An all woman cult, the Mothers, that focuses on women empowerment and teaches that men are lesser than. And getting pregnant is your main purpose in live. But Maeve escaped when she got adopted by Patty and Tom. Maeve never stopped looking for her cousin who was like her best friend. Now two decades later, Maeve is a editor in New York and meets her cousin on a ancestry site. But seeing her cousin bring up bad memories of their childhood. After spending time with her, she asks Maeve for a huge favor, and Maeve slowly becomes disconnected to her New York life. Little does she know- her nightmare had her to come

I loved this novel! It was so well written and I loved the plot. I had my husband speechless after I told him to give me a minute because this books too intriguing. The characters were so well thought out, just like the plot. The only reason I gave it a four is because I did see part of what went down with Andrea (the cousin), coming from very early on. But overall this was a phenomenal book!

This is a disturbing book, a creepy book mixed in with a story of the healing of a young girl who escaped the cult of Mothers that she grew up in. She is thrilled to find the cousin, her best friend from the cult that she grew up with. Getting immersed in her newly discovered family, she starts realizing things are not right .Very absorbing, thought provoking story

I will round this to more of a 3.5 star. It was a 2.5 star book until the last few pages. Talk about a spine chilling twist. The pace of this book was just a little slow. The premise and the idea was so clever, I think execution could of been better. I didn’t love the characters as well, and found them boring a lackluster. This was my first novel from this author. I wanted to love the more, just wish the start was as good as the finish.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maeve grew up in a cult with her cousin where she lived with lots of Mothers. She finally got away, and now been living a dull uninspired life in her mid age. She suddenly reunited with her cousin who's all empowered, rich, and glamourous. She is so happy to be basking in her cousin's attention, but then tragic started happening around her. Who is her cousin and does she even know her anymore?

The last epilogue is downright chilling.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
I am not even sure how to start this.

Just like mother is a decent ride.

When it comes to books like this I do not get easily rattled and most times I can guess what happens next. I did know what will happen next in this book because, well It reminded me of a few movies combined. Books like this have been done before, same with movies and due to my age. It gets repetitive and cliche.

It is a "fast" read, but for me, it was predictable including the ending.

Although often heavy-handed and too obvious to be considered nuanced or even unpredictable, this horror novel about forced motherhood, rape, and torture is still plenty disturbing.

So good I feel reduced to cliches. Roller coaster ride. Thrill a minute. Compulsively readable. Twisty. Just so good. The narrative asks a lot of questions and questions a lot; about motherhood, agency, family, trust. Just really fantastic. Creepy. Chilling. Kept me up late and I couldn’t put it down. Just adding cliches, can’t stop.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is somewhere between thriller and horror genres and a wildly entertaining ride that does a fantastic job slowly building tension from slightly creepy to WTF horrific. The protagonist, Maeve, was raised in an all woman cult that is aggressively anti-men until she's 7 and they are raided by the police and Maeve rescued and eventually adopted. As an adult she's lonely and full of guilt for causing the cult to fall apart, when an online genetic database reconnects her with her cousin, Andrea and she's swept up into her glamorous new life. It features creepy baby dolls, domineering girlbosses with stepford husbands, and a cult eager to reclaim Maeve whether she wants to be or not.

I read this on my lunch break over the course of three days. When I finished I eyed every woman with suspicion - this book gave me the heebie geebies (in a good way). The plot was a slow boil with an eruption at the end that sent a chill down my spine. This is how a good thriller should be. VERY appreciative of Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 17, 2022
*infertility, child loss, S&M sex and rape featured*
Anne Heltzel’s new novel, “Just Like Mother” is creepy and twisted, and reminded me of “The Handmaid’s Tale” (in reverse).
Maeve hasn’t seen her cousin Andrea in years, ever since she fled the matriarchal cult they were both living in. Now, many years later, Andrea reaches out and, desperate for reconnection and to make amends, Maeve agrees to meet. Andrea is now the super successful head of a tech company, married to her doting husband, Rob, and living in a huge mansion. When Maeve’s life starts to fall apart, Andrea takes her in, no questions asked. However, Maeve quickly realizes that Andrea is not the person she claims to be, and that she is keeping deep, dark, perverse secrets that she will go to any length to protect.
“Mother” is told from the perspective of Maeve, both in present day and in the past, when she was living with Andrea, in fear and wary of men, being raised entirely by a group of females who identified themselves as “Mothers”. Maeve’s childhood recollection of her time spent in the cult was eerie, and when she casually referred to the females in her life based on their identifying marks (“Mother with the blond hair”, “mother with the lazy eye”), it sent chills up my spine. Immediately, I empathized with young Maeve and her compatriots, who lived a life so far from normal it was both disturbing and terrifying.
I could not put this novel down, and each page was more engaging than the last. When Andrea and Maeve reconnected as adults, it was bittersweet and emotional, and yet there were hints that something was “off” about the successful Andrea and her followers. “Mothers” builds the tension from the first page, and when the ending comes, it is unexpected and tense, leaving the reader in a state of shock.
“Mother” is Heltzel’s third novel, but it is the first novel I’ve read by her. If this is any indication of her level of creativity and writing prowess, I am not going to let another one of her novels slip by. I loved everything about this utterly haunting, cult novel, which turns the idea of feminism on its head, revealing a deeply disturbing dark side to femininity and reproduction.

This story switches from past and present timelines and follows Maeve who at 8 years old escaped a cult known as "Mother Collective." Now at 33, she lives a mundane life in NYC and is looking to reconnect with her cousin Andrea whom she lost in the raid bust 25 years ago. When she finds her cousin she discovers she's a successful CEO of a business devoted to the importance of motherhood. After Maeve starts to experience a streak of bad luck, she seeks refuge in Andrea's isolated gothic mansion where she begins to question her cousin and her friends behavior...

I love the premise of a creepy motherhood cult and the use of realistic robotic baby dolls. It's a fascinating idea but unfortunately, nothing came as a suprise. I already knew where the story was leading based on how it was set up and because of that every reveal was predictable. It was just a matter of waiting until our MC figures it out. That's not to say there weren't some creepy and strange moments that had me shudder. I just wish we got more of a background on what the cult was like instead of just vague flashbacks, it would have answered so many questions for me. While this may not be a favorite of 2022, it was still decent enough to enjoy.

If you're looking for a psychological thriller that features a naive main character with some suspense, and light descriptions of a cult, then you may enjoy this. Bonus if you like creepy doll head covers!

CW: Child death, miscarriage, graphic sex, self-harm, rape, delivery room trauma.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and the author for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a ride. The tension starts at the beginning with a disturbing opening where we first learn about the Mother Collective, the cult that Maeve and Andrea were born in to. We get glimpses of Maeve’s life in the cult throughout the book, but I wish the story delved deeper into the workings of that cult. It seemed so intriguing, I want the juicy details! It would’ve helped add even more tension throughout. Although I could totally see where the plot was going, the suspense of the narrative as well as the cast of characters kept me hooked right up to the last page.

The themes were just a bit heavy-handed, which may have contributed to the predictability of the plot, but even so I’m down for tongue in cheek social commentary. The author also recognized, perhaps a bit fleetingly, the singular focus on ciswomen within this conversation of motherhood between certain characters.

The characters in this book fell into one of two categories for me: I either totally loved them, or loved to hate them. The ones I hated were just as well rounded and compelling as the ones I liked. Not one character was the same at the end as they were from the start.

Before I picked up this title, I saw a lot of reviews specifically calling out the ending with praise. And boy are they spot on. It’s not often the final lines of a book leave me with a feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I honestly did not expect to like this as much as I did. I would classify this as a psychological thriller with a splash of horror, and would recommend this to any thriller fan who doesn’t mind a bit of gore.

I would definitely recommend this book! I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t wait for the conclusion. Will definitely be making sure my store stocks this as a New Release. Not sure I’d classify this as horror… although it had a bit of a Rosemary’s Baby vibe. More of a psychological thriller feel to it for me…which I love! Also i love the cover…big thumbs up there!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for sending me an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I loved almost everything about this book. The atmosphere, the intrigue, the suspense! All in all this book was a fun cult-filled ride.

So why not give it 5 stars? Despite Just Like Mothers many positives, I didn't enjoy any of the characters. The protagonist, Maeve, specifically suffered from an extreme case of naivete that was less than believable and a little cringe-worthy at times. It makes sense as her blind trust in the strange people thrusting themselves into her life was what the entire plot seemed to be relying on in order to move forward, but it was tedious to say the least.

However I still enjoyed the plot itself, and the dread inducing atmosphere it created.

This book was so atmospheric and creepy! This would be a perfect Halloween or Fall read. Literally, I had nightmares for days. The writing style was unique and engaging. I will be checking out more from this author in the future. This was a spooky heebie jeebie cover pick and I am so glad I did!!!

I wanted to like this book. The premise is unique. The book started off with a very interesting lead character. However, there were so many gaping plot holes and the story ultimately did not make much sense. By the end, my suspension of disbelief was completely gone. The villains in the are not scary at all, just a little. silly. The only saving grace is that this book is an easy read. However, I found myself skimming through the last 1/3 of the book since the story completely derailed into nonsense-land. This book was labeled as horror but that's not really accurate, I would call it more of a thriller.

This title was featured in the January 2022 issue of Fangoria magazine. Please reach out to the reviewer directly.

Wow, this was pretty good. It built up a great eerie feel overall. A few spots were a little cringy but worth it.
A lot of creepiness to it also.
I will say though it starts out a lot better than it ends. It ends fine but I was hoping for something a little better with the ending. The beginning is very strong.
Sometimes its the journey that counts.

"Just Like Mother" is a fast-paced thriller with an exceptional ending.
Maeve spent her early life in a women-led cult centered on the idea of motherhood. Then she runs away on her eighth birthday, leading to the discovery of the cult and Maeve is eventually adopted. However, she carries the guilt of leaving her cousin, Andrea, behind. Now in her 30s, Maeve reconnects with her cousin and she thinks she's found the family she always wanted. Andrea, who is now the head of a women-centric coaching business, welcomes her cousin into her privileged life after Maeve's own seemingly falls apart. Andrea is fixated on the idea of motherhood and makes a proposition to her cousin that Maeve simply won't entertain, but Andrea will go to extreme lengths to achieve her dream.
Author Anne Heltzer establishes the premise expertly and then lets the story unfold in such an intriguing way. The twist alone makes this one worth the read.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
4/5

Anne Heltzel’s “Just Like Mother” follows two timelines: Maeve as a child, living in the confines of a women-led cult - and Maeve as an adult, still recovering from the trauma of her past. When her cousin comes back into her life, she’s forced to relive a lot of that trauma - but when your childhood is such a big part of your adult life, the past doesn’t always stay in the past...

This was such a breath of fresh air for me in the horror genre. You have cults, an untrustworthy cast who are all child-obsessed, creepy baby dolls, and so much chaos. It’s the perfect concoction for an incredible story - I FLEW through this, so needless to say, it’s a very fast read. Heltzel’s flashback scenes are also some of the best in the book, and I’m usually the type of reader who sees flashbacks as a means to an end.

“Just Like Mother” comes out on May 17th - so preorder yours soon! Thank you Tor/Forge + Netgalley for the advance copy!

Content warnings for: self harm, child/infant death, blood, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual abuse.