A mother-daughter troubled duo stuck togethet in a pandemic... yup count me in! What got me intetested in wanting to read this book firstly was it's synopsis! Whilst I did enjoy the whole premise of the book. i did feel like certain things were lacking. For one, I feel like we weren't given a full explanation or reason behind the main problem of the story. I dont know, it kinda felt 'unfinished' to me, if that makes sense. I was left kinda wanting more. But other than that, I did enjoy reading this psychology thriller & will be recommending it to others. Thank you Netgelley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

"Mothered" by Zoje Stage is an unsettling psychological thriller that puts a twist on the idea of family bonding during a pandemic's isolation period. Instead of quality family time, Stage shows how too much time together in confinement can turn an innocently dysfunctional family into a dangerously twisted mess.

Out of sheer desperation, Grace reluctantly accepts her mother's invitation to move into her house. Giving up her independence is a hard bargain, but one she cannot afford now that she's without a job due to the pandemic. Grace needs the financial help her mother can offer, but it comes at a higher cost than her own home: her sanity.

The longer Grace and her mother are stuck inside, the more reality begins to unravel until it becomes clear the true test of isolation is not to wait out the pandemic but to survive the slow descent into madness.

"Mothered" definitely takes the cake for unexpectedly creepy. Stage lulls the readers into a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere as Grace conducts her normal routine with only the mild, slightly annoying disruption of her mother who tends to overstep. Yet, it's not long before there's this subtle, uncomfortable warning that something is off with Grace's mother and the tension between the two does not add up.

Stage does a brilliant job at keeping readers in suspense, only giving a few subtle clues interspersed throughout the story, always keeping readers on edge as they try to anticipate what will happen and why Grace and her mother are so estranged. Not only is the suspense and mystery done extremely well, but the deep psychology behind the two characters and their behaviours are incredible. It's impossible to predict the outcome until it happens and when it does, it feels as though the story needs to be reread and the clues picked up all over again to truly understand the signs Stage has hidden throughout the pages.

While I truly enjoyed this novel, I found my true interest was truly encaptured by Grace's sister and the strange memories/dreams that plague Grace. There is something so deeply fascinating about the visceral macabre scenes that unfold whenever Grace's sister appears that it's impossible to put the book down. Even though I was deeply disturbed by some of these scenes, I was also completely enthralled and questioning the truth behind these memories and dreams, which made me question Grace's sanity ... and then my own.

I found Grace's life almost too mundane for me to connect with her or want to carry on with her story. I think if it weren't for the gory aspects that came along with her sister, and the twisted sense of something malicious behind her existence, I don't know if I would've been as invested in the story. There wasn't enough happening between Grace and her mother until later in the story for me to be confident that I would've stuck out the story.

Readers who love psychological thrillers with a high, suffocating atmosphere will be immensely satisfied with Stage's story. I think for everyone who loves a good puzzle, a good mystery to put together and solve, Stage has done a wonderful job with Grace and her mother. Scattered throughout the book are a variety of clues that only those with the sleuthiest of skills like Sherlock Holmes will be able to gather to uncover the truly twisted and morbid ending of "Mothered" before the final page has been flipped.

Look for "Mothered" on its expected publication date of March 1st, 2023 and add it to your reading lists!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and for the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

The concept of the mother-daughter relationship and mommy issues was a very intriguing topic for me and it was actually the reason I requested a copy of this book. However, I find the execution to be so long-winded and sometimes just too long before landing on a point. Grace is such a fucked up character and I find her interesting at first ever since reading about her online dating activities, but as the story progress, she lacks the charisma and personality of a main character whom the readers would want to continue following.

So many interesting books about the pandemic have come out. This book. is Mind blowing and twisted. Such a great read!! I couldn’t put it down!! During the pandemic Grace finds herself between jobs, her mother moving in and having some bizarre dreams. As the story progresses each dark twist has you glued to the page waiting to see what new twist will develop.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

I am once again sorry that I really just do not enjoy This author’s writing. I feel like the conversations are simple and almost juvenile and this one just became awkwardly & uncomfortably unbelievable. Don’t wanna give away any spoilers but the lead character’ and her mother felt like completely cartoonish people. Laughable, actually. And I’m not really sure what happened to them ultimately. Im lost here. Maybe im tired; maybe pandemic talk has jumped the shark for me; I really don’t know but I really did not like it. 2.5 so I rounded to 3-but it was less than average.

Wow, what a ride! I really enjoyed Mothered and read it in 2 days. I felt a little unsatisfied at the end, which is exactly how I felt about Baby Teeth too. I think books that leave me questioning are just hard for me to accept, I want to know all the answers and I finished this thinking What the heck?! But, Zoje Stage is an amazing writer and the nightmare scenes in Mothered were amazing.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC!

Not sure what I just read. But I didn’t love it. The macabre aspects were cool, but to be honest, I don’t want to read about pandemic lockdowns, masks, intubations, and testing positive. It’s too soon. We just lived it. And the storyline was muddled.

I really wanted to love this book, because I loved Baby Teeth so much. But the flashback to the pandemic was horrible. There was nothing compelling or exciting about Grace, and it was so annoying to hear her drone on about pandemic restrictions and her job and her boring life. I had to stop reading this book because I was so bored, I didn't even care who the murderer was.

With "Mothered", Zoje Stage gives us another very well-written thriller, with plenty of twists and ghastly moments throughout. No one is reliable, trustworthy, or particularly likable in this tale, and that all lends itself very well to the overall tension of the book. However, the twists were a tad too predictable for my liking. I don't mean to say every single thing that was going to happen, because I certainly didn't, but I knew where things were going to end up, and that was a bit disappointing. But even still, this is a solid thriller and further evidence of Zoje Stage's skills and abilities.

Zoje Stage is Ione of my favorite authors. She always surprises me with the concepts she explores in her books. I loved the "horror" twist on this in depth look at a mother daughter relationship set in a pandemic. I will be hand selling this title in my store.

This story takes place during the pandemic lockdown. Grace just purchased a home before the virus hit, and her mother just lost her husband, so they live together to pay bills. I absolutely loved this book! Grace is an unreliable narrator (a favorite of mine), and I just kept trying to solve what actually was occurring! Zoje Stage is a rockstar.

Due to experiencing quarantine and sheltering in place, I was hesitant to read this book. It's a period of time I'd rather forget and aspects hit close to home.

However, while it takes place during this time period, it is not about the virus in a real world sense. It's very much its own story and setting, and the quarantine is the situation forcing this strained Mother and Daughter duo to be stuck together. It could easily be any virus in this story, so I suggest if that's your only hesitation, read it! It doesn't disappoint!

This book checked all my boxes for me, and I highly recommend it!

Reading Mothered was an interesting read for me. Reading about the Pandemic so soon after #PandemicLife has been such a prevalence in all of our lives seemed like both a daunting and inviting thing all at the same time. Especially since everyone’s experiences were the same, and yet different.

Putting expectations aside, I found the first half of the book slightly challenging as it was almost just “another pandemic story” until I started thinking about what would it be like to move your mother into your home, after tons of tragedy and hurt in the past. To be stuck and having to quarantine in place after an exposure. To be stuck with all the pain and angst that had years to fester, and nowhere to go to escape it. The whole world falling apart, scary, unfamiliar, and yet thrust back into the familiar “mothered” situation from a mother determined to make you see all your mistakes, while simultaneously taking over what life you have left.

Oh yes, therein lies the horror. From about the midway on, things start happening. And by happening, I mean they take off in crazy directions. Ones you won’t see coming. The potential loss of a best friend, who has potentially exposed you to COVID, and the murder that follows. Whoa!

This was a 3/5 star read for me. While I didn’t love it, I found I liked it, and liked where the author went towards the end. Just buckle in for the pandemic rehash at the beginning and you will also enjoy how this crazy tale pans out… and be glad you weren’t also … mothered!

A big thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an electronic copy of this pandemic nightmare in exchange for my honest opinions. You too can read this on it’s release date in March of 2023!

A full review will be available on my blog, OceansOfBooks.com on release date to further whet your reading whistle!

Happy reading my friends!

what a fever dream of a book! i love an unreliable character and that’s exactly what zoje stage gave us! i don’t like reading books that mention the pandemic because i’m reading to escape but zoje did such an amazing job with the setting! this book will live rent free in my head for a long long time.

The book's synopsis definitely hooked my interest and I did enjoy the whole premise of the book but felt like certain things were lacking. Some parts did feel a bit dragged on for my liking, and we never got the full answer on the ongoing problem in the book which I wish we would've. Besides those little things, for this being my first Zoje Stage book, I enjoyed it and would love to read more by her in the future.

Oh 2020, what a time it was to be alive. Its hard to believe that its been two years since the world literally came to a halt, and phrases like "social distancing" and "masks required" became a part of our every day lives. Grace's mother, Jackie, has recently come to live with her during the height of the pandemic. Grace and Jackie have had a strained relationship at best, and now they are going to be roommates. Having Jackie around on a daily basis is hard on Grace, and certain things from her childhood will soon be brought up. There is another layer added to this story through Grace's sister, Hope, who had cerebral palsy and died when they were younger. This book was messed up in a way that only Zoje knows how to write. Her books are unique and refreshing from the standpoint of a reader who reads a lot of books in the thriller genre. The line between what is real and what isn't gets blurred real fast, and we slowly watch Grace lose it. This is a book about the mother /daughter dynamic and the bond between sisters. I will definitely be recommending this one. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read an early copy of this book.

This book was not for me. There's no major plot points and I'm not ready to have Covid be a major part of my escapism entertainment. I spent a majority of the book confused about what was real and what was fake, but I guess that's kinda the point.
We follow Grace, a hairdresser, during the Covid pandemic. Her mother moves in with her to help her financially. through the book we explore Grace's past, and answer the question of how did Grace's twin sister die?
I was so excited because I loved Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage but man, this did not live up my expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC

3 stars!

I was really excited to read this with how it was described as a claustrophobic psychological thriller about one woman’s nightmarish spiral while quarantined with her mother. I thought, oh hell yes!

I really thought the book would be different to what I read. I enjoyed reading it, but it felt like, to me, something was missing.

Grace’s relationship with her mother, Jackie, is very strained. We get to see what her childhood was like and the things she went through.

Catfishing was also mentioned in the blurb and I automatically thought oh yes a twist with that will happen! But sadly, the whole catfishing didn’t really go anywhere, and it could have been used in a really good way that would make the story more messed up or manipulating.

I enjoyed this but I was expecting something much more, I don’t know what I felt was missing for me as a reader, but a good read.

Covid, catfishing, dreams, nightmares, living again with your mother again, sounds like a nightmare.
Definitely was not ready for the covid part having lost some close family to covid.
Some of the nightmares were so real sounding I didn't know they difference between real and fake.
Will definitely suggest this book in the future.

This book was pretty good. It goes through woman's struggle of moving her estranged mother in with her during the beginning months of the pandemic. The lines between reality and nightmares is blurred, and both the reader and the main character are trying to figure out what really happened.
I found the ending to be somewhat unclear and almost felt incomplete.
It was not my favorite book by this author, but I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this. I enjoyed Baby Teeth by the same author, but had to force myself to finish this one. It was bizarre, kind of jumbled, and I wasn't invested in the main character's life or situation at all. It was just odd but not in an enjoyable way. Sadly, this was a miss for me.