MOTHERS didn’t grab me the way I had hoped and I had difficulty getting into the complex backstory. Part of the reason may have been the quality of the galley formatting which had me stopping to be certain I was reading the actual next sentence of the manuscript. I had difficulty connecting to the characters and feeling invested in the story.

The slow pace of STONE MOTHERS didn’t evoke feelings of suspense or intrigue, only questions of when I’d get to the end. Erin Kelly did create an intricate plot that touched on issues of mental illness, physical and emotional imprisonment, family, trust and honesty.

STONE MOTHERS has a lot of positive reviews, so I may be an outlier for this book.

For Marianne, the town she grew up in holds nothing but bad memories, really bad memories. For years she has kept that part of her life buried, but now she’s forced to return to care for her ailing mother. Her husband “gifts” her a second home of sorts, a refurbished place in what was once the local insane asylum, but has now been turned into luxury flats. The town, its residents and the asylum have Marianne terrified that her husband and daughter will discover the real reason she left home and seventeen and she’s willing to do anything to keep her secret under wraps. This is a harrowing story of what life was like for people committed to insane asylums in this country, many of whom were locked away just because they were inconvenient or embarrassing to their families. An amazing story that I read in one sitting