Nora Murphy returns following her smashing debut, The Favor, with her latest twisty, gripping suspense—THE NEW MOTHER, when a young suburban mother gets caught up in a sinister game of murder.

It wasn't the sort of neighborhood for murder. Yet that was precisely what had brought her here —Detective Jill West. So we know something menacing and sinister is coming.

They had neighborhood watches, doorbell cameras, security systems, and where the parents felt safe allowing their children to ride their bikes with their friends.

Natalie is a new mom in her thirties, sleep-deprived, and caring for her young son, Oliver. She breastfeeds, and it seems her baby will not sleep unless she holds him. She is exhausted.

Tyler, her husband, gets to go to the office. She envies him. He is an attorney; she was also an attorney and put her career on hold before the baby. She wishes she could get dressed and speak to adults. But she tried it, and it failed —too much with the baby, the breastfeeding, his schedule, lack of sleep, and stresses. (plus other things).

Natalie feels isolated, lonely, and tired. She is depressed, exhausted, and sleep deprived. Her husband is of little help.

Then enter the neighbor, a stay-at-home dad, Paul Riley, a former college professor. He is a Godsend! He is great to talk with and good with Oliver. He listens to her problems and always gets Oliver quiet. He is her new best friend!

Paul's daughter, Petra, is ten and in school. He seems like a caring father and husband. Yet he still is at home, married to a wealthy woman that controls him. He is supposed to be writing a novel but failed to produce anything. His wife is tightening the reins on him. He would like to get rid of her.

Even though Natalie thinks Paul is her friend, he has different plans for her. He has alternative motives —she will be just a pawn in his devious game.

When someone winds up dead, and Natalie is a suspect, she must dig deep to find the strength to save herself and her son.

Told in four parts to the Epilogue, where all is wrapped up. The author gets into the devious mind of Paul, and parts are dark and witty. I appreciated the author writing an honest Author's Note about her experience to share with other mothers and a list of resources.

THE NEW MOTHER is a spine-chilling game of cat and mouse, with manipulation and gaslighting. Paul's character was so deceiving, and could see how a sleep-deprived mother could get pulled into his web of deceit.

The author does a fantastic job of creating a claustrophobic atmosphere —and the many struggles of a new mother— mental health, postpartum depression, and psychosis with compassion and sensitivity. Any mother will appreciate this book.

Murphy, a new mother herself and lawyer, knows the ins and outs of new motherhood apparent in the novel.

We all remember those days when our babies would not sleep. I was young, age 20 and 21 when mine were born —my two sons were only 18 mos apart, and neither was a sleeper. My mom told me it was PAYBACK because I never slept, driving her nuts. (I still have insomnia).

I was fortunate to read the e-book and listen to the audiobook narrated by Dylan Moore and Lee Osorio for an engaging performance for both voices. Highly recommend the audio.
Can't wait to see what the talented author comes up with next!

Thank you to #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley and # MacmillanAudio for a gifted ARC and ALC for an honest review. #MinotaurInfluencers

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JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: May 30, 2023
May 2023 Must-Read Books

I generally do not enjoy books with postpartum depression or psychosis as the main plot. The New Mother beat the odds. I enjoyed the dualing perspectives of Natalie and her neighbor, Paul. The chapters from Natalie's points of view had me up in my feels as I remember dealing with similar feelings after giving birth. I also found myself annoyed with her at times but there is a genuine level of authenticity in the way she is portrayed. I wasn't sure how everything would come together but I was racing to the end to see it to the finish. I found The New Mother to be a fast paced, entertaining thriller.

I was really looking forward to this thriller involving a new mother but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I appreciated the author's focus on serious postpartum issues, however the story was so slow moving and repetitive it didn't keep my attention.

I sympathized with new mom Natalie but there was way too much about the baby crying, Natalie not sleeping and refusing her husband's offers of help. This took up half the book. While it seemed realistic that Natalie's issues weren't recognized until they reached a crisis point, the ending was abrupt and rather anticlimactic with an epilogue to wrap up the crime.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-copy of this book.

Disclaimer: The thoughts represented in this review are solely based upon my personal reading experience with this book. They are by no means meant to disparage this author, or anyone who has enjoyed this story. There is a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book. Unfortunately, The New Mother was not for me.

Let's just rip the band-aid off, shall we?

I hated this book for the first 60%. I rarely say that. Hardly ever, in fact, but this story just rubbed me the wrong way. Natalie's perspective got under my skin and I absolutely loathed everything she had to say. I was listening to the audiobook and at times, considered throwing myself out of my moving vehicle to get away from her. It was that bad for me.

I get it, post-partum depression is a serious issue. It is valid and it should be taken seriously. I understand that and respect that, but the way this is presented... I just couldn't stand it. Again, you've read the disclaimer, that's just me. I am sure many Readers will enjoy this from the start and will be able to connect with Natalie and her experiences.

Around 60%, it does start to pick up a little. I wasn't completely disliking it. There's a little deviousness going on in their neighborhood, a slight glimmer, but at that point, it was sort of too little, too late. I did know someone was going to get murdered, so I sort of hung around for that. Alas, there was no mystery, no thrills, and the only real suspense was whether or not the murderer would actually be able to pull off their plan.

Frankly, I was hoping that they would.

I won't drag this out any longer. You get the gist. Not for me, not at all, moving swiftly along. As always though, I mean this, don't take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. You could end up loving it. There are certainly plenty of Readers who have already.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

It is the story of a woman who recently gave birth, returned to work as an associate at a law firm only to go on a “sabbatical” after a week because it was too much and somehow she ends up getting mixed up with a creepy neighbor and a murder.
Was it gripping and suspenseful and a quick page turner? Yes. Did I get incredibly frustrated at the worst decisions ever made? Absolutely yes. And not to mention, I have been a new mother and a lawyer at the same time too and while I appreciate that it was ridiculously hard to go back to work, this woman was a whiner and so unappreciative of the fact that her husband’s career gave her the ability to take a step back when she couldn’t handle it. Yet she resented him for being able to work. Hello? No working lawyer mom ever has said they miss work. And all working lawyer moms are operating on no sleep. Anyway, here I am whining. But once I got past how whiny she was, I was enthralled withthis story to see how it unfolded and how she got herself out of the mess she created.
It was a quick read with lots of twists and turns.

While this book does a great job exploring the woes of being a first time mother and starts a vital conversation about the pressures that are placed upon Mothers in general, it is not a mystery/thriller. A great description of post partum depression as it spends the first 60% focused on Natalie's experience with motherhood. However, the book is slow and hard to read as we are confronted with page after page about Natalie's misery. Only after being 2/3 of the way through the book do we encounter any thriller elements and the book doesn't ever successfully pivot from a tale about motherhood to a mystery/thriller novel.

The New Mother is a gripping tale that explores the complexities of motherhood and murder in suburbia. With relatable characters and a nerve-wracking plot, this story is both sympathetic and bone-chilling. Murphy's fresh twist on the genre will keep readers on the edge of their seats, eager to uncover the truth behind the mysterious events that unfold. This professionally crafted narrative is sure to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression.

The New Mother was not exactly like I thought it would be as I went in thinking it was a thriller, however I didn't feel like it was really one at times. That being said, I still ended up enjoying it! This book follows Natalie as she becomes a new mom and gets settled into a new house in a new neighbourhood. There was a lot less focus on the murder in this one than there was on Natalie's experience with motherhood which does get heavy at times. I think this is why I did find the beginning to be a little slower. I did get hooked on the story once the suspense started building, which made me want to keep reading to see where the story was going. I think I would have loved more of a shock factor in this one of some sort, but liked how the author weaved her experience as a mother into the story - I really appreciated the inclusion of the author's note at the end of this one which I recommend reading as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 3.5 to 4 stars. If you are looking for a domestic suspense that heavily centres around the theme of motherhood that also features a cat and mouse game, check out The New Mother, out May 30!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

2.5⭐

Our protagonist ,Natalie is a new mother in her early thirties who puts her career on hold to take care of her newborn son. With her husband Tyler, also a lawyer, at work during the daytime she spends her time alone at home caring for her baby, Oliver. Her return to work after her maternity leave proved to be difficult and though she yearns to get back to work, she decides to focus on her child. But depressed, exhausted and sleep deprived, Natalie struggles to take care of her colicky baby. Her husband doesn’t quite seem to understand what she is going through. Enter her neighbor, former college professor and stay-at-home father of a ten year old daughter Paul Riley, who seems to be the child whisperer, helping calm Oliver down, befriending Natalie and offering solid advice and a sympathetic ear to her troubles. But Paul has his own reasons for befriending her and beneath his friendly demeanor is a manipulative mind who intends to use Natalie as a pawn to further his own agenda. Will Natalie be able to see through Paul before it's too late?

Having enjoyed Nora Murphy’s The Favor, I was eager to read her latest offering. While the premise of The New Mother was interesting, the execution fell short. The author does an excellent job of depicting the struggles of a new mother suffering from Post Partum Depression and Psychosis with much sensitivity. Natalie’s struggles with motherhood, her anxiety and stress, her conflict over putting her career on the back burner and the strain it puts on her marriage cover more than half of the novel, which wouldn’t have been a problem had I not been expecting a thriller. Viewed from that perspective, I found the narrative repetitive ( I really don't feel like going into details here and I mean no disrespect to anyone who has gone through what Natalie goes through as a new mother!) and the pace dragged until after the second half of the novel and even then, I was not quite invested in the story which I felt as a tad simplistic (no twists or surprises) and contrived with an ending that was abrupt and less than satisfying.

Many thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on May 30, 2023.

The reviewer found this book emotionally challenging to read for personal reasons related to recently giving birth. Despite this, they found the book to be excellent and praised the author for their ability to accurately portray the complexities of motherhood. The reviewer also enjoyed the two main characters and their interactions. Overall, the reviewer highly recommends this book.

I found this book took a very long time to get to the suspense part, it was more than half way through before something bad happened. Prior to that it was very detailed description of a new mother, her very cranky newborn and her husband who can't seem to do anything right. The new mother, Natalie, or Nat if her husband is happy with her, has never experienced children previously, sure she's read books, but the whole child birth and being handed this wee little bundle that she alone (in her mind) is tasked with keeping alive. Tyler, her husband, does try but it seems like every time he tries to hold Oliver (the baby), he starts to fidget or cry or (most commonly) scream hysterically which makes Nat take Oliver and feed him (honestly I don't know how this baby doesn't weight 50lbs, she feeds him alllll the time). Anyway, Nat meets Paul, a neighbor who has a bit of a shady past, that you don't really find out about until much later. Paul who has a daughter and a wife (who he doesn't really get along with), starts to be a life saver for Nat, he shows up and watches Oliver while Nat sleeps, he brings over muffins for her, and a number of other incidents. Then the bad thing happens and the story does get a bit exciting, and I did enjoy the last bit of it, but you have to have a ton of patience to get there. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was approved for this book prior to my miscarriage, but unfortunately I did not get to read it. Due to the potential triggers in this book, I am unable to read it at this time.

Love love loved this book!

Nat is a new mother to a collicky baby. Feeling isolated and alone, she befriends her neighbour Paul. Paul has the magic touch with baby Oliver, being able to calm him almost instantly.

Paul almost always appears when Nat needs him most. Until suddenly Paul is cold and avoids Nat at all costs. What did Nat do?

Nora Murphy does a great job at writing what postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression feels like. I think that's what I liked so much about this book. I was able to relate to Nat and her feelings

I rated it 4 stars, while I love this book and will recommend it to friends, I feel it did drag a little at the end.

2.5⭐️ I really enjoyed the favor by this author and was excited to read The new mother even though I didn’t find the title appealing.

I am a mother and Natalie, goodness, so much writing about her complaining, how she is “trying” so hard to be a good mother, yet half the arguments she has with her husband are purely selfish and about her needs. Goes on and on about how she’s not sleeping, like at all, also a nurse here, she is sleeping some for crying out loud. Refuses her husband’s help, her mother in laws help but yet befriends the male neighbor for his “magical touch” with her baby. It’s just weird storyline. I appreciate the author trying to draw attention to post partum depression but don’t think this quite shined the light like she anticipated. Definitely didn’t find this to be “thriller” worthy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Nora Murphy for inviting me to read an advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

𝑨𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔, 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒎 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔, 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕.

Nora Murphy does it again with this immersive domestic thriller of the dark side of motherhood. Natalie is an exhausted new mom. Her son is colicky, she is sleeping only in short spurts for a total of a couple of hours each night, and she feels forced to take a sabbatical when she returns to work too tired to function at 8 weeks postpartum. Her husband doesn't seem to understand how she feels, she doesn't want to burden her pregnant best friend, and her mother in law is too perfect for her to feel comfortable confiding in. Enter Paul, the stay at home dad in the neighborhood who just seems to get it and get her. The two begin spending time together, until things suddenly change and something awful happens. This story was absorbing and chilling. Pick up this page-turner for this ultimate tension-filled read!


Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) and Nora Murphy for the opportunity to read and enjoy this ARC.

Unfortunately I found every last bit of this book to be annoying. The characters were incredibly unlikable - in fact I really only enjoyed the baby that wouldn’t stop crying for most of the story.

The first half was extra rough with setting the scene. We had to get to the over tired new mom struggling with her newborn - but it’s clear she’s dealing with much more than that and she isn’t doing anything about it…but also half the time I’m not sure she even realizes she isn’t doing well.

Regardless she finds solace in the stay at home dad that lives nearby. He seems to have it all together and he helps to calm her crying baby. They develop a friendship, but he has ulterior motives and she just doesn’t see it. When his wife goes missing, everything gets crazy.

So we follow a new mom that’s having trouble adjusting to life with a newborn, her relationship with her husband is strained, her friendship with the neighbor is now in question as well - it’s got the potential. The lack of any redeemable characters (apart from the baby) really ruined it for me. The story itself was great but it’s hard to enjoy a story when the characters aren’t people to root for.

I personally had postpartum depression and it’s very rough. The worst part of this book was the clear postpartum struggles our main character is having and the lack of support she had through it. Now I’m not saying I expect her husband to be a mind reader, but he does notice that things are off with her and instead of adjusting how he talks to her, he continues to repeat the same “you won’t let me” “maybe stop breastfeeding” - there are other more effective ways to say things like that. On the flip side, she certainly didn’t make anything easy for anyone … except the neighbor that was using her for his own nefarious plot.

I absolutely adored The Favor from this author, but this feels a bit “sophomore slump” to me. It happens!

⭐️⭐️💫

The idea of becoming a mother for the first time can be exciting, but after the child’s arrival reality sets in and it can be a little frightening. Natalie Fanning and her husband were successful lawyers and she planned to return to work after her son’s birth. When Oliver arrives she finds that his demands leave her exhausted and isolated. When it comes time to return to work, she is concerned for her child and unable to concentrate. She loses track of time and suffers from anxiety. When she meets her neighbor Paul she feels that he is someone who understands what she is going through and comes to depend on his support. Paul is a stay at home dad who is in a struggling marriage. He had an affair with the previous owner of Natalie’s home and has plans to use their friendship for his own purposes.

Natalie’s post-partum depression and psychosis goes undiagnosed. When a murder occurs, evidence is manipulated to make her the prime suspect. Nora Murphy’s description of Natalie’s physical and mental state is well described and makes Natalie a sympathetic character. From the moment that Paul is introduced he is manipulative and preys on Natalie and her needs. While the ending was somewhat predictable, it was still a satisfying conclusion and provided an entertaining reading experience. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books for providing this book for my review.

The new mother offers a fresh take on the domestic suspense genre. Natalie is a new mother struggling with the burdens of new motherhood. She meets a friendly neighbor, Paul, who becomes a lifeline for her as she tries to navigate exhaustion and all the new demands of motherhood. However, Paul has ulterior motives for his kindness and what transpires is a game of cat and mouse between Paul and Natalie.

The new mother is compulsively readable and takes the domestic suspense genre into new territories. The plot is a slow burn and turns up the suspense as the reasons for Paul’s inclusion into Natalie’s life becomes clearer. Natalie is a sympathetic heroine and her battle with post-partum and new parenthood will be relatable to many readers no doubt.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Phew! Nora Murphy really hit the nail on the head in describing the first few months with a newborn. The fear, the utter exhaustion, the monotony of if all. I was very impressed by that part of the book, but the main character, Natalie, annoyed me so much that I wanted to scream. The was a very slow burn murder mystery, with pretty little mystery, as it wasn't too hard to figure out how it would end up. I would definitely read other books by this author, but this was not my favorite.

This novel swept me right back to those early days (months) with a newborn, and the utter exhaustion a new mother experiences. You are so sleep-deprived (there's a reason it's used as a torture device) that you have no idea what day it is, what you are supposed to be doing, other than caring for the baby. And the rage, oh the rage, you experience towards your (sleeping) husband. And that's without post-partum depression and someone trying to pin a murder on you! I really enjoyed this novel, and the asides about being a new mother gave it a little lift out of the ordinary psychological thriller.

"Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It's hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it's murder.

Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.

Enter Paul, the neighbor.

Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.

But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?"

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.