Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for my eARC of The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I've heard about Munchausen by Proxy, but the cases discussed in this book were new to me. As a mother myself, it baffles me how someone could hurt their own child, though I know it's a mental health condition.

I appreciated the way Dunlop and Weber discussed the cases and though this was a heart-wrenching read, it is an important one because it explains the complexities of MBP.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press.

"A groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that investigates Munchausen by Proxy from the host and creator of the award-winning true crime podcast Nobody Should Believe Me."

Thank you for the chance to read and review The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop. Wow! The depths of deception that is shared in this book by the offenders is deeply disturbing. As someone who works in the Mental Health field I am reading this book and trying to balance my immediate bias towards the mothers with understanding their deep mental instability and need for help with my horror towards their actions. It was a fascinating read and I greatly enjoyed to opportunity.

This book was depressing but well thought out. The deception the mom pulled off to hurt her children and her family was Monday blowing!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to review this book. I am fascinated by Munchausen by Proxy and try to find anything I can about this horrific form of child abuse. As a listener of Andrea Dunlop's podcast, I was excited to read this and learn about new (to me) cases. Instead, this book reads like the podcast on paper. The same three cases, the same vague comments about her sister perpetuating this type of crime (but no details on her sister's stort). I admire the authors for their work in educating the public about this insidious behavior. I just wanted more from the book. I'd recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with the podcast as it may be new information to them.

This book is sooo important. At first I was unsure if this would be something I was truly interested in but I think this is one of the most important true crime books ever written.
They brought light to such an important issue and I hope it gets the spotlight it deserves. I had so many thoughts and tears!

The mother next door offered multiple stories about women who have MBP and abuse their children. I liked the incorporation of the author's own family into the storytelling. Well done and good on audio.

“As she began to explain the terminology to the court, the judge cut her off and said he knew what Munchausen by proxy was. But another witness in court that day would later tell Mike that from her vantage point on the witness stand, she’d observed Judge Mumford google “Munchausen by proxy” from his laptop on the bench.”

The Mother Next Door
Medicine, Deception and Munchausen by Proxy
By Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber

QUICK SUMMARY 🖊️
This book follows three very different cases but all with one glaringly similarity. The title should say it all.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
I had to sit with this book for so long before writing this. Because how do you explain that you rated a book that at its core is about child abuse? We all have heard of Gypsy Rose at this point but it’s not often to hear of other cases for many reasons but one is how do you prove a parent is hurting their child? This book goes into depth to explain three different cases and the challenges faced to bring these parents to justice. I honestly couldn’t put this book down because of the disbelief and utter disgust I felt while reading.
The authors did a fantastic job explaining these stories and bringing to light this very real and serious problem.

This book gave me a good look at Munchausen by Proxy as I came in not knowing too about this. I was completely fascinated by the stories and it gives you a better look at this! However, there is still so much to learn and understand..

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for my honest review!

The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber is a fascinating true story told in a very unique fashion. Andrea, a Seattle novel writer who experienced Munchausen by proxy in her own family and Mike, the Texas detective who has worked on more medical child abuse cases then anyone else in the nation.

The two explore, with help from other experts, how complex Munchausen by Proxy is. They look at the cultural and systemic issues that make it so hard to detect and the psychological issues that make it so hard to escape it.

They focus on 3 main cases of Munchausen by proxy: Hope Ybarra, Brittany Phillips and Mary Welch. All three women pretended their children were gravely ill. Although the details in this book are hard to read at times, I think it is important to read. I hope the more people that read this book, the more are aware of things to look for and hopefully more children can be helped.

Special thanks to Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber for sharing your stories. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I think it's a really interesting read on the different ways MBP can manifest, but I think I would have liked a little more meat on the bones as far as tying the stories together or something just to unify it all. As it stands it feels a little bit like three separate seasons of No One Should Believe Me, which is a great podcast and I do appreciate the work done on it and here, it's just I would have liked a little bit more.

The Mother Next Door was a fascinating and disturbing read. The deep dive into Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) was both eye-opening and chilling. The authors did an excellent job of explaining the psychological complexities behind MBP, and it was hard to believe the extent of the manipulation and harm caused by the mothers in the cases discussed. The book examines three separate cases, providing a well-rounded view of the issue, and it was clear that a lot of research went into understanding the psychological and systemic aspects of this form of abuse.

This book, which covered three different cases of Munchausen by Proxy, was enthralling, but in the worst way. The author went into great detail about the depth of manipulation and cunning involved in the abuse these women inflicted on their children, and how difficult it is to legally prove it. It's just sickening. This is one condition that really baffles the mind.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #themothernextdoor by #andreadunlop in exchange for an honest review.

Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) is a horrific form of child abuse in which the medical community is used as a the main weapon. MBP is filled with misinformation. The Mother Next Door is about three different cases in which MBP takes place. Andrea Dunlop is a novelist and has a family member with MBP and Mike Weber is a detective who has the worked on more medical child abuse cases than any other detective in the nation.

Expect to be angry and heart broken as you read the cases in this book. MBP is disturbing and this book shows how important it is for the medical community and law enforcement to work together in order to protect the vulnerable.

The Mother Next Door looks into the cases of Hope Ybarra, Brittany Phillips and Mary Welch.

Few true crime books manage to be both deeply informative and utterly chilling, but The Mother Next Door achieves exactly that. Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber dive into the harrowing world of Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) with a unique blend of investigative rigor and personal insight.

Dunlop, who has firsthand experience with MBP within her own family, and Weber, a detective specializing in medical child abuse cases, guide readers through three real-life cases. Their storytelling is both compelling and compassionate, never sensationalizing the abuse but instead exposing the heartbreaking reality for victims, families, and medical professionals caught in its grip.

What sets this book apart is its thorough analysis of the systemic failures that allow MBP to continue unchecked—misdiagnoses, legal loopholes, and societal perceptions of motherhood. Dunlop and Weber don’t just present a problem; they explore solutions, making this a must-read for anyone in the medical, legal, or psychological fields.

At times, the sheer volume of case details can be overwhelming, and the subject matter is undeniably heavy. However, the book’s careful balance of investigative journalism and human storytelling ensures that readers stay engaged.

If you’re drawn to true crime, medical mysteries, or psychological deep dives, The Mother Next Door is an eye-opening and necessary read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Mother Next Door in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those books that once I heard about it, I knew I had to read it. It’s a topic that is just so hard to wrap my head around that anytime I hear about it, I want to know more. Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) is a tough subject to read about yet Andrea Dunlop is the perfect person to write about it, having experienced it in her own family and Mike Weber is a detective that worked many cases of medical child abuse. This is a power team that put together a book I could not put down once I started it.

This book takes us through three cases almost from the beginning. We see just how bad it gets for the child, yet the perpetrator (the mother) often makes it so convincing and weaves such a tangled web that many times, their own family doesn’t realize what is really going on.

This book gave such fascinating insights into the legal barriers that family members faced once the MBP is discovered. Even with an overabundance of evidence, it often takes a long time to bring up a case against someone, not to mention all that the child has to endure in the meantime.

If this topic even mildly interests you, if you want to know more about MBP and don’t know where to start or just want a good narrative nonfiction about a compelling topic, then pick this one up. Even though it is nonfiction, it definitely does not read like it.

Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is a complicated and often misunderstood syndrome. The authors of this book do an excellent job of explaining MBP to laypeople. It is a compelling read that uses three authentic cases of MBP that Mike Weber (co-author) was involved in during his tenure as a Texas detective. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this phenomenon.

I have submitted reviews to Goodreads and Amazon as well as two FB true crime groups that I am in.

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and my own.

I was so excited to get this ARC, I love Andrea's podcast. If you are a fan of Nobody Should Believe Me, you will enjoy this book. Even though the stories were talked about on the podcast, I enjoyed reading about them and felt like it enhanced what I already heard. I think anyone who is interested in MPD will find this book valuable.

75 percent of this book was really good and factual. Up until the author discussed the third case, although there were sentences here and there before that let me know the author was going to blame politics - rather than the mothers - as the real problem.

The focus on the mothers was completely side-railed by the author's discussion of politics - details about local politicians that weren't necessary; assuming a male juror thought all women weren't intelligent; even including in the conclusion abortion laws that - as far as I know - have nothing to do with MBP.

That was frustrating and took away from the real enemy in these stories: the mothers.

MBP is an understudied topic and one that needs light shined on it. The author sorely missed the mark by including politics - her politics - into the non-fiction story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR to review.

I rate THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR three out of five stars.

This book was absolutely fascinating. The topic of Munchausen by Proxy is compelling enough on its own, but this narrative non-fiction look at three separate cases had me captivated the entire time. The book reads like a fast-paced suspense novel at times, but it's also filled with facts and research that only add to the comprehensive nature of the storytelling. These stories are so hard to believe (how could a loving mother actually cause harm to their own child?), but that's what makes these accounts even more important to share with the world. I applaud Dunlop and Weber for making this their lives' work and for tackling such a heart-wrenching crime. Their work (and this book) will help shed light on a devastating condition that more people need to be aware of.

When a novelist with a sister who has harmed her kids teams up with a police detective who has dedicated his life and career to investigating medical child abuse, what you get is The Mother Next Door. This is narrative nonfiction that explores three cases of Munchausen by Proxy that will leave you horrified and scratching your head about how anyone could do this to their kids.

I’m now off to download Dunlop’s podcast Nobody Should Believe Me where she explores even more about MBP.

Rating:
I loved it

What you’ll find:
Medical child abuse
Investigative journalism
Hope for the abused