TW/CW: Language, death of spouse, death of parent, anxiety, depression, death by suicide, cancer, toxic family relationships, miscarriages, infertility, sexual assault (children), toxic friendships, grieving, death of child

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Sarah and Adam Morgan had the perfect suburban a beautiful house, an adorable daughter, a baby on the way, and a once-in-a-lifetime love. They were the couple everyone envied–until Adam died. In the wake of his death, Adam’s secrets begin to emerge. The first comes out when a woman named Candace introduces herself to Sarah as Adam’s mother. Adam had always said his mother was dead, so either Adam was lying to her, or this woman is not who she says she is. Candace proves that Adam was her son, but she admits that her relationship with her son was strained. But she’s still Sarah’s mother-in-law, and she’s here to help. Struggling with finances after Adam’s death, Sarah agrees to move in with Candace and to accept her help with her toddler and her pregnancy. Living in Adam’s childhood home, Sarah begins to understand the life he had before they met–the life he buried along with his relationship with his mother. When Sarah notices Candace’s strange obsession with her pregnancy, and the house begins to feel less like salvation and more like a cage, she realizes that Candace might not be the caring mother-in-law she seems. Maybe Adam had good reason to pretend that his mother was dead.
Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 240
Rating:

What I Liked:
1. Writing style was good
2. Story flowed

What I Didn't Like:
1. The characters made me so mad
2. Typical main female character
3. Cookie cutter happy ending

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

3 toe stumbs in 3 chapters and now she almost falls going up the stairs. Guess we are keeping with that women are clutz

Adam having a mom that is actually alive and saying that he would complain about Sara is crazy.

Omg of course that Sara is the unhinged woman that has delusions and now isnt able to take care of her kid(s) even though what Graham says is hearsay and he can't even proof that situation happened with Sara and punching the mirror. Omgomg and Graham saying that she cheated on her husband because he was too sick to have sex enough to have a child.

I hate Adam. Selling off their unborn child to his friend because he thought she wasn't able to take care of the kids.

So Adam has changed the insurance policy that took Sara off and put it into a trust. What the hell...

Omg omg omg Ellie is annoying me she bought the house and now wants to rent the house to Sara. Seriously why are they driving her insane and doing all this stuff???

Sara get a camera in the house to see who is coming and going!! Someone is trying to drive you crazy.

Sara moved to Ohio to live with Adam's mother but upon seeing the house there are bars on the windows - weird.

Confused the moving crew already left with her furniture and stuff before she left for ohio, but it's going to take a week for her stuff to get to Ohio. Why would it take so long?

Candice not letting;
• Sara have the code out the door
• Leave the house
• Have wifi/phone service
• Telling her who she'll see for a doctor
• No food/locked fridge
• Making her have a home birth

Candice having Ellie baptized is insane and then learning that Honor had a baby. Why is Sara still even talking to candiance and staying. Get out get out!!

So she tries finally but they want to drug her and she tumbles down the stairs because remember she's a clutz.

I'm so annoyed that she'd mention that Honor has a working phone in from of Candice. Why would you let someone know this that doesn't want you to call out???

Of course Sara uses the bathroom and washes her hands during all of this happening. Weird. So then she misses the chance to talk to the Dr while Candice talks to her. She comes back and mentions a router for wifi but has to poop again and leaves to go the bathroom so of course the router is broken now. So ridiculous!

We learn that Adam never told Candice anything about his marriage, but I mean he still came home after Sara had Ellie to tell Honor about the baby and marriage.

For God's sake Graham is Candice's adopted daughter. He changed his name. Everyone changed their name in this book. Ohhhhhhhhhhh and now we find out that Graham and Adam were doing sexual things because Adam's dad was sexually assaulting and other kids at church.

Graham helps Sara get free and now everything is just great between them. He gives Sara all the money even through they (his wife and him) treated her like trash he suddenly is okay not having her baby.

Sara gets a mysterious letter one day with 10 money orders for $1,000 each in and finding out that Candice died in a fire in her home. Wow it all worked out for Sara in the end and she doesn't even have to seriously work for years and years.

Final Thoughts:

Ellie has the most least personality I've ever seen a kid have in a book. Pretty sure she said only a few things;
"I'm hungry" and "I saw daddy".

I wanted this book to be more than what I got. Sara felt so basic thriller woman who is a clutz, has no idea about her family finances, her husbands past life, and ignores so many warning signs all while putting herself in the path of dangerous things.

It's never explained about Ellie saying she sees her daddy when it's such a huge focus for the book and it goes no where.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sarah has just lost her young husband, Adam, to illness. Now she is alone, with a toddler and pregnant. When her mother-in-law, the same one Adam had claimed was dead, shows up at her house after his death, Sarah feels like maybe she should give her a chance to be in their lives. When her financial situation implodes, along with other scary circumstances, Sarah decides that taking her mother-in-law up on her offer to come stay with her at least until the baby is born might be the best option. Sarah flies across the US and moves in with her. She quickly finds out that not only does she not know this woman, but she also may not have known her husband either. Sarah may have to fight for herself, her daughter and her unborn baby to keep them all safe.

This was a wild ride. It was a different type story than I have read and I really enjoyed it. I love family drama, especially with some shocking elements thrown in!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I love Mina Hardy's writing! The story and characters were well done and some were so unlikable. The story starts out slow but then picks up and doesn't let go. The ending felt a bit rushed but overall a good read.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I really enjoyed this one. It was fast paced and your typical popcorn thriller that I could not put down. Highly recommend!

Although this story got off to a slow start and was somewhat predictable there was enough twists and turns to keep me engaged until then end.

Family bonds can be stretched but they can become obsessive. A thriller that kept me on my toes. I was unsure of what would happen one minute to the next. I am still thinking about this book after I finished reading.

This was a psychological thriller with so many unique twists that I never could have predicted! I loved the author's writing style and highly recommend to anyone looking for anyone looking for a psychological thriller and a quicker listen!

The story kept me interested and was really well written. I like how the main character develops and grows throughout the plot.

I received a digital ARC from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The story did keep my interest. However, the ending seemed rushed. I feel like there could be a follow-up to explain more about Adam’s family. I would be interested in reading that to see how the family got to be the way it was.

It took me a few times to get into the book. It was a bit slow for me at the start, but then it picked up. The secrets and the drama sucked me into it. The things that Sarah’s mother in law did had me gasping and yelling out loud. I have never disliked a character as much as I did in this book! I felt pure rage with the mother in law. I felt even more rage with the deceased father in law. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming, but some of the book didn’t feel believable for me and the ending felt rushed.

The characters in this book frustrated me alot. Therefore it affected my rating. I felt that the story was a bit unbelievable and over the top.

The blurb on the cover says “deliciously sinister” and that is honestly a spot on description. This book was such a fun and wild ride! Was it believable? Not at all. But was it the most entertaining thriller I’ve read in a while? YEP.

When a Sarah, young and expecting mother’s husband passes away, a woman she’s never met shows up at the funeral claiming to be her deceased husband’s mother. The weird thing is, he told her his mother was dead. Trying to get her life back together after losing her husband, Sarah gets closer to her newfound mother-in-law, but can she trust her? Buckle up. 😅

This book had me on the edge of my seat and literally gasping aloud at the twists and turns in this dark, twisted story. I binged this book in a day and absolutely loved it. Definitely pick this one up if you are looking for a wild story that goes down easy and flies by!

Reading Between the Wines book review #12/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Like A Mother
Author: Mina Hardy
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: So many secrets and lies that I did not know who was telling the truth even when it was right in my face. Sarah thought she had a perfect life with her husband Adam and daughter Ellie. After Adam dies, she realizes her whole marriage and life was based off of years of lies and deceit. I thought I knew where the story was going but it really threw me for a loop. I haven’t read a Hardy book since After All I’ve Done in in 2020 which had my mind blown and received 5 stars. Like A Mother did not have the same effect but I enjoyed it!

Cheers and thank you to @CrookedLaneBooks and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @LikeAMother.

#LikeAMother #MinaHardy #CrookedLaneBooks #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and an engaging plot that kept me hooked throughout - I couldn't put it down at all. The only thing is (that's personal to me), that I could see some of the plot twists coming. Otherwise, this domestic thriller has it all!

A fast-paced novel, full of suspense, and a decent plot. A few questions left hanging in the air and an ending that seemed to be rushed, but still worth a read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this book

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦’𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐛𝐲-𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞…𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.”

This psychological thriller was honestly very surprising! The secrets and reveals gave me a bit of whiplash, but in a good way. At first I thought it might be too much, but I think this is meant to be extremely dramatic and for that I found it entertaining.

This thriller includes:
▫️hidden family members
▫️secrets from a passed spouse
▫️suspicious intentions and house rules
▫️religious prejudice (antisemitism)

Recommend this to anyone who wants multiple plot twists!

3.5 ⭐️
First off thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for allowing me to review Like A Mother in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed it in the beginning but towards the ending was bit of a letdown. It had all this buildup and then the ending itself seemed rushed.

Sarah Granatt’s husband, Adam, has just passed away from an illness. She has a daughter, Ellie, 3, and is 20 weeks pregnant with another baby. She and Adam had a good marriage and were devoted to one another. Sarah does not work and Adam was partners with Graham Morgan in a business. Adam had set up in his will that he was leaving his half of the company to Graham in exchange for his full salary to be given to Sarah for the next 5 years. She was also to get his life insurance.

Sarah is Jewish and although Adam had been raised a Christian, he converted to Judaism when he and Sarah married. At the Shiva for Adam, a woman introduces herself to Sarah as Candace Granatt and says she is Adam’s mother. Sarah is confused because Adam had always said his mother was dead.

When things begin happening in the house and Sarah learns that there is no money coming from Graham for Adam’s salary and the life insurance is also not coming, life gets desperate for her. Adam’s mother encourages her to sell the house in California and move in with her at her home in Ohio. Finally, she agrees.

Oh my goodness! This book was so scary and twisted. The characters are well drawn and the plot is incredible. The push and pull of Sarah’s Judism faith and Candace’s so-called Christian faith was well-played. Sarah is a very strong person and that is what I admired most about her. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and wondering how it will all turn out. Don’t miss it!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.