Mother May I grabbed my attention and never let me go!!

What would you do if your baby boy was stolen from you??? Mother May I is a domestic thriller that will show you the lengths of what one mother will go through to get her son back.

It’s gripping, and the narration will hold your attention to the very last line.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride my friend!

While I liked Never Have I Ever just a bit more this one was still really good. I'd definitely recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Joshilyn Jackson is an auto-buy/read/listen author and everyone should be reading her works! I really enjoyed this thriller!

Grab onto your bra straps and belt buckles, dear readers, because Joshilyn Jackson has written a suspense-thriller that sends you spinning.

Happily married to Trey, the scion of an old-money wealthy Georgia family, Bree wakes one morning believing she sees a witch at her window. The world she marries into is quite different from how she grew up, with a hovering mother always warning her about life's evils. That Bree seems to live in a fairytale does not escape her, perhaps because fairytales bring with them their own monsters and horrors. When Bree discovers that her baby boy has been kidnapped, she believes those monsters and horrors have arrived on her doorstep.

Joshilyn Jackson asks what you would do for someone you love, and in Bree's world, the answer encompasses a wide breadth of possibilities. She contacts Marshall, a close college friend once married to her best friend who passed away, for help. She follows the witch's directions. She involves Trey as little as possible. Her desperation to get baby Robert back leads her from one desperate act to another.

Yet she also runs on information. Bree and Marshall begin an investigation of sorts of Robert's kidnapper, and Jackson reveals the news they uncover in heart-stopping, chilling detail. At the same time, the detail causes you to sympathize--to a degree--with the kidnapper. You understand what drove them to take Robert, and you understand what drives them to make their subsequent choices.

I urge you to listen to the audiobook because Joshilyn Jackson narrates her story to the point that you wish she'd narrate other books, not just her own. She inhabits Bree's voice as well as the kidnapper's and other characters'. She helps you feel everything that Bree feels as she stumbles through determining what to do about Robert.

There are occasional lulls. Perhaps too much time is spent in Bree's recollections of her less-than-stellar childhood. Or you could argue that you don't need quite so much information about Bree's daughters. Part of this is due to Jackson's core plot being so compelling that you don't want to stay away from it for long.

The big "why" of Robert's kidnapping is horrifying and heartbreaking. Not just because an infant was snatched but because of what that "why" means for Bree beyond her missing baby. She had been warned. She knew that evil lurked everywhere. But she never anticipated that it lurked in someone she loves.

Let me know what you think of this book. I can't wait for more from Joshilyn Jackson, particularly if she narrates it.

Bree Cabbat leads a charmed life. She married a wealthy man from a powerful and wealthy family, They have two teen daughters and an infant son, Robert. After growing up poor, with a single mother, Bree never dreamed that she would live a life that included private schools and black Amex cards. But now she can't imagine her life without them. One day while Bree is the "snacks mom" after play practice, she turns her back for just a minute, and their life changes forever. Somebody has taken Robert. The kidnapper, an elderly woman with nothing to lose, has given Bree one simple task to complete. If she does this one thing, she will get her baby back. But she must tell nobody. So Bree does it, but with tragic consequences. Will Bree be able to save her baby and keep her happy life intact?


Some of the dark twists in Mother May I really surprised me. One thing to remember is that no matter how perfect somebody's life looks from the outside, there are always secrets. Bree Cabbat was nearly perfect as a mother and wife, yet not perfect enough to keep her baby safe. I really liked her relationship with her best friend's husband, Marshal. He was everything that Trey was not, but he also shared a similar background to Bree and Betsy, making him more approachable. This fast-paced novel really had me on the edge of my seat - desperate to know what was going to happen. And things did not turn out how I (or Bree) expected. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.



Bottom Line - Mother May I is the kind of domestic thriller that will put fear into the heart of any mother's heart. Fast-paced and full of twists, you will not be able to put this book down.



Details:

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
On Facebook
Pages: 336
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 4/6/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book so much! Here’s a brief synopsis from the publisher:
Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat was warned by her single mother that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree now has all a woman could ever dream of a loving lawyer husband, two talented teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world…

Her life was perfect until one fateful day her baby son was snatched up by a kidnapper, and now her life will never be same. This audiobook was so good I hated to stop listening! I LOVE everything I have read so far by Joshilyn Jackson. She is now my go to author.
Her writing just flows flawlessly with thorough character development. Mother May I is part psychological suspense and mystery thriller all rolled into one which are my favorite genres. The story was so original and dramatic just like her past books. It was a little long/drawn out, but that didn’t bother me too much. Watching the train wreck of a story unfold had me on the edge of my seat. The audio version of the book has the author as narrator, and she is fabulous! I cannot wait to read the next book Joshilyn Jackson writes. I’m only sad I have to wait until next year for it.
A very special thank you to Harper Audio for the Advance Audio Copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This books begins with a baby boy being kidnapped. The mother is confused by her impression that a witch was involved. There is no witch, but plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. Ultimately, it is a story of revenge and relationships with lots of surprises.

I received an audio copy of this book from Net Galley. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the narrator.

What a wild ride this book was. I loved listening to the audiobook, the suspense came alive. This is the only book I’ve read by Joshilyn Jackson and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Wow! This was a good one! A thriller that makes you keep turning the pages to find out what's going to happen...I love that! Being a mother myself, it did trigger some anxiety for me. But what a great story! I can fully relate to Bree, and know exactly how she was feeling and reacting to everything. Highly recommend!

*Thank you @netgalley @harperaudio and @williammorrowbooks for the egalley and audiobook.*

This is my second by Joshilyn Jackson and she definitely does not disappoint! We chose this for our #saturdaybookstaclub buddy read and it was very well received. Personally, I couldn’t put it down. Fast-paced, definitely lots of twists to keep you guessing. Didn’t quite love the ending, but that’s ok.

Narration was just ok in my book. For some reason, it just seemed a bit off for me, a bit high pitched/youngish.

This book could come with so many trigger warnings, it's like a nuke. But the story is so well crafted, you can't help but push through to the end, just to see where you end up.

The twists were just right, even if the very end was a bit heavy handed. After an almost traumatizing reading experience, I kind of needed it. Good lord. I want to recommend this book to everyone and no one at the same time.

Jackson has a good sense of when the pressure needs to be applied and released in her books. I've read other books where it felt like we were aimlessly shooting into the distance with the brake pedal ripped out, just to "get somewhere".

....


Spoiler without actual spoiler, but still, don't read the next part if you plan to read the book:


...

About halfway through, a short story came to mind and just stuck. "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson. The gist is that a couple receives a button in a box and a man tells them that if they press the button, they will receive $50,000 but the catch is that someone they don't know will die. Well, the wife presses the button. The hospital calls and tells the woman her husband was killed by a train. His life insurance left her $50,000. The button man calls her and she's angry saying he had told them someone they didn't know would die, so why was her husband the one to die? And the man says, "My dear lady, do you really think you knew your husband?"

We circle back with Bree, almost ad nauseum, to the fact that she "knows" people. She's convinced of her ability to understand people, to be able to tell everything about them, from what they say to their facial expressions when they say it. It's her fatal flaw. All of the people in this book do that, actually. Do you know the people you love? Or do you only know the story you've told yourself about them, over and over until they have no choice but to become that person?

Brilliant!

I loved the narration.

Intense. Thriller.

This was everything I wanted and more.

Joshilyn Jackson does an outstanding job of both writing and narrating this book. Bree Cabbat has grown up poor in Georgia. She has married well and is living a luxurious life with her husband and children when her infant son is kidnapped. Told through the eyes of Bree and her childhood friend Marshall, a cop turned PI, Jackson describes the harrowing events that take place in the days following the kidnapping. She provides a plausible backstory for the motivation for the crime. The character development is compelling with imperfect heroes and sympathetic villains. The ending was a bit abrupt but overall I loved it. 4.5 stars for me

Bree Cabbat has the family of her dreams, but what happens when someone threatens one of her own?

I usually love the concepts that author Joshilyn Jackson dreams up, but I really could not find a connection with Mother May I. The idea that a mother would do anything for their child was not unique, so the fact that Bree Cabbat could be brought down to her knees did not surprise me. At issue for me was the repetitive nature of Bree's soliloquies, especially as she summons her strength by putting on a character like another woman would put on makeup. The reader ended up being well aware of Bree's abilities early on in the novel, so the fact that the author kept harping on it took away from the overall appeal. Most readers and writers like an epilogue, but I wish in this case that the novel had ended prior to the events in the later months.

As to the narration, the only true way to enjoy a Joshilyn Jackson novel in my opinion is to listen to the writer read her own words. I thoroughly enjoyed her presentation of Bree Cabbat, as well as the other characters in the book. Joshilyn Jackson has an arresting presence that comes across well in her diction and auditory prowess. I do not think I would have enjoyed the novel nearly as much if I had read the printed word.

Disclaimer: I was given an advanced audio copy of Mother May I by NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Audio. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

This was my first Joshilyn Jackson thriller, and it certainly won’t be my last. I previously read and LOVED “Gods in Alabama” and wanted to read another of hers. I was pleasantly surprised that she narrates the book herself. I definitely think this enhances the reader’s experience. If you are looking for a page turning thriller, this could be your next novel/audiobook!

I feel like it's been a while since I've been this sucked into an audiobook! It was so nice to have on that I was antsy to get back to. Joshilyn does a great job at the narration, and I was very intrigued by the story. It went directions I wasn't expecting and just when I thought it was about to wrap up, more layers were unfolded. One element wrapped up more conveniently that I felt was realistic, but it didn't make me feel any differently about the story. If you're looking for good characters and an unfolding mystery that keeps you guessing, this is your audiobook!

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I give this book 3 solid stars. I am a long time Joshilyn Jackson fan back to Gods of Alabama! I am always excited when she releases a new book! I felt this one drug on a little. When the first dilemma was solved I thought what else could happen. So the ending seemed to continue a little longer than needed. But I still enjoyed this book and will look forward to many more novels by Jackson in the future!

Overall whileI enjoyed the investigation part of the story I had trouble connecting with the rest of it. It seemed to try too much and threw too much into the storyline. Even though I’m all for suspension of disbelief there were too many thing that were a little too over the top as far as plausibility.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and I was very engaged. The second half was too sexually graphic for me and detracted from the story. I continued reading because I was so invested in it and how everything would play out. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't worth my pushing through.

The book "Mother May I" by Joshulyn Jackson was decently thrilling. I found it relatively fast paced until around the halfway point and then things felt a bit underwhelming. I have to say though that this was a unique book and that I enjoyed the narrator and felt that it helped with the suspense of the book by having it read as an audiobook. However, I found the main character, Bree Cabbat a tad annoying in terms of her interactions in general but especially with the interaction she has with the old woman (this was likely due to some aspect of stockholm syndrome however). Honestly for me, the ending of the book was somewhat expected? Predictable maybe? Not much about it was surprising to me. Overall though, this was a unqiue book and I will recommend it to my patrons who love thrilling books!