⚠️TW for rape, pregnancy, loss of a child, violence, death and murder.

This book was such a trip! Told mostly in the present with some flashbacks to Maeve’s upbringing in the cult, Mother Collective, and afterward, this is a tale of broken trust, loss and a woman’s place in the world. Maeve is a little naive at times (cue me shouting, “Girl are you dumb?!”) but it makes sense given her history. It quickly becomes clear that Maeve can’t trust anyone—sometimes not even herself. The stakes kept climbing, and I got more and more unsettled.

I thought the book was a fascinating take on the figurative “cult of motherhood” that even women in today’s “progressive” and “feminist” society cannot escape from. If the brainwashed women weren’t enough, there’s a host of creepy AI baby dolls to totally skeev you out.

There were a few loose ends I wish had been wrapped up by the end, but overall I thought the story progressed well and the message rang loud and clear.

When Maeve escaped the cult, she left behind her cousin Andrea. Many years later Andrea showed up out of the blue after a DNA test brings them back into each other’s life.
This book started out strong and I love the parts set during the main character’s time in the cult, but the surprise twist at the end was obvious. I went into this book hoping for a story on a woman escaping a cult but, it was not as big part as I was expecting. The characters did not feel realistic and there was a lot of unnecessary parts that could have been cut from this book. I really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t.

This cult centric book will creep you out in parts!

Maeve and Andrea are cousins and are saved from the Mother Collective cult when they are around 8 and 11 respectively. They lost track of one another for several years until a DNA website connects them again.

This book just has this whole creepy vibe to it.
I guessed several things before they came out but it made me even more fascinated with all the moving parts found in here. I felt Maeve was so naive through most of her interactions with Andrea, but felt she finally was able to stand up for herself in the end

There are some parts that just disturbed me but they also kept me in the edge of my seat.

This book is wild. If you find creepy cults, the dark side of motherhood, and the manipulation of the phrase “girl power” to be interesting, then you’ll want to check this one out.

Every page provides and unsettling ominous feeling. Flashbacks to the past slowly unravel the horror that young Maeve went through as a child, and parallel with the present.

I was glued to the pages from start to finish and had to discover where it would go. What an ending!

This story includes some really terrible things, so a trigger warning for child abuse, child death, traumatic birth, and rape are necessary.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

“Just Like Mother” was one of the creepiest thrillers I’ve read in a while (which is absolutely a compliment). Though predictable and overly reliant on the trope of the ‘mildly obtuse protagonist’, its central themes of motherhood, survival, and cults sucked me in immediately. Chapters oscillate from the present to the past, all told from the perspective of Maeve, the protagonist and survival of a motherhood-centric cult, and ends with a creepy, goosebump-inducing final line.

Overall well-paced, with disturbing parallels to real-life conversations around pregnancy and womanhood. Kind of spins out at the end from a small cult to a global conspiracy, which seems too grand for me, as it was a sudden turn.

A great read for you if you liked “The Push” by Ashley Audrain or “Blue Ticket” by Sophie Mackintosh!

JUST LIKE MOTHER turns the role of women in society upside down. The function of the Mother Collective is to bear children, particularly female children. It demands that men be subservient and serve a single purpose. As women seek bodily autonomy in today's world, the Mother cult would deny a woman's right to choose.

This is a particularly difficult book to review without going down the spoilers' rabbit hole. I will say that there are passages that will make your skin crawl. As you read, it seems that there are more questions than answers, so you turn pages long into the night to get to the bottom of this speculative tale that seems so very real. Set in our world of Facebook and Twitter, it feels too close to ignore.

JUST LIKE MOTHER is one of the darkest novels I've read.

Just Like Mother, the debut novel by Anne Heltzel is outstanding! After escaping a cult in the wilderness of Vermont as a child, Brooklyn-dwelling, single, childless book editor Maeve is reunited with her long lost cousin Andrea, the only person she ever loved and only connection to her past. In the spirit of reconnecting with her family, Maeve falls down the rabbit hole of Andrea's new life, which includes a sprawling estate, a successful business venture, her beautiful best friend, Emily, and the comforts her own life lacks. But as you might be able to guess, all is not what it seems with Andrea....

Throughout the twists and turns the plot takes, the dread that built up while I was reading it (and therefore unable to put down) had me feeling the equivalent of yelling at the TV when the killer's victim is running up the stairs instead of out the door and it kept me up past my bedtime. As a child-free woman in her 30s, not that unlike our narrator, I found myself thinking "yes I have felt this exact same way" throughout the novel. Anne Heltzel's novel distills the cult of mommy culture (of which not all moms are members, OBV) and the expectation of women to "fulfill their duty" to become a mom into a scary, tense work of fiction.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions on the book. I can't wait for everyone to read it and would recommend to fans of The Push and Rosemary's Baby.

What a wild ride this book is to read. As a child Maeve escapes from the Mothers cult she grew up in leaving her cousin Andrea behind. As an adult she reconnects with Andrea and soon becomes enmeshed into her world. Suddenly Maeve’s world starts falling apart forcing her to rely more and more on Andrea until she realizes her cousin isn’t all she seems. This book had some many good twists and moments that just creeped me out that I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre : domestic thriller
Whewwww, this one is a doozy. It definitely kept me sucked in to the end.
The last time Maeve saw her cousin Andrea was when she was eight years old & exposed the cult they were living in. They were both thrown into foster care, and hadn’t seen each other again. Years later, a DNA website brings them back together. Maeve soon realizes though, as desperate as she is for her cousins love, they really couldn’t be more different.
This one has ALL the creepy cult vibes. It’s a wild, twisted ride, so buckle in.
Thanks so much to @Netgalley & Anne Heltzel
Look for this one out May 17th!

'Men aren't like us . . ."

Maeve and her cousin Andrea were raised in a bizarre cult that "celebrated womanhood only as it pertained to a working uterus." Luckily they escaped, and the cult was disbanded . . . or was it?

This chiller is filled with characters playing manipulative mind games, and worse . . . far, far worse. I'd probably classify it as psychological suspense with horror undertones, and you should proceed with caution if violence bothers you.

The main character's naivete can be frustrating, as you can see what's coming a mile away, but it takes her hundreds of pages to catch on. But, then again, why would she ever dream that . . . Ooops! I can't say anymore.

Yeah, the whole thing was pretty far-fetched, but I sure enjoyed the ride.

From about the middle of 2017 until early 2021, I joined a cult on the dark web specifically to research a series of novella’s I was writing. It’s interesting, now, to look back on that time and see that parts of what I was involved in and engaged with have irreversible changed me. One such change, that I don’t mind publically sharing, is that it has made me more hyper-on guard when reading cult based books about the characters and periphery characters. Bit players often have more power than you’d expect and in fiction, this can often result in maddening results. It can also create issues where something that happens, the reader may think “no chance that’d really happen,” when, in the context of said cult hierarchy, it makes perfect sense.
This leads me to Anne Heltzel’s ‘Just Like Mother.’ I was intrigued by the synopsis, of two cousins who’ve escaped their life in a cult only to reconnect years later. How would they have changed? Been affected? Reconcile their now with their then?
What I liked: The story itself is intriguing and the main bits that I took from it made me long for the entirety of the novel to have been like that. Maeve is a struggling editor, Andrea, a successful CEO/life coach of a thriving wellness business. Both were rescued from the Mother Collective Cult.
I really enjoyed seeing the lengths Maeve had went in trying to track down Andrea. It was great seeing them reconnect and being able to feel, even through the pages, the extra bit of energy that this reconnection gave to Maeve.
As the story unfolds, I enjoyed seeing Maeve stick to her guns about her life decisions and what she wanted in life. Often times this can be something that we’ll see pushed aside easy enough in fiction, so that characters can stay together, but Maeve had her heels dug in and it really strengthened her as a character.
Lastly, there is a good section discussing post-partum depression and how to cope and move on from the loss of a little one and I think that’ll really connect with many readers. Heltzel does a great job of handling this tough subject with grace.
What I didn’t like: For me, personally, this book fell flat because I simply detested every character, even Maeve. None of them came off as likeable or root-able, and honestly, it felt more like I was reading a novel targeted for people who enjoy The Real Housewives Series than anything. The women were incredibly catty and snotty, the men were ho-hum and, while ultimately it was part of the Mother Collective mantra, their diminished personalities resulted in them being ridiculous set pieces.
Lastly, as I mentioned before, the general idea of this was a solid one, but the length killed the momentum. We had a lot of repetitive instances, especially with the dolls (that seemed like an odd add in and didn’t move the plot in the least) and the continued back and forth between characters saying women needed to have kids and others saying they didn’t. I think this one would’ve hit home more for me or been more effective if it had been a novella in length.
Why you should buy this: The reality of it, is that this book just failed to launch for me. I really enjoyed the complexity of the cult aspect wrapped into it, but the characters just didn’t do it for me and the “random events” didn’t seem random at all, so I wasn’t caught off guard by a single one.
For those who’re looking for a dark read, you’ll find this goes to some deep recesses of people’s minds and you’ll really enjoy seeing the chess game that Heltzel has crafted play out.
For me, it was a miss.

**This review will feature on Kendall Reviews**

Maeve and Andrea are cousins who were raised in the Mother Collective, until Maeve escaped and lost touch with Andrea for 20 years. After a DNA ancestry site reunites them, Andrea re-enters Maeve's life, in a blaze of wealth and privilege and creepy AF infant robot dolls that threatens to consume Maeve's entire identity.

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I loved the cover of this book. I love a cult story. I love DNA sites reuniting long-lost family members (especially after escaping a cult)! This book had a lot of potential, but Maeve was just so very, very, very dumb that the way the plot unfolded felt forced and super predictable. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, but I didn't love it.

I finished this book in less than 24 hours. I found it hard to put down at times. Maeve escaped a cult when she was 8 years old, and she’s troubled as an adult. She can’t trust anyone or let anyone in. She reconnects with her cousin and it’s a fun ride from there.

This book was amazing, creepy, it even had my heart racing at times. There could be triggers in here for sensitive readers. This book isn’t for the faint of heart. I was so happy to get an advanced copy of it. The cover drew me into it. It’s very creepy, yet eye catching.

The dolls in the book creeped me out. I wish there was a bit more about them in the book, even though the freaked me out and dolls don’t freak me out, but these fictional dolls were something else…

The book goes between the past when Maeve was in the cult and the present as she is a 33 year old woman. I did relate to her a lot as I have anxiety too. So I liked her character. This book made me think and made me not want to trust anyone. There are twists in this book and that ending… I didn’t see it coming. I really enjoyed it and I will be buying a hard copy of it when it releases!

I would recommend it to anyone who likes books that are creepy. Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy #justlikemother

I knew that I had to read this book the moment I saw the creepy doll on the cover. This book definitely delivers on all things creepy. Crazy cult. Check. Creepy dolls. Check. Psychobitches. Check.

Maeve hasn’t seen her cousin Andrea since the night she escaped the all-female cult The Mother Collective. Whilst Maeve is still dealing with the aftermath of the cult, Andrea seems to be doing amazing and has a multi-million dollar home and enterprise.

Throughout the book, you can’t help but feel this increasing sense of dread and you begin to notice that the book is a cross between Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives. Personally, this book is one wild ride and I enjoyed every crazy second of it.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves twisty cult stories that don’t focus on a cult led by a man and if motherhood has ever terrified you. You will find this read absolutely unsettling!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Received this book I’m exchange for review!

Wow. I devoured this one In a matter of hours. A psychological thriller where both you and the main character know something isn’t quite right but you can’t really piece it together until the end. It was SO good. The distorted feminist horror just kept me on the hook from the start

I loved the writing. The author did an amazing job of keeping you almost exclusively in the main characters brain, while providing just enough other tidbits where you think “oh no…don’t do that…”

I’ve already recommended this to multiple friends.

by far one of the most unsettling books I've read this year! I literally could not put it down and read it cover to cover in a few hours. the plot unfolds in the creepiest way and I think horror fans will LOVE this.

This book was amazing! It was creepy and kept you turning the page, in the most delightful way.

It was about a womens cult and the power that drags you back into it, even after Maeve got out

A chilling read, well on the creepy side. Maeve and her cousin, Andrea, were both raised in a matriarchal cult. After being rescued, the girls are split up. Maeve goes on to lead a wonderful life. She is married and is a successful editor but she longs to find Andrea. A DNA test brings the cousins together again but Maeve finds out that Andrea isn’t quite what she seems. Just Like Mother takes the reader on a wild ride from start to finish. It’s a book that will stay with you long after the last creepy words.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

5/5 Stars

This review is spoiler free!

Wow. This book was amazing.

Creepy, horrifying, twisted. Anne Heltzel is an author to watch for sure. This novel is just as creepy as it's cover. Know going into it that this is not a book to read lightly. It is a graphic, terrifying, and gripping read. But wow is it good.

Just Like Mother tells the story of Maeve, who spent her earliest years raised in a compound of the cult the Mother Collective, a terrifying Matriarchal cult. Now in her early thirties, Maeve has spent her years trying to find her cousin, Andrea, who she hasn't seen since she was rescued from the cult as a young child. When she finds Andrea through a DNA test, she seems to have her whole life together. She's married, a successful CEO, and all around seems to have made an amazing life for herself despite the horrible situation they both grew up in.

However, Maeve quickly realizes there's something off with her cousin, her cousin's friends, and her charmed life. And yes. Yes there are lots and lots of creepy baby dolls.

I cannot recommend this book enough, and I can't wait for Anne Heltzel's next novels!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

What a wild ride this book was. It was absolutely fantastic. From the opening scene to the end, it was riveting. Ominous and creepy, the story definitely matches the cover perfectly. I didn’t know much going into the book and I found that was the best way to read this. Maeve and Andrea, long separated cousins, meet again and Maeve is slowly pulled into Andrea’s world with dark and creepy ramifications. This book pulled me in from the very creepy opening and left me reeling at the end. Absolutely well done. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.