This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A new mom who needs help and hires someone to stay in with her to support her. But how much do we truly know about the people we invite into our homes…..I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one had my attention the whole way through. I loved the twist and the unreliable narrator. Such a good psychological thriller for this time of year.

There were some interesting aspects to this book about an influencer, Rachel, who hires Abbie to be her assistant, both so she can exploit the unpolished Abbie's journey of beautification for her Instagram posts and so that Abbie can serve as the nanny for Rachel's baby once it arrives. The insights into the life and work of an influencer were well done and interesting, so those were my favorite parts; the "thriller" aspect of the book was rather predictable. The title of this book was changed from "Mother's Helper' to "The New Mother" and I'm not sure why that change was made since I think the original title was way better; perhaps it gave away too much of the plot to those who are familiar with similarly titled books. I listened to the audiobook and that was a pleasure; both the narrator and the production are excellent. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an audio e-ARC of this book.

The characters were so well written, they were well defined and all added to the story.

Listening to the audiobook, I felt sometimes the accents were a little inconsistent but it didn't stop me enjoying it. If you're going to pick up this book, I highly suggest the audiobook.

This book is definitely going to have a lot of hype around it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh, my giddy aunt!!! How truly terrifying.

I suppose the mere fact that something like this is quite possible should really bring home the fact that we live in a strange - very strange - world indeed. I was worried, as I always am when books have animals in them, that something may happen to Barney (something does, but it's over quickly and is not human-induced), or Sam. Poor Sam (nothing awful happens to him other than I suspect his heart gets broken. But there is a baby to make it better, so there's that).

The moral of the story here is be very, very careful who you let into your house and your life, sometimes coincidences can turn out to be truly bizarre. Or not.

I listened to the audio version, narrated by Kirsty Dillon, who was brilliant. She had Abby down pat.

Thanks to NetGalley, Julia Crouch, and Bookouture for my ARC.

This was my first audiobook and I absolutely love it. I have a long commute to work and thos was the perfect way to fill my time.
I really enjoyed the concept of the book and the storyline. The characters were great and I loved the development in them throughout. It's not you usual thriller but I loved the developments the further through I got!

Rachel, a successful Instagram influencer, decides that she needs help with her new baby when it arrives and hires Abbie, who is a huge fan.

Alternating between each woman's POV I enjoyed this domestic thriller which got more and more exciting as I listened with a nerve jangling climax. Neither woman is particulary likeable, but Abbie, especially, is a fantastic character. This book was previously titled The Mother's Helper which I feel is a much better title, giving a more accurate impression of the book.

The narration by Kirsty Dillon was perfect for the book.

Rachel is an influencer who is about to have her first baby and be a single mother. She is in need of help and hires a mother’s helper, Abby, who she thinks is the perfect fit...until maybe she isn’t?
The story started out pretty slow and quickly took a turn for the unexpected. Definitely keeps you wondering who is the “villain” here? Rachel or Abby? I guarantee you’ll go back and forth on this one until the end!

Great thriller! This was exactly what I’ve been looking for in a book! Very fast paced and entertaining the entire time. The synopsis drew me in as soon as I read it. There’s something about thrillers including new mothers that always interest me.
Hoping to read more books by the author!

This was my first book by Julia Crouch and won't be my last!
The storyline is realistic,
Rachel and Abbie are both very realistic and strong women both with very different personalities and a history that makes you question their mental health.
Rachel makes her living as an influencer and although I don't follow any myself it showed not to believe all you read on Instagram.

There are some excellent twists and turns in this story and I really enjoyed listening to the narrator who got the delivery spot on

Thank you to Netgalley & Hatchett UK forgiving me the opportunity to listen to this book I will be looking out for more by this author

The New Mother by Julia Crouch was a good read. I liked the character development and the plot, but I have to say the book is a bit too long. Also, I figured out what was happening rom almost the beginning. I did finish the book because the narrator, Kristy Dillon, was so good that I was engaged in the storytelling. Not a bad read.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Thank you Net Galley for an audiobook for The New Mother. I want fully invested in this story. I thought it slow.

Wow - this was unlike any other thriller I've ever read. After initially reading the description, I was intrigued and decided to try this new (to me) author. I am so glad I did because Julia Crouch finds a way to completely reinvent the twisted nanny, baby snatching storyline and create such a uniquely modern thriller that really captures how dangerous social media can be and how it can affect our entire life experience if we're not careful. There are a lot of good life lessons taught in this and a lot of real world issues addressed which I found refreshing for such a light thriller. I was definitely surprised by the last little twist at the end and thought that was a great final touch. The entire story had me captivated from beginning to end and this is one that will stick with me for a while. I read a lot of thrillers, so its an added bonus when I find a storyline that is completely unique to me. The main characters in this were so insanely flawed that it was satisfying to watch them both slowly unravel as if they were a mirror of the other. When I was about 3/4 of the way through I thought to myself "where could this possibly go? How can this end well for anyone?" and was very surprised by the way things played out. I do wish we had gotten a bit more explanation on Abbie's background and what exactly happened, but Crouch did do a good job of sprinkling in details about her past throughout to give you a fuller picture. Overall, I thought the characters had a very peculiar, but intriguing dynamic and I found this to be quite interesting. Definitely a thriller I wouldn't pass up reading! I look forward to reading more from Crouch. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was published October 12th 2021 by Bookouture.

Rachel is an influencer who is with child and makes post scouting for a live in nanny. Abby is obsessed with Rachels blog and uses her as an outlet for her crappy life so she jumps at the chance to help take care of Rachel and her child. Then you start to notice how unhinged Abby is as her shady past is catching up to her and she finally gets a good hard look behind all the smoke and mirrors Rachel puts up for her viewers and Abby isn't happy. Through deceit and sabotage she becomes the only person Rachel can look to for support but Rachel has heavy baggage herself. This is the kind of book that you know what will happen but you can't stop reading.


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Reading Between the Wines book review #110/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The New Mother
Author: Julia Crouch
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on October 12, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: This was a decent read for me. It will make you think twice and three times before you invite any new people into your life. Rachel needs help when she finds out she is pregnant. So, she hires Abbie who is one of her biggest fans. Only thing is, one of them is about to find out that the term “no new friends” is one to live by.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @BookoutureAudio for an advanced copy of @TheNewMother.

#TheNewMother #BookoutureAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Rachel is a well known Instagram influencer focused on her natural, healthy, vegan lifestyle. She hires Abbie as a mother’s helper to help her before the baby arrives and staying for a few months afterwards. Abbie is Rachel’s biggest fan and is thrilled to become part of Rachel’s life.

Both women have plenty of secrets in their past. Julia Crouch does a great job dropping little tidbits of both of the women’s secrets. Enjoyable thriller.

Great narration by Kirst Dillon.

Rachel Rodriguez is a lifestyle influencer on Instagram. She blogs about her perfectly authentic life. Now pregnant, Rachel hires a mother’s helper - Abbie. Abbie is quiet but plain, a bit dumpy, and a self-proclaimed Rachel Rodriguez fan. Rachel thinks Abbie is perfect - not only as a mother’s helper, but Rachel can also use Abbie on her blog, documenting Abbie’s journey to a healthier lifestyle. Abbie happily starts this journey with Rachel. As Rachel transforms Abbie, Abbie slowly transforms Rachel’s household, making her indispensable to Rachel. But as they become dependent on each other, the secrets and lies start to unravel, threatening both their lives.

This domestic thriller is a slooooow burn, a really slow burn. The first 60% of the story sets up the story - slow manipulation and quietly laid hints to their past lives. I patiently waited for one of these women to make their move. Finally, during the final 40%, the tension rises with a few twists toward the end, albeit the twists were not shocking.

The narrator, Kristy Dillon, did an excellent job bringing life to both Rachel and Abbie. Both characters are unlikeable as each one tries to outmaneuver the other. For thrillers, I enjoy unlikeable characters. But unfortunately, because this story moved so slowly, I simply didn't care who the ultimate villain was. While I liked Kristy Dillon’s narration, the story includes IG posts with hashtags and tagged sponsors. This element might work better in written media than audio.

I would also like to add that the original title of this book was The Mother’s Helper. I think this title is a better fit for this book than The New Mother.

Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Rachel is a social media influencer. Abbie is her greatest fan. When Rachel falls pregnant she advertises for a Mother's Helper. When she takes on Abbie they soon become close friends. As Abbie starts to settle in she manages to eliminate others close to Rachel and takes over her life. A gripping psychological thriller ride. Highly recommended.

THE NEW MOTHER 📚

Who would you trust with your precious family? Wanted: full-time, live-in help for expectant mother. Must be organised, friendly and willing to do anything. Rachel is determined to be the perfect mother. She has a birth plan, with a playlist and a bag ready by the door. She’s chosen a lovely light cream paint for the nursery, and in wide-eyed, innocent Abbie she’s found the perfect person to help her with her baby. After all, every mother needs a bit of help, don’t they? But Rachel needs a little more than most. She still makes sure her bedroom door is locked before she goes to sleep. She still checks the cameras that are dotted throughout the house. Rachel trusts Abbie. Even if Abbie’s smiles don’t always reach her eyes, and the stories she tells about her past don’t always add up, it doesn’t matter. Because Rachel knows better than to trust herself…

I was kindly gifted the audiobook of this by @netgalley and omg I loved it so much. I was getting in a bit of a slump with audiobooks struggling to get into any but this caught my attention right away! I found it very engaging. The characters are complex and the storyline kept me on my toes. Only criticism of the audiobook is the audio description of the Instagram posts would have probably looked better on a book but it can’t really be helped! Would definitely recommend and will be keeping my eye out for hooks but this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WOW. I haven't come across a book that has disturbed me quite like The New Mother in a while, and I inhale suspense/thrillers every day. Abby, the MC, is incredibly unpredictable and so, so interesting. It's impossible to look away from her. I need to know what she is up to! And Rachel is painted in such a complex way. I can't hate her, but I also have a hard time loving her. But, like Abby, I need to know what happens to Rachel! Unputdownable. I would recommend to everyone!