I wanted so much to like this book as I previously read an arc by Emily Shiner and loved it. This one however just missed the mark for me.
It was just sometimes so unbelievable. For instance, the police are just not going to really investigate a child showing up on his dad's doorstep with no real proof of paternity? They just say ok, you can have him with no questions asked? And saying things like...well maybe he never learned his address? Also the school isn't going to have information on Rita? Zoe nor Ethan asked the school anything? They just took Zoe as his mom and said sure take him home with you.

Just so unrealistic. Had such great potential but fell flat for me.

Author Emily Shiner has quickly risen to occupy one of the top few spots in my list of auto-read authors! Her ability to impress me with her domestic thrillers is exceptional.

Shiner explores the idea that we are blind to the evil that lurks around us and within us. She suggests that evil needs to be invited in and that it usually has links, a predisposition, if you will, to something that is already there.

Zoe Steele’s life has been built upon “doing the right thing” and keeping up the “perfect” facade. She’s always willing to sacrifice or go the extra mile in the hopes of maintaining her ‘good mother’ status. After all, she’s married to Mr. Perfect - Dr. Ethan Steele.

When she sees an opportunity to become an even better mother, she takes it…and soon regrets it.

“Yes, we invited Micah in. Of course, that was the right thing to do. But now I don’t think it is. I made a mistake. I’m going to tell Ethan everything, and then I’m going to fix this. I don’t have a choice.”

We’ve all been there - made a decision based on moral code and then when the force of reason kicked in, we realized we’d made a mistake. Shiner knows that we’ll identify with this and she plays on it.

I loved Shiner’s exploration of the invitation motif! She portrayed the polar opposites perfectly and had me biting my fingernails and feverishly turning pages. Zoe had invited Evil in and now it was ruining her perfect family. When I noticed that Zoe’s personality was changing, I was curious if she was mirroring Evil or if she had us all fooled by her perfect persona.

Shiner also deftly explored the theme of having mixed feelings about someone. She had me questioning if the perfect Steele household was trouble-free before Micah arrived.

Finally, she had me thinking about the wisdom of bringing a problem to another’s attention. There’s the potential that the problem might increase in the spotlight.

Being the better mother isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, just ask Zoe Steele.

If a great domestic suspense is something you enjoy, you'll need to add this book (of any of her backlist) to your list.

I was gifted this copy by Inkubator Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Better Mother had just enough twists and turns to keep me engaged. Although I did think the husband and marriage seemed too perfect in the beginning, all was revealed later. The disclosure at the end about Micah was brilliant. I did not see that coming. I would recommend this book to all thriller lovers. I definitely plan on reading other books by this author.

Zoe was just trying to be a good person when she agreed to take in her husbands son that he didn't even know he had. But when the son's mom is found dead and Zoe discovers the son has done some strange things, she starts to wonder if she has invited a murderer into her home. Did she make a mistake that puts her family in danger?

This book was addicting. I felt myself wanting to spend every spare minute I had reading it. However, I am a sucker for unpredictability in thrillers. This one felt a bit predictable to me. It was definitely still an entertaining read, I just wish the ending had been a bit more of a twist and not so predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Emily Shiner's propulsive new thriller, The Better Mother. Zoe thinks that her perfect family is complete; she has an adoring husband and a delightful little girl. Then a teenage boy who looks just like her husband Ethan arrives at their door and Zoe's life is immediately thrown into a tailspin. Micah reveals that his mother is missing and possibly dead, and Zoe agrees to take him in but soon regrets her decision when his behavior becomes increasingly suspicious. Zoe's ideal of the perfect family is shattered after secret after shocking secret come to.light.

This is a read-in-one-sitting, disturbing domestic thriller that added Emily Shiner to my list of must-read authors.

Emily Shiner keeps getting better with every new book that she releases. This is probably my favourite so far.
I was quickly taken by this book and loved the easy writing style and engaging plot.
It’s a really good read and one that I’d recommend.

Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a thirteen-year-old boy turns up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help. Ethan is wary - he didn't know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can't possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into her home and does her best to make him part of the family, But there's something about Micah. He lies constantly, creeps silently about the house, and towers above Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe's young daughter, feels all wrong.

This story is told from Zoe and Micah's perspectives. This is a well-written story. We learn early on that there is something off about Micah. It can be quite a predictable read and nothing surprising happens, but I found it quite addictive. The characters are well-developed, the pace is steady, and I quite enjoyed this book. Emily Shiner is quickly climbing my favourite authors list.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #EmilyShiner for my ARC of #TheBetterMother in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant read from Emily Shiner!

Zoe and Nice Guy Dr Ethan are happily married, with a beautiful young daughter, Anna. When 15 year old Micah, the son that Ethan didn't know existed turns up on their doorstep, explaining that his drug addict mother has gone missing, Zoe welcomes him with open arms. Micah wants a mother and Zoe was born to be a mother.

It soon becomes obvious that there is more to this "happy ever after" and Zoe, Ethan and Micah all have secrets. Told from the POVs of Zoe and Micah, there are some chilling moments and a huge twist that I didn't see coming. I always like another twist in the last paragraph and this book delivered on that too! Well written characters and a fast-paced thriller make this another win for me!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Emily Shiner and Inkubator for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What an exciting read. This story was very well written which I devoured in just 48 hours, i was completely hooked. Very believable characters and definitely an eerie feel all the way through. A great twist to the end I never saw coming. I will definitely be reading more by this author, thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

The Better Mother
by Emily Shiner
Thank you NetGalley and Inktubator Books for sending this book for review consideration.
WOW.I have not read this writer before but will continue. What a great read for me.I love the ending. Some things you just just have to get slapped with.

Excellent mystery. I did not see the major twist at the end coming...A major jaw dropping shocker. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites .

I was drawn to this book by its cover, we are always told to never judge a book by its front cover, but we always do, don’t we? Zoe and her husband have the perfect life, Zoe is a stay at home mum to Anna, her husband is a well respected surgeon, their lives are perfect. Then a young teenager turns up at the door, Zoe knows it’s Ethan’s son without him saying a word. That’s when their lives get turned upside down. Has she made a mistake letting Micah into their home?

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I felt the ending was very rushed and closed.

What a roller coaster ride this book was! This is the third book I have read from this author and I am so impressed each time. This was a truly gripping story that kept me going through a very long night. I could NOT put it down. Great plot twists and I honestly did not want the book to end. Will continue to read more from this awesome author! Definitely recommend this thriller! Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Shiner and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I loved every minute! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What would you do if one day a teenage boy showed up at your doorstep, claiming he is the son of your husband? Well, Micah looks so alike to her husband Ethan, Zoe doesn't hesitate and welcomes him with open arms. Ethan of course is a little wary, because he can see the likeness, but he wasn't aware of having a teenage son. After all, he's married to Zoe and they have a very young daughter.
But yes, we read this story from the viewpoint of Micah and Zoe, and Micah is right. He's Ethan's son by his college sweetheart.
Micah needs help because his mother has disappeared. Not that she was a great mum, on the contrary. Within hours Micah is totally at home with Zoe and Ethan.
And then the problems start.
Anna adores Micah and calls him her 'big brudder' (she's only three, mind you), Zoe only sees a boy that needs a mother but Ethan stays wary.

The story is well told, although it's clear from the beginning there is something off. How off, we soon discover - and Zoe does too.

A nice light predictable read, with no real surprises, but entertaining enough. It will go well with fans of Miranda Rijks and Daniel Hurst.

What an amazing read.
First the negatives : I did not want this book to end.
Twists and turns all the way .
Zoe takes on her stepson then thinks maybe she should not have as he is a 'little creepy'.
Omg please read this book. Absolutely loved it. Read it a day. Unputdownable!!!!!

This was a fantastic psychological thriller which kept me gripped throughout. It was told in duel point of view which I always loved I think it helps build the suspense. It had me guessing throughout and I really didn’t know how it was going to end and wow the end was so good highly recommended. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This was such a good psychological thriller, told in dual POV which I adore, I feel it makes for a great story that keeps you hooked and engaged. Really enjoyed this one.

Told by a dual POV, which Is my absolute favorite, Shiner’s writing will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is perfectly unsettling, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line albeit she was, at time, repetitive.

Zoe felt so betrayed even though Ethan had absolutely no knowledge of Micah when he pops up on their doorstep. Even with her less than stellar attitude about it all and Ethan’s feelings about it, she allows him into their own. Shiner wastes no time getting into the nitty gritty of the unease that Micah gives off.

Between all of his lies that they find, I found the picture with Zoe cut out given to his sister the most unsettling. This leads Zoe to become suspicious, though Ethan brushed her intuitive thought, citing he just needed therapy. Ethan was so on the fence — ill was surprised with his views on it all.

This story was an addictive, wild ride. The twists and turns kept my attention and I had the hardest time putting this novel down when I started reading it.

Told from a dual POV - Zoe's and Micah's. Picture perfect family's world is turned upside down when Ethan's son Micah shows up at their doorstep after his druggie mom goes missing. Zoe feels betrayed but learns that Ethan had absolutely no knowledge of said son. Despite conflicting feelings Zoe decides to open her home to Micah, although her husband Ethan is on the fence about it. Throughout his stay, Micah, begins to display creepy behaviors. Micah begins to call Zoe "mom" within a day, he gives his 3 year old sister a photo of him with his mom "Rita" but instead it had a cut out of Zoe's head from a picture that went missing from the fridge, lies about his previous address, finds pictures of her on his laptop, etc. Zoe begins to suspect that Micah killed his own mom...

She voices her concerns to Ethan who makes her feel like she is overreacting and states his son has been through a lot and needs therapy. She sides with Ethan but doesn't go back to normal just yet. She then finds Rita's phone in Micah's old backpack after a snooping session and calls her husband at work to rush home but not everything is what it seems.

Emily Shiner's writing is clear and to the point. An easy book to read, will keep you hooked. I read the book in 2 days - the only thing I was not too fond of was the end but over all I was satisfied. :)

This book was unsettling from beginning to end, but in an enjoyable way. I loved how I was constantly kept guessing at what actually was going on. At the same time, I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and would have liked it to play out a bit differently. Any concequences that occur are simply glanced over in the epilogue. I do appreciate the fact that the epilogue continues along with the character development you see unfolding throughout the entire story, and in a way proves Zoe's feelings all along.


☆》Thank you NetGalley and Inktubator Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.《☆