One of my most highly anticipated books this year and I liked it, but didn't love it.

When Grace finally purchases her first home it comes right as the pandemic is set into motion. Thrilled to finally be a homeowner she is then let go from her hairdressing job when her boss lets her know she is closing the doors for good. Now she's panicking on how she is going to make her mortgage payments when her mom, Jackie, gives her an idea. Why doesn't she move in with Grace? Now that her second husband has passed away and left her some money she would be able to help pay the bills relieving some of Grace's stress.

While the current timeline plays out we go back to the past when Grace was a child left to care for her twin sister, Hope, who had cerebral palsy while Jackie worked to support them as a single mother. Hope has a dark side though and liked to torment Grace. Meanwhile Jackie doted on Hope and made sure Grace new who her favorite daughter was.

Now mother and daughter are quarantined together pitting them against each other once and for all. Who will be the victor and who will be the victim? You'll have to read this to find out!

Such a great premise but it utilized one of my biggest pet peeves in books - dream sequences. I don't like the whole: Is she dreaming? Is she awake? Is this for real or is this all make believe? That is so frustrating to me. There were times I felt as confused as Grace did and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I also wasn't comfortable with the portrayal of the disabled sister being a villain in the story.

On the plus side there are some well done creepy scenes that will give you shivers. I liked Grace for the most part and despised Jackie - or did I? Who can really be trusted? I'm still not sure. If you can get past the pandemic side plot then I do believe there will be an appreciative audience that will admire what Stage has done. I'd say give it a shot if it sounds intriguing to you. 3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my complimentary copy.

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of Mothered by Zoje Stage!

Grace’s newly widowed mother, Jackie, asks to move in with her. Given that it’s during the pandemic, Grace isn’t used to sharing her space and doesn’t have a great history with her mother. She could use help with the house, though, so agrees - Could they even bond?

Soon after Jackie moves in, Grace begins a nightmarish spiral while quarantined with her mother. She’s having nightmares about her disabled twin who passed away when they were kids. Jackie discovers Grace’s hobby - cat fishing people online - which drives a further wedge between them. How far will the spiral go?

There’s more to the synopsis but I don’t want to give away the plot - Just know that if you go into this one more blindly, you will not regret it! I’m sometimes hesitant about books set during the pandemic, but this was done really well and the author does a great job showing a lot of thoughts, feelings and situations that were on everyone’s mind at the start of it. I was immediately drawn in as the book kicks off in an open-ended, twisted way that will have you saying WHAT? This book has a really unique plot and can be quite chilling at times - What is real and what is imagined? The entire time, there’s an impending feeling of doom that will keep you flipping the pages until the very end.

This was my first read from Zoje Stage, and now I am definitely intrigued to read more from this author. Hehe writing is very compelling and the plot is kinda unsettling at times. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it since I noticed talk of the pandemic but honestly I thought it was really well done. I would definitely recommend this one

The new horror novel from Zoje Stage is honestly bonkers! I was so excited to read her newest offering after finally reading BABY TEETH last year (what a ride), and was not disappointed. This novel, which takes place during a pandemic lockdown similar to COVID, the anxiety, panic, and claustrophobia we all felt feds directly into the main plot of this novel.

Grace's mother Jackie moves in to her new home after recently getting laid off from being a hairstylist because of the pandemic. She and her mother have been estranged, but these are desperate times and pretty soon, old memories and wounds that were previously buried within their family rise to the top while in close quarters. Stage writes a thriller brilliantly, and isn't afraid to make big, bold choices.

My one complaint is that (slight spoiler) a lot of the action takes place within dreams and it can sometimes get confusing, or rather, you begin to just question everything is a dream eventually. The ending is a bit muddled, but it can also be left up to interpretation. Don't read if you have really bad memories from lockdown!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

First of all, don’t start this book before bed if you need to wake up the next morning. This was hard to put down and had so many creepy vibes to it. I loved the story, setting, the characters, and the pacing. Would definitely recommend to others that are looking for a fast paced creepy psychological thriller that will leave you guessing.

This book was not what I was expecting for horror. I think it was more psychological thriller. While I did enjoy the book and getting to know the characters, I was confused at times what was a memory and what was a dream. I also felt like there was something missing in the story.
I don't know what but i was left wanting a little more. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC of this book.

Book Title: Mothered
Author: Zoye Stage
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 1, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars!

I read "Baby Teeth" and was in the minority in that I didn’t love it; but decided I should give Ms. Stage another try.

Time period is at the beginning of pandemic lockdown.
Grace’s mother widowed Jackie asks if she can move in with her.
Jackie is not the easiest person to live with but times are tough for everyone so Grace tries to make the best of the situation.
However, Grace soon is having concerning nightmares about her twin sister Hope who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and died when they were kids. Grace starts to question reality.
Her mother makes an accusation that upset Grace and made me curious.

I always enjoying reading he author’s notes and or/Acknowledgements.
In this case, I especially like in ‘About the Author’ when the New York times stated that Zoje Stage is a writer with a gift for the lyrical and the frightening’.

I laughed at this and said “that’s for sure!!
Book Title: Mothered
Author: Zoye Stage
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 1, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars!

I read [book: Baby Teeth] and was in the minority in that I didn’t love it; but decided I should give Ms. Stage another try.

Time period is at the beginning of pandemic lockdown.
Grace’s mother widowed Jackie asks if she can move in with her.
Jackie is not the easiest person to live with but times are tough for everyone so Grace tries to make the best of the situation.
However, Grace soon is having concerning nightmares about her twin sister Hope who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and died when they were kids. Grace starts to question reality.
Her mother makes an accusation that upset Grace and made me curious.

I always enjoying reading he author’s notes and or/Acknowledgements.
In this case, I especially like in ‘About the Author’ when the New York times stated that Zoje Stage is a writer with a gift for the lyrical and the frightening’.

I laughed at this and said “that’s for sure!!
It isn’t that this book wasn’t good; it was only okay to me. I know it will find the right audience who will love it.

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 1, 2023

"A claustrophobic psychological thriller about one woman’s nightmarish spiral while quarantined with her mother."

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer, NetGalley and Zoje Stage for my ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I found this to be a bizarre, jumbled mess I had to force myself to finish. The beginning was overly slow and I was not invested in any of the characters. I found the main character neurotic, unreliable and annoyingly stupid. There are gaping plot holes that left me confused with so. many. questions.

Also, just my opinion, but I think a pandemic storyline is played out. We've been through almost 3 years of this and I don't want to read about it too.

Grace just recently bought a house but lost her job due to an ongoing pandemic.
Graces estranged mother, Jackie wants to move in with her, she doesn't think its a good idea but she does need help with the mortgage.
Once Jackie moves in strange occurrences begin to happen and the past resurfaces.

It was a little strange reading about a pandemic that we are still feeling the effects of but I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book I've read by Zoje, first being Baby Teeth which was a 5 star read, Mothered is a close second coming at 4 stars.

Zoje is such an incredible writer, she has a way with her characters that really portray what she wants them to. I didn't know who to believe in the book, I even questioned my own sanity. When you think you know what's happening... you probably don't. There was a nicely added twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but there was so much to unpack within the book I'm still left with some questions. I wish there was a little more.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Zoje Stage for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Mothered in exchange for an honest review.

"Grace felt something tearing--her skin, unzipping from her neck down. When it was loose enough, she pulled her arms out of the skin sleeves. Freed each leg like she was peeling off a pair of itchy tights. She left the skin façade on the sidewalk, with its crumpled facial features and limbs like flesh-colored noodles. What did she look like now? Pink tissue and red blood and white bits of bone? [...] She knew what she looked like: a monster."

For fans of Sharp Objects, Just Like Home, and The Good Son.

I had mixed feelings about this book. While I thought the idea was interesting, I didn't enjoy the execution.

What I liked about this story:
- How Grace's tense relationship with her mother is subtle. Her mom is not an outright cartoonish villain; she's more passive-aggressive and gets under your skin slowly;
- The narrator is unreliable and I love this kind of protagonist;
- The book is set during the COVID-19 pandemic and it brought me right back to 2020. I had never seen this scenario in a book before (although I'm guessing it'll be explored more in upcoming releases), and it makes a great setting for a thriller or horror novel. I think the author was very clever for not explicitly saying the characters are facing the COVID pandemic because then this scenario can be applied to other pandemics to come;
- As I said before, I really like the premise; I thought it was original.

What I disliked about this story:
- I didn't enjoy the writing style; I thought it was a little superficial and it didn't delve enough into the characters' feelings and thoughts. It did read fast, but I'm a sucker for poetic descriptions;
- The book gets boring after a while because nothing happens in Grace's life - everything interesting and freaky that happens ends up being a dream, and this becomes predictable really fast;
- As stated before, I wasn't a big fan of the execution of this idea;
- The big plot twist - although it remains an open question at the end, which I enjoy - is very predictable;
- The last paragraph implies that maybe something supernatural is going on underneath the surface - which I hate in thrillers (the same thing happened when I read "Behind her eyes", which I hated) - and leaves it open. I personally think this addition could be left off.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, but I was left a little disappointed.

It's the time of the pandemic and Grace's mom Jackie's second husband has passed away. Jackie asks if she can move in with Grace. The salon that Grace works at is not going to reopen, so she thinks maybe her mom can help with her rent if needed. Grace is really NOT happy though to have Jackie moving in. Once she does move in, Grace starts having strange dreams and many are about her sister Hope that has passed away.

This was a slow burn, super creepy book. I liked Baby Teeth and thought I would give this a try. I really was unsure if some of her dreams were real or not. But I did think the book ended well. I recommend MOTHERED to those that like Horror/Thrillers.

Many Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Zoje Stage is a new author to me. I have Baby Teeth on my Audible ready to go, but Mothered is the first of her books I have read, and I WILL be seeking more. Mothered is a book I would recommend to already established horror lovers and to those who want to dabble in the genre!

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Wish I’d have liked it more, but I didn’t love the author’s last book either.

The author herself called this book "batshit crazy." Yeah. That's about right.

I'm baffled by the reviewers that say this book was really scary or even terrifying. I just didn't get that, at all. To me, this is a very slow burn mystery/suspense read. It has an incredibly unreliable narrator that, underneath the mom troubles, job troubles,relationship troubles, and dealing with the pandemic troubles, is trying to piece together the details surrounding the death of her twin sister during her childhood. The reader is tossed between present events, past events and dream/nightmares that are so real she has trouble determining what is real.

I think I expected this to be more of a straightforward thriller. But instead it was a thriller on acid and ambien. Read it, you'll understand.

This book was a bit on the slow side and really does throw a lot of different events, scenarios and possibilities at the reader. It is kind of a mind scrambler. Did I like it? Yes. I enjoy this author's writing and will probably always want to read her work. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, if nothing else, it should be enjoyed for the "batshit crazy" mother/daughter relationship storyline. 4⭐️

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was a pretty slow burn just kind of like how Baby Teeth was. I did like it, but I think this style of book and writing just isn’t for me.

Loved loved this one!! Gripping and exciting and as always a fab read and can't wait to see what this author does next :)

I really want to love this one, but I just didn’t and I’m so disappointed :(

There were elements that i absolutely loved; the unreliable narrators, the flashbacks/hyper-realistic dreams, the cat!!! But a lot of the book left so much to be desired. The “catfishing” plot line was so minuscule. It was hyped up to be such a huge part of the book, but it felt like it was just tossed in to create a “reason” for the mom, Jackie, to justify and intensify her hate towards Grace. I was hoping for something more substantial.

Another thing that bothered me was the random use of very obscure words that seemed straight out of the SAT handbook. I’m all about using less common words, but some of these just took me out of the book with how strange and out of place certain words were (for example: aplomb, vitriol, somnambulist, to name a few.)

The way the “Jackie issue” was resolved was too convenient for me and I wish that would’ve gone another way. It seemed too sudden and easy.

I did actually love the ending though. I’m not always big on ambiguous endings, but this one had me freaking out in the best way. I wish there was a sequel following Grace and the therapist, I’d still give it a shot after being so disappointed in “Mothered” 😅

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.


I read Baby Teeth in 2020 and was fascinated with Zoje Stage’s story telling. Mothered sends you on a psychological roller coaster and leaves you questioning your own sanity. Not to mention the pandemic setting really added to the claustrophobic uncertainty.

Zoje Stage can really write a novel! In Mothered, our protagonist's mother (who has always had a strained relationship) moves in during the pandemic. Locked in together, they begin to irritate each other to a scary level.

I've previously read Bad Apple (also published as Baby Teeth), and I absolutely loved it. Mothered is equally as frustrating and tense. Stage is incredible at writing claustrophobic situations, and Mothered is incredibly claustrophobic. I can't wait to read more of her books.

Many thanks to Zoje Stage, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for this copy.

So, I couldn’t put this down. Finished it in a few hours. But before I knew it, it was over. I didn’t have a sense of closure, which I look for in books. Was Grace crazy? Was her mother crazy? Were they both crazy? We’ll never know. And Silas is such a fleeting thought even though his character could have provided that closure, had it been executed correctly. I enjoyed Baby Teeth by this author, but this one didn’t live up to my expectations. Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC.