This was a bingeable read that kept me entertained and turning pages.

Joanna Baker is a new mother trying to deal with her postpartum depression.  She's been having blackouts and not remembering if she's done things she's been accused of, like leaving her newborn outside unattended in the heat.  Someone has called Child Protective Services on her, and they are now keeping a watchful eye.  Mandated to therapy, she calls her former psychologist to set up an appointment.  This woman knows about her traumatizing past of emotional abuse from her mother and has helped her in the past.  But it seems her mental state is not the only thing having problems.  She's starting to see cracks in her marriage, family, and neighborhood.  Is Jo losing her mind?  With the help of her sisters, she must try to regain control and save what is most important to her, her daughter.

Told in dual timelines of Jo's childhood and the present, this book will take you on an emotional roller coaster.  Jo's relationship with her mom and her struggles with postpartum depression are heartbreaking.  The drama and suspense will keep you reading on, and you won't want to put the book down.  There are twists you won't see coming, and the ending will have you shocked.  This was a great debut, and I can't wait to read more by this author. I definitely recommend.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by Thriller Book Lovers Promotions. The opinions are my own and freely given.

When Joanna "Jo" Baker gets a visit from Child Protective Services, she starts to worry about her state of mind. She didn't put her daughter out in the heat while she was napping, her daughter was right next to her. Wasn't she? Then more and more things start to happen, and she has no one to turn to. Her husband doesn't believe her, thinks she is not taking care of her child. Her mother-in-law is nosing her way in and Jo feels like she is trying to get custody. The only ones she can turn to are her sisters, but her oldest sister is the "perfect" mother, so she does not tell her anything. Everything comes to a finale when her life is threatened.

I thought this was a very good book. The beginning for me was a little slow because I kept waiting for something to happen, but it was building up to the culmination of the betrayal. The author has a very good disclaimer with trigger warnings at the beginning. I recommend this book.

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It will be on instagram @kuhlreads on 2/23

I loved this book! Sommerville has elevated the unreliable narrator trope to a new level by using the (scarily relatable) overwhelming exhaustion of new motherhood, coupled with PPD, as the underlying factors in our girl Jo’s confusion, terror, and paranoia. She captured the frustration of having a (shithead) male partner who just doesn’t get it, and who has remained largely unaffected by the monumental changes to EVERYTHING that women experience after giving birth. Add in a horribly traumatic childhood with an abusive mother and complicated relationships with her sisters, and it’s zero wonder that Jo is losing her goddamn mind. Fantastic red herrings throughout the book left me wondering wtaf was going on until the end — well done!!!

Sommerville is definitely one to watch - I’m blown away that this was her debut, and I’m so excited to see what twisty, exciting, disturbing situations she comes up with next!

If I Lose Her by Brianne Sommerville is one of those books that will make you feel every emotion as you read alongside Joanna Baker as she navigates the trials and tributulations of motherhood. Another book where I won't give anything away but this book is one I will think about for a long while.

It was a slow burn and more of a domestic mystery but I still thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece. Despite it being more mystery than thriller, I was still riveted and on the edge of my seat throughout the story.

Title: If I Lose Her
Author: Brianne Sommerville
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book and can’t believe it is a debut!

New mom, Joanna Baker, is suffering from a bad case of postpartum depression. She is losing sleep, can’t remember important things and is starting to question reality at times. The more things happen that she can’t recall, the more she starts to question whether it’s really her memory or is someone trying to make her think she is going crazy. Lucky for Joanna, her sisters and her mother in law are there to help her as she adapts to being a new mom. However, as time goes on, she starts to wonder who if anyone, including her own husband, can actually be trusted.

I did pick up on one of the twists but because Joanna, the narrator, was so unreliable, I continued to question whether I was correct and if she could even be trusted. It was a fast paced page turner and what made it more interesting were the flashbacks into Joanna’s past that helped lead up to the surprise ending that I did not see coming!

I could not put this book down and definitely recommend it if you like a twisty psychological thriller full of characters that you will keep questioning until the very end! I am looking forward to reading more books by @briannesomm and can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us!

Thank you to Thriller Book Lover Promotions, Brianne Sommmerville, and Rising Action Publishing Company for this advanced reader copy!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RisingActionPublishingCompany for the book #IfILoseHer by #BrianneSommerville. This book was a rush of emotions, surprises and manipulation. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down. Highly suggest this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

A tremendous debut by Brianne Sommerville! It shines a light on the horrors and helplessness one feels with post-partrum depression. This was a heartbreaking roller coaster, with a touch of humor to break it up.

I followed her Facebook page Brianne Summerville reads so I can snatch the next book when it comes out

Five months ago, Joanna Baker gave birth to her first child, Addison. An adorable baby that grabbed Jo’s heart as soon as she laid eyes on her, the journey still hasn’t exactly been the most easy going. From trouble sleeping to minor blackouts, things just seem to be ramping up in the difficulty department. No matter what she does, Jo just can’t seem to get everything under control.

Then an anonymous tip is made to Child Protective Services. Someone out there has put a voice to Jo’s internal doubts about her abilities as a mother. Mandated to therapy, she’s given the anxiety-inducing diagnosis of postpartum depression. The only problem is, Jo can’t recall the precipitating event. Supposedly, she did something far outside of her nature. Something she doesn’t remember doing in the slightest.

As Jo tries to fight the assertions made to CPS as well as her own troubles in her daily life, she starts to uncover alarming issues within her posh neighborhood as well as her own home. Adding to Jo’s worries are her family members who are starting to look at her with skepticism in their eyes. Is she really losing control? Or is someone just making it look like she is? And if that’s true, who is it and what is their goal?

I was utterly amazed not only by the depth of If I Lose Her, but also by the blindingly good rollercoaster ride hidden between the covers of this epic domestic thriller. From the believable unraveling of Jo’s mental state to the even pace of the plot, I fell in love with this dynamic storyline hook, line, and sinker. Trust me when I say, not only is it perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, but this startling debut will give you a poignant glimpse into new motherhood like few other thrillers have managed to muster.

The characters easily took a starring role in this unforgettable plot. Genuine and true-to-life, Jo especially illustrated how love can seem almost overwhelming with the birth of a child. In contrast to the rest of the cast, who came off slightly more subdued although just as successful, it was obvious that everything centered around Jo and her experience. Vividly described, her collapse was superb as she descended into the near perfect unreliable narrator.

As for that plot, I was simply stunned into silence at the immersive storytelling throughout. With one red herring after another plus my uncertainty on whether I could trust Jo, I found myself questioning everything and everyone. By the time I hit the halfway mark, I was seriously flying through the pages as the foreboding increased with each additional sentence. And then the pulse-pounding climax rolled around. Perfectly plotted and timed just right, I had to stop myself from skimming because I just HAD to find out what was going to happen ASAP.

Finely layered and filled to the brim with long-standing secrets, deftly obscured lies, and some nefarious schemes, this debut novel has made me an ardent admirer of Ms. Brianne Sommerville. While I had an inkling as to the last shocking reveal, it didn’t take my enjoyment of the darkness it held even the slightest. And while I can’t vouch for the realism of the serious topics explored which ran the gamut from emotional abuse to postpartum depression, they each felt exquisitely well done. So if this one wasn’t on your radar before, I implore you to add it to your TBR ASAP. After all, I’m relatively hard to impress, and impress me this did. Rating of 5 stars.

Thank you to Brianne Sommerville, Rising Action Publishing, NetGalley, and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Brianne Brianne.. where do I begin ? This was definitely a wild ride & I never truly knew who to believe. Every character and their traits were so terrible, which made the story intriguing. At one point I said just give me the baby !!! No one can be trusted. Overall I loved it. I loved how the story just flowed & how the chapters were short but each one was necessary. Thank you NetGalley

What an amazing debut!

Jo is a new mother, clearly suffering from some PPD. She has fought depression in the past, and it's clear she had some issues with her mother. She fears she may turn out to be a mother like her own, which terrifies her.

Odd things begin to happen. Her baby is moved. Left places. Someone calls Children's Services, which only intensifies her anxiety and depression. She begins to question and doubt herself.

I liked the dual timeline with present day and Jo and her sisters growing up. Her sisters, Meg and Amy (get that- Jo, Meg and Amy?) had a very different relationship with their mother. My heart hurt for young Jo and present day Jo.

This book had so many twists, turns, suspects and mind games! I will definitely be looking for future books by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Rising Action Publishing, and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This book has me second guessing everything. Who was telling the truth? What actually happened? I remember the first weeks after you have a baby and you are so tired you don’t know which way is up some days. Joanna feels like this everyday and it is not helped by someone or someones are seriously gaslighting her. I loved this thriller and will happily read more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5 STARS rounded up to 5!!!

I’m very surprised this was a debut because it was just so well written. The story was mysterious and emotional as it dealt with a woman going through postpartum. This was a deeply emotional and moving story about a woman who doesn’t know if she can trust what she’s feeling. Is it her gut, or is she losing her grip on reality?

I loved Joanna and I found her and everything she was going through relatable. This story and the descriptions about postpartum depression were accurate and well executed.

The chapters were short and easy to read, and there were many twists. I found myself confused reading this in the best way because I didn’t know who to trust or who the culprit was. The end through me for a loop and was unexpected which is always the sign of a good thriller!

📢What it’s about:
Joanna Baker is a new mother bit adjusting to motherhood as easily as it sometimes seems it should be. She does have all the best intentions but her postpartum blues certainly have her second guessing herself and her judgement. She makes mistakes, like leaving the baby outside by itself in the heat, and she genuinely doesn’t remember doing it. Her blackouts make it hard to remember and make sense of reality. When CPS is called she knows she’s being scrutinized even more and the pressure is at an all time high. She is truly trying to be a great mom but why does she keep messing things up? And why can she not remember her own actions? Her daughter is the most important thing to her so she is upset when she struggles to find a balance as a new mother.

💭Thoughts:
Impressive! I felt so upset and sad for poor Joanna trying to keep it all together. As someone who personally struggled with postpartum I understood how she felt. Sometimes the easiest of tasks can feel so overwhelming and are anxiety inducing. So when Joanna was constantly second guessing herself it tugged at my heartstrings. The writing was easily to be engrossed in and I flew through this one as I needed to understand more about poor Jo’s blackouts. The ending was mind blowing and frustrating for me! Made me want to punch one of the characters and hug Jo 🤣 That’s a sign of a good book! I am forever grateful for the chance to read this book and can’t wait to read more by Sommerville!

This slow-burn thriller focused on one POV character named Jo in dual timelines between her childhood and adulthood as a mother herself. Jo's struggles feel real in both timelines as she copes with how her mother treated her badly and not wanting to treat her baby daughter the same way. I liked her battle with low self-esteem, and the outer conflicts surrounding her with someone seemingly having it out for her combined with a less than supportive husband.

Jo knows she will do whatever it takes to protect her baby. But why is she constantly blacking out and struggling to remember things? Jo knows it could be postpartum depression but there's something more that she cannot explain. When her baby is found alone outside, Jo has no recollection of leaving her there. With Child Protection Services called in, can Jo keep on the straight to prove she is a fit mum?

With alternate timelines, we follow Jo as a child/teen as well as present day. I loved hearing about Jo's grim upbringing and loved how the author had me guessing Jo's state of mind several times. I thought I had the storyline figured out around the 75% mark but in the end, I was proven wrong with the ending being quite a shock!  

Congratulations Brianne Sommerville - this was an amazing debut novel! I am really looking forward to seeing what you come out with next.

This book is a debut book for Brianne Sommerville and it does not disappoint. It is filled with secrets, twists, drama, lies, deceit and so much more. There is stuff going on all around. There are some major TW’s including postpartum depression and death.

Joanna is a young first time mother and has just been diagnosed with postpartum depression. She is struggling with blackouts, lack of sleep and loss of memory. Her husband travels for work and seems to be never home. Someone contacts child protective services and this adds a tremendous amount of stress to her already overwhelmed life. She gets thrown curve ball after curve ball until it seems like she can take no more. You will enjoy this rollercoaster thriller!

I really enjoyed this quick thriller, it has short chapters and enough twists to keep my attention and keep me wanting more. Some of the scenes in the book seemed a little unbelievable but overall it was a great book! Can’t wait to see what’s next for Brianne!

Thanks to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions, Rising Action Publishing, NetGalley and the author for this advanced readers copy of this book! All my opinions are my own!

I have been reading a lot of thriller books lately so this sounded right up my alley and I wasn't disappointed. The book starts off with our new mother Jo absolutely beside herself as she is told that she left her new born baby (Addy) outside by herself to cry. This book jumps time frames very frequently between what is happening with Jo and her new baby now that social services is involved and then back to when she was younger and went through a traumatic situation. I'm not normally a fan of the back and forth however I loved how we got to see how this situation shaped Jo and how she dealt with future similar situations. Jo has no one to turn to in her time of great need and it isn't long before secrets get revealed. I really liked the concept of this book and I found our main character to be super fascinating. This was a very fast read for me because I got sucked into the lives of our main characters and I just couldn't wait to find out what was going on. This book was amazing and especially considering that this was the first novel that Brianne Sommerville wrote she took off like a bullet and was talking no prisoners with this story. I'm used to new authors having to get their bearings but this one was very different it was almost like she has been doing this for years. This book will suck you in and not let go until you have finished the whole thing. It was almost like the rest of the world just melted away as I became emersed in the story. Great read and I'm so glad I was able to check it out early.

This was a hard one for me. I have Postpartum depression with my first and with my twins. I just really felt for our girl and I also hated her husband.
I love hating the husband but this time I was just sad.
It is beautiful thought provoking book and I SO proud of this author.

This was such a great book. It was so good, that at times even I felt like I was losing my mind a little. It shows a very real and relatable side of motherhood and brought back a lot of memories. It was a little slow to start with but it very quickly changed to a flat out thrilling read. I'm not too sure at what point I figured out what was going on and who was involved but I managed to get there before Jo did in the story.
Another new to me author this year and I'm excited to read more.

What a fantastic debut by Brianne Sommerville! This book had me up late at night because I had to know what was going on.
Jo is a new mother who after a terrifying mistake she can’t remember, lands her under Child’s Services radar. With a new postpartum depression diagnosis, she will do anything to clear her name for her daughter. Especially since she had an emotionally abusive relationship with her mother. Strange things keep happening that she doesn’t remember doing and she is convinced someone is out to get her. With no one to trust, she questions neighbors, family and her husband. And secrets start to unravel…

Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions.