I keep meaning to read more by Amber Garza and fail miserably, but not anymore! As with her other book I read (Where I Left Her), I was riveted by A Mother Would Know and I was so into the story that I couldn't put it down. We see things almost entirely through the mom's viewpoint, but there is also a very ambiguous POV, and I was never sure who it was. Obviously, this gets revealed later on, and I was definitely surprised by who it was! There were lots of moments that I didn't know who to trust and I was suspicious of almost everyone.

The audiobook is the way to go in my opinion, with Vivienne Leheny as the narrator. I especially loved her narration as Valerie, but she did a great job with the unknown viewpoint as well. I found the end of the book to be pretty melancholic, and I was a little sad things turned out the way they did. I had a who figured out but not the why, and the climax surprised me overall. Things did feel a little all over the place as I was reading, but I mostly put that down to Valerie’s lapses in memory. Read this if you are looking for a fast read, unlikable characters, and a feeling of general chaos.

A satisfying slow-burn that had me page turning to find out what happened. This is my first book by Garza and I can't wait to read more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>A Mother Would Know</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>A Mother Would Know</i> by Amber Garza offers a compelling premise but struggles to fully engage readers with its execution. Touted as a domestic thriller, this novel attempts to delve into the dark undercurrents of motherhood, guilt, and secrets, but ultimately falls short of leaving a lasting impression.

<h4>The Details</h4>

The story follows the lives of two women whose paths intersect in unexpected ways as they grapple with the complexities of motherhood.

While the premise of <i>A Mother Would Know</i> holds promise, the execution leaves much to be desired. The pacing of the novel is uneven. As a result, the story feels drawn out and padded, with too much focus on mundane details and not enough on building suspense or tension.

Additionally, the characters in the novel lack depth and nuance, making it difficult for readers to become emotionally invested in their fates. The Characters are both one-dimensional stereotypes, defined solely by their roles as mothers and lacking in any real complexity or development. As a result, their actions and motivations feel predictable and formulaic, robbing the story of much-needed depth and intrigue.

Furthermore, the twists and turns of the plot feel forced and contrived, relying on cheap shocks and melodrama rather than genuine suspense or mystery. Instead of keeping readers guessing, the revelations come across as predictable and telegraphed, undermining the impact of the story's central mystery.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>A Mother Would Know</i> is a disappointing and forgettable read that fails to deliver on its promise of tension and intrigue. While Amber Garza may have had a compelling idea to work with, the execution ultimately falls flat, resulting in an unsatisfying reading experience.

A page turner. Valerie has been forgetting things suddenly and her daughter is worried about her being on her own. One day Valerie’s son moves back home, but it didn't go quite the way she expected. He’s hardly home and when he is he's got an attitude. Also the neighbors still hold a grudge against him for something that happened years ago. So when a young women is murdered in the neighborhood all eyes are on Hudson and his mother is determined to defend him but she looks back on past events and questions his innocence. Keeps you guessing until the very end. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

How well does a mother really know her child? Don't they know them best? When a local woman is found dead, Valerine begins to suspect her own son, but Valerie has been forgetful lately...

What a premise! I was immediately drawn to this book and so excited to start it. Some things I liked were the twists, multiple good and surprising twists! I also love an unreliable narrator! What I didn't love was the pacing. It took awhile for something to happen at the beginning, but then once it got started, I was hooked. The only other thing that was challenging was that the POV's were a little disjointed which could sometimes be confusing.

Overall, landing at 3.5 stars and will definitely pick up another book by Garza. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

This one was a bit off for me. One minute you're being told that it's this person, then it's that person. I honestly don't know who it was. Sorry, but I don't think I can recommend to others.

I found this a little slow moving for my taste and hard to get into. The fear Valerie experienced of inheriting her mother's Alzheimer's was palpable, but the storyline had so many issues with believability. Although I guessed what was going on, the symptoms that the main character was experiencing didn't quite line up to what was causing them.

There were snippets of memories interspersed throughout the chapters that just ran into the main narrative, and sometimes it took me a minute to figure out whose memories they were, without any transition.

I had heard such good things about the author and wanted to read her books, but this may not be the one to start with. There were a lot of twists and some good character development however, this one fell flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for an advance reader's copy.

I enjoyed reading A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza. The book had a few unexpected twists in it and overall I liked the book. While the main character, Valerie, may be perceived as annoying by some readers- myself included, her flaws contribute to the authenticity of the story. Amber Garza's writing style and ability to craft relatable characters make this book a worthwhile read.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Amber Garza writes such fun thrillers - I was excited to see that she had a new one coming! Unfortunately, I found it a bit hard to get into and returned it to my TBR pile for awhile. When I came back around to it, I became engrossed in the story and ended up enjoying it!

Valerie is a mom with two adult children and fears of early-onset dementia. Her daughter micromanages her, and her son returns to her home with no job, plenty of drama, and suspicious relating to his girlfriend's death hanging over his head. Valerie spent her life focused on her music career, and she finds her relationship with her now-adult children to be strained at best. Still, a mother would surely know if one of her children committed unspeakable acts...wouldn't she?

This read is full of twists, mostly late in the story. I enjoyed the character of Valerie and looked forward to her conclusion; racing through the last twenty percent or so of the novel! This is worth a read; just stick with it and let the characters develop!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC; all opinions are my own.

I was letdown by Amber Garza's last book, and I have to say I highly enjoyed this one. It's a bit of a slow burn, but I always found it interesting and it kept my attention as the story slowly brewed to a satisfying, if not particularly shocking, conclusion. I am already highly anticipating Garza's next read.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Harlequin for a widget of the ARC through NetGalley. Now available.

Ever read a novel that you enjoy in the moment and then feel totally different when you’re finished? That was “A Mother Would Know” for me. While I enjoyed reading it in the moment for the tension, multiple timelines, and general sense of creepiness, I struggle with how it didn’t quite come together in the end and how some of the plot choices reinforce dangerous assumptions about women, particularly about how a woman who pursues her career and isn’t “at home” all of the time could damage her kids to the point where one could potentially turn into a cold blooded killer. Really? I just kept thinking it would get super twisty and shock me so I enjoyed it in the moment but in the end, it was pretty basic and underwhelming. So much of the resolution was dependent on the crime scene work of the protagonist who managed to break into two closed off areas and easily find critical evidence that every police officer and detective missed. Doubtful. Also, there were several storylines that were woven into the narrative that seemed to just drop and were never resolved leaving me feeling unfulfilled. However, since I enjoyed reading it in the moment, I would read another book by this author, though, because I think there’s a lot of potential. Reigning in some of the details and making the resolution a little more complex would have left me much more satisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the advance electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

I am a little torn on this one. I was enjoying it but once the reveals started coming, it was just a little too far fetched for me. Then once it was all wrapped up I just really couldn't get on board with the whole plot. BUT! I do think many people will enjoy this story. It just wasn't for me personally.

Valerie nursed her mother after she had early onset dementia, and now that she is forgetting things, she fears the worst. Her son has just broken up with his girlfriends and has nowhere to go, so Valerie invites him to move in. Not only does this help him, but gives Valerie some support as well. Her daughter is angry that he has moved in after several years of being estranged. Hudson is not happy to be there and is often gone, moody and when he is home, he stays in his room. Years earlier, his girlfriend and neighbour died in an accident, but Hudson was suspected in causing it. Since then, the girl's mother has not spoken to Valerie and several neighbours have taken sides. When a young woman in the neighbourhood is found dead in her home, Hudson becomes a suspect. Valerie tries to find evidence to support her son, but she begins to think that maybe she has been wrong thinking her son is an innocent man. Meanwhile, there seem to be questions about her health as well. What is going on in this home?

A Mother Would Know is an enjoyable thriller that has several twists and raised a lot of questions in my mind. The book is told primarily from Valerie’s POV and also contains some flashbacks to an earlier time when she made decisions she now questions. There seems to be some issues between her children when they were younger and questions about her now deceased husband. How has this come back to haunt her in the present? Amber Garza created some great scenarios that made me question who was really telling the truth. Is Valerie an unreliable narrator? As the story unfolds, I found myself nodding as with some Aha moments. One thing that had me dropping a star were some of the actions and decisions that Valerie makes. Yes, a mother will do what she needs to do to protect her children, but these things were really unbelievable. As the twists continued, I found my mind reeling and I had a hard time keeping a few things straight. I finally just sat back and let it all unwind. Overall, I enjoyed this story, but I had a few issues with it. If you enjoy a domestic/psychological thriller and can suspend belief, then I am confident you will enjoy this book.

I liked A Mother Would Know.

Valerie is distressed about her memory. Her mother had Alzheimer's and she saw what the disease did to her. She'd rather not find out. Valerie's daughter, Kendra worries about her health and living alone but Valerie doesn't want to leave her home. So instead when her son needs a place to crash, she is more than happy for him to stay with her. Yet, the neighborhood disagrees. You see, years prior the next-door neighbor's daughter's death was associated with Hudson since he was her boyfriend.

Valerie worries about Hudson. She remembers some incidents when Hudson was growing up that perturbed her and of course, she knows about Helen, the girlfriend that died. Making matters worse, two new deaths occurred in the neighborhood and they have a connection to Hudson. What is she going to do?

I listened to the audio and Vivienne Leheny helped keep things straight between the past and the present. The majority of the book is narrated by Valerie. She is an unreliable narrator due to her memory loss. I felt bad for her. She was in an impossible position. Do you believe your son is a killer or are you a terrible mother for thinking it?

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by MIRA via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

We meet Valerie during a time in her life where her footing is off, her health failing, and we very quickly step directly into her shoes with her family dynamics; two very smart grown children with vivid personalities and a contentious relationship, a memory that's failing and an ongoing feud with the neighbors who hate her family after a tragedy of their own.
As she always does, Amber Garza sets a scene so winding and twisted that by the end you can't breathe as the story unfolds before you, and you can't put it down until the very dark end.

Every time I see Garza's name I get super excited for her twisty thrillers. The premise of A MOTHER WOULD KNOW is quite interesting. Valerie is a mother of two and doesn't have the best relationship with either. And on top of that she thinks she has early on-set Alzheimers and questions herself more than anyone else. Add in the fact some people think her newly returned son is a killer along with new murders popping up? Well, what's a mother to think?

This is definitely more on the slow burn side and it took me some time to get truly involved in the story. I was more worried about the dog, Bowie, than anyone else so that might tell you something. But Garza has a way of surprising us readers so I knew it was going to be worth the suspense. It was questionable who was going to be at fault here and I was like... "yep, that's too obvious so it's prob _____" to "wait, OoOoOo, I can't believe______" to "wait, what... do I like this or not?"

Overall it's not my favorite but I am not mad that I read it. I'll read anything Garza puts out, quite frankly.

Title: A Mother Would Know
Author: Amber Garza
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

This review is going to be pretty brief. Most of this one I listened to on audio, and I swear I had to replay the first few chapters over multiple times. I wasn't invested in it the way I'd like to be. So here goes.....

Valerie is the mother of two adult children, Kendra and Hudson. Valerie seems to be experiencing symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's, which does run in her family. Because of all the things she seems to keep forgetting, Kendra decides to start adding "vitamins" to her mom's diet and drinks.

Hudson, down on his luck, temporarily moves back in while he gets his life situated. As a teenager, Hudson tragically experienced the loss of his girlfriend due to a terrible accident. That which some think he's responsible for, including the girl's mother.

When a young woman is found murdered, suspicion starts to point to Hudson....but also Kendra's husband. Valerie keeps envisioning strange scenarios in her mind, but did they really happen, and she forgot, or did they never happen at all? Are her children telling her the full truth?

I just thought this book was all over the place. It was hard to understand at times. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you, @netgalley and @bookclubbish, for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!