Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Bree wakes up one morning convinced a witch was peering into her bedroom. Later on her infant son is kidnapped and Bree must do something in exchange for getting back her son.

I have read several Joshilyn Jackson books and she has a great way of building characters. Mother May I was a solid mystery that made you want to keep reading.

I ended up reading half and listening to half with an audio book. I liked listening to the author reading her book.

Bree Cabbat is secure in her role as the mother of three and wife to a successful lawyer. Everything in her life feels so solid, until her world comes crashing down. Her ten week old baby is kidnapped right from under her nose and the lady who took him isn't looking for ransom money, the way Bree had hoped she was. What this lady wants will require a lot more. Bree will stop at nothing to get her baby back but the price the lady demands will cost the people around her greatly.

uhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, this book was crazy. I requested this book from the publisher without even reading the synopsis because I loved Jackson's last book Never Have I Ever soo much... I maybe should have took a peak at what this was about before requesting it. I was driving my children around town when I got to the part where Bree's baby is missing and I had to shut it off until I could listen at home, with the children fully in my sight. Zero of my three children have ever gone missing, and how I would feel if this were to happen is something I only explore in my worst nightmares. I spend as little time as possible picturing this kind of scenario because I CANNOT IMAGINE but if I try hard enough I definitely could get close. This book fueled some of that imagining in a way that left me feeling anxious and barfy. No spoiler's, but this book does not take its foot off the gas until the very last little bit and even then it is a very slight decrease in speed. You have been warned!!!!!

Mother May I had all of the dynamics that made Never Have I Ever so good. Two women participate in a high stakes battle of wits and they both risk something. The similarities between these two books pretty much ends here, so don't worry! This did not feel like a recycled plot line to me. Where Never Have I Ever Explored two characters that the reader often struggled to empathize with due to their ruthlessness and shadowy pasts, Mother May I explored a completely different dynamic. I felt myself having empathy for both characters despite knowing better! I think the interesting part about Mother May I comes with the complicated understanding these two mother's share. They understand what it is like to have your heart flayed open by motherhood and in this vulnerable place, they find the common ground that equalizes them.

This is a fast paced page turner with some bite to it. I really enjoyed the journey I went through with these characters. If this were a horror movie, I would have watched it between the gaps of my fingers anxiously but this only added to the thrill! I received this on audio book and you should know, even if audio books aren't usually your jam, you might give this one a shot. Joshilyn Jackson narrates her own audio books, and she is a spectacular narrator. I love getting to hear audio books narrator by the author's it adds so much more to the story! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

4/5 stars

Content warning: content warnings may include spoilers so read at your own risk!!!
infant kidnapping, child death, murder, scenes of sexual assault and rape, drug use, addiction.


Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio, for providing a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review!

You can find Mother May I on shelves near you on April 6th!!!

Summary: Bree Cabbat has the perfect life; a loving husband, beautiful children and a nice home. But one night she sees a witch at her window and the following day her baby son is stolen from her car with a mysterious message containing instructions on how to get her little boy back. As she follows “the mother’s” instructions she finds that there is more to this diabolical plan than she first thought. Racing against the clock Bree tries to find the secrets that could lead them to her son and “the mother”.

My Thoughts: This is my first book my Joshilyn Jackson. I really enjoyed it. It started off with a bang and continued to have the same high drama throughout which can be hard to maintain. As the story progressed I didn’t know how the author was going to continue because the end seemed so imminent but then whole new mystery appeared. As more layers were added the suspense got even higher until the last chapter. I will finally read her other thriller, Never Have I Ever, which I have checked out numerous times but never read yet.

Listening to the audiobook I was a little annoyed at the readers voice. It was rather whiny but that could be because of the playback on the app. I liked the reader’s interpretation of “the mother’s” voice. It was witchy and creepy. And you need to stay focused while listening or you may miss something.

FYI: Great thriller!

TW: sexual assault/rape, death/murder, child abduction

Yeah. As you can see above, this is a HEAVY book. Much heavier than I expected, considering my first introduction to Jackson was The Almost Sisters and it was much more tame than this.

All that considered, this was still a good, intriguing, compelling mystery/thriller. The characters were developed well and I felt connected to each of them, whether it was through rooting for them or wanting justice to be served to them. There are many twists, turns, and developments during this story that I did not see coming, but very few of them felt unrealistic. I was hooked the whole time wanting to see how the story would resolve and that, to me, is a sign of a good book.

The ending felt a little too perfect, if I'm being honest. I'm not sure that that part was realistic, but it still gets a solid 4 stars from me and I will continue working my way through Jackson's backlog of books.

I listened to the audio version of this book and had such mixed feelings. The first half of the book really sucked me in and I couldn’t get enough. The second half however feel pretty flat for me. I got bored with it, and honestly it had so much potential but I was ready for it to be over. The narration was wonderful, and I thought the narrator was absolutely flawless in switching between characters. While this was by no means a bad book, it wasn’t great in opinion either.

The audio version of Mother May I was very well done. The narration was superb. The narrator slipped seamlessly between characters never taking attention from the story.

The story is about a wealthy woman, who finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a mother's wrath though no fault of her own. She will do whatever she can to protect her family. While there aren't many unforeseen twists to the story there are enough to keep the reader interested.

The main characters are both relatable and likable. I would purchase this book for my library and I will be recommending it.

This story was very well crafted, although a bit repetitive at times. A twisty thriller that has the reader wondering “what did you do” for a major portion of the book. When Bree and Trey’s infant son is kidnapped, Bree is asked to perform a task to get her son back. Bree will do anything to get her baby back, and this task seems really crazy...but it all gets crazier from there. Why was Robert kidnapped? How well does Bree know those around her? Will she get Robert back or is she already too late? With a cast of well rounded characters and voiced by the author, this book was twisty good. It’s always fun to listen to an audio book that’s voiced by the author! The words come alive as the story is told exactly as intended.

Bree Cabbat grew up poor in rural Georgia, but she married a man with money and influence and now leads a happy and fulfilling life as a mother with a loving husband and a beautiful home. Life is wonderful until the day Bree sees a woman she can only describe as a witch outside her window. The next time she sees the woman it’s outside her daughters’ school and she discovers that her infant son, sleeping in the back seat has disappeared. He has been taken by the “witch” and in order to get him back, Bree must follow the woman’s seemingly simple instructions. There are to be no police, not even any questions. Bree will do anything to get her baby back, but the consequences of her actions will be more far reaching than she can imagine. Jackson is a master at Southern domestic suspense and her legion of fans won’t be disappointed with this nail biter

I listened to the audio book version of this book after receiving it from Harper Audio via Netgalley.

This is a suspenseful mystery that puts a mother of a kidnapped little boy against the kidnapper. How far would a mother go to protect or get her child back. Not only does this show how deep a mother’s love can be but also deals with an extremely serious subject matter but I cannot comment on this as it would spoil the book.

I liked the characters and I could sympathize with Brea, the main character. The author wrote in a style that I enjoyed and I wanted to keep reading to see how it ended. I actually enjoyed the ending a lot. My only issue was the narrating. I know the author read it herself but I found the little voices she used to be annoying. I think I would have enjoyed the written version better

The audio for this book was good. Easy to understand. The book, however, was just middle of the road for me. I enjoyed the first half but really started losing interest half way.

The beginning of Mother May I reminded me of The Chain, which I had just finished a few days prior. The two books weren’t too similar beyond the kidnapping aspect, but it was a nice segue!

This book was quite the page-turner. It flew by, and there weren’t really any boring or slow parts. It was paced much faster than Never Have I Ever, which was more of a slow burn. The best part is that it starts off terrifyingly realistically–the way the baby was stolen could be straight out of a news report. This story will make you want to double check that your doors are locked and that your kids are safely in their beds (…I assume. I don’t have kids.)

The characters were very well written and well developed. Bree grew up poor but was able to fake it until she made it, and now is living the perfect life. She was no damsel in distress, though–when her child was taken, she did everything she needed to in order to get him back. Her ability to stay cool and collected in the face of tragedy made her a compelling main character. Mitchell was my favorite character, and I was torn between rooting for him to get the girl and wanting Bree to be able to repair her marriage.

My only complaint is with the way the book ended, but I won’t spoil it here. If you’ve read Mother May I, my blog has a spoiler discussion!

Overall, Mother May I was an intriguing, fast-paced thriller that grabbed my attention early on and held it all the way through the end.

It’s no mystery that I adore Joshilyn Jackson and this book just reminded me again why. Mother May I took me on a journey that had my heart racing and tears in my eyes within minutes of each other. Her story telling is like no other. I love that she narrates her books too. I can’t image anyone else bringing her characters to life like she does.
If you like great writing, characters that you feel like you know, and a story that keeps you engaged till the last page you definitely need to pick this one up. I highly recommend this one on audible!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for a honest review

From the very beginning, I could not put down this book. At times, I was mad at Brie for being so naïve but at the same time, I know I would do anything for my children. I'm still digesting the end...not sure if I like it; however, logically I know it couldn't end another way.

This was an audiobook. I LOVE when the author reads her own books, and Joshilyn is a great narrator. She give each character their own voice and dialect.

Thanks Joshilyn Jackson, Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

I want to start by saying this IS a good book, and I enjoyed it.
The overall plotline is heart wrenching and terrifying. - Bree’s newborn baby is stolen and held hostage in a dirty revenge plot that has nothing to do with her, but now its up to her to get her baby back. This is what nightmares are made of!

Then why only 3 stars? – The pace was off for me. It seemed like in the midst of the most exciting parts we kept taking breaks to hear a long dramatic monologue or learn something about a characters past. Some of these were important but most of the time it really killed the suspense vibe and made it hard for me to keep listening.

When I received this audio arc I was excited, I’ve seen so much praise about one of Joshilyn Jackson’s other books (Never Have I Ever) so I set the bar in my mind pretty high. I do still plan to read the other book as comparison.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for and advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the audiobook for Joshilyn Jackson’s Mother May I. It was suspenseful and I had a hard time pausing the audio because I wanted to keep listening to figure out how the story would unfold. The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life, and I found that I was immersed in the story from the beginning. I would recommend this title for readers looking for a suspenseful read that unfolds gradually.

I received an audiobook of this title from the publisher via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily. This did not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

4 stars to my second Joshilyn Jackson book! Thank you to netgalley for providing me an advanced copy for a review.

Mother May I is Jackson’s second thriller novel and I definitely see her work getting better with each one. This novel follows a woman named Bree Cabbat whose son is taken in broad daylight. When the kidnapper contacts Bree, she has to make impossible choices to follow the path to getting her son back, risking everything she knows and loves.
This story gripped me from the beginning and really pulled hard on my mom feels. It made me question what I would do in Bree’s Impossible scenario and I love a book that makes me evaluate as if it could happen for real! This book lost a star because the end fell a little flat compared to the rest of the book. I was hooked more by the suspense built throughout story than the suspense at the end. However, once it was over I smiled and had that great feeling you get when you feel like a thriller was wrapped up with no lingering questions.

I can’t wait for more readers to get their hands on this one!

I adore Joshilyn Jackson and have read everything she has written. When given the chance to listen to an early release of Mother May I, I was delighted. And, I was not disappointed. This is her second novel in the "thriller" category, after Never Have I Ever.

In this book, readers are introduced to a seemingly perfect family. But, as we know, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. When baby Robert goes missing, Bree Cabbat is forced to grapple with her mother's worldview about the world being a dark and scary place. She's also forced to confront what type of man she married, the true cost of her comfortable life, and how far she'll go to protect those she loves. Highly recommended!

Joshilyn Jackson narrates this herself, and the run time is 12 hours and 51 minutes.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This book was so good. I could not put it down. It was non-stop suspense from beginning to end. This is perfect for anyone who loves a good suspense... thriller.
This was a hear pounding thriller that will have you guessing till the very end.
The characters were well written by the author.
And the writing wad fabulous

Bree Cabbat has it all: a gorgeous, successful husband, two beautiful and talented teen age daughters, and a brand new baby boy. So when a mysterious older woman steals her baby for a very strange ransom, Bree is not going to ask questions---she’s going to do whatever she needs to do to get him back. Whatever, truly. The first book I ever “read” by this author was an audiobook and I’ve been hooked ever since. When I saw this latest novel was available on NetGalley as an audiobook, I jumped at the chance to read/review it---and I’m so glad I did! I loved every single thing about this book: great pace, great characters, great audio (from the author herself). The only think I didn’t care for is the title, but I’m willing to shrug that off since the content was so good. HIGHLY recommend!

NOTE: Special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

When the author reads the audio version of their book, it typically means a sub-par listening experience. That is most certainly not the case with Joshilyn Jackson. Her reading enhances the whole experience, because it feels like she’s a friend telling me the best story I’ve ever heard. Mother May I tackles some difficult topics, which I don’t want to mention because I’d run the risk of spoiling the story. This book is best read without knowing much about the story ahead of time, but as I’ve learned, readers (or listeners) are always in excellent hands with a storyteller like Joshilyn Jackson.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.