This was my first novel by Joshilyn Jackson, and overall I very much enjoyed it. The character development was strong, particularly for Bree, but I will say that I found the first half to be much more captivating than the second. While there was a decent twist at the end, the grand finale was a bit too storybook happily ever after for my taste. That being said, I would recommend checking out Mother May I to friends, and I look forward to reading another of Jackson’s thrillers!

This is the second Joshilyn Jackson book I’ve read and it definitely won’t be the last. Her books are more than just thrillers or psychological suspense. They’re realistic portrayals of people that you’d meet anywhere. There are no outright “villains” – they’re people in pain or people who feel helpless and make (sometimes) horrible decisions.

I could not put this book down! The story involves an upscale Atlanta couple who seem to have it all until one of their children is kidnapped. Past lives and old friends intertwine and unravel to make the story so intense.

This was a real page turner. I read it in 2 days as it was hard to put down. The main character, Bree, is the mother of 2 pre-teen girls and a baby boy. One day in a brief moment of looking away, her baby is stolen. She learns that the baby has been taken by an old woman who she has seen near her home and near her children’s school. The story progresses with her attempts to get her son back by following the kidnapper’s instructions. The truth comes out about the kidnapper’s motive having to do with Bree’s husband’s past actions. Her baby is in real danger as the old woman has nothing to lose.

The only slight disappointment was the climax as I was hoping for a bit more of a startling twist.

Excellent thriller.

Bree Cabot has it all, a husband who is a partner in a law firm, two teenage daughters and a 10 week old son. She is a stay at home mom, who gladly spends her days caring for her family and serving on various not for profit boards. Her world is shattered when her son is kidnapped. Following instructions from the kidnapper, Bree’s actions set into motion a tragic chain of events. Secrets from the past are revealed and Bree’s life is forever changed. This is a fast paced read, which I found difficult to put down. Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book! (less)

Wow! Mother May I took off like a rocket! I devoured it in two sittings within one day! The suspenseful plot continues to drive up to the very end.

Mother May I is an intense thriller about a kidnapped child. I enjoyed the pace of the story and the characters but I pegged where the plot was going early on. The story is quick because you are engrossed in the action and you want to see if your predictions are correct. There is one twist that you don't see coming and that one is a shocker.  I think I would like to read another book by Joshilyn Jackson.
Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and the Scene of the Crime Early Reads for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Joshilyn Jackson did not disappoint with Mother May I. When the story begins, main character Bree sees what looks like a witch peeking into her bedroom window. Thinking she is seeing things, she brushes it off, but when she sees the same witch by her car, her instincts kick in. After her young son is kidnapped and she is caught in a web of lies from 30 years prior, we start to see the layers Bree’s character is built upon. What lengths will Bree go to in order to save her son?

The characters in this book are rich in flavor. You have Bree’s best friend’s husband who is widowed after she’s killed in the line of duty. You have Bree’s husband Trey who is not as perfectly crafted as he appears. You have Trey’s best friend, Spence, who is partners with Trey in their law firm but who Trey also keeps at arm’s length for some reason. The most intricate character, in my opinion, is the witch. (I couldn’t help but picture the “witch” like the drawing where you are asked if you see the old woman or beautiful young lady.) She is trying to right the injustice that happened to her daughter but also sees something in Bree that softens her.

Great suspense. Beautifully written. This is a book that is hard to put down.

As soon as I saw Joshilyn Jackson had a new book coming out, I knew it was on the top of my list. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book. It was immediately engrossing from the first chapter and the storyline was really rich and impactful. I really liked how layered the book was - dealing with the kidnapping, the whodunit, the relationships between the main character and her husband and her best friends widower, as well as the expose of "what happened" that drove the revenge storyline. I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone when it is released!

The story begins with Bree waking up and seeing who she believes is a witch looking at her from her bedroom window. From that first page to the last this book is a roller coaster of twists and turns. This is a story of revenge and how the past can come back and haunt you, but also how a mother will do anything for her child. I really enjoyed this book it was very well written and had me on the edge of my seat till the end. I would like to thank #netgalley, #William Morrow and #Book Club Girls for this ARC for my honest opinion.

It may be a thriller but it feels next to real as it relates to a case of revenge involving rape. This is one book that you can't stop thinking about after you've read the last page.

It starts with a lovely wife, Bree, with the perfect family: her handsome husband, Trey, along with two teenage daughters, Anna Claire and Peyton, and baby Robert. Her husband comes from money and works as an attorney at an established firm. They live in an upper class neighborhood and enjoy the benefits of a good school system. No worries. Right?

When Bree is at a drama practice event, she figures her baby is safe in his carrier. She's in the same area as he is and she's just chatting away. But when she glances back to where she left him, he's missing. She panics and immediately rushes out. That's when the story takes off as she has to follow the rules of the kidnapper, Cara, a grey-haired lady that Bree describes as an old "witch." Naturally, the reader wants to jump to the last page to see if Robert survives. But no; we must keep reading each chapter as it builds with continued suspense.

This book makes one pause to think about all sorts of issues: the effects of blame, the power of wealth, how tragedy with children can change a marriage, the harm of drugs and also power of religious beliefs. The story is well written and keeps you focused. While some parts may not be very realistic, the book opens up questions of justice.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Bree Cabbat was raised poor in rural Georgia. But now, she has the life she dreamed of. She is married to a loving attorney with wealth, status and power. They have 2 daughters and a newborn baby boy.

One day Bree goes to the school to watch her daughter at play practice. She turns her head for a minute and when she looks back, her baby is gone- a note has been left in his place.

Later, the person who has her baby calls her. She is told that if she wants her baby back, she better follow the instructions explicitly.....

This leads Bree on the terrifying path to find her baby
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I both read and listened to this one on audio. The audio is excellent and I highly recommend it. It’s narrated by the author and she brings the story alive. She’s able to express it exactly the way she created it in her mind, which really enhances the experience ✨I loved it!

This was a wild ride! I generally liked the dual perspectives, although occasionally it felt like they overlapped a bit too much. The details in the book really made it. I wasn't sure that meeting the other couple with a stolen child was going to come back but man did they ever. Really enjoyed this book.

Jackson’s previous novel, Never Have I Ever, was one of my favorites of last year and I sunk my attention immediately into this new one. Bree Cabot is our protagonist and seems to have the perfect life until a monstrous act happens early in the story and we settle in to see how the plot will evolve. I adored the first third, loved the second third and was initially ambivalent about the ending. The story of how far a mother will go for her child is an old one but this story feels fresh, tense and totally believable as we are led into treacherous and morally clouded waters. I completely understood and agreed with Bree’s reasoning in most of her hearwrenching decisions. This is an excellent domestic thriller with unexpected detours and has a deep inner narrative to support the story. I personally wanted a darker ending, but on reflection, I accepted and appreciated where the author took us, a reflection of today’s awareness and politics.

Someday I will learn my lesson about starting books late at night. Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson is not one of those books that you can casually start reading and then go to bed. The first line of the book “I woke up to see a witch peering in my bedroom window” haunts you and begs you to forsake sleep, eating, and work. Once you get started you need to make sure everyone is safe in the end. Bree grew up poor in rural Georgia to an anxious mother who always feared the monsters under the bed. Bree is now happily married to Spencer Cabb and has three beautiful children. She loves her role as trophy wife, mommy, and chauffeur. She enjoys the luxury of volunteering at the school so she can spend more time with her daughters. It is during one of these school events that her life is forever changed. One minute she is watching her precious baby boy, Robert, sleeping at the back of the auditorium and the next minute he is gone. Someone has taken him and left her a cryptic note “If you ever want to see your baby again.Go Home. Tell no one. Do not call the police, Do not call your husband. Be at your house by 5:15 p.m. or he’s gone for good.” I cannot imagine the shock, fear, and adrenaline it took for Beth to orchestrate a plan to make sure her girls were safe so she could race home and try to find her boy. Bree’s mind is spiraling as she wonders if this is a random abduction or if someone has intentionally targeted her family. Who can she talk to and who can she trust without upsetting the captor/s and losing any chance she has of finding her son? What is she willing to do to try and save her child? This book is an emotional rollercoaster as Bree finds herself in a tangled web as she carries out the captor’s instructions. I was so grateful when she finally ended up confiding in others to try and help her. When Bree starts to get answers she faces other difficult decisions about what to do with this information. Who is really guilty? Who can be saved? Highly recommended. The plot has intense themes of pedigree, privilege, loss of innocence, betrayal, and revenge and the nature of relationships between mothers, daughters, and sons. I would add the disclaimer to any of my pregnant friends or friends with children under the age of three that this book might be too intense for them due to the subject of child abduction. I would also let people know that this book includes themes of sexual assault that could be triggers. Thank you to #netgalley and William and Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. #MotherMayI

This is a dark thriller of revenge, that kept twisting in ways I could not imagine! Every time I thought I had an idea of what was next, the plot twisted in another direction. When Bree's infant son is kidnapped, she vows to do whatever she has to so he is returned safely to her and his family. Her search for her son takes her down dark paths she never imagined. This book kept me turning pages late into the night, particularly near the ending. The characters are complex and multilayered, including the villains. As the story progresses, so does the perception of exactly who the villains are. It is a thoroughly engrossing, enjoyable read! I did obtain a copy of the book through Netgalley, the publisher, and Scene of the Crime, and I am very glad I did!

Bree is happily married, has 2 teenage daughters and a infant son. She knows someone that looks like a witch is watching her. While watching one of her daughters rehearsal for a school musical she discovers that her son has disappeared. She suspects the old woman she believes is watching her. Bree is contacted by the kidnapper and if she wants her son back alive, she has to meet the woman's demands. The kidnapper isn't interested in money but in revenge for a incident, that happened to her daughter when she attended college, that involves Bree's husband and his secret. This roller coaster of a novel gradually reels you in and you feel like you're part of the story.

One of my favorite Joshilyn Jackson books! Dark tale of family secrets, kidnapping and murder. A very dark, domestic thriller.

This was a great read. It was very suspenseful reading about a mother (Bree) whose son was stolen right from under her nose trying to get her son back. Bree will do whatever it takes to bring her boy home and I can understand that. Finding out why baby Robert was taken is definitely a trigger warning to some. Bree managed to be a nice and even empathetic character at times while still being hard enough to do what she needed to do for her child. I finished this book in nearly one sitting and definitely recommend to people who like books in the thriller/suspense category.

The book was just ok to me. I thought the final purpose and intention of the story was certainly good and important, that the way the author laid it out ended up being often not predictable, which I enjoyed. Can’t say it was wholly realistic in a lot of parts tho and there were a number of times it got rather repetitive and rambling which is my biggest reason for the lower rating.