Well, well, well, Joshilyn Jackson kept me up far past my bedtime finishing this one. This is one that is hard to put down because I so desperately wanted everything to turn out OK, and with each twist it became harder to see how everything could possibly end up alright. I've read all (or nearly?) of Joshilyn Jackson's books, and with the switch to the more mystery/suspense type books with the last couple, I've enjoyed them even more.
This book preys on one of a parent's worst nightmares- the kidnapping of a child. Bree really shows exactly what lengths she's willing to go to in order to get her child back. Along the way she's forced to confront some serious issues that will alter her perceptions of everything going forward. This is one that will leave an absolute pit in your stomach at times.

Oh wow, this one was quite the ride!! The very beginning grabbed my attention so intensely and never released it. This book was very well written and i questioned just how coo-coo for cocoa puffs I truly was for even entertaining certain scenarios.

The author is a genius. She even narrated the story herself which always leaves me in awe.This story is bone chilling to the core but once the revenge plot comes clear it takes the entire "reveal" up to a whole nother playing field.

I loved how Joshilyn wrote the main character, Bree. She brought her to life in a clever and realistic way. I was left paranoid my damn self. I highly recommend this thriller!! Mark your calendars for April 6th!

The first line...”I woke up to see a witch peering in my bedroom window”. 😳

This book wastes NO time getting to the point...it’s fast-paced from the start! Bree’s infant son is kidnapped but WHY?! What comes next is a mother who will stop at NOTHING to get her child back and protect her family.

This is a roller coaster of domestic suspense with kidnapping, poisoning, murder and revenge. It was so intense and addictive, I was on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded. The motive for the kidnapping- I NEVER could’ve guessed it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bree Cabbat had the perfect life until her infant son disappeared. All it took was her looking away for a second, and he was gone. In his place is a note with instructions on what to do to get him back.
The person who left the note, and has her son, is a mother too. All the woman wants is justice, and for Bree to make that happen. Bree will do anything to get back her baby, anything..

This is one of those books that hit the ground running, from the first chapter. The minute Bree realizes her son is gone, the book is nonstop. You are sucked into a mothers panic to save her child and deal with a lunatic. I was definitely anxious and on edge reading this book.
If the struggle to find the baby wasn't nerve wracking enough, we are sucked into a private investigators quest to dig up anything he can on who the kidnapper may be. What he finds out changes the rest of the book.
This book is thrilling, suspenseful and twisty. I could not put it down.

Thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow for the chance to read and review this ARC. My expectations were so high for this book that I felt disappointed. The story and premise was great. The characters were great. I had a hard time with the pace of the book. It moved slowly for me and dragged in parts. I really enjoyed once I reached the action, but still feel it moved slow. I recommend this book (mainly because I think my opinion will be the unpopular opinion).

**I received an advanced copy for my honest review**

COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!!

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson jumps right into Bree Cabbat feeling like a “witch” is looking in the window in the middle of the night. The next day her baby boy disappears while she is at the elite private school her daughters attend. She immediately begins a race against time to follow the mysterious lady’s demands to try to get him back. You quickly find there is much more to the story than meets the eye and it keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. And just when you think it’s wrapping up—BOOM! DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

If you like thrillers, I would definitely recommend this book!

I read this in only a few sittings -- it was very tough to put down! I do want to provide a trigger warning to my fellow readers who love thrillers but are also parents or HSP -- consider if reading about a child's kidnapping would be a good fit for you. I loved the fast-paced plot and also the values of the main character that drove her investigation and her actions. I found most of the characters very believable, and the plot taps into current social conversations about class and upward mobility, drug addiction and the opioid pandemic, and the Me Too movement. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book.

Wow! This one sucked me in quick and I was unable to put it down, fastest I have read a book in a long time. Bree's son was kidnapped and she must do what this old woman says in order to get him back. It takes you on an unexpected ride that makes you think

I really enjoyed this book. It started as a page-turning thriller, which was completely engrossing and would have made it a satisfying 3 star read. What elevated the book for me was the conclusion and the commentary on collegiate date rape and its after effects. That additional layer and the depths it added to the characters made this a 4 star read for me. Thank you for the ARC.

Mother May I had me hooked from the beginning with me actually saying “OMG WHAT!” I could not put it down at first and then by the halfway mark, I found some things repetitive and the plot slowed down.

There was some twists I didn’t see coming but I was let down by the build up that ended in such a predictable way. I’m also so confused thrillers I’ve read recently turning into romances which is so cliche. I did not like that addition or find it realistic. Joshilyn Jackson’s writing is so well done and I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books, this one just missed the mark for me.

Mother May I is a thriller that involves one of the scariest possible scenarios - your baby being kidnapped in broad daylight. Bree looks away for a moment and an old woman snatches her baby away and then gives instructions on what Bree needs to do to get her baby back.

The premise of this book is great because it's obviously a horrifying idea. I thought the beginning started out really strong. I liked Bree a lot right from the jump, and I sympathized with her character and the position she was in. I liked the way her daughters were written and the relationship they all had as a family. An alternating POV is told from the position of a male family friend, and I did not care for his voice as much. He spent a lot of time going on about how much he loved Bree and it just felt kind of icky after so much of it, like my dude, we're trying to save a baby's life right now ok????

I read this book in one day so it did feel like a hard-to-put-down book. But ultimately, I didn't love the way the story was resolved. There were some pretty dark moments throughout, but it didn't ever become too much for me personally. I would recommend this book to people who love thrillers. I wouldn't say this was a great thriller for me, but it was fine.

Wow... that was one messed up story. But I couldn’t put it down. From the moment when she saw a “witch” looking through her window to the happy ending? It was so well done! I really can say too much in fear that I will give things away, but there are some trigger warnings people should know: rape, kidnapping, drug use, suicide. It wouldn’t be a Joshilyn Jackson book without covering a bunch of topics!

Mother May I pulled me in right away and I read this well written, twisty thriller very quickly. It’s a tangled web of tragedy and secrets and revenge. It’s hard to say too much in order not to give away too many details. I did not want to put it down because I wanted to know what happened next. The main character, Bree Cabbat, married into a wealthy family and she is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family. It makes you wonder how far you would go to protect your own family. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Bree Cabbat grew up poor in rural Georgia, but then she married into a wealthy, powerful family and seems to have it all. One night she has a strange dream and wakes up thinking she sees a witch outside her window. She knows this is ridiculous, but then the next day she sees an elderly woman who resembles the “witch” from her dream. Then while Bree watches her oldest daughter’s play rehearsal, her baby disappears. Now everything changes for Bree. Whoever took Robert left a note with specific instructions and Bree will do whatever it takes to get her baby back safely.

This is a gripping story told from multiple points of view. Having the story told not just from Bree’s point of view, but also from her friend Marshall’s, gives valuable insight into the characters. The author shares a lot of information about the main characters allowing the reader to really get to know them. As the story progresses, the suspense builds. However, sometimes there is too much unnecessary backstory about the characters which breaks the tense atmosphere and unfortunately slows the book down.

For the most part, the story is gripping and at times it’s really scary as the reader worries what the fate of baby Robert will be.Things get strange when Bree and the kidnapper start to form a connection with one another. I like how things turn out for Bree when everything is over. However, the ending was fairly predictable and the events that occur to make it possible are a little too convenient. Overall, this is an entertaining book, and I would rate it 3.5 stars. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Scene of the Crime Early Reads for this ebook. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

This book kept me guessing and on my toes in the best ways. The story line and mystery elements were well written. I highly suggest it to fans of mystery, familial suspense, and psychological suspense. I was on the edge of my seat when the baby was kidnapped and I really felt for the main character, Bree, in such a hopeless and scary situation. I was also a big fan of the ending.

Who doesn't love a good mystery? I thought Jackson knocked it out of the park with "Never Have I Ever," so I was excited for this one. The basic plot involves an abducted child, secrets from the past, and revenge.

Jackson can write characters realistically, which sometimes gets lost in mysteries. However, this gets a little confusing in this book as the POV and time lines jump. At times it felt so disconnected it was almost like I was reading unrelated short stories. Our main character is going through a lot, we don't need to break up the action to make us go back into the past to explain her motivations.

As far as the overall plot goes it seemed too far fetched for me. I hope Jackson sticks to the thriller genre and I'm excited to see what's next, but this one was just average to me.

What did you do? This question can be asked of almost every character in Joshilyn Jackson’s, “Mother May I.”

This story begins with Bree Cabbat waking up to find a witch staring in her window. This leads to every mother’s biggest nightmare: her infant son, Robert, is taken. Bree receives a series of instructions from The Mother that she must follow if she wants to get her baby back.

The story reveals the relation of The Mother to Bree, her husband, his law firm, and to others. This story is fairly predictable. If you’ve read enough psychological thrillers, you won’t be terribly surprised by the story.

I did enjoy the twist at the end, which did earned this book the 4 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley and #williammmorrow for the advanced e-copy of #mothermayi .

Bree’s nightmare comes true when her ten week baby is stolen, car seat and all. When the old woman who stole him, tells Bree her demand, she doesn’t hesitate. As she puts her plan into action, she realizes the old woman is tied to her husband’s past somehow.

I am pickier with my ratings with thrillers than any other genre and let me tell you.. this one is well deserved. I could not put it down for anything. I was reading at the park while my son played and looked up and three hours had gone by. This one keeps the pages flipping. There aren’t crazy twists and turns. Instead it’s a story that has a backstory that slowly unravels, as you’re dealing with the excitement of the present day. The perspective is mostly from Bree, who is trying to get her baby back, but the perspective does change from time to time without jarring the story or changing the flow. Thrillers are all pretty nerve wracking when a baby is involved, but this one was special because of the sympathy it invokes for all the characters.

“I had no name for this woman, but of all the things I’d seen her to be - kidnapper, stalker, witch— she was somehow tying herself tightest to this one: mother. A warm word, but so cold and strange when it was touching her.”

Mother May I comes out 4/6

What would you be willing to do to get your stolen child back?
Bree comes from a less than ideal background but finds herself in a perfect marriage with three children, two teenage girls and a three month old son. The book opens with Bree waking up to see a witch peering in her bedroom window. She quickly rationalizes it as ridiculous and a dream. Then at her daughters play rehearsal she sees the witch again in the parking lot but then she's gone again. Moments later while watching the performance her son who was in his carrier right behind her is gone with a note in his place. The note gives Bree instructions to not tell anyone and get home if she wants to see her son alive again. Dropping everything she gets home to find a bag hanging on her door with a phone inside. Soon a woman calls her with exacting instructions of what she must now do to get her son back. From here the tension mounts as the story unfolds and the truth is revealed.
Bree is a very likeable character and her fear and dread are palpable. The plot is tightly wound and the pace quickens as the story moves along making this quite the page turner. This one asks the question of how well do we know those closest to us as well as is forgiveness possible when it comes to the indiscretions of ones youth. With revenge at its core this story is riveting and the definition of an unputdownable novel.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson.

This was such a fun and fast paced thriller I that I read it all in one sitting!

Bree is married with two tween daughters and an infant son. One morning she sees someone peering into her bedroom window and thinks she's just seeing something until she sees her later in the day while she's at her daughters school and when looking away for a minute her soon disappears. Left is a note saying she is being watched and no to call the police or tell anyone and next steps will be at her house.

Bree follows the instruction and she is further drawn into this and she'll do anything to get her son back. I don't want to give away too many details.

There are a few good twists and I liked her writing style and thought this was a great domestic thriller!