In "The New Mother" by Julia Crouch, we meet two main characters, Rachel and Abby. Rachel is a social media influencer who makes a living by promoting products and services online. But her real life is quite different from what she shows on social media. To please her followers, she has to act like she has a perfect life.

To gain more followers, Rachel hires Abby, who already admires her and has followed her advice on many things. As Abby becomes part of Rachel's life, she discovers that Rachel isn't as perfect as she appears online. The story has some surprising twists and gives us a look at what it's really like to be an influencer, which isn't always as glamorous as it seems.

While some parts of the story were slow, and the twists felt a bit forced, I'm sure readers just dipping into the thriller genre will find this book better than the hardened among us.

Pregnancy is an overwhelming time for anyone. So when you're determined that everything will go well and that it will be the perfect experience for not just you and your baby but also your followers, then why not bring in a full-time helper? But the perfect fantasy is far from reality. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My sincere apologies for the delay in reviewing!

I recently read People Like You by Ellery Lloyd, which used the Instagram scene of influencers/yummy mummies as a backdrop for its story. So when I realised The New Mother, initially titled Mother's Helper, was set in the same environment, I immediately dove in. Often in thrillers and suspense novels, we find characters who are living double lives, or who are hiding part of themselves. Usually, that is the big reveal, that there is more going on underneath. But in the case of Instagram influencers as characters, we go in knowing there is more going on than we see, that the perfect surface is a lie. So it ramps up the tension in a rather unexpected way because you might expect that this would undo the tension because everything is already fake. Rather than looking for lies, I find myself looking for the truth between the lies, for the things a character does or says which reveal who they really are underneath it all. It turns the reading experience upside-down and I love finding new experiences in a genre I am so familiar with.

Abbie follows Rachel's Instagram profile religiously, so when she sees Rachel is looking for a "mother's helper" to assist her through her pregnancy and the first months of motherhood, she jumps at the opportunity. She needs this. She is quickly hired, not just because of her skills but also because Rachel can perfectly envision how she'll turn the shy and mousy Abbie into a fitter and learner version. The perfect before and after story for her followers! But not everything is going perfectly. Rachel has her own secrets to hide, including violent blackouts, and Abbie is disappointed at the reality behind the carefully cultivated Insta-profile. As Crouch slowly reveals more of the history of both women, a confrontation, likely violent, becomes inevitable. But who will be the instigator and who will be the victim? And what about Fran, Rachel's childhood friend, and her role in this drama? The New Mother jumps back and forth between Rachel's, Fran's, and Abbie's POV, with Rachel's Instagram posts also popping up frequently. I really liked getting all three perspectives, especially Fran's because she is technically "outside" the main story and yet inevitably wound up in it.

I got sucked into Crouch's writing very quickly because of the switching perspectives. There is not really a strong distinction in the narratives from a style-angle, I felt, but the attitude expressed definitely are distinct. From the beginning, Crouch makes the reader aware that neither woman can be trusted, although we're not entirely sure why. While this makes for a fun reading experience, it did kind of affect how I connected to the characters. I only, really, cared for Fran, who was not technically a main character. This may also be because she lives in the Netherlands and likes pannekoeken and hagelslag, but she also felt like the only safe character to try and root for. In the afterword, Crouch mentions the extensive research she did for how such an Influencer-life might come about. I did find this aspect intriguing and think it is fair that it gets represented as quite a difficult and demanding job, but there still was something about it which felt a little idealised. I also had one or two issues with The New Mother, which are actually maybe more issues with me. A thing that is very important to me is the distinction that just because something plays a role or is prominent in a book, that does not mean that the author or the book are saying it is right! This feels like basic reader comprehension, maybe, but I keep seeing people not making this distinction anyway. While reading The New Mother I had to keep reminding myself of this, though, as I found the way Abbie handled some events in the lives of Rachel and Fran to be appalling, as was her engagement with her father. This is absolutely the point, I think. By the time these things become apparent in the book we are meant to start questioning Abbie (and Rachel as well), so it makes sense for Crouch to kind of pull back the curtain a little. But a part of me still wished for a stronger condemnation, somehow? The main reason I'm bringing this up is because I think Abbie's dismissal of certain things could be a bit triggering for some readers. Thrillers and suspense novels are always going to touch on difficult things and frequently have (unreliable) narrators with difficult or horrifying opinions, so readers should always go in aware of that regardless. I was just intrigued how this came up for me in The New Mother and it did kind of affect my enjoyment of the story, although, again, I'm willing to accept that this may be my issue.

I kind of wavered between rating a 2 or 3, but realised that part of my issues may have been exactly that, mine and not the novel's. I definitely want to read more by Crouch because The New Mother did have me engaged throughout.

A great book, hugely gripping despite moving along at a fairly slow pace for much of the book. Good twists too.

This book clearly shows the reader what everyone actually already know. Never believe what a person post on facebook or instagram. Your heroes online, are just human beings. Thrilling read, entertaining until the end.

Rachel, a popular Instagram influencer, is pregnant and looking for a mother's helper. In comes Abbie who seems to be perfectly qualified and a big fan of Rachel’s. Soon Abbie moves in and makes herself indispensable, but it’s obvious that both women have secrets, one of which can prove to be fatal.

The New Mother by Julia Crouch is a domestic psychological thriller .A well written plot with some unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending made it a highly entertaining read.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

I found that this was quite a slow burn and all the action was packed into the end, when the action did start I did really enjoy it I just felt like it took quite a while to get there

Wow what a roller coaster this one is, you think you get it and you really don’t..! Loved it, had me going in so many directions, a must read!

There was some mystery from the beginning, but it felt that the story was dragging with no action. About 85% of the book is when the action started, and it kept me hooked, wanting to know what was next. In the end, I feel that there was an unanswered question.
There is a lot of insight about social media and being an influencer with all the hashtags and backgrounds and pretenses..

This book was an entertaining read which had me on a roller coaster. It has you thinking one thing and then pulling you in a different direction. Its all about social media. A topic I really hate for teenagers as it can be used in such a harmful way. This book had my heart pumping.

Solid thriller though I cannot say that I liked many of the characters much. Slightly hard to follow at times but I still wanted to see how everything turned out!

I absolutely LOVE domestic thrillers, and Julia Crouch's The New Mother does not disappoint! The back and forth cat-and-mouse game between Rachel and Abbie was intriguing. Dueling points of view create increasing tension as the story progresses. What a great book! I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.

Very good book! Loved the twists and turns. Who is the villain and who is the innocent?

Abbie is a big fan of lifestyle blogger Rachel. When Rachel advertises for a nanny/housekeeper mother’s helper position, Abbie gives it a shot and applies. Maybe she will get to work with Rachel and it will then be her dreams coming true.

But Rachel in real life isn’t the same as internet Rachel. She cheats on her vegan diet, doesn’t take her own dog for a walk and can be a bit mean.

Will their relationship build into one of trust or malice? Hang on for a bumpy ride with this book!

Enjoyable thriller with an engaging storyline that kept me turning the pages. Recommended!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this ARC.

An Instagram influencer, a social media I am quite frequently found at, advertised for a Mother’s Helper, when she became pregnant, for the safe health of mother and baby.

I loved how the social media was represented, a section of influencer society, where most of the paid partnerships affected the veracity of their posts. The story could be read in a few hours.

Abbie applied for the post and won it. She was wondrous about the world Rachel resided in, until the masks fell off. Hidden agendas resided in everyone.

With only 2 characters, it was easy to guess how the story would go, not every scene. But what I found it amazing I remembered everything about these characters long after I finished reading the book. I am usually read-and-forget-and get on to the next.

At a couple of places I found the characters could have been better developed. But fear not, they were equally unlikable. Yet memorable. Credit to the author.

Final impressions – easy book to read, loved to hate the characters, twists were quite a zig-zag. Read it when you get to it.

This was pretty good, had some take exciting parts. Had a hard time deciding who I was rooting for. Its prety exciting.

I think this book started off very well, and kept momentum.
None of the characters were particularly likeable, but it was interesting to watch them unfold.
Definitely a lesson in not everything being as it seems.

A great psychological thriller
Two women with problems
What could go wrong
A real page turner with many twists and turns
Thanks NetGalley

This is the first we have read from Julia Crouch. The New Mother is a quick read thriller will all the crazy elements of this genre readers are looking for!

We all know a Rachel. We all have that one friend. She seems to have it all together… a plan for everything. As an expectant mother who organized everything in her life, she’s tired. She just needs some help. Thank God for Abbie. Abbie is trustworthy and answered Rachel’s prayers for help. Abbie will do anything to help.

But why does Rachel get that feeling when Abbie smiles? You know someone is crazy in this story, you know someone is hiding something… but this story will take you on an adventure of twists and turns so hold on!

Rachel has her own issues & finds the girl she thinks is the best candidate to help her through her pregnancy, Abbie. But, oh my, Abbie, has issues of her own. These two together are a hot mess & I found myself trying to figure out which one was more twisted, who the bad girl was. This book is so full of twists your head spins!

Ever wondered what it takes to become a social media influencer? Rachel Rodrigues can tell you. Dedication, inspiration and an entourage of trusted individuals to guide and support (some might say to inflate the ego)….

But Rachel needs a new member of “staff” as she’s having a baby. Enter stage right, Abbie who beat off 29 other in-person interviewees (not to mention the 1000+ other applicants). Abbie is Rachel’s über fan. She’s obsessed, but how obsessed?

To start with I quite liked the meek and shy Abbie but as she grew into her role as trusted companion of the great RR, she changed… or was it more she showed her true colours? But what is her story? Why the obsession with RR?? Questions questions questions…. The sign of a cracking thriller!

From the short sharp attention grabbing prologue to the O.M.G ending, I was gripped. All of Crouch’s characters has serious damage and I don’t know which character needed the most therapy by the end of it all! They all need help!

The New Mother is my first taste of Julia Crouch’s writing and I loved it. I’ve got some of her other creations sat waiting for me and this is making me kick myself for not sampling her work sooner!