Natalie Fanning is a new mother who just wants to get everything right. Her baby develops colic, and she is finding it hard to create a routine. That's when her next door neighbor, Paul, who has a daughter of his own steps in and offers a little help. But all is not what it seems, and Natalie isn't sure what is real, and what is all in her head.

This is a very slow-burn story told in dual POV, broken up into 4 parts. I think that Natalie's POV was quite repetitive, but I enjoyed Paul's POV a lot, and wish there had been more. I liked how flawed all of the characters were. I wouldn't classify this as a thriller per say, as a lot of it is just Natalie going through her every day life, struggling with post partum depression and a colicky baby. It is more so a domestic drama about manipulation, and the mental health of a new mother. The ending was quite rushed, and I do wish that it had been expanded a little bit. It would have been nice to hear Paul's final thoughts on the matter, but alas we don't aways get what we want.

The New Mother was a great read by Nora Murphy. Natalie Fanning is a new mom alone in a new house. Her son is colicky and she’s having a hard time as a new mom. She meets her neighbor Paul who provides her a lifeline that she needs desperately. Nat feels like she can finally rest with Paul helping with Oliver. Paul befriended Nat because she’s the perfect pawn for his plan. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

"The New Mother" by Nora Murphy offers a haunting portrayal of the complexities of motherhood amidst suburban isolation. Natalie Fanning's journey is both relatable and unsettling, as she grapples with the challenges of new motherhood and the eerie presence of her neighbor, Paul. Murphy skillfully weaves together themes of maternal love, loneliness, and suspense, delivering a gripping narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the shocking conclusion.

As someone who isn't a mother, I couldn't fully relate to Natalie's experiences, particularly regarding postpartum depression. However, "The New Mother" evoked a range of emotions, notably discomfort, which I appreciate in a book. Despite the slow burn leading up to the murder halfway through the book, I found it to be a compelling buildup with a satisfying resolution. It's worth noting that some readers may find the subject matter triggering, so it's advisable to check for trigger warnings beforehand.

A huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this title. I found this book riveting. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't wait to see what would happen next! I highly recommend this read! I found it surprising, while relatable despite being so different from my lived experience. I loved the narrator for The New Mother, it brought the book to life.

I appreciate the author's attempt to tell a much bigger story than what you might find in a typical domestic thriller. Unfortunately, it bogged down the story to the point in which I was reading more to finish rather than enjoying the reading experience.

This was a wild read! This was my 1st book at Nora Murphy but will not be my last, I am adding their books to my TBR!

3.5 stars rounded up: The New Mother by Nora Murphy is billed as a thriller, but that didn't really ramp up until the last part of the book. The beginning dealt with a woman who was struggling with her new role of mother. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be. She ended up taking an unpaid leave from work, she couldn't sleep, she was sore from all the nursing and her husband didn't give her any help at all. She was struggling, so when her neighbour, stay-at-home dad Paul, took Oliver from her arms and he stopped crying, she wanted his help and friendship. Paul was a university professor who left his job after accusations of inappropriate behaviour with a young female student. That was over 7 years ago. His daughter was in school and he was supposed to be writing a book. It felt like an emotional affair to me, but then something happened to change the tone of this story.

I have to say that I related well to Nat, even though she wasn't easy to get to know. I had a baby like Oliver who fed constantly, spit up all the time, cried like he was in pain and didn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time. He was two before he slept through the night. What was different, is that I didn't have post partum depression/psychosis. What I didn't like was how repetitive that part of the story was. Once Paul's wife disappears, the story picks up and becomes a cat and mouse story. Nat has to prove her innocence, but it seems Paul is one step ahead of her. I enjoyed this part of the story, but I found the ending very abrupt. I liked her writing, but the narration even had a hard time keeping me interested at times. Overall, I can see promise in this story and author so I will look for other books she has written, but this one was just okay for me.

As I often do with mystery/thrillers, I went into this completely blind to avoid any preconceived ideas and spoilers for myself. Had I known going in that the plot was heavily based on post partum depression, I probably would have skipped this.

🎧I paired the book with the audio and really enjoyed the narration choice, and often even preferred this format.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-the trials of being a new Mom/New Mom Horror
-domestic suspense
-slow burn
-unlikeable characters

*many thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

The New Mother by Nora Murphy is read by Dylan Moore and Lee Osorio. This duo did an awesome job narrating together. I'm not one for pregnancy laden novels but I've got to hand it to Murphy for her writing abilities. I was hooked. I found the MCs both unlikable but so hard to turn away from. The way this plays out was engrossing. I was taken aback by the abrupt end but I think that's because I was listening. I also liked the representation of postpartum depression and psychosis.

This was a great read that I quite enjoyed from beginning to end. I was curious to read what was going to happen next and was hooked! I would recommend this one.

Thank you for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review. I have been sitting on this one for some time while I process my thoughts and digest what I read. Nora Murphy did some things right, but it wasn't a total success. At times I loved this and other times, I struggled a lot with staying engaged and suspending disbelief with some of the events in this book. The struggles of motherhood were EXTREMELY HEAVYHANDED and while I know that was intentional to portray the perspective of some women after giving birth, it really overtook the story and overshadowed the thriller aspects of the plot. The entire first half/60% had so much baby talk in it that I'm sure it will turn some readers away. The second half did pick up and it was rather scary the way the protagonist's memory and sleeplessness really messed with her judgement and put her in danger. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the audio experience of this one; for some reason the narrator didn't keep me in the story, and it was hard to understand some of the changes in POV/internal thoughts vs. dialogue. Overall, this is sticking with me, but there were so many problems with that I can't truly call it a well-balanced and effective thriller.

More like 3.5 stars

I feel like many of the reviews I read on this book were from readers who admitted they were child-free. I appreciate that they stated this fact and it may have influenced their rating because of a lack of understanding.

<I>The New Mother</i> may be described as a psychological thriller, but it could be categorized more as a family drama. The theme of new parents/post-partum depression runs deep. This is scary in a way that feels real because so many new moms out there think that parenting is hard and it that's it. Live with it. This book highlights the teetering on the line of parenting being hard and the fact that symptoms are being left untreated because it's easier to blame it on exhaustion or mom-brain.

I was gripped to this book because Natalie just wanted to do what was right but nothing felt right. I could feel her frustration in not knowing how to voice her issues or the feeling of asking for help means you're failing at the one job you're supposed to be made for. The brain fog was written well and felt real. She was made out to be an unreliable character, but then the reader felt unreliable too at the same time.

I enjoyed reading this book and was scared in a real life way.

The New Mother is aptly named. Nora Murphy did an excellent job of making you feel the complex feelings of motherhood. I felt the isolation and exhaustion that Natalie was going through.
I thought Murphy was really able to get the reader into the headspace Natalie was in before moving to the mystery which really helped with understanding how she got herself into the mess she was in.
I do wish we dove a little deeper into Paul's character and thinking. I realize the unveiling of his intentions and motivations was part of the mystery, but I felt it made me less invested in the story. A lot of time was spent in understanding Natalie, so when the tension arrived, we were already so far into the book, it felt like we didn't get a lot of tension. Overall though, I still thought this was a solid neighbourhood mystery and would recommend. The narration was well done and easy to listen to. It helped propel the story forward for me.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The New Mother
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Nora Murphy

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the author’s debut book “The Favor,” and was slightly disappointed by this one. Overall, it was thrilling, I was just expecting more as in the previous novel. The classification of this book as a mystery/thriller is not correct. This is more of a domestic drama and the effects of postpartum depression and how tough it can be undiagnosed. The author explores the dark side of the c-section and after the birth, how hard it can be for a woman. After the birth of their son, Natalie, has difficult feelings towards her son and rage against Tyler. Her saving grace is the neighbor Paul, however Paul has a different plan.

The story primarily is narrated by Natalie, in her POV. Natalie’s voice comes across as whining about breastfeeding, sleeps deprivation, and other elements that come with being a new mother. We do get a few chapters from Paul, in his POV. Paul’s character could have had a more impactful aspect to the story as the villain. Natalie resented her husband because he could continue his career as an attorney, as if they did not have a baby. Being a new mother is hard and extremely demanding, and could lead to an emotional breakdown.

The narrator was great and did a fantastic job with voice variation. This was not a bad read, I did enjoy the story. I just felt it could have been better, especially with Murphy’s amazing storytelling abilities, she can create twist after twist, even when you thought the twists was over, boom another one. I will definitely read more books by her.

I struggled from the start with this book.

I'm a mother to 5 and could not relate to this mother at all. The anxiousness and worry she felt was not something I experienced.

I couldn't get past that and stopped a few chapters in.

As a mood reader, I'll try to visit this again later. It could have just been the moment.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. It was too slow paced and the story felt a bit flat for me. I typically enjoy a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller - I think this would be a great book for those who enjoy a slow burn,

I really enjoyed the novel The New Mother by Nora Murphy at first I felt it was a little slow but when it got into it, it had me hooked and talking out loud asking the protagonist to wake up and open her eyes. If you like a mysteries or suspense then this will be a book that you will like a lot.

DNF at 20%.

Is this a new genre- new mother horror? I've read, or tried to, a couple of books now focusing on the first couple of weeks postpartum and what it does to, specifically, the mother's life. Not for me, and I skipping ahead didn't progress the story enough to keep trying.

Book purchased for our library, just not sure who I'd recommend it to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The latest from Nora Murphy does a great job at examining the effects of Postpartum Depression. Would have liked this thriller to be a little more thrilling.
Description

From Nora Murphy, author of The Favor, The New Mother is both relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling— a fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia.

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?

Enjoyed it but wasn’t overly wowed. I thought the pacing was great and enjoyed the characters. Interested to read more by the author