I can’t imagine asking my best friend to pick up my 4 year old daughter from school but when she gets there, someone has already picked her up! Naomi asked Jane to pick up Florrie and take her to the dentist, where she will meet her shortly. Panic, fear and terror fill the minds of the school staff, Jane and Naomi as they are sickened by who might have taken Florrie. Jane’s a psychologist and also the author of Agony Aunt and is receiving odd emails which in a strange way reflect her own life. Her husband Robert is acting odd, evidence shows up in her house and she’s questioning if her friends are really her friends. Naomi has a secret, not even her husband Lorenzo knows about yet. When truths are unveiled , how far will it push him ? Jane is consumed with wanting to help Naomi find Florrie but when faced with lies, untold truths and the deterioration of her business, she is questioning her family, her friends and her own ability to do what’s right. Will she find Florrie or is it too late ?

Miranda Rijks, the author of 18 psychological thrillers has outdone herself with “The Other Mother”. She lives in England with her husband. She is a survivor of bone cancer and loves being able to live her dream as an author.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. I couldn’t put it down ! A page turner and several “gasping” moments throughout the book. I had to know what happened to Florrie and “ who took her”. Miranda did such an amazing job with twists and turns and keeping us wanting more! I honestly feel this could be a NY Times Best Seller! Honestly so well written , can’t wait to read Miranda’s next book!

At first I thought maybe this was one of those rich ladies having rich lady problems books. It isn't. It is amazing! I can't say much without giving things away but know that at first it seems like a lot of stuff is going on that is not related to anything else but when you get to the end it all fits together.

4.5/5 ⭐'s

I am PLEASANTLY surprised by this book! I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty picky when it comes to mystery-thrillers. A lot of the time the book doesn't live up to the blurb. That is NOT the case with The Other Mother. This book drew me in with the blurb, but the story kept me hooked from page one.

The Other Mother is an eerie mystery-thriller about little Florrie who is taken by someone claiming to be who they're not... Nala, Florrie's mom, asks her closest friend Jane to pick up Florrie from school and take her to the dentist as she's stuck at a work thing. Jane agrees, but is late picking up Florrie by 10 minutes - yet she's still there before school lets out. Only problem is, the school says Jane's already picked up Florrie and she's gone...

It’s short, under 300 pages, but has you guessing from page one whodunit. I had so many theories and guesses as to who took Florrie and as more twists were thrown at me, my guess kept changing. It was such a fun ride and I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author!

LIKES:
-Quick read
-Enthralling mystery
-Kept me guessing
-Many twists and turns
-POV chapters of the bad guy

DISLIKES:
-Half of the cast was extremely unlikeable
-Needed a little more backstory on the bad guy

The queen of psychological thrillers, Miranda Rijks, returns following, The Concierge (5 stars) with her latest twisty domestic suspense, THE OTHER MOTHER. A child goes missing, and this group of friends—all suspects and connected in this riveting cat-and-mouse game.

Dark and twisty, blended with dark humor, white-knuckle tension, and MR's signature jaw-dropping surprises.

One of my favorite psychological thriller authors—every book is highly creative and twisty. I drop everything when I see a Miranda Rijks thriller coming out.

OK, let's talk about these CHARACTERS:

The star of the show and heroine is Jane Wildman. A therapist and a secret (Dear Aurora Rae), Dear Agony Aunt advice columnist. A wife and mother of two teens.

Poor Jane! She is NOT, unfortunately, surrounded by people who care or support her. If she calls these friends, I would hate to have enemies.

~Her teenage daughter, Elsa, 17 yrs old (total brat)—is mean to her mother —evil and manipulative.
~Her teenage son, Alex, 15 (almost 16 yrs old) is not the warmest, influenced by his friend, Hari.
~Her husband, Robert, was unfaithful (she learns).
~Her clients are NOT nice or loyal.
~Her Agony Aunt letters are from people with hidden agendas.
~Her friends: Nala, Amir, and Cameron. Horrible!
She needs to start over fresh!

Jane Wildman is an Agony Aunt (for those in US, we call Dear Abby; whereas British, Agony Aunt). No one knows her identity except for her editor and a select few. Jane is also a psychologist.

Some letters are old fashioned, handwritten, sent via snail mail, some typed, and others emailed. Normally it takes her less than ten minutes to pen a response. (However, in the book, we see letters but no responses). This would have been fun to see.

Jane has three close friends: again, if you call them so.
~Nala (physiotherapy practice)
~Amira (does not work). Gives Jane's teenage son alcohol.
~Carmen (mobile beautician) nail and beauty treatments.

They became friends seven years earlier when they took rooms in the commercial building in Horsham set up for independent professionals running health and wellness businesses. Amir's son Hari is best friends with Jane's son, Alex.

Her friend, Nala, is married to Lorenzo with a daughter, Florrie (four-year-old), and another baby on the way. Nala is a physiotherapist and a little younger than Jane. Florrie attends Bluebell Primary School in West Sussex.

Nala is stuck at a training seminar and calls Jane to see if she can pick up Florrie from school and meet her at the dentist. However, upon arrival at the school, she is told Florrie was picked up by another woman named Jane. What the heck is going on?

Four-year-old Florrie Moretti is officially MISSING. Something is terribly wrong. She does not have her favorite toy, Elo, a saggy, worn elephant.

What occurs next is an investigation—a kidnapping. DS Grainger and Det Constable Krish Chandra are on the case. But no demand for money comes. What is the motive? The security cam image looks like a woman, but very blurry, so difficult to identify.

Lorenzo, Nala's husband, travels and has a bad temper. We later find out their marriage is not so great. But Nala's little girl is missing, and she is pregnant, so she sticks it out with him.

We hear from POVS: Jane, Nala, and Carmen. We also get a few letters to Dear Aurora Rae, with possibly fake names. Are they connected?

Secrets of the past are slowly unraveled. One of Florrie's little socks shows up at Jane's house in the laundry. Jane starts suspecting everyone. Is there a pedophile among them? All the families are connected in mysterious ways.

In the meantime, Jane's life is slowly UNRAVELING due to the fact she was the one who was supposed to pick up Florrie, and now her husband, Robert is a suspect—a media frenzy. Something in Jane's past with a patient (a baby abduction) comes to the surface and is used against her.

A journalist wants her to tell her story, then gaslights her. Her clients turn on her, her so-called friends, her daughter, and now her business and reputation.

Someone is taking out credit cards and an apartment in her name. Who has stolen her identity or is trying to set her up for kidnapping and possibly murder? Her life is crumbling before her eyes. She has been betrayed.

What about poor little Florrie? Will she make it out alive?

Jane dives deeper to find the kidnapper because she feels little Florrie is in grave danger. The closer she gets, she is in danger. The letters to Dear Aurora Rae become more sinister. Her clients are getting creepy.

The truth is slowly unraveled about Florrie's bio father. Then we hear from little Florrie, which is heartbreaking, left alone all day locked away by a psycho. I loved her.

Drum roll: It is not until we get to the 50% into the last POV that your JAW begins to DROP. Fast and furious, things get complex and very INTERESTING, keeping you glued to the pages to the conclusion. This is where the book SHINES! This person is a psychopath hiding in plain sight and has Florrie's future in her hands.

WOW! As usual, yet another wicked evil twist (diary) is thought-provoking at the very end. I call this the second psychopath.

THE OTHER MOTHER is an addictively suspenseful and tautly written domestic thriller that reveals how nothing is as it seems, even in a perfect family.

Rijks is a pro at twists and turns, but these characters are NOT likable. The only ones which you have sympathy for are Jane and little Florrie.

A propulsive journey through a winding maze of secrets and lies. A shocking look at how even the most innocuous secrets between happy couples and beloved friends— in tightly knit neighborhoods— can sometimes turn so unexpectedly and terrifyingly deadly.

COVER AND TITLE: I know the author has little say-so regarding covers and titles; however, I feel this cover image and the title do not fit the book.

I would have LOVED the book to be titled "Dear Aurora Rae" with mysterious letters on the cover. I can envision it. As a publisher for many years, "covers matter. It would have set the book apart from all the other thrillers about "mothers."

If you have not read Miranda Rijks, she has a vast backlist, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. Get it today!

Thanks to #InkubatorBooks via #NetGalley for an ARC for review purposes.

Also, check out my #AuthorElevatorSeries with Miranda, THE CONCIERGE, if you missed it, where we go behind the book and the author. So much FUN!

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: April 19, 2023
April 2023 Must-Read Books

Lord Have Mercy the housewife Jerry Springer of it all! (In a good way) Pettiness, snide supposed friends, secret sorta affairs, festering hate....like it's all there.

And there isn't a character that you really like...at least I didn't like a one of them but it works. My mouth literally dropped when I read the who....my husband even asked what I was watching to make such a face and I told him reading which apparently didn't help his conclusion of I'm weird but whatever.

If I sorta had to nitpick.....and this is stretching. Because i loved everything about this fast paced read. The reason WHY I kinda thought was dumb...but again it works. Anyone who has ever watched criminal minds know that there is no explanation for the psychosis or the bat shit crazy of it all and no else is going to understand why they decided to do what they did. And they sure ain't going to admit their own blame or fault.

I do love a good psychological thriller & this one certainly held my attention.
Well written interesting story with lots of very good twists & turns throughout.
The main character Jane is a psychologist but also part time agony aunt for a paper answering letters & giving advice.
She works from home & when a close friend asks if she could pick up her small child from school & take her to the dentist, although hesitant at first, she agrees.
Nala her friend explains she is running late on a course she is on & will meet her at the dentist.
Unfortunately Jane gets held up with a client & ends up being 10 mins late to pick up the child.
She arrives at school only to be told that someone giving her name as already picked the child up.
All hell breaks lose as the police are brought in as the little 4 year old girl is nowhere to be found.
Jane’s life suddenly goes into a downward spiral as her life starts unraveling.
Uppermost in her mind she feels a huge responsibility for the lost child.
If she had been on time she could have stopped it from happening.
This was a nice easy read that kept me engrossed until the last page.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Other Mother by Miranda Rijks.
Four-year-old Florrie is missing. Who has taken her, and what do they want?
A gripping and twisty read. A quick read. The characters I didn't really like but I did like the story. 5*.

As a big fan of psychological thrillers, The Other Mother was amazing.. i enjoyed every moment of reading this book and Miranda Rijks was able to engage the readers with the premise, characters and overall book, i couldn't put it down once i started.

You were asked to pick up your friend's daughter from school to take her to a dentist appointment, only to find out when you go to the school somebody has already picked her up. The book instantly has your heart beating and wanting to find out where did she go? Who picked her up? There is so many answers and questions you have going through your head whilst reading.

The Other Mother is a page turning, fast paced thriller book that has endless amount of twists and turnings some you will know will happen and as well as some that will keep you off guard. The characters were all really interesting with different personalities that you could easily relate too in situations, overall i did like the way the characters were all portrayed. Miranda Rijks did a fabulous job and i really love her style of writing as it is always a fun read whenever i read her previous books.

Would definitely recommend to other book readers who enjoy a fast paced thriller read.

This is my favorite book by this author to date, and I’ve read quite a few. It was such a fast paced thriller. It’s a quick read and a story that you can get lost in. There were a lot of good twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. Job well done.

What an exciting and thrilling read by Miranda Rijks!

The main character, Jane, is a psychologist. Jane is asked to pick up her friend's daughter, Florrie, from school. However, when Jane goes to the school, she finds out that someone else posed as her and picked up the four-year old. Jane starts suspecting those around her when incriminating evidence turns up in her home. This causes her entire life to ultimately fall apart.

This wa a super quick read - I was not able to put it down! I was constantly guessing my theories about who took Florrie. Miranda Rijks does an excellent job keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I am looking forward to reading more from Miranda!

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this copy to me for review, I usually only read thrillers especially the psychological type that’s full of twists and unpredictable twists, this book was a fun read and I liked the description of the book. However it felt flat to me during the read and could do with some more tense and gripping.

I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers and this premise was super interesting to me. The book, overall, fell a little flat, but it did keep me entertained and some of the twists I did not see coming. Robert being Florrie’s dad I called fairly early on, but as for the person who actually abducted the poor child I was totally shocked.

There were a few storylines in this book, which I’m not always a fan of, but they seemed to be okay in this book. I wasn’t a fan of really any of the characters - they all had some pretty major flaws and/or secrets they were hiding. The end of the book where we see the diary entry for Elsa was a bit strange - it felt out of place and unnecessary except for the point where we found out she was the one sending the letters.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I thought it was fast-paced at points, and drug on at points. I was able to read it in one sitting, which is always appreciated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Miranda Rijks for giving me the chance to read the ARC of this book in exchange for my
honest review.

I loved this book ,I love not knowing what's going to happen.usually takes me a week to read a book took me two days,I kinda guessed who the baddies were in the end.excellent read .five stars.

After reading the blurb for this book I really wanted to read it. A good read but not what I usually get from this author. For me there was too much filler which really did not go with the plot. Where was the tension and suspense that this author is well known for??? Not one of her best.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This was a story of a little girl that was abducted on the school premises. This incident unraveled everybody's lives and marriages in this community. What I appreciate about this book was how real the fears and thoughts of Jane and Nala were. The twists were coming from everywhere it'll blow your mind. However, there's something lacking. Probably, a more in-depth explanation of the relationships between Carmen and Lorenzo.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Other Mother. What a ride this book took the reader on with lots of red herrings along the way. The plot involves the kidnapping of Naomi's daughter and how her friends were all involved in some way. You will be surprised of who actually kidnapped her and the reasoning behind it. I would definitely recommend.

Imagine that you are doing a favor for a friend. Picking up her four-year-old daughter from school and taking her to the dentist. Seems simple enough. Until Florrie is not at school, someone else has already picked her up. Jane's heart is in her throat. Maybe she miss understood Floorie's mother, Nala. Nala's phone keeps instantly going to voicemail. What is Jane to do? Call the police or wait until she can touch base to make sure there were no other arrangements in place? I know I would have instantly called the police, no harm in making sure everyone is looking for the child as soon as possible. This is the one issue I had with the book, I kept yelling at Jane to call the police, to go visit Nala, to check in. Make sure you are doing everything in your power to help your friend and her little girl.

This is not just a simple kidnapping. There is so much more to this story. You think you have everything figured out and wham, Miranda Rijks, knocks you for a loop. Making your jaw drop, your heart race, and your mind explode. The ending is fantastic and takes you for a thrilling ride. Thank you, Miranda Rijks, for sending me your new book!

The Other Mother was a page turning and super quick read.
It has so many twists that make you keep guessing the entire time.
Characters are well developed and also very unlikeable. Family’s secrets are revealed, that I was very surprised. I didn’t expect that at all.
Very good read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Coming out on April 19, 2023.

A good book telling the story of a missing child. Told from the perspective of different characters in the book.

You are asked last minute to pick up your friend’s child and take her to a dental appointment. You arrive at the school only to find out someone using your name to pick her up already. What would you do? Where is the little girl? Who has her? These are the questions the must be answered in this fast paced book. This book had me guessing and rushing to turn the page to see what happened next.