Oo yes this was definitely such a thrill to read! My goodness the characters were a little bit crazy and this storyline was fantastic! A must read!

When it rained all day and all night during COVID, I finished this book in one day. So many current social issues were presented: abuse in foster care, mental illness in the form of personality disorder, pathological lying, spousal abuse, and toxic in laws. I empathized with Molly, the broken, main character and rooted for her recovery and happiness. The last chapter left me with questions that I had not expected.

Really well written, kept me guessing until the very end. I was Mollie at points in time - doubting, worrying and terrified. What people do to one another- deceit, lies, trauma.

A dark and twisty story. So many twists, turns and omg moments. I really enjoyed this book. Now I’m off to buy everything else from Jo Crow. 5*

Loved this book! Edges of your seat writing. Molly and her son Colin are happy. Colin was just adopted by Molly’s husband Bryan. They are the perfect family. Everything goes wrong when Colin a d his grandfather are attacked on a hike. Is molly being paranoid or is someone out to get her? #netgally

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published: November 17, 2020
Relay Publishing
General Fiction (Adult)/ Mystery & Thrillers

Jo Crow was a finance executive who wrote on her commute to and from work. She didn’t think she would ever share her work, thinking it was too dark for publishing. But she got some unsolicited advice from a publishing executive who changed that thought process. She quit her job and turned to writing full time. She has three books under her belt and many more stories to tell.

“Five, four, three, two, one.”

This is the first novel from Jo Crow that I have read, and it definitely won’t be the last. She is a talented woman. I enjoyed this book; the characters, the writing, the plot were all enjoyable. This is a fast-paced tale that will keep you turning pages as you try and figure out just what is going on and who is to blame.

Molly comes with a lot of baggage. And a lot of secrets, and a lot of emotional scars. She ran away from a situation, taking something that technically didn’t belong to her. And she spent a lot of time looking over her shoulder. Molly met Bryan and felt something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Security. Safety. Love. Bryan provided a safe and secure life for Molly and their son. Until pieces of Molly’s past come sneaking back to the present. It is only a matter of time before the whole truth is revealed, and the devastation may not leave anyone in its wake.

The character development in the novel is so well done. The story is crafted so intricately. Jo Crow writes a good thriller. As the story unfolds and the plot thickens, you genuinely find yourself not knowing who is right, who is wrong, and who is dangerous.

Jo Crow weaves a twisted tale the involves betrayal, deception, mental illness, and uncertainty. Every single issue was handled beautifully. Mental illness is a tricky thing to write about because it is crucial to represent mental illness with as much respect and care as possible and not misrepresent a character's negative traits simply because they have some mental illness. Jo Crow was very clever with how she wrote about Molly’s struggles.

Molly is such a strong, bold character. And despite all of the chaos she goes through, some of it because of her own doing, she remains diligently true to who she is. As her world starts to crumble, she is left to flounder on her own. When she starts to doubt everyone in her life, she struggles to find a stable place to think.

There are so many twists and turns along the way, and when you start to think you’ve figured it out, another piece falls into place, changing everything you thought you knew.

As her past quickly becomes her present, Molly is more determined than ever to make sure it doesn’t become her future.

Mothers Don’t Lie explore the fear a mother has of losing her child. This tale takes you deep into the mind of a woman who has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and compulsive lying, a combination that keeps you on the edge of your seat while you read.
This is the first time I have read a book by Jo Crow and I raced through this story in less than two days. The easy writing style and gripping storyline had me hooked from the moment I read the blurb of the book, and I was not disappointed anywhere along the way. This was one of those books where you simply had to get to the end.
Molly had a troubled childhood, and life did not seem to get any better for her. Then her son, Colin, was born and she felt like her world was falling apart. Until Bryan Burke walked into her life. For the first time, Molly felt safe. She gained control of her borderline personality disorder with the help of medication. Life was perfect! Until her son is discovered covered in blood and her father-in-law has disappeared. Molly’s past comes knocking and she finds herself spiralling back to old habits, lying to keep her past hidden, only to feel herself losing everything important to her.
This book consumed me from the minute I opened the first page. I was deeply drawn into Molly’s world, it felt as if I was losing my grip on reality right along with her. While reading this story, with one lie after the other it soon became exceedingly difficult to keep track of what was real and what was not. You venture through her emotional turmoil loving her and then hating her, believing her, and then doubting her. This was a brilliant tale, nothing like anything I have read before.
The characters in this book keep you guessing. While you know Molly is a compulsive liar, and you come to expect her to not be honest, you simply must love the mother-in-law! She is a dragon, to say the least, and you expect the worst from her all the time. But she is a mother too, looking out for her child and her grandson – making it a little harder to dislike her. Four-year-old Colin plays a big part in the book, but you do not get to know him. At times I wondered if he was real – not a bad thing as this just added to your uncertainty about Molly while you were reading.
Mothers Don’t Lie will appeal to readers who love the edge of your seat suspense. This book keeps you guessing all the way. A brilliantly written psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you up until the early hours.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers, do yourself a favour, read this book!
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A remarkable domestic thriller depicting the story of a woman suffering from a psychological disorder and caught in a web of lies and deceit.

2.5 Stars

I have read another book in this series and loved it...this one not so much. It wasn't bad by any means but the mother with mental health issues trope is getting to me. I understand these issues are real and I love reading fictional books about people with these issues coming to terms with it and getting help or even ones that suffer through it but survive by any means possible. BUT why must almost every writer make them so weak and let people "play tricks" with their minds. As someone who is bi-polar...I have a mental health disorder I am not stupid. I am really sick of it. As they said in the movie Network: “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!” I was also disappointed that we didn't get much background on Molly. I think that would have made me feel a little more sympathetic towards her.

What I Liked:
Mr. Crow can write a story well and the pacing was wonderful. I loved the plot line and the structure of the book too. The cover was very cool and was one of the reasons I was drawn to the book. The characters, with the exception of Molly herself, were well drawn and I hated Bryan and his mother. That is a sign of good writing. The little guy Colin pulled at my heartstrings and I felt so bad for him and what he went through.

Overall a book that I could have enjoyed so much more if the mother wasn't inflicted with the "let's make her crazy" trope. Two and a half stars rounded up to three because of the author's great writing.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. The book starts off with Molly running away from her old life and the surrogate parents she promised to give her baby to. She gives birth to her baby boy, Colin, and vows to keep him safe knowing that she grew up in foster care with horrible treatment. She meets Bryan and even though she feels like she is living a perfect life, she is always looking over her shoulder and dealing with her past and her personality disorder which makes her a chronic liar. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that as the twists and turns were going on, I was constantly asking myself who is the crazy one here? Good Read.

Wow Wow Wow, this book is just Wow. So interesting, the characters so believable. Just a great book, I read it in one sitting.