Oh what can I say. This book was hard to read in the aspect of its so life like.

As the mother you do typically feel as though life continues around you. Like everyone and everything keeps moving but you're stuck in a hamster wheel!

Overall it was a good book. I don't think it was a thriller but it was a good book.

Thanks netgalley!

⚠️: homicide (not descriptive), mental health: post-partum depression
Read this if: you have kids

Natalie is struggling to balance life as a new mother to her first born child, Oliver, and her demanding dual lawyer marriage. Her current state of disarray mentally and physically makes her the perfect target for something sinister brewing in their seemingly quiet new neighborhood.

First, I want to preface this review by saying I don’t have any children (yet) so I can’t identify or empathize that much with the newborn and post-partum depression themes that the author obviously intended to honor in this story. I wouldn’t pick a book up if I knew this theme was all or most of the story because it’s just not something I know or care to know. In fact, it made me a little anxious about having kids in the future since it highlights all of the negative parts of parenthood. That’s probably why this book missed the mark for me personally but could do very well with other audiences who can relate.

So the first 52ish % of the book, I thought I read the description wrong or somehow got the wrong book. Or maybe I was led astray. I thought this was marketed a thriller or at least domestic suspense, I said to myself. That being said, it was SUCH a long build-up to the actual interesting part of the story which is what I came here for — MURDER, DRAMA, CONFLICT. Then the ending was so undescriptive and quick. It all felt rushed and over in the blink of an eye but yet I’m left with multiple hours of such long vivid descriptions about how terrible new motherhood is.

I did enjoy the dual male and female narrators and the narrators themselves. The dual perspectives of Natalie and neighbor Paul were essential for telling the story in the way the author intended.

Thank you to SMP Minotaur, Macmillan Audio, Nora, and NetGalley for e-ARC and ALC copies of this title in exchange for an honest review.

💭Thoughts:
I devoured this book. I was sucked into this story right from the start. I found Natalie’s character to be so relatable. I could see myself as a first time mom in so many of the things she worried about.

The story flowed well and kept me reading late into the night to know how it would end. The story is so plausible. It’s scary to think about.

I switched between the e-ARC and the ALC, just so I could keep listening on my commute to work. The audiobook is great. I really enjoyed the narrator. I definitely recommend this book.

My thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel.

Natalie has just given birth to her first child, Oliver. These are supposed to be the happiest days of her life, but she’s never felt more alone. She’s growing more distant with her husband and the exhaustion is almost more than she can bear. She feels so alone and isolated, and no one seems to understand her, until she gets to know her neighbor. But Paul’s intentions are anything but pure, and if Natalie doesn’t realize it in time, it could be catastrophic to her life.

This book is such a raw picture of those early days of motherhood. Flipping few these pages I was transported immediately back to those moments and feelings that felt so overwhelming. There is a bit of a thriller-ish aspect to the book but it’s certainly an undertone and not the focus. If you’ve ever struggled with the newborn phase or wanted a glimpse into that world this one is definitely for you! Even if you can’t personally relate, you’ll be drawn into Natalie’s world quickly.

This women’s fictional story is written by an author I haven’t read before. It’s a poignant look at Natalie as a first time mother of a colicky newborn. Her husband, Tyler, is oblivious to her distress and clueless that life has forever changed. As she struggles without sleep or support her neighbor, Paul, begins to fill in and his motives aren’t entirely pure. Natalie is extremely vulnerable as life spirals around her.
Natalie’s new motherhood left me emotionally exhausted, the joy drained from my soul, sucked all the hope away. Having personally experienced horrible induced labor for twelve hours, a baby with colic who didn’t sleep for a year, it was easy to relate to Natalie. Way back then I’d never even heard of postpartum depression and do not believe I experienced any the symptoms Natalie had. Luckily I had everything she didn’t, a huge family of parents, aunts, grandmothers, cousins and friends.
The story is certainly timely and important. Women need to know how to ask for help and not feel ashamed when they can’t do everything perfectly. The mystery part of the neighbor’s evil intentions was quite secondary to me and didn’t hold many surprises. It is well written and a relevant topic.
The digital advance reader copy of “The New Mother” by Nora Murphy, St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books, was provided to me by NetGalley. These honest, personal thoughts and opinions are all mine given voluntarily without compensation.

Natalie, is a sleep deprived new mother. She is obsessed with giving her colicky baby the best care, but it’s exhausting. She quickly spirals into post part in depression. When she meets Paul, a stay at home father who lives down the street in her leafy suburb, she happily, gratefully accepts his help with her difficult baby. But Paul has a different agenda.

This is a compelling thriller. I can totally imagine how a new mother could be readily gaslighted and manipulated by a seemingly kind helpful neighbor or friend. She’s sleep deprived but I kept mentally screaming at her to WAKE UP! Recommended! I will be following author Nora Murphy.

Thanks NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Part thriller part intense look into the mind of a new mother. As a mom of two, I found this incredibly accurate. The author describes everything about new motherhood to a tee- the incredible love, sleeplessness, hormones, and anxiety.

Natalie has a newborn in a new house/neighborhood and befriends her neighbor, Paul. Paul is exactly what she needs- a stay at home dad that has it all together and is a baby whisperer. Paul recognizes Natalie's weaknesses and takes advantage.

Natalie, a new mother, is struggling to deal with both a new neighborhood and a new baby. Oliver, Natalie's colicky baby doesn't give her much of an opportunity to sleep. Her husband works long hours with a long commute so she is mostly on her own. When neighbor Paul, a "house husband" and supposed writer starts helping Natalie out on a regular basis. with the baby, Natalie is relieved.

When Paul's wife is murdered, Natalie realizes Paul's friendship and help was probably due to an ulterior motive. How tangled and entwined will their lives be? How does Natalie protect herself?

Suspenseful and with unexpected plot twists, mystery readers will definitely enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel.

After Natalie gives birth to her first son, Oliver, she finds herself in a much more tiresome and difficult position than she expected. Oliver is a difficult baby. He cries all night, and Natalie gets very little sleep. Tyler, her husband, doesn't help with Oliver much. When it seems that Natalie is about to lose her sanity, she forms a friendship with her new neighbor Paul, and things change. Paul watches Oliver in order to give Natalie much-needed breaks during the day when both of their spouses are at work. Suddenly, there's a murder. The body is found close to Natalie's house, and Natalie and Paul are both suspects.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style. This is the first novel I have read by Nora Murphy, and I am excited to check out the other books she has written. Murphy did a great job fleshing out Natalie's character. I was able to sympathize with her struggling as a new mother, although I have never had that experience.

This novel is definitely a slow-burn mystery/thriller, which I typically don't enjoy as much as a faster paced plot. I found myself more curious about what would become of the characters (mainly Natalie) than reading for the mystery. It was as if after getting to know Natalie and learning about her struggles, I wanted to make sure she turned out okay. I was not as interested in the mystery aspect anymore. I don't think a novel has ever made me feel this particular way.

Honestly, this book is predictable. It is not a very exciting mystery/thriller. There's not a big twist that the reader didn't see coming. I don't regret reading the novel, but I probably wouldn't read it again. If I owned a physical copy, I would most likely donate it.

I loved "The Favor", but don't expect this one to top it, although it did keep me in suspense. A murder in a suburbia neighborhood when you know who did it and can see where the plan is headed but nothing could tear me away. Now the uneasiness of the book is about a new mother that suffers all the side effects of giving birth to an 8 lb baby boy Oliver. The book doesn't touch on it lightly, but heavily feeds on the wide scope of bodily fluids, tiredness, irritability and second thoughts on why you would put your body through it.
Natalie is the new mother and complains throughout the book about her state of mind and body. She is skeptical about her capability when her baby cries often and her husband Tyler tries to find his place, but not sure how to intercept. He stays busy with his job as an attorney.
Natalie meets the next door neighbor Paul, who is a delightful companion during the day and knows how to help Oliver. When Paul's wife Erin is found dead in the neighborhood trails, the first one to question and suspect is Natalie. At a neighborhood party, Erin made sure she put Natalie in her place to stay away from her husband after she suspected there was more to their friendship.
The case is thrown off track with the husband because he had an agenda when he met Natalie.
The book deals with postpartum depression and how the coping skills are different for all, but mainly how isolated a woman feels after having a baby. It is a suspenseful book, but not one for everyone.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Excellent job by the narrators Dylan Moore, and Lee Osorio!

Ooo. This is a tough one to review.

This book tells a story from two perspectives--one I found really well done and the other I didn't love. I think it's the author's note at the end of the book that pushed this review to four stars for me. Ultimately, I appreciated her sharing her own birth story and I do think the descriptions in here could help some women. This book is coming from a good place, even if it didn't always hit the mark.

Let's start off with the strengths.

Natalie is a great character and the author truly gets that feeling of helplessness and loss of sense of self that can occur when you have a kid (her falling asleep on the floor of her office made me LOL!) We know something is very wrong here and that everyone around her knows it too (and are at a loss on how to help her). It's very easy to see how that situation can quickly compound on itself and get out of control.

Natalie's exhaustion, anxiety, and confusion make her the perfect target for someone dangerous. But I had to ask myself... is it a cool narrative choice to put a vulnerable person suffering from a very real medical condition as the foil for a sociopath? Not sure. In some ways it made for a great story, in other ways it felt a tad exploitive.

And then there's Paul--a character I did not buy for a minute, a villain so villainy he would be twirling his mustache if he had one. I wanted more than his, "my wife's a bitch, so I'm gonna kill her," motivation. Why is this guy a predator? (It can't just be "cause he's a bad guy.") When you contrast that simplicity to the layered complexity of Nathalie's sections, you start to get a very unbalanced book.

Overall a solid read and a good mystery, but it was hard for me to overlook a few of these points. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kind of unsettling, for a few different reasons, but the main one being how dark it can be being a new parent. A new mom, especially. I’m glad to be reading this when I am past the point of having newborns. Equally glad that I never went through what the narrator did, just occasionally brushed up against some similar feelings on sleepless nights. What she’s going through is so clear that I wanted to shake everyone else in her life for their inability to recognize it. But I guess it’s hard to know from the outside or even the inside until someone with some experience can pinpoint it.

Watching the more sinister plot unfold creates even more tension. Instead of a whodunit, you know what’s going to happen and you’re waiting for the fallout. It’s a nice change from most thrillers and no less effective.

This is the second Nora Murphy I’ve had the pleasure to receive and I’m going to certainly look out for future ones.

I felt like this would never end. There is such a thing as overly-developed characters. At 20%, we were still listening to Natalie and Paul whine in their respective chapters. It was overly descriptive and there was too much dialogue. I had to skim through a lot.

This book was preaching to the choir and I am not in the choir, as a woman with no kids. I knew it was about a new mom but I thought it would be some juicy neighborhood domestic drama where her and a new friend stumble into a mystery.

It was all about googoo gaga. "My boobs hurt. I'm too smart and educated to be a SAHM. I hate my husband for leaving the house." Omg, we get it. Shut up.

So anyways, Natalie is a new mom in a new house and she's having a tough go of it because I imagine it is really difficult and she doesn't have the best support system. Enter Paul, the devious, lazy neighbor dad. He decides he can use her vulnerability to do his bidding.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

I tend to gravitate to dark books about motherhood and this one certainly fit the bill. To say that our MC is having a very difficult time transitioning to being a first-time mom is an understatement. As a mother myself, I recognized the signs of post-partum depression but her case seemed even more severe. This would make a dark, compelling read in itself but when you add a neighbor with bad intentions into the mix, you get a nail-biting thriller. I really liked the pacing of the book but could also see how the breakdown of the MC served both the storyline and to enlighten the readers on how difficult post-partum depression can be. I enjoyed the ride and would definitely recommend this book to fans of thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The psychologically thrilling aspect to The New Mother relies heavily on the postpartum brain and activities, which made my slightly apprehensive when this arc was first sent my way. I am not a mother, nor am I interested in children and childbearing. But this book is EXCELLENT. I could see the writing on the wall pretty immediately that this neighborhood had some sketchy characters and I was totally hooked. Great twists and psychological suspense - I highly recommend. I had to remove a star because the characters were simply not communicating, which is one of my least favorite conflicts. Again, I'm not a mother, but the lack of communication between these new parents made me want to scream.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the copy of this ARC!

I really enjoyed Nora's debut, The Favor, last year and am happy to report that her sophomore novel was also great!

While this is classified as a "thriller," I'd say to adjust expectations, it's more contemporary fiction with a slow-burn thriller element, as the first 40% is exclusively a look at a woman's postpartum experience. This hit sooooo close to home in the beginning - watching the ceiling fan with the baby, seeing work as a “break”, the feeling of dread when your partner leaves… whew. I thought that Nora Murphy did an incredible job of writing this - having a new baby is HARD and it's easy to want relief and some extra help and to just be able to depend on a friendly neighbor. Props to her for turning that neighbor nefarious and letting us watch it all play out!

Sometimes I strongly suggest readers go into books blind and sometimes I think expectations should be set so readers can best enjoy the experience. In this case, I think some expectations should be set, mainly that this is more domestic suspense than a thriller. More specifically, it's a walk through the first couples months of motherhood with a side of murder (LOL). If you go in expecting an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you will be disappointed. I know we're supposed to think every cover with a window with a yellow light on is an intense thriller though, we've been conditioned well. (LOL)

While I don't think everyone will be the ideal reader for this one, I think I probably was the target audience and I really enjoyed it. So much of what was written was relatable as a mom of two young children. In some ways, this book may help validate the feelings of new moms, but in some ways it also could be triggering- I fell on the side of validation.

I think this one was pretty on par with The Favor which was Murphy's debut novel and I'll definitely be looking out for what she writes next!

Thanks to St Martin's Press for the ARC! This book will be available for purchase on May 30th!

This book was an interesting one! It was a slow burn mystery and a way to explore how awful the first months of motherhood can be especially if you don't have a support system and you're dealing with PPD. Having had a baby somewhat recently, I struggled hearing how hard everything was for the MC. And that was mostly because it was so realistic. I like how the author combined the mystery part of it as well. I thought the narration was done well. Thank you so much to SMP/Minotaur Books for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

Natalie Fanning has just been released with baby Oliver. Maternity leave is not going as well as she hoped. Her husband is about to return to work, She's ok with that because she feels he is no help anyway. Baby Oliver only wants her. It's pretty clear early on that Natalie is suffering from postpartum depression. She doesn't realize it, and worse, nobody who could be of any help to her notices it.
Unfortunately for Natalie, there is a neighbor who sees the signs. He knows she is vulnerable and he plans to use her for his own nefarious plot. He's no stranger to using women, whether it's to support his lifestyle or to meet his other needs, but his plan for Natalie is much worse than he's done to others.

This is a book that every mom can relate to. Those first few days home from the hospital, the pain, the exhaustion, the fear of making a mistake, the weight of knowing you are entirely responsible for another life, the unsolicited advice. The author paints a realistic picture that brought those memories to life for me. I had a lot of sympathy for Natalie, but not so much for her husband who was too wrapped up in his hurt feelings to notice that his wife needed help until it was almost too late. I think this is a book that will appeal more to those with children than without. It definitely has me nodding and agreeing and feeling seen. Loads of suspense made this a fun read.


My thanks to Minotaur Books

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 8 | Writing: 7 | Plot: 8 | Intrigue: 8 | Logic: 7 | Enjoyment: 7
Total: 7.43/4 Stars

I don't think I've been this stressed out by a book in a long time, especially not a domestic thriller. The thing with this book is that it doesn't rely on twists, or even an unreliable narrator- it relies on hope that someone will realize this mother needs help.
It's always hard to review these novels without spoiling, so I won't get too into the plot here, but it was pretty good. The descriptions of the struggles with new motherhood felt realistic and the atmosphere was written fantastically. However, the characters? Were not. I've never wanted to punch a new dad in the face before, but this book changed that. I felt no love towards Natalie's husband, and in fact, frequently wished at least something would happen to him.
And, the quick and tidy wrap up at the end takes a full star from this book. You're in the weeds with this one and suddenly- it's over. Epilogue. Everything is resolved and fine.
I'm sorry, what? That felt rushed and ridiculous.
Everything apart from those two things was great, but really and unfortunately, those two things are important to the plot.