I loved this book. It was such an honest portrayal of a troubled student. As a school psychologist, I also loved the relationship between the narrator and his school psychologist.

This is such a sweet story about a teenage boy struggling with some mental health issues. Mike's dad died, and he doesn't get along with his stepdad. School is awkward for him, but he's got a great school counselor. He makes a special friend, and is able to talk out some of his problems and concerns, and ultimately begins to heal a little.
This book should be classified as "Young Adult", as it deals with teenage issues mostly. I would probably not recommend it to readers over 20.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Matthew Dicks written a heart wrenching novel.The character of Michael a fourteen year old boy coping with the changes in his family.This is a special Book that kept me reading late into the night.#netgalley#St.martins

Matthew Dicks has a way of pulling the reader in with a unique storyline in all his books. This one is no different. From the first page, the reader is wondering where mom is, and keeps the reader entrenched throughout the entire book. Written in his creative way, Dicks does not disappoint.

Matthew Dicks has a wonderful ability to write from a child’s POV. Charlie is 14, has lost his Dad, and believes his mother is not his mother, but some strange interloper. But he’s also the best big brother you could ever ask for, he’s heartbreakingly lonely, has anger management issues, and is a hero who stands up to bullies. It’s impossible not to root for this kid. As he falls in love, struggles with trauma, and finds new confidantes, I was completely charmed by his story. Loved it.

Loved the premise of this book. But the execution left a lot to be desired. The choppy, meandering plot was hard to.follow at times and dragged a lot.
I did like the protagonist. But as a whole, the novel was easy to put down for something else.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Matthew Dicks for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

I found that I couldn’t put this one down once I started it. The writing in this novel was great; a few parts kind of got clunky, but you were able to quickly bypass these. This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but I ended up really enjoying it!

Thank You NetGalley/Publisher & Author for this gifted e-ARC.

Summary/GoodReads---
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.

Review---
I enjoyed this book. It was kind of a slow burn type book.
I loved the story this told. It was a pretty good book.
Would I buy this? Probably no.

Rating--- 3/4

I really liked this book a lot. Couldn’t put it down. It reminds me a lot of the book Wonder, but the kid is 14 years old.

However it’s the same loveable, flawed child who is trying to do the best he can with an imperfect deck.

Michael wakes up and believes his mother has been replaced with a look alike imposter. This leads down a path of coping with his fathers untimely death.

I highly recommend this book.

#netgalley #theothermother

The other Mother tells the story of Michael. He is 14 years old and he and his family have been through some very traumatic events.
He was told his dad died of a heart attack, but he finds a note that was left for his mom.
Michael sees a therapist.Even with the help of the therapist and a loving mom and siblings, Michael just can’t find his real mother. He goes through many phases until he can come to terms with his loss.

A coming of age book with an unusual twist!
Michael is a thirteen year old who is angry. He is always in trouble. He dislikes school and trust very few people.
In Michael's defense, life has not been easy for him these days.
His father unexpectedly died, his Mom works all the time and Michael is now always in charge of his younger siblings. In addition, he also has a deadbeat stepdad.

One morning he looks at his Mom and realizes she is a "fake". This woman may look like his Mom in many ways, but she is not. Where did his mother go?
Who can Michael trust to tell that she is gone?
Will anyone believe him?
What is going on?
This is a heartfelt, touching story that I truly enjoyed.
Definitely an interesting read!

This was a very solid book, the only reason why I gave it 4 stars is that parts of the book felt or read a bit clunky to me. I think I needed some more backstory on a lot of things such as Michael's aunt. Also I wish that the author had explained more explicitly if Michael was diagnosed with ADHD. I think some reviewers guessed that and other things too, but I wondered a few times. I also thought that the book would have been better if we got more insight into Michael's father. There are clues here and there, but you don't put it all together until almost the very end.

"The Other Mother" follows 13 year old Michael Parsons. He's dealing with the fallout from his father's death two years earlier. He is also responsible for his younger sister and brother and has to go and collect money owed his stepfather Glen. Michael also has to meet with the school therapist as well. When Michael wakes up one day though he realizes that his mother is not his mother anymore. Instead his mother has been replaced by someone else, the 'other mother' and Michael plans on doing what he can to make sure that he tells him where his mother is so he can save her.

The story is told through Michael's POV. I assume that Michael has ADHD and possibly something else. You get to read about the strategies he is supposed to do before reacting to people. And you read a lot about his temper and how he has hit others when he is angry. That said, you feel for him. He lost his father when he was 11 and we slowly find out about a secret that he has been harboring the past two years. He doesn't understand why his mother remarried Glen especially since she has to work so hard to support everyone. He loves his siblings though they also drive him up the wall. When the next door neighbor Sara and him start to spend time together, Michael wonders if he has found someone to confide in finally.

I think the writing was very good and the flow was a bit off here and there. I had to re-read a few paragraphs and sentences a few times to just make sure I understood where things were going. This book is so heartbreaking at times. You get to see how Michael's relationship with his mother has changed. You also get to see what was going on with his relationship with his father before he passed too. There's a lot of missing puzzle pieces that don't make sense until you get to the end of the book.

I think ultimately this book is about the secrets that families keep in order to protect one another, even when doing so can lead to more harm.

This novel surprised me. Mike is a troubled 14 year old who thinks another woman has taken his mother’s place. Mike is burdened with responsibilities that he worries about ( his younger sister and brother), as well as being a loner without friends. He has other burdens which you find out about as the story progresses. The novel progresses nicely and provides good insight to a troubled adolescent. The other characters in the story are well developed and interesting. I will look forward to reading more by this author. I actually would rate this a 4.5 if I could.

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. Michael, the main character, believes that the woman standing in his kitchen isn't his real mother. He's unsure what to do about it and where this other mother came from. His ideas range from aliens to murderous pod people. It isn't until later in the book we find out the seriousness of the emotional damage going on in Michael's household. This book should be read by any adult who deals with teenagers as it shows what happens when people are smug and uncaring but also kind and attentive. This book didn't disappoint!

This book was a very slow burn. Michael is a teenage boy who struggles with his emotions - the writer touches on ADHD but does not delve into it further. There are signs that Michael mistrusts his mother enough to think that she has gone missing and there is a replacement in her place.
I enjoyed reading Michael's interactions with his psychologist, his new female friend Sarah and his family members.

At times when he was in school - the writer describes his school journey and his teachers - the information given made me sad - as an educator - it goes against all values to mistreat children of any age.

I really rooted for Michael during a pivotal moment in the story and actually cheered for him.

I really enjoyed this book, Matthew's writing is descriptive and emotional and I became heavily invested in Michael's journey.

This is a character driven story-a mystery that is u usual and at times, difficult to comprehend. It is not one that I could finish but the reader who likes this type of story might get into it.

A coming of age story that is interesting and unusual about 13 year old Michael who wakes up one morning and is positive the woman in the kitchen who says she’s his mom is not his real mom. Already struggling with behavioral issues, Michael doesn't know how to convince his younger brother and sister, as well as the girl next door, that his mom has been replaced with someone who looks and speaks exactly like her. I really liked how the character of Michael was written, and his thought processes.