The Guilty Mother is a story that focuses on two women, Vic and Lisa. Vic’s husband Russel is killed in a hit and run. Lisa is the prime suspect in the hit and run and is arrested by police.

This domestic thriller is a great read and well written. I did find it to be predictable. I enjoyed this book and will be recommending it.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

3.5 Stars rounded up!

This is the first book I’ve read from Sam and I’m not sure it’ll be my last. While I absolutely figured out who the culprit was in the beginning, I enjoyed the ride. And was also delighted for the twist in the epilogue.

The story is told from two perspectives- Victoria and Lisa. There’s very little timeline hopping but the hopping we did was enjoyable and insightful.

Victoria’s husband has been found dead on the side of a road. Lisa is arrested and charged with his murder. No one believes she did it-including Victoria.

We see Victoria’s marriage through the rose colored glasses her husband, Russell, would like us to see. And then we’re shown the reality of their marriage. He’s an abusive, piece of shit. No mincing words here. Victoria is also not what she seems. And while I found myself feeling bad for her, I was also incredibly frustrated with her chameleon tendencies. Until I remembered that she’s a victim (still hated her tho).

Lisa has the perfect marriage to her husband, Mike, and two kiddos - teenagers, actually - Holly and Jack. She delights in being a SAHM/W and truly loves doing for her family. She sees glimpses of Victoria’s “other side” during their solo outings but realizes that Victoria rarely shows this side of herself to anyone else. Which is why Lisa sees her creeping in on her life and her family when she’s placed in custody for the murder of Russell. (Side note - my husband’s name is also Mike and he is SO MUCH LIKE this Mike it isn’t even funny. Like learn to read the room, bud.)

As I mentioned, I figured this one out pretty quickly but Adam made it a fun / enjoyable read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley for this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Never underestimate what a mother will do to protect her child. Another heartbreaking story from Sam Vickery. Well-paced with plenty of twists and turns as we race to the finish. Beautifully rendered!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

How far would you go to protect a child? For Lisa there was only one answer, she would do anything within her power to ensure her daughter was safe.
Lisa, Mike and their two children Holly and Jack have known their neighbours Russell and Victoria since the children were born - they have socialised superficially but have never considered they were great friends, at least not as far as Lisa was concerned.
Their relationship takes a dramatic turn when Russell is killed in a hit and run accident. The dynamic between the remaining adults and children is closely scrutinised especially when Lisa finds herself under suspicion.
I read this in almost one go, acutely observed - highly recommend

The Guilty Mother by Sam Vickery The story was slow paced and told from the POVs of Lisa and Victoria in alternating time periods which did get confusing at times. Understand Lisa's motativation in protecting her family however, not telling the complete truth could backfire in the future. The scarf also didn't get completely explained. An okay read, not too suspenseful but entertaining.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The story starts with Lisa Grey who while having family dinner was arrested by the police for the car accident that killed a man named Russel. Russell is their next door neighbor Vic husband. Did Lisa really kill Russell accidentally or with a motive to murder?

The story in my opinion started out great but this wasn’t a type of thriller that would put the reader on edge. There is some pace in the book but I feel like it wasn’t much of twists and turns that would grapple the reader in a way. The story itself became a bit predictable particularly the end. However the suspense was still there, writing was great and though I didn’t find this book enjoyable, I would like to read more books by this author. Worth three stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for ARC. Review is based on my honest opinion only.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There were several times throughout when I thought I knew what was happening, but realized that I was not at all correct. From the moment I picked it up, I didn't want to put the book down because the story just kept building and building from the first page. I loved that I was questioning every character's motives, and trying to figure out how everything fit together the whole time I was reading. I rated this a solid four stars, and I will be adding anything else by this author to my TBR!

The Guilty Mother by Sam Vickery is a solid psych thriller that details how far a mom might go for her children – and what secrets may have to be hidden in the process.
And there are a LOT of secrets flying around in this book. Most of them felt natural to the book. However, there were a few places where I thought I missed something because they seemed almost like a throwaway.
I’ll try to explain without giving away any twists.
It’s apparent from the very beginning that both Lisa and Victoria have ulterior motives for their actions – not to mention several secrets to keep hidden.
I thought Lisa was admirable. Even as she was put in horrible positions, she maintained her stance to protect her family. And it never seemed martyrish – just what a mama bear would do for her family.
Victoria was a little bit harder to get a grip on. Her background with Russell was fairly obvious to me (if you read enough psych thrillers, you can find those hints fairly easily). But there are moments in the story where she veers off and it feels almost like she is a different character.
Is that the result of what she put up with in her marriage? Or is it uneven writing? I honestly couldn’t tell. Not that it mattered much. There was only one moment where I actually thought, “Wait – what?” because it came out of left field and then there was essentially no follow-through.
Although, in retrospect, maybe there is follow-through and it can be found in Victoria’s final decisions. I didn’t catch that during reading, but in retrospect it makes sense.
The twists toward the end are pretty good. I was back and forth about how something happened and thought I had it figured out. Until it became clear that Lisa was VERY good at hiding her secrets!
And now I’m verging into giving those away.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Guilty Mother. Sam Vickery is becoming a favorite, and I look forward to the next psych thriller!

The story definitely had a twist but not all that unexpected. The story was basically told from being inside the heads of the two woman. There was a lot going on, but nothing really deep taking place. It kept my attention, but wasn’t one that I would say that I loved.

Wow, what a book!! I think I went through every emotion under the sun whilst reading this. I almost gave up after the first few chapters as it made me so anxious but I’m so glad I kept going! A great story with a very interesting twist (which I figured out before the big reveal, go me). Great characters (I hated Victoria so much until the end), fab suspense and red herrings, I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author!
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Sam Vickery for this ARC copy.

Lisa and Mike have lived across the street and been friends with Victoria and Russell for many years. When Russell is killed in a hit and run accident, everyone is shocked when Lisa stands accused of hitting and killing him. Told from different perspectives you learn that not everyone’s seemingly idealistic life is as it seems.

This thriller had me turning turning pages and not wanting to put it down. There are some tough topics, so if you do read this book, please keep that in mind.

Thank you to #Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book!

I was kindly sent this ARC on NetGalley which I am incredibly grateful for,

This book was intense! I started it and finished within 5 hours, It had me hooked and on the edge of my seat whilst reading. The twist at the end was amazing and one I thought might have been coming but was much more heart
breaking.

If you like thrillers give this book a go! You won't regret it

2.5 stars rounded up.

Mike and Lisa have been best friends with their neighbors Victoria and Russell since they first moved to town, so when Lisa is arrested for the murder of Russell one night, Mike and Victoria are both shocked and assume it must be a mistake. Lisa knew this day was coming, but she’ll do anything she can to get back to her kids and husband.

THE GUILTY MOTHER by Sam Vickery alternates POVs between Lisa and Victoria, which I found engaging until the two characters’ traits seemed to dissolve into one character.

One of my biggest issues with this book was being in the heads of Lisa and Vic, who were both devoted housewives who just wanted to make their husbands happy - I’m all for a suburban drama, but these characters made me cringe and their placid behavior had me yearning for it all to be over.

And *trigger warning* there was also a use of rape as a plot device, which was both cringe-worthy and felt unnecessary in moving the story forward.

There were some intriguing moments sprinkled throughout, hence the 2.5 stars, but this one was overall a miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 28, 2023

A well written suspense whodunitish tale from this author
I enjoy this style of ‘chatty’ writing and it is easy to read and draws you in pretty much immediately
There were lots of twists and turns to the story and of course secrets and lies,the staple for any thriller like this but for me it did keep me guessing and it was done really well
A good page turner that will keep you invested in the story

This book kept my interest from start to finish and I was constantly wondering “whodunnit”. There was a nice finish to the story with twists and turns along the way. Definitely worth giving a try!

Wow, another amazing book by Sam, this book had me so hooked I literally didn't want to put my kindle down, a domestic book that really had me gripped throughout.

I have read and loved all of Sam’s previous novels but somehow this one didn’t quite hit the same notes. It was a good read overall and the plot kept my guessing but it definitely lacked something.

When can you really say that you know someone? Or when someone knows you? I would say never, because people change constantly. Of course some things stay the same, but can you say you are still the same person you were 20 years ago or before you got married or had kids? I most certainly am not that same person anymore and that only natural. When you grow up, you have more responsibilities and you have to adept. 

Can you say you are friends with someone when you only have met up a couple of times a year during the almost two decades you have been neighbours? Some would say yes, others would see it more as being neighbourly. Even simple words can have two different meanings for two different people.

Some people are forced to play a part due to the influence from a parent, a spouse and when that influence disappears you see a person you have never met before. It's understandable that this person wants to achieve some goals they were never allowed before, but at what price...?

This is the story of two families living in the same street, meeting up form time to time becoming entangled in devastating events, one leading to another...

Sometimes when you read a story, you wonder why people make certain decisions. In your eyes it was the most stupid thing to do, but on the other hand I really don't know how I would react if I was in their shoes. It's always easy to judge, but sometimes you feel like this is the only way out. 

A heart breaking story, for sure. 4 stars

Thank you

Lisa was having her typical dinner moment with her small, loving family, but a knock on their door changed the cheery atmosphere of their precious little home. Victoria's husband, Russell, was hit the other rainy night by an unknown driver, with broken limbs and all that, and to her surprise, Lisa was the first suspect in the crime. The Guilty Mother switches back and forth between Lisa's arrest and Victoria finding evidence that her husband was killed with intention. However, mystery stuff aside, this story is all about a mother's love for her children.

This was marketed as women's fiction, which is indeed correct. The Guilty Mother was not a heavily plotted thriller read; it's not embedded with shocking plot twists because most of the surprises in the story were obvious. Despite that, it was satisfying to witness everything unfold according to what you were expecting. Pace-wise, it was slow but engaging. The first chapter started with a bang that hooked me in instantly. The author's engaging writing style added to the immersive start and to the flow all throughout. However, I found it repetitive sometimes, and the ending lacked for me but could definitely work for others.

It would be a perfect read if you want to get into a small-town mystery and if you want a gossip-y flow to the story! Watch out for trigger warnings, though!