Loved, loved this book!! A must read for 2023! The New Mother is a very engrossing novel that anyone who has had a baby can empathize with. There was not a single dull moment in this book and was a quick read. Great storyline about motherhood but also a thriller with the storyline with Natalie’s neighbor Paul. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Nora Murphy for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The first half of this novel, which is billed as a mystery/thriller except there is no mystery or thrills, is about a new mother who, in her sleeplessness, is sort of losing her mind. She wants to be the perfect mother, which is of course is impossible, and feels resentment toward the infant who has rendered her unable to sleep and therefore to successfully return to her job as a lawyer, and then she feels guilty about the resentment because that means she’s not the perfect mother.

Her husband, who she met in law school, is not being held back at all by becoming a new parent. He really tries everything he can think of to help, but she won’t accept any of it, and she then resents him for his career and inability to help. The only person who does come to her aid is her neighbor, a stay-at-home dad, who is, sadly, using her for his own duplicitous reasons. We know for most of the novel what he is planning, so the only mystery is whether the cops will figure it out. I did like the end, but I had to get through a lot of stuff that was simply painful to read first.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MAY 30, 2023.

Whoa what a twist! This book was definitely slow moving at first but I’m glad I stuck with it because it had me turning the pages so fast!

Being The New Mother is anything but easy. Natalie Fanning finds herself isolated and lonely in a new house with her colicky baby. While she loves her son, being just a mother wasn't what she wanted in life. That's when Paul, the neighbor, enters the picture. He becomes her lifeline during desperate times, calming Oliver with his steady presence.

But Paul has an ulterior motive for befriending Nat. She's the perfect pawn for his plan, and he expects something in return. As Nat relies on him more and more, will she realize what he's up to before it's too late?

Brutally honest, realistic tale of motherhood that is impossible to put down. Natalie has a difficult newborn who insists on breast feeding constantly and never wants to be put down. On top of that Natalie is unable to sleep, even when her baby sleeps she can’t fall asleep. When she makes a friend who seems to be a godsend with her baby, and very understanding of the things she is going through as a new mom, she is thrilled. But her new friend is anything but a friend and is a threat to all Natalie holds dear. This novel is intense and very fast paced and will speak to anyone who has ever has struggled with a new baby. Excellent writing, highly recommend.

The author dives deep into the emotions and psychological drama of being and new first time mother. The writing is excellent providing a very candid view of thoughts from the mothers point of view. All this set in an ever evolving drama of betrayal. The author takes the reader on an emotional ride, sometimes hard to read, not because of the writing, but do to the raw emotion. A great book for understanding motherhood from the point of view of a new mother.

Attorney Natalie Fanning is a rising star in her firm until the day she goes into labor and delivers her son. After eight weeks of maternity leave, Natalie is an exhausted, sleepless mess and can't imagine how she'll return to work. Having a demanding infant who is only soothed by Natalie holding or breastfeeding him puts a strain on her relationship with her husband. Enter Paul, a neighbor stay-at-home dad who seems to have all the answers to Natalie's worries and fears about being a bad mother; even pitching in and helping during those days when Natalie just can't seem to function. But is Paul really as nice as he seems? Author Murphy drags her readers through the countless days and sleepless nights with a fussy infant until we too are looking for relief. We psychologically begin to feel the same disconnect to reality that Natalie is feeling -just waiting for something to happen--and it will. Being accused of murdering Paul's wife throws Natalie, her husband and readers into a nightmare tailspin--could she really have done it and just forgotten? The final resolution seems a bit too simply executed with Paul's conveniently empty house just as the investigation starts heating up. Overall an interesting dive into the serious condition suffered by postpartum women.

This is a great book! The first part seemed to move a little slow because the author did a lot of character development, but then the plot started picking up steam. I had no idea, even after having two children, that postpartum psychosis even exists. Thank you, Ms. Murphy, for shedding light on a little-known subject.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for this opportunity to give my honest review of this Advanced Reader’s Copy.

The New Mother by Nora Murphy
Interesting read, storyline is good, characters are fleshed out and real to me. Twists that I did see coming and turns that I did not...all in all it was a pretty good book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

I received a free copy of, The New Mother, by Nora Murphy, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Natalie is a new mother, to little Oliver. Lost and alone until she meets Paul, who she thinks is a lifeline, but is he really, and what does he want Natalie to do for him. A chilling read, I did not care for Paul at all.

this is a tough book to review. As a mom, i understand what Nat is going through, although never had true PPD. However I went into this looking for a fast paced thriller and I did not find it all that thrilling...may be in th eminority with this opinion.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I found the novel The New Mother under the thriller category, which to me is a misnomer. I feel as though the majority of the book is realistic fiction and the family suspense part is maybe the last third of the book. For me, The New Mother was an uncomfortable read. The emotions and despondency that the main character went through were eerily similar to my own postnatal experiences. It’s difficult for one to look back at a time of deep depression, even if you have made it out the other side intact. So in that way, I did feel as though the author did an incredible job detailing the loneliness and desperation of a new mother with postpartum depression. I also would have instinctively trusted any person that would have been able to stop my child screaming her fool head off at the time, so I deeply related to Natalie. I thought that in general, the book was very adept at painting a realistic picture of life with a newborn. Where things were not so good for me was the ending. It felt too rushed and incomplete.

Nothing is simple when you have just given birth and you are all alone, especially with a colicky baby. This is something Natalie knows all too well. When she meets her neighbor Paul, he seems to have a special way with her son. Paul provides a lifeline that Natalie has needed and she feels that with his help she can finally rest. However, Paul has plans of his own, and what he wants…might not be the best for Natalie. Is she just a pawn in his game?

This book took me back to the days after I had just had my daughter. It was written in such a commiserative way. It really opened my eyes to how vulnerable new mothers are. I knew this, but I didn’t get it. This whole story was focused on that vulnerability, and it just resonated with me. I loved how it was all portrayed. For me this was a solid thriller, not your typical hold the edge of your seat thriller, but a slow burn thriller that was good.

If you are looking for a thriller that will take you to the early days after childbirth, then check this one our May 30th!

Thank you to the publisher St Martin’s Press, @stmartinspress, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me uncomfortable but in a good way. Twists and turns and the characters were well developed.

O review can do this depressing story justice. Yet it’s a real affliction and often overlooked.
I don’t think ew depressed moms go through quite the same extremes.

Intense and bone-chilling is a great description of this novel by Nora Murphy. Natalie is a new mother, struggling with isolation and fatigue. Paul is her wonderful new neighbor – or is he? He’s attentive, kind, and helpful with baby Oliver. But Paul has a dark ulterior motive.

I admit that I couldn’t quite identify with the intense postpartum feelings that Natalie experiences, but I have friends who have felt just like Natalie so I know it is real and intense and scary. Paul takes advantage of the physical and psychological struggle that Natalie is going through to put his plan into practice. While the beginning of the novel is slow, it picks up the pace and I sped through the last half of the book waiting to see what happens. A good, solid read! Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my impartial review. This book is a cross between a weak murder mystery and a guide for nursing mothers! Most of the book deals with breastfeeding, post natal depression and colic babies. I was disappointed that the murder/mystery didn’t present itself until most of the book was over. The parts that were dedicated to the murder seemed to take a backseat to the issues dealing with depression and colic newborns. A new mother , her husband and baby move into a new house. The mother is very lonely and seeks the attention of a neighbor who is a stay at home dad . The seemingly friendly neighbor befriends the new mother , however, he has a hidden agenda. The mystery should have been more developed and more chapters dedicated to explaining how the mystery was solved. There was potential for a great novel, but, it fell short . I was not interested in such explicit details about breastfeeding.

Being a new mother can mean many things. Is a murderer one of them?
This new psychological suspense will pull you in. You have no idea how not simple this new mothers life will become.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Pub date is May 30th 2023!

This book had me turning pages and searching for answers. Unfortunately, too much time was spent searching for where the book was heading, and that's not a good reason to turn pages.

Natalie is a mother who is consumed with wanting to be a good mother to her baby boy, Oliver. Natalie’s husband, Tyler, is more than happy to help with their newborn, but Natalie interprets accepting help as a weakness.

One day as Natalie pushes Oliver in a stroller throughout their new neighborhood, she meets a stay-at-home father. In time they begin talking and the neighbor who also stayed at home with his baby seems to be able to sympathize with Natalie. Something she is badly in need of, understanding and companionship.

But will Paul, the neighbor, have secrets that Natalie isn’t aware of?

My Concerns
The pace was slow, and not much happened until at least halfway through the book.

Natalie is an educated woman, but one who seemed to know no other method of calming her crying baby than to feed him. If I counted how many times the word “nurse” was used in this book, the number would be extremely high. Every time Natalie grabbed up her fussy baby and nursed him made her appear naive. It was repetitive and irritating.

Final Thoughts
While this book does pick up toward the last half, I have to wonder if the first is strong enough to keep readers interested.

If you’re looking for a thriller or a suspenseful story, you will only find those things sparingly added. Much of the story is about a mother’s expectations of herself and the difficulties of caring for a newborn.

I appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book. Her wish to include postpartum depression in the story was commendable, but it consumed too many pages. It would have helped to broaden the aspect rather than rely on repetition.

If the story could have been paired down, the last half of the book did pick up and become exciting.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I'm not sure why I couldn't get into this one. I just felt like it was the same thing over and over for each chapter. I may come back to it at another time. If so I will update my rating.