As a woman, once you reach a certain age it seems like the world becomes an endless barrage of “when are you going to have kids,” or “your biological clock is ticking – time is running out.” It’s super annoying. Just Like Mother takes the annoyance of the reality that most people view women as breeding machines and can’t imagine them not wanting to be drowning in squalling children and takes it to an even darker, more horrifying place.

Take that ‘slapping you in the face with the need to have babies’ mentality and add a bit of culty-devotion to the notion (I hate myself for that). Now in addition to that, how about a splash of Gilead? Are you terrified yet? What if I added the possibility of robo-babies?

See, I knew I’d get you. That’s an impossibly frightening combination of baby/bodily autonomy nightmare fuel. Especially when taken in conjunction with the never-ending “but are women actually people” debate here in America, and I don’t think I even wanted to exist for like a week after finishing Just Like Mother.

But despite what sounds like a ringing non-endorsement, I honestly loved it. See, I find it cathartic to read things that are terrifying because it’s safe in a book. No matter how bad things get, they’re still just make believe (for now). And Just Like Mother is scary. Make no mistakes – it’s messed up. But…it’s also beautifully written, ultimately cathartic, and just a lot of pulse-pounding fun.

It’s a pointed examination of the damaging effects of forced motherhood, religious extremism, and societal pressures that women face to be little more than breeding machines. It even touches on a bit of the problematic nature of #girlboss culture. And I think that right now, in the current political climate in America (religious extremism masquerading as politics), it’s a pretty timely read.

*this review goes live on my website 11/30/2022*

This one is tough to review because I liked it yet didn’t at the same time?

I enjoyed the cult aspect, but wish we saw more of it than the tiny glimpses/flashbacks from Maeve. But I also understand that the story was more about the cult’s affect on Maeve and Andrea/their psyches.

That leads me to Andrea and her whole deal, which I did find interesting. I do not want to be a mother, and the idea of having kids makes me want to vomit. But there are lots of people out there who do want kids and can’t have them for whatever reason, or have lost a child, and such grief potentially could lead to extremism, particularly if someone was already brainwashed by a cult. All of that playing out was fine, but then the author maybe tried to go too big at the end? I wasn’t very satisfied by the last twist(s).

I will say, though, that it was so cringey listening to Andrea and her friends’ nonsense about womanhood and how women’s biggest strength comes from giving birth. I appreciated that the author challenged this at the end, especially mentioning that this line of thinking excludes trans women.

I guess I’m frustrated because a lot of things were pretty obvious, so when Maeve completely ignored them or didn’t even seem to catch them, it wasn’t totally believable. I almost feel like this could have been more interesting with Andrea’s POV included, because Maeve was a bit boring throughout most of the story.

CW: child loss, rape, torture, abduction, gore, cults

I very much enjoyed reading this! The writing was strong and the story was enjoyable. I recommend it.

This book was a little slow to start, but once I got to chapter 3 I was hooked. I have always found cult mentality interesting, so of course I would pick this book up. It is based on a fictitious cult of The Mothers who do not value males at all. The point of view jumps from snippets of Mauve’s childhood in the cult where you know something tragic occurred on her 8th birthday to present day where 33 year old Mauve finds one of her cousins and fellow child of the cult through a DNA testing website. Not much more I can say without giving anything away. This is a book that you will not want to put down… it is twisted and keeps you guessing who you can actually trust.

I really wanted to like this cult themed thriller about cousins who ended up escaping and then their lives many years later. I felt that we didn't really get too much of the cult aspect but just enough that we knew the girls were really mentally abused by the "mothers" of the cult and how it affected their lives growing up. At times this book was very disturbing, so I would consider looking up trigger warnings before reading. I was very intrigued with the author's writing style and I am interested to see what the author will write next. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book early.

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I’ll read more by this author in the future!

While it may not be as talked about as it should have been, Anne Heltzel's "Just Like Mother" absolutely slays.

This was a wild ride for sure! I’m not easily rattled, but there were definitely parts of this book that creeped me out and the ending is absolutely skin-crawling!
I really enjoyed the overall message of this book and found it incredibly creative how Heltzel portrayed it. There’s a lot of pressure and expectation of women surrounding life choices and I can appreciate the feminist undertones and message it delivers.
There are some gory parts of this book, so if that isn’t your thing you might want to reconsider reading this one.
There were a few loose ends I thought were going to be tied up by the end and a of couple instances I thought were going to be revisited or more thoroughly explained and weren’t hence the 4⭐️ and not 5.
I did thoroughly enjoy reading this one though and was actually really sad when the book was done. I had the hardest time putting this book down and I look forward to reading more from this author!
A big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I think that was fun. I had a few issues but not enough to detract from the book as a whole. I think this would a good addition to a collection that had similar titles.

3 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire and Anne Heltzel for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

The cult of Mothers. Maeve and Andrea are raised in a cult community led by women they all call mothers. When they were young the community was raided and kids were put to foster care and then to adoption. Maeve and Andrea has similar experiences but different outcomes. One was raised by loving adoptive parents, the other has to hop from one foster care to another until her 18th birthday. The environment has established their personalities.

Overall, Just Like Mother is quite an interesting book, especially reading it from the perspective of a mother. I’d assume that every mother has her children’s interests as a priority, however if a child has two parents- both must be involved in a decision making process. Anne Heltzel offered a different perspective of the role of the father and a man in the process of raising a child and put a mother on top of all, not even child’s mother - some Mother Mother. The author made it a thriller and tried to chill the reader with every page being turned. I found it fine for a thriller that actually raises a few interesting questions about motherhood and parenthood in particular.

Will be looking forward to new books by Anne Heltzel.

This story gripped me. Like, put my nerves on end the entire time. The premise is two cousins, Maeve and Andrea, whose lives get upturned as children after they leave the cult they were born into. After many years, they finally reconnect as adults. Maeve is coming to terms with her past, present, and future while reconnecting with her cousin that was her best friend as a kid. But not all is right and life quickly becomes a nightmare.

This book is gripping. It left me guessing and needing to keep reading to figure out what is going on. The ending is enough to turn your blood to ice. Maeve is also such a likable character and I was rooting for her throughout. This book also brings up, of course, motherhood and being a woman but not a mother. I've met many women who have strong opinions about motherhood and this book highlights the extreme way people can view it and their fellow women.

Highly recommend!

I did not intend to read this book all in one day but once I started I could not put it down. It is horrifyingly chilling and even when you can see what's coming, it keeps you riveted to the very end. Maeve and Andrea grew up as cousins in a cult run by women until Maeve makes an escape one day and the two are separated after the cult is raided. After decades apart, they reconnect through a DNA service. Maeve feels so lucky to have found her long lost cousin but is surprised at how well adjusted and successful she seems compared to herself. As they spend more time together, Maeve begins to lean more and more about Andrea as things begin to go wrong in her own life. She ends up spending time with Andrea and her husband at their Catskills mansion and begins to unravel the different ways these two have dealt with the past, especially with their own diverse feelings about motherhood.

This book is as creepy as the cover suggests. You begin to second guess things and wonder about what really happened all those years ago in the cult. The ending took my breath away. If you enjoyed The Push, I think you might really like this one. I will say that I would not recommend this to new mothers or those who are dealing with infertility. Other than that, I recommend if you are looking for a great psychological thriller.

This book will hook you immediately, terrify you, and not let you go until it is thoroughly done with you.

The summary of "Just Like Mother" caught my attention immediately. What is there not to love about a matriarchal cult thriller? Over all I enjoyed my time reading it. When I was actively paying attention, I was into it. but I found it hard to focus. I will say that this was very very predictable. I immediately knew what the 'twist' would be. I knew who the villain(s) would be. I knew why things were happening. It's still a good time but it's not anything new. I liked the writing and the plot was intriguing but it didn't have that extra something for me. Don't let me stop you though, "Just Like Mother" could be your next favorite thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. To be honest, there were times when I found it difficult to read. It was disturbing, and I was afraid it might get graphic. Fortunately, it never veered into anything that was too much for me (and I have a vivid imagination, which means even the slightest hint of something gross will imbed itself in my brain for a long time). Still, it was disturbing and it’s tough to shake that. Even after sleeping on it, I’m still thinking about it far too much. It had a bit of a Stepford Wives feel to it.

I enjoyed the style of writing, switching between three different time periods—the present, the past, and the distant past. In this way, we learn about Maeve and how she interacts with the world, the struggles she faces because of her childhood, how it affected her life when she was removed from that environment, and how it faces her now. Maeve narrates in past tense first-person, but when she talks about the distant past, and even the more recent past, she switches to present tense, as if she’s experiencing it all over again. Even as I describe it, I think it’s confusing, but while reading the book, I found it was natural and barely even noticeable. Bit by bit, we learn about Maeve as she experiences the present by distancing herself from it and talking about it in the past, while at the same time immersing herself in the past (childhood) because she cannot escape from the memories.

What I found particularly interesting is that I probably wouldn’t have liked Maeve’s character very much, but by experiencing the pain of her past with her, I came to understand and have empathy for her. By the end, I wondered how she could have survived her early childhood at all. The scariest thing is that she never truly escaped it.

I don’t want to include any spoilers because I think this book is best read not knowing what to expect. The mystery is well-crafted, with details gradually revealed and too many surprise to recall all of them. If you’re looking for a light and breezy read, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for something to challenge your brain, and maybe even your perceptions of reality, I recommend this one.

This was a surprise read. It is a creepy, gothic, cult story that follows sisters who are separated. It is a story that is best gone into without a lot of previous detail. It captures the reader and doesn’t let go. I love a good cult story and this one has unique twists. I also adore the gothic atmosphere. I wish I had saved this for Halloween reading!
Highly recommend.
#JustLikeMother #NetGalley #MacmillanTorForge

I was so excited to read Just Like Mother as it is marketed as a horror novel surrounding a cult. This is not what I got from this one. It read as a typical thriller that touches on a cult with a MC who has past trauma and is trusting to a fault. I found the MC gullible and fairly dim, I was disappointed with how little we got to experience the cult, and was just overall upset with this one. The best part of this was being done with it since I felt like I was trudging through mud to finish it. This will not be one I recommend.

Omg this book!!! The cover is spectacular. And the story itself is so compelling and edge of your seat readable. Now granted i love a good cut novel, but they are no all 5 stars like Just Like Mother. Holy smokes was Maeve a devious character, and her creepy dolls, oh my! This was a one sit reading for me. Thank you Nightfire.

In this dark modern gothic novel, two adult survivors of childhood abuse are reunited after their cult was disbanded and they were separated by the foster care system. Maeve is adrift in New York City, unfulfilled at her job and single, while Andrea seems to be thriving with both a successful start-up in the fertility industry and a devoted husband. But the two women both seem to need the other and their relationship quickly deepens back to their childhood familial-like bond. The unsettling tone established at their initial reunion builds alongside power imbalance that is leftover from their shared trauma.

I may have found a new author! This book was so beautifully constructed. The plot, characters, twists, everything just absolutely marvelous! And what a perfect time of year to read it during spooky season.