Holy Moly! Lauren North knows how to get my pulse racing!

Isobel’s three year old daughter, Lola, is snatched from the toilets in a service station by their former Nanny, Emma, who believes she is Lola’s real mother. Isobel is bereft and is desperate to find Lola, but she also has to deal with the mother in law from hell, who is terrified that the family name will be brought into disrepute!

As a terrifying cat and mouse game ensues, with both women utterly convinced that Lola is their daughter, secrets from the past threaten to emerge. I did guess which of the two women was Lola’s real mother, but never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted the rest.

The pace is fast, the characters are brilliantly ruthless and the twists are dropped from a great height - they knocked the breath out of me as I hurtled to the end of this crazy, crazy ride!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Lauren North and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

One child, Two Mothers…..every parent’s worst nightmare is someone taking your child.
When returning from their holiday, Isobel allows Lola to use her own stall in the toilets as her mother-in-law keeps on at her for babying their almost 4 yr old (worlds worse mother in law goes to Margaret!). Once Isobel exits her stall Lola is nowhere to be found.
Emma believes Lola is her daughter and she will do anything to protect her.
This book captured me from the start, I loved the dual POV from both mothers. I did guess who Emma was but the rest of the twists and turns were incredible. I can’t say much more without giving any spoilers but I highly recommend this book and will be adding Lauren to my go to authors now.
Thank you NetGalley, Lauren North and the Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

A mother is devastated when her daughter, Lola, gets kidnapped and is desperate to find her. The woman who has Lola insists she’s her mother. With both women claiming Lola is theirs, will Lola be returned and will the truth be found out?

Having read quite a few missing children thrillers, they tend to get a bit similar. Although this started in the usual way, by the end it went in some interesting, crazy directions, which I found enjoyable but belief needs to be suspended. I really liked the premise of not knowing who to believe and my mind kept changing rapidly trying to work out the truths. I found that the characters points of views compelling but felt I lacked a connection to them.

This was an entertaining, twisty psychological thriller, however I felt that I didn’t really get into the story until close to the end, when more action and unravelling starts to happen. I found the build up to this too long and repetitive but ultimately, I am pleased that I read this and will read more by this author. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I have loved every Lauren North book I have read and this book lived up to that. As always such a thrilling read, with secrets, lies and dangerous consequences.

Two mothers are claiming one daughter to be their very own. When Isobel and husband Roly make a restroom stop, Emma is lurking to snatch up their daughter Lola. Is this a random snatch and grab? A kidnapping for ransom scenario? Or is there much more going on in this new popcorn thriller from Lauren North? It may take the wisdom of Solomon to determine which woman Lola should be with.

North splits the narrative into two perspectives: Isobel vs. Emma. This makes for riveting reading as we watch both sides make their moves. The alternating POVs also gives the opportunity for us to learn more about Lola's earlier years and the time before. This situation is much more complicated than it looked when we were first introduced to the players at the rest area. While I found this to be quite the page-turner, it seemed to wander a bit in the middle. Definitely an author I will consider reading again in the future. If you have a favorite title to recommend, just let me know I the comments.

Thank you to Bookotoure and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Isobel and her husband Roly are just returning from a lovely family holiday in Cornwall with their three year old daughter Lola when they stop at the motorway services so Lola can go to the toilet, she insists on going into the cubicle on her own but when Isobel comes out of the one next door her little girl has vanished and Isobel's world crumbles. They quickly discover who has Lola, a woman claiming to be her mum, but how can that be when Isobel is her mum? But things are never as they seem and the secrets that have been hidden for the last few years are about to be revealed...

I'm Her Mother is North's latest thriller and is told from the perspectives of Isobel and Emma, both claiming to be Lola's mum. Emma is determined to prove that she's her real mum but first she needs to get her as far away from England as possible and keep them both safe, Isobel just wants her little girl back home and to carry on with their lives. This is a fast paced read, with short chapters, lots of action and some very unsavoury characters. I didn't particularly like any of the characters in this story and was continually pulled back and forth between Isobel and Emma, which one was I to believe? There were some great twists in this extraordinary tale, and I did eventually guess who was telling the truth but nothing prepared me for the final sucker punch that North delivered which left me, as always, in awe of her vivid imagination and writing abilities. This is another fantastic read from one of my go to authors and an easy five stars from me, I can't wait for her next one!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I enjoyed the complexity and uniqueness of the plot. The story was told from Emma and Isobel's point of view. They both hold a big secret with Isobel's husband Roly. The secret will soon be unraveled when Isobel's worse fear comes to light. There are twists galore and they are jaw dropping. I thought the pace of the story was perfect. It was an entertaining thriller and I highly recommend it.

“I'm Her Mother” by Lauren North is a 3-star read. In this novel, Isobel and Roly’s daughter, Lola, is taken from them while traveling home from a holiday. DCI Watkins informs them that the kidnapper is a woman named Emma. Emma will stop at nothing to keep Lola safe while on the run, just as Isobel will do anything to get her daughter back.

I found the premise of this novel intriguing, but the execution fell short for me. Isobel is constantly pushed around by her stepmother, which became tiresome. Much of the story revolves around Isobel’s desperation to get her daughter back and Emma’s fear of being caught. However, the last 20% of the book is enjoyable with plenty of twists. Despite not loving this novel, I plan to give Lauren North another try because her other book plots sound interesting.

Thanks to Bookouture, Lauren North, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

I struggled with this book and found the plot overly convoluted and bizarre, and the characters rather flat. Apologies not to be able to give a more positive review, but thank you for providing me with access to this ARC.

A twisty story that jumps right in there in the opening few chapters! I liked that the drama unfolds pretty quickly in this one, and then the story builds throughout the pages! It took turns that I wasn't expecting.

The character progression is good, I thought I'd figured it all out pretty early on and was very one sided in who I was backing, turned out I was wrong on a lot of my thoughts which I loved!

You have a two-way POV, with both Emma and Isobel giving their accounts as Lola's potential parent.
The chapters are short in length, and the story flows really well.

This was my first book by Lauren but I already have a few more of her others now on my radar.

Release date: 18th July 2024

This book is intense. I had to put it down a bunch. Especially in the moment when Lola is taken. Her mom makes a mistake and lets her go to the restroom alone, which is crazy to me because Lola is a toddler, but some people get independent kids. Anyway, just like that Lola is gone. I was like "that's enough for me."
But I picked it back up.
It was okay but I think it might be a better book for someone else. I was a little too worried about that poor child.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘I’m Her Mother’ written by Lauren North in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Isobel and Roly are on their way home from Cornwall and stop at a motorway service area for Isobel to take their three-year-old daughter Lola to the ladies’ cloakroom. While there a young woman approaches Lola, takes her to her car and drives away. She doesn’t intend returning Lola to Isobel and Roly as she’s her real mother.

‘I’m Her Mother’ is a psychological thriller of lies, secrets, deceit and double-crossing. The characters are unpleasant, which is probably how the author intends them to be seen, and there are times that I wanted Isobel to tell her arrogant and thoroughly nasty mother-in-law exactly what she thought of her. Although far-fetched and unrealistic, it’s an entertaining read nonetheless with plenty of suspense, drama and twists and turns that kept me guessing, and a conclusion I’d never have anticipated.

This book was different from others I’ve read but I like the concept. It was a bit creepy but also cool. I like thrillers so this was good for me to read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. They both say she's their daughter. But who is lying? Definitely high stress right away, and trying to figure out what is true! I liked the suspense and the twist, but it did go a little slow for me in places. Overall, I like Lauren North books, and will read hers again.

WTA… What a read! This was a rollercoaster of lies and deceit! This was one of those books where normal everyday jobs such as cooking, cleaning and parenting go out the window as you literally can’t put it down. I think this is probably Lauren North’s best book yet!

3 year old Lola has been snatched from her parents at a busy service station on the way back from their holidays. Who has taken Lola and just who is her mother?

I can’t say too much more as I don’t want to give anything about this book away, but what I will say is Lauren North is the queen of secrets and lies. No one is who they seem to be!

This book has been written so well and at no point did anything feel far fetched or unlikely. This could be the thriller of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for this digital arc.

Isobel or Emma? Who is Lola's mother? They both make their case in a twisty tale that starts with Lola disappearing from a rest area. Isobel and her husband Roly. who have been raising Lola, have some unsavory things in their past but what about Emma. who takes Lola? You might guess the outcome but North does a good. job of getting you there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really do not know what I thought about this book. The who dunnit who is telling the truth kept me interested. But there were aome parts that did not feel believeable. But still glad i read this book. A solid 3 stars. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Isobel, husband Roly (Roland) and their almost 4 year old daughter Lola are on their way home from a week's holiday in Cornwall when they stop at a service station to use their facilities. Suddenly, Lola is taken by an unknown person. The story is told using different characters and over multiple timelines. We discover the Huntingdon's life is not all that it seems. It's a twisty, turney, nail biting page turner of a book. All the subplots come together with a surprising conclusion. I highly recommend this book.

I wasn't fully convinced going into this book that it would be an amazing read. But by the end... Wow!
While this was a slow starter, around quarter of the way through the pace picks up and you want to know what is happening! Told by two POV we see the plot and characters develop through the eyes of the two 'mothers'.
The reveals came always at the right time, but leaving questions behind so that I needed to read that 'one more chapter'. There were so many twists and the conclusion was incredible!
This is my first Lauren North book which I will definitely be buying when it's released. In the meantime I'll be looking up her other books!

This book felt a little slow to start, once it got going, it was gripping. There were various times in the story I was sure I had pinned down what was really going on, just to be proven wrong pages later. I also really enjoyed the way Lauren North writes. I could feel the anxiety so strongly. The voices of both mothers were so clear. If you like a twisty mystery, this is definitely one to pick up. Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book.