Mother May I is a new book from Joshilyn Jackson. I listened to the audiobook version read by the author.

"Bree Cabbat wakes up to see a witch looking in her bedroom window. Later on that day she sees the same woman in the school parking lot. And now her baby boy has been taken. To get him back, Bree must do one simple task for this woman. But it goes horribly wrong and now Bree is worried she will never see her son again. But the kidnapper has one more task for Bree...and she must make a terrible choice if she wants to ever see her son again."

Crazy story from Jackson. It seems like a straightforward thriller until the party incident. Then we find out what started it all - or at least we get Trey's version. But there's another version that we see in photos - a life ruined and an angry mother.
How much are you willing to forgive your spouse for young mistakes? How do you you choose between family members?
Jackson gives us a wide range of characters and her audiobook performance is outstanding. And the ending is nuts - I did not expect that at all. But I liked it.
Another great story from Jackson. Thriller lovers should enjoy this one.

I read a lot of thrillers and I can usually guess the twist. This book was different. It caught my attention from the very beginning. I was actually looking for chores to do so I could listen longer (SAHM problems!). I was hooked and needed to find out what was going to happen. I thought the twists and turns were well done and overall I really liked this book. The characters were well developed and I found myself rooting for them to figure stuff out. I also thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. I thought she did a great job on all the voices but especially the old woman.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this audiobook in return of my honest review.

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson is a twisty domestic thriller about a wealthy Atlanta mother and the lengths she would go to to get her infant son back.

Bree Cabbat is a traditional stay-at-home mom of three when she wakes up early one morning to see a “witch” staring at her through her bedroom window. The woman disappears but within hours Bree will see her again and her youngest child will be gone, What happens next are a series of demands for a non-traditional ransom and and her own investigation of why HER family was chosen. The secrets she reveals have the potential to blow her world apart.

Mother May I is told in the POV’s of both Bree and her late best friend’s husband Marshall. Marshall has a background in investigation and law enforcement and his cool head and knowledge of human behavior is necessary to move the book forward. Bree is (understandably) an emotional wreck and doesn’t make a very interesting character to follow during the time Robert is missing. To be honest, I got a little tired of hearing the name ROBERT or MY SON or MY BABY repeated over and over in the audiobook.

Mother May I has plenty of twists to keep the reader interested and brings up a lot of important questions about consent, slut shaming and making amends. My main critique is that most of the challenges and issues Bree is confronted with are resolved (by other people) in a very handy method as the book nears the end. Her lack of forward movement takes a lot of her autonomy away and I prefer a more dynamic and bold character. I would have liked to see her finally take action instead of being a victim the entire book.

I recommend Mother May I to domestic thriller fans that enjoy stories about mothers and revenge.
3.75 stars rounded to to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My audiobook version of Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson was provided by NetGalley and the publisher for review purposes.

I am so grateful for NetGalley for the chance to listen to Mother May I on audio. I actually chose to do housework so I could listen! This story had me on the edge of my seat. I don’t want to give anything away so I’m going to just say that this is a must read for anyone who likes thrillers! There were so many twists, I couldn’t guess what was happening.

It's any mother's worst nightmare - someone kidnaps your child. That is the situation Bree finds herself in and it's a race against time to find out who took baby Robert and why. Bree finds herself having to do unspeakable things at the kidnappers beck and call if she wants any chance of getting her baby back. Things from her past and her husband's past come back to haunt them, and there are so many twists and surprises in this book that you will be floored and shocked. A good book that I recommend.

After seeing an old woman staring in her window, Bree believes it's all a dream. That is until her young son is taken and the old woman she saw reaches out. Tasked with having to do everything the strange woman tells her to or she will never see her son again. As Bree begins to do everything she is tasked with, she starts to find out more about the people in her life she thought she knew and how they are tied to the mysterious woman.

Mother may I is a story that really shows the lengths a mother will go for her child. Written with a fast pace, the story is hard not to get lost in. The suprises and mystery kept the suspense going right until the very end.
I believe most thriller and mystery fans will enjoy this one and have as much of a hard time putting it down as I did. It's the kind of story that could be enjoyed listened to or read without feeling like your missing out on anything from either experience.
This is a very unforgettable story.

Sign me up for a lifetime membership in the Joshilyn Jackson Fan Club! Her audio presentation of her new release is a 5-star performance and she wrote the book. Well done! From the beginning, I was totally engaged and greedily gobbled it up in chunks as often as I could. My dog got longer walks. I took care of some neglected mending. Finished that sewing project. All to hear Joshilyn tell Bree Cabbat's story. Such a powerful picture of the love that motivates a mother and wife. Mother Bear comes out in force, but so does the woman who works to build up her house rather than tearing it down (Proverbs 14:1). The incident at the center of this conflict is not for the faint of heart, but it is also reminder of the danger that lurks in our bad choices -- and the redemption possible when we give each other grace. This is perfect for book groups --as was her previous title. I liked this even better than 'Never Have I Ever' and really want to go back and read some of her early books now.

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for an early audio copy in return for an honest review.

Mother May I is Joshilyn Jackson’s latest suspense thriller. I listened to this on audiobook and it was done so well! As Bree Cabott fights in a race against time to return her abducted infant son, she is forced to make amends for events that are decades old. Will she be able to get sweet baby Robert back home where he belongs? And what price must she pay? I appreciated the twists and turns that made this story move at such a rapid pace, and also love how the author incorporated the various forms of female abuse and oppression along with socio-economic class in so many subtle and not-so-subtle ways throughout the book. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.

A solid thriller with an excellent audio narration by the author, Joshilyn Jackson. I tend to enjoy when authors narrate their own books because they truly understand their character's personality and intentions and are able to effectively convey that in the narration. Joshilyn Jackson absolutely revealed each of her character's personalities through her stellar narration. I was very quickly able to become invested in the story and I found myself very reluctant to pause the audiobook for the various annoying interruptions life throws at one when in the middle of a great book.

The story centers around Bree Cabbat - mother, wife, former drama major who channels her acting skills to pull her through difficult situations. She finds herself in many such difficult situations when her infant son is kidnapped by what she first believed was a witch lurking around her home but later found out was a very sick elderly woman. The old woman wants Bree to perform a task for her before she will return her baby. When talking with the woman, Bree discovers that she is also a mother who is desperately trying to protect her child. Bree finds herself baring her true self and hoping the connection will be enough to keep her baby safe. But once she performs the task, things quickly go from bad to worse and Bree finds herself in a somehow even more desperate situation.

I've read Joshilyn Jackson before and have always enjoyed her books, this one is a bit darker than I was expecting it to be! This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. In her writing and in her narration, she definitely captured the desperation of a mother willing to go to any lengths to save her child. She also created a villain that I felt some degree of compassion for. I always enjoy thrillers that almost make you root for the villain in some small way. I wasn't necessarily rooting for the woman who took Bree's baby, but I did feel empathy for her. The ending was a bit unexpected. I believed that the story had come to a logical and satisfying conclusion and was surprised that there was still 2 hours left on the audio. The twist at the end was a bit startling but ultimately I still really enjoyed the story.

What lengths would you go to save your child? I think many parents would do whatever it takes...This book explores those limits and paints a relatable picture of desperation and hope that guides a mother’s choices in order to get her child back. In some ways it was an explosive heart pounding story while in other ways it was a thoughtful character driven thriller.

Bree is happily married to wealthy Trey. They have two teenage daughters and an infant son. One night, Bree’s son is stolen by a witchy looking woman.The note tells her not to call police or her son will be killed. Instead she must do something that will forever change her life; sets in motion a series of unexpected consequences; and brings to surface long buried secrets.

The audio version was okay. (3 stars for the audio performance). The author narrates the story and offers a decent performance. However, I think the story may have been more powerful with professional narrators (one female and one male for the two perspectives). Many of the character voices sounded similar so, at times, it was challenging to immerse oneself in the plot.

The plot started off slow but the pacing picked up midway through. As the characters transformed, it became increasingly engaging. A psychological thriller that bordered on women’s fiction and touched on an important topic. A gracious thank you to Harper Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mother May I is the third Joshilyn Jackson audiobook I have had the opportunity to listen to. She narrated each one and the listening experience is enhanced as a result.

Jackson builds fictional worlds that are sometimes a little out of reach with regard to realistic life experiences, something I find to be common in this genre. Her ability to create suspense is her true talent. She has the listener engaged and rooting for the protagonist in each book. Mother May I was twisty and riveting as the story hit its climax and resolution. The ending held an important and poignant message, and was my very favorite part. This book is perfect for readers and listeners who love suspense and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the chance to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

If I was a book club member, I would suggest this book for the club. Mother May I blew me away. There are so many serious issues that can be discussed - women's place in society and the workplace, how some can move on from their misdeeds while others get only one shot at the brass ring, misogyny, one tiny step over the precipice/the cost of making a mistake/poor judgement, carrying the burden of a mistake, "discounting" bad behavior/salving the conscience/rewriting history, honesty, self-worth, drugs and consent, love vs loyalty, seeing both sides of a person's character and living or rejecting the conflicting characters, vengeance, denial, trust/misplaced trust, a parent's love for their child, a spouse's love for their partner, parenthood....the list is endless.

Aside from the fact that this book is thought provoking, it is an absorbing read from start to finish. Once I started, I was hooked. I was surprised by what did not surprise me and I was surprised by what did. The writing was excellent, the plot well developed. There are several sympathetic characters and some who deserved none.

I will not give anything away other than to say that a baby is kidnapped early in the story and the search for the baby, uncovering the motive for the kidnapping and the truth are everything. This was the first book I have read by Joshilyn Jackson and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and of course the brilliant Joshilyn Jackson for an audio ARC of this amazing book. All the stars❤️

I loved hearing this story read by the author - she did an especially excellent job - the reading sounded so true to me.

I really loved this book. This is the first book I have listened to by this author, but it wont be the last book I read/listen to of hers. There was so many twist to this story I was hooked from the very beginning. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I recieved this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion and review. This wasn't my cup of tea. I really enjoyed the plot, but I felt like it took way to long to get good. I'm not sure if it was the way the narrator told the story, or if it was the novel itself. I felt like this book could have been significantly shorter and then it would be really good. It just dragged out too much.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC of the Audiobook for Mother May I in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good mystery thriller. Jackson jumps into the plot right away with a mysterious witchlike woman stealing our protagonist, Bree's, baby and setting into action a series of nefarious tasks Bree has to complete to get him back. I really enjoyed the first about 2 thirds of this and was hooked the entire time, but I do wish the conclusion after the climax was a bit shorter. I liked the information and additional information presented there, but it took so long to tell it that it kind of took away from the fast pace the book held up until that point.

This one really picked up steam as it went. By the last quarter of the book, I knew I wouldn't be doing anything that didn't also allow me to listen to this book. It started out a bit, meh. Our protagonist is a little too overboard on the whole "connecting" with the kidnapper thing. A bond and understanding, whatever, some one steals my baby I wouldn't be finding empathy, but that's just me. Also the strong push on her being an actress, pulling out her personalities, and roles felt forced. Once we got past that piece, it was truly a captivating story, and I was all in.
Jackson narrated her own book, which sometimes works and others don't. She came across a little more sing songy than I care for, but overall did a god job.
Thank you William Morrow Publishers and NetGalley for access to this pre-publication edition in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A fast paced thriller that was uncomfortable (for this mama!) to read at times, Mother May I tells the story of the kidnapping of baby Robert and his mother’s fight to get him back. Bree Cabbot grew up in rural Georgia with a single mother who was paranoid about almost everything. Bree always thought her mother was overreacting. She grows up, meets a wealthy and slightly older man, gets married, and has three beautiful children plus a very full bank account.

Then, one day, Bree thinks she sees a witch peering in her bedroom window. She thinks she sees her again at her daughter’s theater rehearsal. And next thing she knows, her newborn son Robert is gone. When she gets a phone call from the “witch”, her whole life is turned upside down. Enlisting the help of her best friend’s widowed husband Marshall, Bree begins to track down the woman who stole her son. But why Robert? And why would another mother do this to her? And what price will she need to pay to have her son returned?

I have a pretty irrational fear of someone kidnapping my kid. It all started after my husband and I watched Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu. I kept making sure the window was locked in her bedroom at night in case someone crawled in and took her (and somehow avoided detection from the baby monitor and my super mom hearing when I sleep in a room less than ten feet away). After the baby went to sleep I would check multiple times before finally settling down for the night, and no, it did not matter that it was a million degrees out and she might have benefitted from a nice breeze coming in her window. I thought I had finally recovered until this book came along!

And, to make it worse, I listened to this book on audio. The narration was excellent, but hearing the fear in Bree’s voice when Robert had vanished, or hearing the creaky voice of the woman who had taken Robert just made me so much more anxious than I feel like I would have been if I was reading this in print.

Anyway, this story kept me on the edge of my seat. Literally.

I wasn't quite sure about this audio in the beginning. One, I couldn't get past the voices and two, I wanted to strangle the main character. But, as the book went along, it got better and I am so glad I listened to it. Thank you NetGalley!

What would a mother do if she thought she was being stalked by someone who looks like a witch, and that witch kidnaps your baby son? What ends would you go to? Would you drug someone, or commit murder? That is exactly the position Bree Cabot finds herself in.

Bree is happily married to Trey, a lawyer and have 3 beautiful children, Peyton, Anna Claire, and Robert. She is very involved with her daughters school and social life, including Grease, her girls musical. While distracted, Bree takes her eyes off Robert in his car seat, and when she comes back, he is gone! Bree is contacted my the woman who kidnapped her son and when she finds out why he was taken, it is linked to a part of her husband's past. What will Bree do? Stick to the end. You will love this edge of your seat roller coaster ride thriller.

My sincere thanks to net galley and the publisher for this audio copy.