In The Other Mothers we meet Tash, a struggling journalist looking to revive her career after the birth of her son. Desperate to find a community to belong in and a story that will kickstart her writing, Tash joins a local playgroup and gets involved with a group of wealthy moms. At the same time, Tash becomes aware of the mysterious death of Sophie, a (former) nanny. Unable to let this story go, Tash investigates Sophie's death and comes to question every new friendship she's just made. Can she trust these women? Is she the only one investigating Sophie's death? Or is there something bigger going on here?

If you enjoy psychological thrillers (especially domestic thrillers), slow burners and mysteries, this will be a pleasing read.

[arc review]
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Other Mothers releases December 5, 2023

2.5

Tash, a freelance journalist who wrote an article about the death and apparent drowning of a nanny named Sophie, has recently been asked by the deceased’s mother to further investigate and find the killer since she has a gut feeling it was murder and not an accident.

As Tash investigates, she grows closer to a group of mothers that share the same playgroup as her and her two year old son — one of which previously employed Sophie as their live-in nanny.

I found this to be a bit too lengthy for a suburban type mystery and the intentionally misspelled words to indicate baby talk was so annoying.
There was also a part where Tash said she couldn’t determine the gender of one of the toddlers in the group, and Faulkner proceeded to describe said kid as an “it” instead of a “they” which was so odd and stuck out, especially from a character who is a mother.

The ending was satisfying but the journey to get there was a struggle and I feel like there’s still plenty of minor plot holes that weren’t fully addressed.

cw: abuse, postpartum depression, cheating

The Other Mothers - Katherine Faulkner

Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of a novel that will captivate you from the very first few pages.
The story centers around Tasha, a journalist, and her young son, Finn, who she cares for at home while her husband works as a doctor at a local hospital. Feeling isolated, Tasha begins to form friendships with some of the women at the daycare her son attends.

Sophie, a former nanny to one of the children at the daycare, plays a pivotal role. Tasha is approached by Sophie's mother, who implores her to investigate her daughter's death. The mother suspects foul play, as she believes Sophie did not die of natural causes. There are certain circumstances surrounding Sophie's death that raise doubts about it being an accidental drowning.

As Tasha delves into the mystery, she also navigates the complexities of forming connections with the other mothers at the daycare.

Having read the author's previous book, I eagerly anticipated this one as a much-needed distraction. "The Other Mothers" did not disappoint, offering numerous unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for providing me an Advanced Copy to read and in exchange for writing a review.

❓SUSPENSEFUL SATURDAY❓ featuring “The Other Mothers” by Katherine Faulkner!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Tash is a freelance journalist who has been staying home to take care of her two year old son Finn. She is looking to get back out on the writing scene, but first she needs to work on socializing Finn.

Tash enrols Finn into a Play Group where she meets the other mothers. They soon invite her into their tightly knit Mom’s group where they all get together to socialize while the kids play together.

Tash is thrilled to be a part of the clique and make some new “friends”, however she soon comes to find a dark conflict of interest between her new friends and a story that she is interested in chasing. A young nanny has been found DEAD in the neighbourhood under mysterious circumstances and no one will talk about what happened.

As Tash starts to poke around for information, she receives threats to STOP DIGGING. WHAT really happened to Sophie the nanny and WHY are the other mothers determined to keep the truth hidden?? Tash refuses to give the story up in hopes that it may relaunch her journalist career … even if it puts her in danger.

I absolutely LOVED Katherine Faulkner’s debut novel “Greenwich Park”, and this book was just as fantastic! I love her writing style and the atmosphere she creates within her domestic suspense stories! Dark and twisty, tons of drama, and lots of chilling drawn out suspense!

Thank you kindly to @katherinefaulknerwrites @gallerybooks @simonschusterca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on December 5, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Tash is a Journalist who is trying to relaunch her career after taking time off to have her son. So when a nanny mysteriously dies she gets involved in an investigation to try to find out what really happened. While she is also trying to find a playgroup for her son, she meets the "other mothers" and starts to become welcomed into their clickie group. This proves to be very helpful as one of the mothers that Tash meets happens to be the employer of the deceased nanny. As Tash begins to ask questions and do a little more digging, she starts to receive threatening text messages telling her to leave things alone.....I will let you read on to see if Tash takes the advice or not.....Enjoy!!!

Faulkner has written another great ‘Mom Noir’ - the subgenre of domestic thrillers that are increasingly popular at the moment.

Rather similar to her previous setting, Faulkner takes us to an upscale London neighbourhood with gorgeous homes, yummy mommies, trendy nannies and expensive playdates. It’s here that she explores the darker side of motherhood and reveals the cracks it causes in female friendships. Faulkner’s observations of female friendships are fantastic and it’s allowed her to tell a compelling story.

The Other Mothers centers around desperation and readers see how it causes all the characters to double down on some bad choices. Investigative reporter Natasha 'Tash' James’ seemingly perfect life starts to unravel as a result of a friendship forged at her son’s playgroup. Not only does she get wrapped up in how transformative money is for her friendships, but she soon discovers that the focus of her investigative work and the new friendships she’s made may be linked with an unexpected shared history. It all comes to an explosive ending when the mom group and their significant others head off to Crugmeer House on holiday. It's here that the dark secrets of the past begin to emerge, and the female friendships are pushed to a breaking point.

Faulkner takes us on a journey with untrustworthy people, forces us to read carefully looking for clues and twists us around with her time hopping - it’s wonderful! I loved how Faulkner writes to highlight the contrasts, showing us how dark and foreboding the beautiful wetlands at Woodberry Down became when this sinister group of friends invaded them.

You'll love the tension and will find yourself wondering just who is doing the investigative work here - Tash or the yummy mummies?

I loved following the clues right to the epilogue where I was shocked by the big reveal!

I was gifted this copy by Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Other Mothers is a twisted tale that will have you shaking your head and racing to the final page.

Tash a freelance journalist is looking for a headline that will make her famous and has luck has it the opportunity starts very close to home when Sophie a local nanny is found dead.

Cause of death is undetermined but Tash knows there is more to the story.

When she enrolls her son Finn in a playgroup she meets "the other mothers" and what a cast of unlikeable characters.

None of who want to speak of Sophie but all knew her.

Twists and turns, red herrings and a ending I did not predict made for a absorbing read.

Katherine Faulkner you have a new fan and I Greenwich Park is on my TBR pile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster for a page turning read.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. This quick paced thriller introduces Tash and her new friends, who she met at her young son’s play group. Tash is a journalist who hopes to reopen a possible murder case of a young nanny. While trying to fit in with an elite group of moms, Tash has trouble with trust issues, and is often questioning her relationships. An interesting twist at the end.

You need to read this book if you haven't already. It's full of drama, secrets, and unexpected turns and twists. I loved it.

Tash Carpenter is a freelancer. Her journalist career was not getting anywhere. When a young nanny is found dead close to her neighborhood, Tash sees it as an opportunity to relaunch her career. At the same time, she is looking for a playgroup for her two-year-old son. Finn has difficulty making friends, but soon enough mothers from the playgroup come to the rescue.

Tash builds relationships with the wealthy moms while secretly investigating the death of the nanny, Sophie Blake. She is confident that somebody killed her, and now that same person is threatening her. Who is that person and why don’t her new friends want to talk about Sophie? Tash finds her interaction with wealthy mothers fascinating and she is also discovering more secrets about them.

Great two timelines story alternating between two POV's. When Tash's timeline ended with even more questions, Sophie's timeline picked up the moment with solving the issue but exploding with another one. The plot was interesting with great dose of mystery and suspense. I was very immersed in the story and amazed at how many twists and turns one book can hold. The ending was unpredictable and shocking.

I am so glad that I requested this arc because this book was GOOD! I loved all the twists and turns that it took and as the story unravelled further and further, I was definitely kept strung along. There are just enough pieces of foreshadowing and kernels of knowledge that if you pick up on will make you think you have the twist figured out, but you don't!

All of the rich mommy drama that came through the story was absolutely incredible. I never want to be a part of drama like that, however I absolutely love reading about it! I did love the twist at the end, because I did not see it coming and it just added to making you walk away feeling unsettled.

If you like twisty mystery with a hint of thriller books, this could definitely be the one for you!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Oh wow! This is my kind of book. Tied with a bow at the end. This book was engaging right to the very end. I couldn’t stop reading as I wanted to know what happens! Read this if you love neighbourhood drama, psychological thriller, lies, trying to uncover the truth.

Highly recommend!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date : December 5, 2023

An ambitious, suspenseful and interesting read, made intimate as it is told from the first-person perspective of two women, in two different time periods : Tash, a journalist with a toddler, struggling to carve out a place for herself amongst a strange and much richer clan of sparkly young mothers; and Sophie, an enigma, a nanny, beautiful, perhaps a liar, and soon, we know to be a victim - whose disentangled story is rapidly becoming an obsession for Tash.

Taut and well written, this is a tale of psychological suspense, brimming with envy and commentary on money, class, and of course, power, and the desperate longing to belong to an ‘in group’ seemingly having it all. But what is real, and what is only portrayed, and who does one know, after all, from the outside, looking in? Including one’s own husband, or step-child, (or nanny, or lover) - the list is endless and as emotions spiral out of control, the only certainty, for the reader, is that this ambiguous world is indeed a dangerous place, and a murderous ending (which we know is coming and are scrambling to figure out) will finally be unpacked.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book, all thoughts presented are my own.

I was a huge fan of Greenwich Park so when I saw this on netgalley, I had to request it.

The Other Mothers is an addictive thriller that captured my attention from beginning to end. The alternating POVs were written so well and it felt like we were left on a cliff-hanger with each chapter end. The characters were intriguing, shady and hella untrustworthy which kept things interesting. There are a lot of characters so sometimes it took me a few seconds / minutes to place the person. The plot was great however, I found some parts predictable. I didn't anticipate the amount of twists or, the very last twist?! I'm still at loss, did I miss something at some point?

Overall, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC!

This book grabbed me right off the bat and held tight! And what a ride! Love the different points of view and that I didn't guess the ending!! Both main characters seemed appropriately flawed and human but still likeable. Fabulous and captivating read for a long weekend or cozy winter holiday. Do yourself a favour and read this fast paced, dark and twisty book. Looking forward to Katherine Faulkner's next book already!!

A fantastic read up until the end. It was a well written murder mystery that got me guessing what truly happened.

I love the twist and turns this book took and was ultimately pleased with the story. We followed Tash - a freelance journalist- take on a job to discover how Sophie died because her mother thinks she was murdered unlike the police who wrote her death as an accident. As the story progresses, we learn Tash is a mother struggling to get her son settled in daycare which lead her to befriending three other mothers along the way who invites her and her son on playdates at their luxurious houses or expensive outings. Consequently enough, these three mothers are tied into the case she is trying to solve and it becomes a dangerous game she is playing.

It was a well paced plot that had me questioning everyones intentions. Suspicious and suspense was created throughout the book and I enjoyed the uncertainty it aroused. I liked Tash as a main character but did question her actions in some areas. The other characters themselves were mysterious in their own ways with more secrets hidden than shared.

I liked how the pieces came together in the end but did notice there were a few loose ends that didn’t feel like it was wrapped up nicely to me. I was expecting one more chapter in the end to really finish it off neatly but was left with the feeling of "that's it?". With this, I think there were some questionable details that should have been addressed to make the story more believable.

Overall, I was absorb in this read and found myself invested. The plot was interesting and unique but I wished the ending could have been a bit better.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for providing me this ARC.

What a wild ride!
The Other Mothers had me hooked straight from the beginning. Part murder mystery, part thriller this book and all it's twists kept me turning the pages to the point I finished it one day..
This is the story of Tash a mom and journalist who finds herself getting more than she bargained for when she befriends a group of local mom in the hopes of helping her son have an easier time making friends.
Given to us from two different point of views and timelines, I had a lot of fun with this story.
For a more in depth review please find attached my spoiler free youtube review

Hooked from page one.
the twist and just wow.
speechless.
I love this. I love a book that has me not beig able to put it down. I cant wait to go read more from this author.
Thank you simon & schuster for the arc!

What did I just read ? This was diabolical , twisted and cleverly written ! Rich couples behaving badly is one of my fave tropes to read about ! This story was packed with pizazz and one big boom at the end ! Incredible book !! 5 stars

I very much enjoyed this book and I rate it 4/5 stars! As soon as I read the premise of this book I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days. I will say I found this book to be a little long but overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This book is released December 5, 2023. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Katherine Faulkner and netgalley for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

WOW what an intriguing read that keep me up waaay past my bedtime. Love this author's writing and the two perspectives of Sophie and Tash. I will be checking out this authors previous book and keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next! A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for this ARC. Highly recommend it! 4.5 stars!