i'm not entirely sure how i feel about this one. i'm stuck between 2 + 3 stars. i loved the description & cover but nothing matched what i was expecting. it took awhile for me to get into, then i understood where it was going and just felt extremely uncomfortable. this story gave me the weirdest vibes & i usually don't get that way... my main genre choice is the weirdest & messed up books around.

i was hoping the story would revolve more around the cult aspect but it doesn't really, at all. then the ending really did me in.

not exactly recommending, but i'd definitely consider trying out another book written by this author.

thank you netgalley & tor nightfire for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: This book references unsafe sexual situations and sexual abuse.

Reading this book felt like I was being trolled by the author. "They like cults, right? And creepy dolls? And really raunchy sex? And violence? And weird pseudo feminism? and Murder! Of course Murder!!" It's a buzz word soup of total nonsense. There is nothing thrilling about this thriller, the characters are flat and uninteresting, the "cousins" who escape the Mother Cult decide never to speak about it (and thus we never actually learn much about the cult itself, just vague references to how bad it was.) The Cult is about Mothers who have Girls because Boys are bad, and only used for procreating. So womanhood is powerful, but defined by having babies, and if you're not having babies in this cult, you're gonna get murdered or impregnated. And somewhere in here there are creepy dolls used for therapy. I hated all of it, and I read it to the very end so that you wouldn't have to. It doesn't get better, and yes, the sex scenes are gratuitous, problematic, and verging on incredibly bad literotica. What did this novel want to be? And how did it get here?

I thought this book was just ok pretty much throughout the whole thing until the end. I really enjoyed the ending and the slight twist that it had.

Maeve and her cousin Andrea were part of a cult. They escaped when they were little and haven’t seen each other since. Years later, Maeve is living in New York City. She has a great job and really worked hard to rebuild her life.

Maeve reconnects with Andrea and is overjoyed to be with her again. She soon starts spending time at Andrea’s mansion in the Catskills. Andrea has made tons of money with her fertility company. She and her friends disagree with Maeve’s single, childless life.

The more time Maeve spends with her cousin, the more she feels so something isn’t right. Is history about to repeat itself?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher,Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maeve was eight years old when she last saw her eleven-year-old cousin Andrea. They were raised in a cult, and I am not sure if I have ever heard of a nice cult, but this was not it. If you are looking for an opening chapter that will have your eyes glued to the pages, while you try and see what might be behind you, this is that book.
Maeve was adopted by a wonderful couple, but her bizarre early years make it difficult if not impossible for her to ever feel like she belongs. She is an editor now, but when she isn't at work, she spends most of her time alone. The one thing she has never stopped doing is trying to find Andrea.
When Andrea reaches out to her, she can hardly believe it. Finally, she won't be all alone and will have someone she not only loves but someone who understands their shared childhood. But the road to this reunion is rampant with potholes. While Maeve has struggled to trust people, Andrea is living a charmed life. A successful company, a doting husband, a beautiful country mansion, and now she is so happy to have Maeve back in her life.
Andrea and her husband Rob welcome Maeve into their home and life with open arms. The only downside for Maeve is that she soon loses the few things that tie her to her life in the city, and she starts spending all of her time at Andrea's remote Catskill mansion. Which BTW is beautiful on one hand and rather creepy on the other. And can we talk about that doll on the cover? It is Andrea's pride and joy, Olivia, designed to help women become better mothers. If the picture filled you with dread, just wait until the corporate mission becomes clear.
Maeve has no idea what she has gotten herself into and it becomes apparent she might not be able to Get Out! Did I have my suspicions about what was going on? Why yes, I did. And were they accurate? Why yes, they were. But there was still so much more lurking in the dark corners that I most certainly did not see coming. I realize I haven't touched on the plot, but that way lies spoilers and I think it’s best to go into this book with as little knowledge as possible. I will say that my mouth was hanging wide open after the final reveal.

“Just Like Mother” is a new read by Anne Heltzel, new author to this reader. Not sure what I was thinking but I really don’t do horror or scifi-fantasy with novels, however the story description was intriguing and attracted my interest. To say this is a frightening novel is an understatement. Such and amazing book and hard to put it down. It was horrific and a bit unsettling for my taste but not a disappointment. However, there are some triggers (rape/sexual assault, suicide, child abuse) that made me a bit uncomfortable. Ms. Heltzel has a well-written story that has plots and plenty of twists that kept me guessing until the very end. As this type of genre…meaning horror is not up my alley, it was an exciting read but not sure if I will venture into this type of read again. Recommend if this is you cup of tea. 😊 3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I reviewed expecting a potential spooky Halloween book but it was well beyond creepy! In that it reflected the oppression of women and what we might do in the extreme case. Right from the beginning when we meet the Mothers, I was intrigued, terrified and dreaded what might happen. Girl children are worth everything. Tied with the continuation of the cult and its world-wide promotion via conditioning training of women with therapy doll Olivia. I read it in one setting because I just had to know what was going on. If you want a book that a) keeps your attention; b) is haunting; and c) has some depth—this fits the criteria. You won’t want to put it down and you may start thinking twice about dolls that look realistic!

The saying “motherhood is a cult” is taken literally in this story. I like it well enough. It got a bit predictable, but the story-telling is good enough to keep it entertaining.
Some parts felt rushed, so I can’t give it 5 stars, but I would definitely recommend it!

In Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel, we follow Maeve and Andrea, cousins who escaped the Mother Collective Cult. They are both adopted out separately and lose contact. They eventually find each other through a DNA test and connect. Maeve is struggling as an editor and Andrea seems well off as a CEO of a self established business based on motherhood, of course.
I could see where this was going right away. I thought that the story would be more focused on the cult, but Andrea nips that in the bud immediately upon meeting up with Maeve, telling her she does not want to talk about their past at all.
The writing was very dialogue heavy with a lot of drama which was distracting for me. I was bored through most of the first half of the book. The characters are unlikeable and annoying.
I felt that some parts were written well and others were too descriptive and/or redundant. The plot was super slow and convoluted which made me dread reading this particular book. The events became more and more unrealistic as the story went on. I might add that the very end of the epilogue was creepy and clever.
Overall, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have always been interested in books regarding cults and this one was everything I could ask for. It was perfectly paced and so intracately told in a way that kept me intrigued throughout. If you want a good, creepy read then this is your book.

Ooooh this was creepy and I liked it. Granted there were a few times I had to suspend my disbelief to really enjoy the story, however that has never been an issue for me. I know some readers struggle with that.

This book has so much drama that people are bound to have quite a few opinions to discuss it. The prologue was completely weird, it made me think what was I even getting into. It starts off with a regular day in cult based on motherhood, where seven year old Maeve runs away from the cult. Now as 30 something, she is shocked to connect with Andrea who is her cousin and also had shared experiences a cult member during childhood. Maeve is struggling in her life both personally and professionally but Andreas seems to have been extremely successful.

With her difficult circumstances, she ends staying at Andrea's creepy mansion for a bit where things kept getting weirder day by day. I could sense right away that Andrea had entered Maeve's life with a specific agenda and is going to leave no stone unturned which leads to few deaths even. I couldn't believe how stupid Maeve was as she kept falling into Andrea's trap again and again. It was frustrating to see her trusting like an idiot and not get out of that place. Only at the end, Maeve decides enough is enough and plans up but she is too late as the cult has other plans already. I liked the ending but it was like watching a car crash when reading everything Maeve did. And there were creepy dolls that was so sickening to read but thankfully that was not a major part.

Totally binge-worth thriller with cult drama included.

Trigger Warnings: Loss of child, sexual assault, toxic relationship, heralding motherhood

3.25 – 3.5 STARS

Delving between the pages of “Just Like Mother,” I braced myself for what I anticipated to be one terrifying and disturbing ride! Creepy, though it is, it ultimately fell short of my hopeful expectations. Despite its promising start, I struggled to remain engaged, as I was able to anticipate what was to come every step of the way. Hence, it lacked the suspense element that I so desperately wanted. Add to the mix the backstory holes and unlikeable characteristics of many of the players, and “Just Like Mother” went from what could have been a really great read to one that was merely good. That said, I had no issue with the author’s writing or with the overall premise. I didn’t even mind stretching reality just a bit. The story simply failed to tick off all my personal boxes when it comes to creepy thrillers.

It has been a long time since I’ve started a book in the morning, and finished it by bedtime. That’s what happened to me with Just Like Mother, by Anne Heltzel. I’m not sure what I was expecting with this book, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. Thrills, chases, escapes…you get the idea.

Just Like Mother is only a little bit predictable. I had points where I kind of knew what was going to happen, but had to keep reading anyway, to make sure I was right. A couple times I was surprised, so that was nice.

This book is NOT all sunshine, rainbows and roses. Parts of it were highly disturbing. I didn’t find it disturbing in a “this book really needed a trigger warning” type way, though. Women struggle with infertility, but the ones that do are the type of people I actually hoped never got pregnant. Just Like Mother is a fictional story, so I was able to indulge the side of my personality that actually wishes death on fictional characters. I needed for at least a couple of them to die.

But, in all honesty, they were horrible people.

To have such an emotional response to a book is a huge deal. I wouldn’t necessarily say the characters were relatable, even in the way that I struggle with infertility, because I wouldn’t have gone about things the way some of them did. Several times, I thought to myself, “this is crazy! Why would they do that!?”

I did love Maeve.

Maeve was a well-written character. I really liked her, and wanted her to succeed. Over the course of the book, she had some horrible things happen to her, but despite her wanting to at times, she never gave up on her dreams. She had decided early on, I think because of her experiences with the Mother Collective, that she never wanted children. When Andrea asks her for an egg, so that she can have a baby, Maeve sets a boundary and sticks to it.

I did not love Andrea.

From day one, I was suspicious of Andrea. I wasn’t even sure why at times. I just knew something was off with her, and I needed Maeve to figure it out. I even suspected at times that Andrea wasn’t even who she said she was. The two ladies met through a DNA website, though, so I figured they were at least related. Throughout the book, though, Andrea proves herself to be not a very nice person, and even highly selfish at times. It pissed me off, because she regularly accuses Maeve of being the selfish one.

Maeve and her cousin, Andrea, last saw each other when the cult their mothers were apart of was broken up. Twenty years later, they've reconnected. It seems like this is the best case scenario but Andrea's friends disapprove that Maeve doesn't want children, and then Maeve loses her job and her boyfriend. I love how the author alluded to the cult breaking up and how Maeve was supposedly responsible but kept me hooked trying to figure out what happened the whole time. Plus, when strange things started happening in Maeve's life I totally thought I had it figured out and was so wrong. If you love thrillers, this is perfect for you.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. I will update Netgalley once I read & review a physical copy.

My review will be based on the physical ARC I read.

I love anything creepy and culty, so when I heard about the premise of this book I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, the farther into this book I got the more unwieldly and unbelievable (not in a good way) the narrative and plot became. Maeve, the MC, was a pretty standard believable character. Andrea, her long lost cousin, completely doesn't work as a character. The two grew up together in a cult but lost contact when Maeve escaped and the cult was dissolved when law enforcement came in. Maeve has essentially moved on, building a life for herself even if she feels a bit unmoored and anchorless. She meets up with Andrea and we find out that Andrew now runs some sort of mom focused startup company with her creepily perfect husband.
The story never really focuses on the cult and how it functioned, which is sad because I (wrongfully, apparently) assumed that the story would focus on the cult and how they never really got out from under it's thumb or that it's back again or something. I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to care about. Andrea's company is underdeveloped as a plot point and doesn't make sense from even a concept stand point. As we go further, the cult and the business are supposed to become more integral and high stakes (at least I'm assuming, or else what was the point of this story at all) but it was all so convoluted and confusing and fuzzy. The pacing of this was pretty solid, and this only took me about one lazy Saturday to get through, but the twists were more confusing and weird than exciting. There's definitely a lot going on, but very little of it makes sense with the set up/in general. It also wasn't very creepy or culty, just strange. It felt like we started as a spooky book and then slowly devolved into an under baked, generic thriller. I couldn't even really tell if it was supposed to be a commentary on societies obsession with motherhood and female incubation, or if that just happened on accident in the confusing mass of the story. I'm just overall confused by this book. I may check out something else by this author, just to see if this style and confusion is carried through all their works or if this just really didn't work for me.

Maeve had a tough childhood in a cult. As an adult Maeve is content being single and childless, and she’s dealing as well as can be expected with her past.

Heltzel lets the reader know up front that this is a horror novel, but then she backs off so that there’s dread on every page. You just KNOW something horrific is going to happen again. The tension, even in the more benign, “chatty” scenes, is so tight I had to remind myself to breathe.

We’re slowly introduced to additional characters, and Maeve gets surrounded by baby-happy women. There’s something so sickly messed up about the way the characters talk about babies. This is horror, but it’s (mostly) not gore or jump scenes. It’s more like Stepford Wives horror.

Book clubs will find LOTS to discuss in this book. At first I thought Heltzel’s novel is a feminist portrayal of motherhood. But maybe it shows the dark sides of feminism. Or is it simply a celebration of procreation disguised as psychological horror?

The ending is grand. I thought I knew how Heltzel would wrap things up, but it’s even better than I expected.

Literary and horrific, five stars!

This book left me feeling entirely violated. There's sexual assault, endless extreme obsession with motherhood, and no end in sight. But that's the point, isn't it? The reader is supposed to feel like Maeve It's powerfully done, and I felt rattled. But it just wasn't for me. The first three quarters or so absolutely slogged. I was bored out of my mind, and if I'd picked up the book not from NetGalley I wouldn't have finished it. But the last quarter was pretty good horror, decently gory. The psychological horror was too much for me, too real. If you have complicated feelings about motherhood and societal expectation, I'd recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this! Super creepy, didn't want to put it down.

Maeve escaped from a cult when she was young leaving behind her cousin, Andrea. She's carved her own niche in the world, keeping everyone at arm’s length, but comfortable with her routine. Until her cousin pop's back into her life, then things slowly start going off the rails.

Definitely in my top 5 faves of the last year.