This is unlike any other horror/thriller I’ve ever read. Excellent writing and fast paced story line.

Marve is a 30’s something woman who feels stagnant in her life. She escaped as a child and lost contact with her beloved cousin Andrea. She lost all hope of finding her for nearly twenty years, until one day, she gets an email that will change her life.

Andrea is everything on the surface: beautiful, rich, happily married, and has a great career. She’s a savior. Everyone adores her. The only thing missing for her is motherhood.

The more time Maeve spends with Andrea, the more uneasy she feels.
Things start to happen that she can’t remember. The past starts to come back to haunt her. And Andrea has a very strange attachment to very lifelike dolls.

This book was so creepy, and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you to Nightfire, Anne Heltzel, and Netgalley for this e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spine-chilling novel about a cult of women. The ending was terrifying.

Maeve escaped the Mother Collective one fateful night on her birthday and has been searching for her cousin ever since. When Andrea, now a rich founder of a successful company called NewLife, reaches out to her and wants to reconnect Maeve is overjoyed -- finally, her family has found her. But Andrea isn't struggling with what happened like Maeve is and adamantly refuses to talk about it -- something that becomes more and more difficult to do as their shared past seems to keep resurfacing.

I would describe this book as "mildly unsettling". You're always second guessing your suspicions and are curious to find out more about what happened. That aspect of it was brilliantly done, however, I feel like it swerves into... almost campy territory at some point. It's like most of the book was this inescapable, high pitched buzzing near your ear and then it suddenly turned into a deafening plane engine roar.

The plot was kind of predictable: you suspect something and then it happens, and almost exactly in the way you expected it to. Which isn't a bad thing -- it can be done done great effect but it lacked impact here. There is plenty of material for this book to be, well, _horrifying_ but it isn't. We never really delve into the events of the book. If we had lingered, if we had really seen Maeve react it would have been guttural. Instead it almost feels like we're expected to be horrified because a bad thing is bad, you know, morally, which yes, we are indignant at that but not _horrified_ because we never see the _effect_ of the events, if that makes sense.

The characters were developed -- every time a character appeared on the page, you would get curious as to what impact they would have on the story. The sense of intrigue about the past was also well executed.

Overall: brilliant concept, great tension but lackluster pay off.

Maeve hasn't seen her cousin Andrea since the cult they were a part of as children was exposed and they were rescued. Now as an adult they reconnect but as the story builds things aren't as they seem.

Haunting, disturbing, dark, fast paced and screwed up... like really screwed up. The storyline is a bit predictable, which honestly doesn't bother me that much.. I don't mind predictability.. especially if the story was done well. A plot hole here and there but they didn't take away from the story in my opinion. I really couldn't put it down and found it to be unique and memorable. I won't forget it anytime soon. Did I mention it was disturbing at parts? I'll throw out some triggers at the end of the review. Overall well done and I look forward to reading more of Anne Heltzel's novels

𝘛𝘞: 𝘙𝘢𝘱𝘦, 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

Early on while reading I pretty much clocked a lot (but definitely not all) of where this book was going. I was disappointed by this and worried that it would make the rest of the book less enjoyable. However, the rest of the book is so creepy that it didn't matter.

This book is a veritable roller coaster of emotions. The first third had me sure I was reading a book that would make my top 5 of the year. The middle third hit a lull that made me think I would end up giving it 3 stars. Then the climax hits and holy forking shirt balls I was ready to smack anyone that dared interrupt my reading. So we are back up to 5 stars. I was 100% on board through the cringy and awkward dialogue and I was even willing to look past the two massive plot holes that for spoiler reasons I will not elaborate on. What ultimately made me decide on giving this 4 stars was the epilogue. It missed the mark and fell flat for me. I don't think it was the ending that the Maeve we come to know during every other page of the book would want for herself.

Wow…when I was told this was the best ending of all time I just knew I had to read it. Literally they weren't kidding. It literally bumped up my rating because of how good it was.

This is the year for creepy cults and I am here for it. They fascinate me. Its like a car accident I cant look away from. This one just happened to have scary dolls involved (no thanks) You never really find out all the ins and outs of the cult which I think made it a tad bit more chilling as it leaves you to infer what really happens within. This novel is full of triggers so beware going into it. If you are curious DM me.

I don’t want to give away too many spoilers because this is best read blind but it is very character driven. Told from alternating time lines and one POV it really helps keep the story engaging and moving along. I found the whole idea behind the cult terrifying. It is definitely a good book club book because there is a lot to discuss here and I find this is going to be something you either love or hate. This is my first novel by Anne Hetzel and she will definitely be one for me to watch for in the future.

*******Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

This an amazingly creepy book, that had me on the edge of my seat. I loved how we get two different timelines, the past of Maeve as a child living in the cult, which really adds to the creepy factor, and present day.

After she was seperated from her family as a young child, all Maeve has wanted to do is find her cousin Andrea.. They were extremly close as children and as an adult Maeve has an Andreas sized hole in her heart..

When they are finally reuited it feels like a new beginning for Maeve.. and it is, just not the kind she was hoping for. All these weird things start happening, but they are so small and easily thought of as just a coincidence, or just a reaction to something that happened in Andreas past.

Maeve has no idea what she is in for, and neither did I until the pieces started coming together... then your like okay I know where this is going and its NOT GOOD!! DONT TRUST ANYONE!! then we get an even bigger twist that had my jaw dropping..

I will absolutley be reading more from this author, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Handmaid's Tale meets The Stepford Wives with a dash of Rosemary's Baby.

As children, Maeve and her cousin, Andrea, were born into the cult 'The Mother Collective,' a commune with extremist views in regards to motherhood. Due to their upbringing, the two girls are inseparable and make a pact to never leave the other behind. But after a game of Bloody Mary goes wrong and Maeve leaves her cousin in the woods, a rift begins between them. Maeve ends up discovering a dark secret of the Mothers' and flees, taking the male child she found locked away with her but leaving Andrea behind.

As adults, Maeve unexpectedly matches DNA with Andrea and is shocked to find they both live in New York. Andrea's lifestyle is the polar opposite of Maeve's: successful, wealthy, and boasting a large social circle thanks to her career in the tech industry designing dolls for those grieving infertility and loss of a child. Being around Andrea brings to the surface memories of The Collective long forgotten and not everything is what it seems.

A fast paced and exhilarating thriller, Just Like Mother kept me on the edge of my seat. To elaborate at all on that shock of an ending or anything on the pages would take away from reading it first hand. Go in with little information. Anne Heltzel has become an author to watch for me.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the advance copy!

A tense and memorably creepy story. Heltzel makes the transition to adult fiction with great success.

This is one warped and weird tale that may not be for everyone.

It probably needs about a dozen content warnings and even then, I’m not sure you can adequately prepare someone for how disturbed it gets. I do NOT want to live in the author’s world.

The story is sharp and rather horrendously compelling. Time and again, I wanted our main character to just leave. I get why she doesn’t, but holy hell I’d walk away from there on bleeding feet in a blizzard in order to get away.

The characters are toxic, the situations a combination of horrifying and heartbreaking, and the book is a can’t-look-away sort of read.

This one may be a love it or hate it sort of read – I loved it.

• ARC via Net Galley

Just Like Mother is marketed as a modern gothic horror so I was excited to read this book with the super creepy cover. The plot reminded me very much of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Stepford Wives with a twist: cults, creepy dolls, a mysterious startup…it sounded promising.

While I admire the author’s writing style, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for the main character so it was hard to root for her and honestly, this book is not horror (which is what I was looking forward to reading). I also had so many questions that didn’t get answered at the end of the novel which is a big pet peeve of mine.

I do think this will appeal to many readers, particularly those just getting into thrillers and horror.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn’t finish this book, but in the end I am glad that I did. I loved the story concept behind the book. The idea of former child cult members being reunited in adulthood and walking through their shared history into an unknown future. It is a great idea, and I think that it was pulled off, almost.

In my opinion, this book lacked depth in the storyline. There were major events in the story that were not explored and explained to a level that drew me in. Major events were vaguely walked through and I was left wondering what was going on, rather than realizing how this event affected the narrator and the story.

Another issue that I had was simply believability. I read a lot of horror and I have no problem accepting monsters, murderers and mayhem, but there were places in this story where I felt that no one would respond this way to this event. Perhaps if there were more background explanation I would have felt differently.

The last issue for me was timing of events. A portion of this story takes place in the distant past, but much of the action takes place in the present. Throughout the book I was confused about what was going on only to discover after reading a little further that a significant period of time had passed since the last chapter.

As I said, I am glad that I finished the book. There were quite a few plot twists along the way, and the final reveal is unexpected and earned.

Thank you #netgalley and #tor nightfire for the opportunity to preview this book.

*4.5*

THIS. BOOK.

There has been a slew of cult-ish books this year but this one outshines them all. This is set after the cult has been disbanded which I think is a unique perspective. Most of the ones I’ve read have been either like a documentary style researching the cult or it’s a point of view of a cult member currently trying to get out. I think the view of the after shows the struggle for members to resume to a normal and even the PTSD that follows. The book doesn’t explain how it tempted members to join nor does it explain how it disbanded, it doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t feel like those answers are needed. I loved the commentary on motherhood and the discussion on how those of us that don’t want children are often viewed and lectured. I found one character in particular annoying, and I wanted to reach in and yell at, when you read you’ll know, but I thought the mix of characters fit for the story and the outcome of things. I ended up not liking one part in it, seemed like the book kind of just forgot about it and then later is like oh yeah let’s come full circle with that. The cover first intrigued me, and the cover is so spot on to capture the entire book and even now I look at it and just have memories of the book, love that. But THE ENDING. ::chef’s kiss::

Thank you to NetGalley and Nightfire for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twisty, suspenseful and absolutely horrific! This book took all my biggest fears about womanhood and intensified them to the max. I wish a few elements of the story were explored just a tad more, but all in all this is a new favorite horror novel. Woohoo!

Creepy. Cultish. Can't put it down. Last page reveal. Dolls. Family betrayals and loyalties.

This psychological thriller has so much horror, and will require a bunch of TWs: rape, child abuse, prenatal psychosis.

Fascinating read, but now I need to lay down

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

First and foremost, a big thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of Just Like Mother.

This thriller was quite engaging from the start and based on the description, it was just the book I was looking for. It starts off with two cousins, Maeve and Andrea, who have been raised by "mothers". We follow their journey in getting to know one another again as adults after being separated as young girls. As Maeve begins to learn more about her cousin and her true intentions in their relationship, it becomes the Gothic horror novel as promised. And this is where I have to stop! I can't say too much more without it being a major spoiler 🤷🏻‍♀️

I loved the plot and concept of the story, mostly because I'm a sucker for anything dark and twisted. However, I was distracted by the frustration I felt at Maeve. How could she not see some of the glaringly obvious moves Andrea would make?! Argh. Most plot twists were a bit on-the-nose, but the ending was *chef's kiss*

Lastly, I can't review without mentioning this book has some major trigger warnings (rape, sexual assault, etc.) and if you don't like graphic violence, this one's definitely not for you.

#goodreads #bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #arc #springreading #justlikemother

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcddW5qLJuV/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

Maeve escaped from a cult as a child, which was also the last time she saw her cousin Andrea. Now as an adult Andrea has come back into her life.

I knew this would be creepy because of the cover. My son was really mad about it; he hates old fashioned dolls. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on and what would go on, and I was right, but I still really enjoyed the story. It was entertaining for sure, and also really frustrating at times!

“There’s something special about people who have known each other their whole lives. We can all reinvent ourselves. But who we were as kids never really leaves us.”

Just Like Mother comes out 5/17.

I loved this. It was wild and messed up and kept me on the edge of my seat even when I was pretty sure I knew what was happening. I’m not a fan of pregnancy in stories and this book focuses a lot on pregnancy and being a mother, but the creepiness of the whole thing just kept me hooked. By the end, I felt like I had been through an emotional roller coaster and it was great. Trigger warnings for abortion talk, abuse, child loss, cults, gaslighting, infertility, murder, pregnancy/pregnancy talk, sexual harassment, rape.

Couldn’t put this crazy mind bending book down! If you want to read a true thriller this book hits the mark! Although I had it figured out I had to read right to the final page because it’s just that good. Highly recommend .