From the book description: <i> Lilly Bly desperately wants to have a baby. She is struggling with infertility and bad spending habits when her husband, Jack, gets a new job that moves them from Chicago to a small town in Wisconsin. Impractical Lilly falls in love with a decrepit mansion well out of their price range—she is convinced that she will finally get pregnant and have a baby in this house—and Jack reluctantly agrees to buy the wreck. But when Lilly learns that her dream house was the site of a gruesome triple homicide/suicide in the 1950s, she begins to experience strange occurrences that soon lead her to believe the house is haunted. Are her ghostly encounters real, or is this a cascading mental breakdown? As Lilly learns more about the deaths and her visions become increasingly vivid, her relationship with Jack deteriorates, leading to a dramatic and irreversible climax.</i>

If you love unreliable narrators and very tense, atmospheric thrillers - which I do - then this is the book for you. Because hooo boy, is this book is chock full of suspense and drama, and add in Lilly’s rapidly deteriorating mental state and you are in for a mystery that will really shake you to your core.

As the title suggests, this is a ghost story, but with Lilly’s not-so-stable frame of mind, we’re left wondering what is real and what she is really experiencing and what is just a delusion of a sick woman determined to see what she wants to see and discover. But we do know that the house’s history is real, and the mystery behind it - and what’s happening to Lilly - are very good mysteries and I was hooked.

The only downside was that I found Lilly fairly unlikable. She kept making stupid decision after stupid decision, which made me extremely frustrated with her. I really wanted to shake her and tell her to get it together, but she just wouldn’t listen to anyone.

But that didn’t stop me from wanting to know what was happening. As I said, I was hooked.

As to the ending, it’s a bit out there, I’ll let you decide for yourself how you feel about it. But it fits with the theme of the book, shall we say. Overall, I was satisfied.

I recommend this book to fans of ghost stories, specifically with a gothic twist. And I’d definitely read more from this author!

3.5 rounded up

A chilling haunted house thriller that sees a woman driven to get pregnant and live in the perfect house finally getting her wish when her husband agrees to buy an overpriced, rundown home that turns out to be more nightmare than dream. I enjoyed this book on audio a lot, it was fast paced, suspenseful and creepy AF. Recommended for fans of authors like Jennifer McMahon or Simone St. James. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed the setup of this book and the beginning. The synopsis drew me in and I really enjoyed the storyline itself. However, I feel like this book needs another developmental editor to look at it. There were parts that didn't make any sense, like how the FMC was attracted to the dead husband but then this was just not mentioned more than once so I feel like that could've been done without. This was a thriller/horror, not a romance so it really took me out of the story.

This book had my skin crawling from the first page. This wasn't a jump scare or slasher book, but was so insidiously scary. From the time they moved into the house you knew bad things were going on, and the end was so satisfying.

That narrator also was excellent. She conveyed the dark mood perfectly through her reading and let you with a sense of dread that lingered through the whole book.

Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer

Lilly convinces her husband to buy an old manor house that needs more work than they can afford but the reason it is so cheap… It’s the old murder house. Trouble is Lilly thinks she is seeing ghosts but is her mental health slipping because she cannot get pregnant?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow and Lilly was hella flakey. Don’t even get me started on her husband. He really made me angry. It’s like he was punishing her for being who she was. I hate that. The supernatural things going on in the house were done in such a way you can see why she connected with the house instead of running as fast as her legs could carry her. It was a really great story with a lot of really excellent moments.

I loved all the glimpses into the past. That’s probably my favorite part. I thought the ending was wild! I actually didn’t expect that was where it was going to end!

Solid book, not what I usually want from a horror/thriller, it didn’t creep me out but it was well worth the read.

4 stars

Ok for me personally this was 2* but objectively, I can see why other people love it so 3*.

The actual prose is good - accessible, descriptive and engaging. I also like the concept. My issues stem from some narrative choices and the MC.

We'll start with the latter. I don't need to like a MC to enjoy a book. Just make them.interesting. make me want to root for them. Unfortunately, Lily Bly was a neurotic, self centred, selfish mess. Creepmouse 'I can't engage with reality' characters can be interesting when their arc includes them finding unknown wells of strength and resourcefulness. But that isn't the case here. Lily grew up with everything handed to her except maternal affection. When she had a problem, daddy battered it into submission with his checque book. She also won the genetic lottery as well, being able bodied, healthy, beautiful and of average intelligence. A few bad things happen in her life but all that gets smoothed away by her husband who picks up the tab when her father dies after losing all his money.

And this is where I really lost patience with her. She runs up 50k worth of credit card debt (and not for the first time). She clearly has poor impulse cobtrol and some sort of mental illness as well, but she refuses to do anything to help herself. Her husband is just left to pay everything. Lily gets a job, loses it almost immefiately. Starts doing things around their new house and leaves them half done and more of a mess than if she'd never started. She wants a baby so badly, but refuses to even consider shouldering her share of the labour to a) get them out of debt and b) make sure she is mentally healthy enough to give a child what it needs. And then she acts as if her husband is being unfair when he confronts her about these things.

Ultimately I deispised her. She was a parasite parading learned helplessness who believed that support was being given money by whoever she asked for it. I would have not engaged with this person in real life. I spent way longer with her in book form than I wanted.

Other issues for me were that this was a told story. Every answer is just handed to you. There is no tension and no suspense. I'd argue that technically it's not even reall gothic horror or a ghost story, it's sad girl fic wearing a sheet with eyeholes.

So ultimately, I did not like this. But the author has written it skillfully so I am assuming that the reasons I did not like it were deliberate.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for sending me an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential and, based on the synopsis, it appeared to be an engaging, gothic-adjacent tale that would have the reader hooked.

However, the haunting, atmospheric chill that has come to be associated with gothic-esque titles was completely lost here and almost every 'clue' or element of 'foreshadowing' was about as subtle as a brick to the face. There was no suspense, no level of uncanny or discomfort, just a clueless protagonist who did her very best to be one of the most aggravating FMCs I have ever come across.

Everything about the main character and her husband was aggravating, with most of their choices or behaviours purely 'for the plot' no matter how much the author attempted to explain/justify them.

If I never have to hear the words 'where is my baby/I want my baby' ever again, it will be far too soon.

Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer is a captivating psychological ghost story that blurs the line between reality and delusion, pulling readers into a haunting narrative. Lilly Bly is a deeply compelling character, grappling with the all-too-real struggles of infertility and the emotional turmoil that comes with it. Dwyer brilliantly captures her desperation and vulnerability, making her descent into the eerie happenings of her new home both believable and chilling. The decrepit mansion in Wisconsin, which Lilly becomes obsessed with, serves as the perfect setting for a story where nothing is as it seems.
The tension builds steadily as Lilly uncovers the mansion’s dark history—a gruesome triple homicide/suicide from the 1950s—and begins to experience ghostly encounters that challenge her grip on reality. Dwyer’s writing is atmospheric and evocative, immersing readers in the unsettling world of the mansion, where every creak and shadow seems to hold a sinister secret.
The novel’s climax is dramatic and inevitable, a powerful conclusion to a story that explores the darker aspects of longing, loss, and the human psyche.

Ghost Mother offers a captivating blend of elements: a stunningly dilapidated house, a flawed yet endearing heroine, supernatural events that feel almost historical, an exceptional intimate scene, and a gripping narrative. It’s an ideal read for summer.

This book can be haunting in ways you don't see coming.

Sure, Lilly Bly's new house was the site of a triple homicide/suicide in the 1950s, is literally falling apart, and may be haunted by the ghost of the previous owner- but she's decided to make it home sweet home. She is dead-set (no pun intended) on becoming pregnant and raising her baby there with her husband, Jack. They can't afford it, but she just knows her dreams will come true inside the decrepit mansion.

As they start to build their lives in a new town, things instead seem to be falling apart- sometimes literally. Lilly is hearing things, seeing things, and as per usual, is being gaslit by the one person who is supposed to support her. You see, Lilly has a history of mental illness, and her husband just thinks she needs to go back on her meds or see a therapist. She knows that what's happening is real, and she has to be the one to solve the mystery of what really happened to the last residents, but it's not turning out like she thought.

As a woman who struggles with both mental illness and infertility, this book was downright haunting. I know the feeling of being asked, "Are you taking your meds?" when you have a valid concern or a slightly outlandish anxiety. I know the heartache and anger of seeing those negative pregnancy tests month after month, and how it can make you a little... on edge. I've been in Lilly's shoes before, so it wasn't hard for me to connect with her in this book. The ending was not what I expected, but I was still pleased!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Ghost Mother was an engaging and heart-filled story. It's highly-readable, simply told and feels like it could be enjoyed by a wide-variety of Readers. I would especially recommend it to Supernatural Horror (Light) Readers, who may be looking more for vibes, than anything too scary, or disturbing.

This story follows Lilly Bly, who is married and desperately wants to have a baby. She's suffered losses in this area already and it's a sensitive topic for her. Her husband, Jake, has just gotten a new job and they are moving from Chicago to a small town in Wisconsin because of that. Lilly is okay with it. She's ready for a fresh start and when she sees the decrepit mansion that could be their potential new home, she falls in love.

It's well out of their price range, but Lilly is able to convince Jack to purchase the dilapidated property. She swears she'll get a job to help make the payments. It's worth it to her, she just knows she'll finally become a mother in this house. After they move in though, Lilly has a tough time getting herself together and motivated. Jack travels a lot for work, so she's on her own quite a bit.

It's not long after they move in that Lilly learns their new home was the site of a gruesome triple homicide in the 1950s. They don't call it the Murder House for nothing...As she experiences more unexplained phenomenon at the house, she's led to believe it could be haunted. It would make sense, right? Terrible things have happened there.

She begins to research the house and its dark past, determined to get to the bottom of what she is experiencing. While she is doing so though, the rest of her life is being neglected. Her husband, the household, she's making poor choices, she's losing time. Is the house really haunted, or are these all signs of an escalating mental breakdown?

As mentioned above, I really enjoyed my time with this story. I felt for Lilly. She wanted to be a mother so badly, and as things were spiraling, I wanted to just give her a hug, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. At the same time, she was making choices that simultaneously made me want to shake her back into reality. I think the fact that I felt so much for this main character, who was going through something that I've never personally experienced, but felt so much for, is a sign of great writing. I've never read from Kelly Dwyer before, but she's found a fan in me, and I hope to get more from her.

I was impressed with how quickly I became immersed and attached to this story. There's been a few other 'expectant or want to be' mother books that I've read in the past year or so that have driven me absolutely batty. Full disclosure, I have no children, by choice, and have never, ever had that want. So, for me, it's generally hard to connect with the characters who that is their sole desire.

I didn't feel that with Lilly. Even though she was wanting to be a mother more than anything else, it was presented in such a way where she didn't lose her identity to that want. I could connect to her and feel for her, even though our lives are vastly different.

Again, I think this is due to the quality of Dwyer's writing; the way she created this character. Lilly wasn't just pigeon-holed into the fact that she wanted to have a child. She had layers, which I appreciated. Additionally, this novel has my favorite thing, atmosphere. That's my number one. The thing I look for most in my Dark Fiction. I want atmosphere, a true sense of place, I want to feel like I'm there, to see everything in my mind's eye and that was definitely the case here.

With this being said, and this doesn't negate from anything the author has done here, but I do feel like this will work best for Readers who are either newer to the Horror genre, or who want the vibes, but to not actually feel scared. I'm not saying I need Horror to be scary, because I completely recognize that there is so much more to this nuanced genre than that one parameter, however, this did feel way more about the vibes to me than anything else. With this being said, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a Supernatural Mystery with a lush Haunted House setting. I would also recommend the audiobook format, fabulously narrated by Renata Friedman.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this story and look forward to more from Kelly Dwyer. I hope she stays in this wheelhouse, because it was really well executed!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes, etc: Haunted House, Haunted or Mentally Ill
POV: Single, 1st Person

The Praise: This book has huge Haunting of Hill House energy (the show, not the book) which I loved. The story was intriguing and kept me guessing while also pulling my heartstrings.

The Critique: Lilly was so frustrating! Between being so obsessed with the house’s story that she just seemingly forgot how to behave at a job and her stubbornness when it came to keeping the house, I was constantly annoyed with her.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this. The ghost aspect was great and I wasn’t able to guess the ending, which I always count as a win.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was awesome! I loved how she portrayed all of the different characters. She read at a pleasant speed. The story kept me guessing until towards the end. I had an idea of where the ending was headed, but I still really enjoyed the story. It was a the perfect horror/paranormal story to get me ready for fall!

This was a great book! It definitely didn’t go how I thought and I definitely wasn’t expecting a little spice. I finished this book in 1 day. It’s everything I love! Murder, mystery a little spice all wrapped into one

I loved this book. I am very vocal when it comes to so many horror/thriller books being about motherhood, how it drives me crazy that most of the time the sheer amount of time the plot spends talking about motherhood isn't disclosed in the synopsis. This book? Hello. Ghost MOTHER. And even though the book should 100% be entirely about motherhood, it's not. It has a plot. It has character development. It's GOOD.

I really wanted to like this one: gothic horror with a historical element; however the main character was absolutely horrible. I know that was the point, and she was meant to be unlikeable, but she was also hard to listen to. Her actions were upsetting. She seemed to care about no one but herself. And then for it to end with her getting millions and not learning at all from her selfish and cruel behavior. It was just not for me.

Interesting story about a couple who move into an old run down castle. Soon they learn that people died there and things begin to happen.

Creepy house, possible paranormal occurrences, unreliable characters? Check, check, and check!

Lilly is a difficult character to like and yet I was still intrigued enough to stay tuned to this audiobook. A lot of the things she does point to her being mentally unstable or dealing with old trauma. Her obsession with having a child in this exact house had me rolling my eyes at first, but I knew there was more to it. Then you have the townspeople calling her home the "murder mansion" and you can't help but follow along with Lilly as she digs into the people and events surrounding her new home. Loved the library details and how she conducted her research, too.

Narration was spot on, really kept me engaged, even when I found Lilly to be annoying at times.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the ARC!

I was entertained enough to fly through this listen, however, it should have contained content warnings.

A perfect Halloween season read!

A creepy old " 1950s murder" house, paranormal and mystery?
A bit of a slow start, but pace picked up during and I really enjoyed this book.
I love a dual timeline too!
Jack's gaslighting however, I'm not surprised Lily had some mental health issues going on throughout the book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.