Thirteen year old Michael is convinced that the woman in his house is not his mother but instead an imposter who just looks like her. He's taken his anger- anger about the death of his father, anger about his new step father Glen, anger at so many things- and turned it into this. And he's got a secret. This is an interesting and intelligent look at a teen dealing with grief and his own mental health. Michael is lucky to make friends with Sara, a neighbor with whom he feels comfortable enough to confide his issues. I found myself rooting for this kid. Glen is a slug, his younger siblings are like all younger siblings, and he's coping as best he can. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. He's a character you'll feel for. It's a good read.

A deep yet sweet read. Takes you back to being a young teenager. The weight of the world on your shoulders and so much innocence. Lovely writing and there were a lot of times I laughed. Will definitely be looking for more from this author. Highly, highly recommended.

I didn’t realize until I finished this book that it was written by the same author of Twenty-One Truths about Love. These books couldn’t be more different, but I enjoyed both.
Where Twenty-One Truths was sweet and whimsical, this story has a much darker mood. Michael is a young teenage boy already experiencing anguish over the loss of his father, and who now truly believes his mother has been replaced by a clone.
This could have come across gimmicky or silly but instead it really illustrated how hard growing up can be, even in the best of times. Now factor in the loss of a parent, mental illness, stepparents, crippling secrets, and monumental loneliness and it’s easy to see why Michael appears to be cracking up.
I do wish the ending didn’t have such a tidy ending, as I felt like the author could have focused on the toll stress plays on metal health a little more, but overall, this was worth the read. Thanks to #netgalley #matthewdicks and #stmartinspress for this ARC of #theothermother in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Mother is a beautiful and emotional trip inside the heart and mind of a 14 year old boy who frankly has a lot going on. Michael's story sometimes seems extraordinary but then again when you really think about it, it's not so much. Does he have more on his plate than some kids? Absolutely. But his thoughts and feelings are just like pretty much any teenager.

This book got inside my heart, Dicks did a phenomenal job of bringing Michael to life. As the mother of a son who has struggled a bit I felt so many things. And as an adult who can still quite clearly remember those middle school days I felt so many things. Did I cry? Yeah I got a little teary eyed. But it wasn't a sad book it was just so full, that I overflowed a bit taking it all in.

This book was beautiful and it will stick with me for a long time. The first 5 star read of 2021 Be on the lookout January 12th. If you don't want to miss it call your local bookstore or mine @bookstoreplus and preorder a copy today!

I adored this story. Michael was a super sweet character who was lost in his disorders and didn’t know how to deal with them. I liked how all the other characters supported Michael and brought out his personality in bigger ways than Michael was able to. Matthew Dicks is one of my auto-buy authors. I love the messages in his stories and they are always enjoyable to read.

I enjoyed this one. It was a good, easy read. I would also read more by this author in the future. Overall, I'd give 3/5 stars.

This one ended up being heavier than I expected. I felt so bad for Michael who clearly had some very serious issues going on that no one around him seemed to be taking seriously enough. He saw the school counselor on a daily basis, but this kid needed serious therapy. On top of that, he's carrying around a secret for TWO YEARS in an envelope under his mattress. He becomes friends with a neighbor girl and she seems to be the only one he can really connect with. This was a sad but heartfelt read and I really enjoyed it. You don't see a lot of books that touch on childhood mental health. My only real criticism is that the ending tied up a little too perfectly. This is more character-driven as the book only spans over a few days, so keep that in mind, but it works well for this book.

Title: The Other Mother
Author: Matthew Dicks
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

The one he loves most, is the one he knows least.

Thirteen-year-old Michael Parsons is dealing with a lot. His father's sudden death; his mother's new husband, Glen, who he loathes; his two younger siblings, who he looks after more and more now that his mother works extra shifts.

And then one day, Michael wakes up and his mother is gone. In her place is an exact, duplicate mother. The 'other mother'. No one else seems to notice the real version is missing. His brother, his sister, and even Glen act as if everything's normal. But Michael knows in his heart that this mother is not his. And he begins to panic.
What follows is a big-hearted coming-of-age story of a boy struggling with an unusual disorder that poses unparalleled challenges—but also, as he discovers, offers him unique opportunities.

This wasn’t at all what I expected. I felt so much sympathy for Michael. I cannot even imagine how disorienting and frightening it would be to go through this. Despite his fear and the short time span of the novel—two days—Michael shows a lot of character growth and change. This is a very moving, evocative book about a boy experiencing something truly horrible in the midst of his already-challenging life.

Matthew Dicks is a bestselling author. The Other Mother is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/7.)

After reading Dicks' Twenty One Truths About Love, I was excited to read this one. This story of a young teen boy dealing with such big emotions is told with tenderness, humor and such empathy. Dicks transports the reader into the heart and mind of his main characters and draws out a range of emotions through the entire story.

The title and the summary alone remind me strongly of "Coraline" or implies that this book would have supernatural or horror elements. To my disappointment, this book involved none of these things. The book takes place over a span of two days, but the pacing made it feel like more time had gone by. The author did a really great job of making us feel what Michael is feeling, but Michael as a narrator often repeated himself and went off subject, which could become frustrating as a reader. There are also characters that felt underdeveloped and I wish would have been explored more. Also, I'm not sure what the age range is for this book. I can see it as a YA and an adult fiction book. There are some heavy themes discussed (bullying, mental health, suicide) and passages that are sometimes difficult to read.
This book had an interesting premise but ultimately failed to deliver for me. I kept waiting for a big twist to happen, and it fell short of my expectations. I was dissatisfied with the uplifting ending and it came across as bizarre to the tone of the rest of the book. Maybe other readers will see something that I didn't see in this book.

Matthew Dicks explores the inner lives of people with mental differences like no one else. In this one, the young protagonist has to fight not only his own inner demons that lead him to react physically under stress, but also the secret he holds about his father's death and the responsibilities he has to care for his younger siblings. In many ways this is a young adult book: there is a budding romance, bullying in middle school, and growing understanding of a parent. The school counselor that Michael meets with is compassionate and makes a difference! The elderly neighbor who listens to him also show him the way as does Sarah, a very patient young adult. I'm not sure how realistic any of that is, but it makes the book hard to put down. A good read for troubling times.

The Other Mother is about a boy who has closed him self off after his dad passing away. He carries a lot of secrets , that really burden him. Mike is of the illusion that someone has taken over his mother. She looks the same and everyone thinks she is the real mother but she is a different mother to Mike, He is on a quest to figure out where his real mother is. Through this quest he must break down barriers and walls and share his secrets and open up his heart. A beautiful look into a teenage boys struggles and thoughts, insecurities and how he ends up pulling himself out of it.

Thank you St.Martins Press and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We meet Michael, who is a teen, going through it in school, he has anger issues, siblings that drive him nuts (but all siblings do that), the mot popular girl is school has the cutest crush on him and so does she, he lost his dad, and his step dad is an asshole, and he thinks that his mother is not his mom, that she was replaced with a look alike. I was intrigued I wanted to know how he will find his real mother. But he learns some things surrounding his fathers death and maybe his mother didn’t change at all, he did, and he started to see the people around him differently.

This is worth the read and a its a speedy read that gets to the point which I love, I will be reading more from this author for sure. Thank Netgalley, the guys at Martin Press and the author Matthew Dicks for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 stars

I had enjoyed another book by Matthew Dicks, Twenty-one Truths About Love, so I just dove into this one without reading the publisher synopsis ahead of time. I absolutely adored this book.
Maybe the main character, Michael isn’t for everyone, but man, I’m glad I got the chance to be part of his world for a bit.

Michael is a 13 year old boy and he's dealing with some stuff. One of his problems is he doesn't believe is mother is truly his mother. No, this isn't some adoption thing. Michael thinks that the woman at his home who looks like his mother and talks like his mother, is actually some type of imposter. I'm sure that sounds weird and confusing but that's due to my lack of writing talent. Just read the book and it will all make sense.

There was just something about this character that drew me in right away. To say I was emotionally invested in Michael is spot on. The story takes place over a short period of time and it's not an action filled plot. But there is so much substance and heart that it isn't some simple story, it truly was a worthwhile read.

I recommend checking this one out. Don't discount it just because the story is told from a child's perspective. It's kinda like watching the show, The Wonder Years, as you will probably appreciate it more because you are an adult.

I don't read a lot of books about middle school-aged boys but I made an exception for this one;. What a fun fresh concept! It was a little odd--a boy thinks his mother was replaced with an exact double--but it worked. I felt like the writing could have been a little tighter but it did come together in the end.

2 stars, maybe 2.5. This book just wasn't for me.

Eight grader, Michael, is struggling with his mental health. The book starts with Michael saying his mother has been replaced with a replica who acts and sounds like his mother but is not his mother. No one else around him notices that this other mother is not the Michael's mother. Michael has ADD and behavioural issues. His dad passed away two years ago and he hates his new stepfather.

This book isn't what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a horror type book or something Coraline like. It was told from the perspective of Michael and I do think the author did a good job of capturing a child's voice. But it felt like it had no plot. It was just Michael being convinced for 2 days that his mom had been replaced and then realizing she hadn't been. It was a quick read at least but I felt unsatisfied by the ending and didn't understand what the point of this book even was. It was heartwarming to see Michael and his mother have an honest conversation at the end and for Michael to make friends with their neighbour. But otherwise I felt bored in a lot of parts and kept reading in the hopes the plot would pick up and get interesting. This never happened and I didn't like the book. It was dull and lacked in plot. I usually don't mind books that really don't have much to the plot other than telling the characters stories but this one just didn't pull me in. I found the characters a bit flat and kept wishing for something interesting to happen. Nothing did though, to my disappoint. This one was not for me and I didn't care for it.

Overall, I found the book to be dull. I could see some people liking this if you want a heartwarming story told from the perspective of a 13 year old boy.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

My main complaint here is the pacing and intended audience - The Other Mother is definitely captivating, but doesn't read as an adult novel. I was also assuming the presence of something more thriller-esque from the description, but it's still a very engaging read.

This is told from the POV of Michael, a 14-year-old teenager with issues and several secrets. The author does a good job of capturing Michael's voice and different aspects of his personality. The end was too cheesy and convenient.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm extremely disappointed with this upcoming novel, "The Other Mother" by Matthew Dicks. The writing was my main problem. It was a little too on the nose for me. Everything was so literal and lacked spontaneity. The way the author bullet points everything the main character, Michael was doing in his daily life was irritating and generic. This book was trying to be funny and intense at the same time and it didn't succeed. Very bi-polar writing, and the overall plot didn't make an emotional impact in the slightest.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.