The only thing I can say is… why did I read this book so quickly!

Anne Heltzel is an author to keep your eye out for!

This story sucks you in from the very first page and doesn’t spit you out until you’ve been left shocked and wanting more.

There were moments of wanting to shake the book because of the rollercoaster ride that you’re on. Even if you could predict what was to come the author finesses it in such a way that has your jaw drop.

Everyone feels suspicious to you and I couldn’t help shake the eerie feeling.

The author did an incredible job creating this smart, well-written, page-turning thriller and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Wow, what a disturbing and creepy read! The many twists really kept the momentum of the story going. There were a few stomach churning scenes which aren't for the faint of heart. The ending was perfect.

I am sorry that I could not finish this book -- there was a trigger that showed up at the very beginning and it was a little too horrific to handle! I like horror, but am very touchy about child abuse. Thank you very much to the publisher and the writer for allowing me the opportunity to give this one a chance.

Please note: I am not a fan of the horror-genre and was accepted for this ARC prior to realizing what I'd requested. That being said, I worked my way through this = and enjoyed the experience.

This book is so twisty and intense, it made me regularly have to take breaks. That being said, the writing was superb, the plot overall was really well laid out, and the depth of the characters was apparent. Again, if I was a fan of horror, perhaps I would give this a 5 star, but as I'm not its a solid 4, and I would recommend it. Please note if you have issues surrounding motherhood = this book is ABSOLUTELY not for you. The cult aspects were fantastic and I enjoyed the glimpses we got into the past just after Maeve was adopted.

Thank you to the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for this ARC of Just Like Mother.

Just Like Mother is the type of horror that can be found behind any unsuspecting door, or flaunting itself wildly in front of everyone without a single bat of any watching eye.

Growing up amongst a cult, Maeve now lives a fairly normal life. She’s an editor for a book publisher, and while she’s single and childless at the age of 33, she’s okay with that. Ever since what happened on her 8th birthday though, Maeve has been searching desperately for her cousin, Andrea, until one day, after entering her DNA into a genealogy website years prior, a match appears, and suddenly, there she is. She almost can’t believe her luck. When they get together, it’s as though no time as passed between them.

As Maeve and Andrea reunite, Maeve begins to realize just how flawless Andrea’s life has been compared to hers. Feeling just a tad jealous of Andrea’s perfect life, Maeve is nothing but shocked when she asks her for the most personal thing ever, claiming that Maeve “owes her.” Refusing, Maeve begins to question this newfound relationship with Andrea, but when unforeseen and unexpected life changes occur, Maeve has nobody but Andrea to turn to.

I really enjoyed this fast paced horror novel. I wanted to see a bit more of the cult side of things though. There was never a clear reason for why they did what they did, and what their plans for Boy were going to be. As a mother myself, it was hard to imagine that women could be so callous and cruel, especially to their own children, but it really added that creep factor to the story.

If you’re looking for a new cult book, check out Just Like Mother, releasing May 17th!

TW: Rape, murder, cults, child abuse, death of a child, drug use, attempted suicide, attempted abortion.

Dark and creepy...cults...brought up in the system and just a wild creepy ride!!!

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book

There are not many thrillers that I wish I could read again with a fresh memory. Just Like Mother is one of them – with all the twist (even those I suspected would happen), I want to read and be surprised again! From the first chapter, I was fully in and could not put it down. Anne Heltzel is an author to watch out for, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
10/10 recommend picking this up when it is released.

Holy crow. This was one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read. I LOVED it.

I’ve been a horror fan all of my life. I’ve read, and watched, everything with Stephen King’s name even close to it. When I was 11 I watched the miniseries of “It” (yes, I’m old) and it freaked me out in a way that I’ve been chasing ever since.

Until now. It’s almost midnight and I can guarantee I won’t be able to sleep for a LONG time. That was honestly one of the most disturbing things I’ve read in a long time. Probably because many of the themes didn’t seem too far off from reality (reborn dolls, the way some women focus on motherhood like they can’t figure out why any woman wouldn’t want a child).

Thank you to NetGalley, Anne Heltzel, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Nightfire for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maeve grows up in a cult with her cousin Andrea, where a group of Mothers hold all the power, and being born male can be a death sentence. After they leave the cult behind, Maeve is adopted by a kind, older couple, while Andrea suffers through the foster system. As adults, they are connected by a DNA testing site. Maeve has a job where her hard work isn’t appreciated, few real friends, and she’s a casual relationship with bartender Ryan. Andrea, however, seems to have it all, she’s rich, successful, married, and has a well put together bestie. But there’s one thing Andrea doesn’t have, and only Maeve can give it to her.

JUST LIKE MOTHER was a bit bananas, and I was there for it. I liked the creepy cults, the disturbing dolls,and how the men were treated like fertile Ken dolls.

I felt for Maeve’s character even when I had to suspend disbelief at the forces that were at work behind the scenes. Like I said earlier, the book was bananas, but I kept turning pages even when things got a little hard to believe. I did like the resolution at the end of the story. And how elements mirrored events from Maeve’s time with the cult. The setting of Andrea’s big, old mansion that was built by a Freemasons added a great gothic feel to the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Nightfire, Tom Doherty Associates, and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Well, this one started with a bang! Two children, little girls, cousins, walk into the woods and one turns into something insane.

The last time Maeve saw her cousin Andrea was when she fled the weird cult they were being raised in. The police moved in pretty quick and arrested all of the ‘mothers’. And from there the girls’ lives took many different turns.

Maeve wants to forget. She has walls securely built and isn’t letting anyone in. And when Andrea finds her again, Maeve is conflicted but Andrea is the only family she has.

Andrea seems to have it all. The house in the Catskills, a perfect husband and a brand built on having babies. It’s almost cult-like followers are about as crazy as they come. And soon Maeve is bowing to the wishes of her cousin, and spending almost all of her time at her cousin’s house with a bunch of nuts.

All they talk about are babies. The only reason we exist. Helping women have babies is a noble cause but this is not that. As happy as Andrea seems, she can’t have the one thing she wants. A child. She expects Maeve to lend her an egg or two and that is when Maeve finds her spine and refuses.

The weirder things get, the more memories Maeve is finding. Of what their past was really like and what they hid behind locked doors. Will she make it out alive?

Talk about your scary reads! This was some seriously messed-up stuff that was going on in this book. And the ending was a bit shadowy.

NetGalley/May 17, 2022, Tor MacMillan Forge

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in.
Andrea suddenly reappears. Maeve regains the only friend she had. The more Maeve gets into Andrea's world
the more she feels disconnected from her life back in the city.
This book is a bit twisted and the ending is not what I expected.
Definitely a domestic thriller book. This book was a little creepy as well.
I enjoyed it.
Thanks to MacMillian Publishing Group, Netgalley, and the author in exchange for a review.
Publishing Date May 17th 2022.

Just Like Mother (Anne Heltzel) does some back and forth in time to give the reader the backstory for Maeve and her cousin Andrea. We learn about the strange upbringing they both had. After years apart they reconnect. Andrea seems to have a perfect life and wants Maeve to share her good fortune. I want to thank NetGalley and Tom Donerty Associates for an early copy to review.

4.5 stars rounded down to 4!

With so many different cult-themed thriller and horror books coming out in the past few years it really takes a special something to stand out from the rest of them, and this one definitely did that for me! The creepy cover immediately sucked me in and left me with that uncomfortable feeling of dread throughout. To get an idea of the vibes for this one, think handmaids tale meets an exclusive women's cult in the woods. A story about uncovering the dark secrets of ones past in order to prevent an even darker future. This one really kept me invested throughout the story and was so unique, it will definitely be one I think about for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an ARC!

Looking for a creepy book. This is one for you. Predictable and not in the same breathe. Believable I hope not.

Total creep fest! If you think the cover is creepy, wait til you finish Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel. It was quite obvious to me that Andrea's intentions for Maeve were not entirely pure, but at no point did I imagine just what those intentions actually were. And the animatronic babies ("But then, there was something real about her that it made me hurt.")?? No, thanks! It's easy to understand why Maeve felt so lonely and longed for "family", and why she felt guilty for her part in Andrea's past. And easy to see how Andrea manipulates her using these feelings. Compulsively readable, and highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the DRC.

DNF @~39%

This just wasn't a book for me. I've been slowly reading this book for weeks now with no real desire to ever pick it up, and I prefer my horror/thriller to hook me from the beginning. I did like the writing and the way the characters were built up, but I needed more intrigue.

Wow, wow, wow! What a deliciously dark and creepy read! A well written horror story, that will likely creep you out or scare the hell out of you! Intense, enthralling, and unputdownable!! Fast paced, with flawless characters, making it impossible to put down! Absolutely cannot recommend this creepy read enough!

An excellent read!! I was hooked from the beginning. I feel like this story would appeal to so many people, and I can't wait to recommend it. A perfectly creepy, horrifying, tale with believable characters. And the ending was awesome.

Well, this just became my favorite horror book of 2022. I'm going to try to summarize my feelings in this review but let me just start with this- pick. this. book. up.

Just Like Mother from start to finish is truly horrifying. The story follows Maeve and Andrea- cousins in a cult called the mother collective, that is until Maeve escapes. Fast forward years later and Maeve finds Andrea through a DNA website, and gets back in touch with her cousin, and wants her once best friend back in her life.

What follows is a rollercoaster of mind blowing, nerve biting, series of events. There were moments that just made my skin crawl, or I was literally yelling at Maeve, or I was trying to figure out what was really happening.

Heltzel writes expertly, breathing life into her characters. This book will stay long with the reader after, and if you are looking for a scary as hell horror, buy this now.

Five stars.

Where do I even start! Just Like Mother was an intense psychological thriller that messed with my head with the turn of every page. This book focused on the past and present of Maeve, a girl who survived a cult as a child and is reunited with her long lost cousin after years apart, but can they rebuild their relationship or will their past be a permanent wedge between them! Nothing is as it seems in this book and once you start you won’t be able to put it down until you finally know the truth behind the smiles and secrets. The author brilliantly developed the characters in such a way that you don’t know who to like or trust! Like I said this book messed with my head because even though I had my suspicions, the way the story is written you do nothing but question everything, even yourself! High recommend this book, but definitely check TW’s prior to reading as some scenes may not be for everyone!