Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith is a whodunit that will keep you guessing from beginning to end.

Shelby has gone missing from the neighbourhood of Hickory Hills, a tightly knit community where everyone knows everyone else's business. It is a neighbourhood that has always felt like a safe, insular place to raise your children. But a Halloween party, followed by Shelby's disappearance the next day, will have the residents questioning everything they think they know, and even turning on each other and their families as clues to Shelby's fate begin to surface. Just how far would you go to protect your loved ones against some very damning accusations?

This was a solid read with some well-executed reveals, though I did not feel that I ever came fully to grips with the multiple POVs.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith is a fast paced psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives with the well written characters and the well written plot.

Loving Mothers is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, exciting psychological thriller. Stella moves to Hickory Hills wanting a fresh start for not only herself but also her son. Mary has been the queen-bee of Hickory Hills for years and leads the other neighborhood women in their daily lunches and gossip. Stella just wants to be a part of their group. After sixteen-year-old Shelby goes missing, the neighborhood is in an uproar. Both Stella and Mary have reasons to suspect that their children know more than they're letting on. How far will a mother go to protect their child? What actually happened to Shelby that night?

Loving Mothers is exciting and fast-paced. The story is told through multiple POVs, mainly in the present but with some chapters flashing back to the night of the disappearance. Every character in the book has a secret, which is slowly revealed throughout. The author does a great job describing the small town/neighborhood setting. I think that having the main event set on Halloween night was genius, as typically that's when neighborhoods truly come together for trick-or-treating/parties/events. It definitely reminded me of my past Halloweens, allowing me to feel as if I was there with the characters. There are so many twists in the book and the ending is truly satisfying. I will definitely be recommending Loving Mothers to any of my friends looking for a can't-put-down thriller!

This was one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in awhile! Sure the general premise is a reused one but the author definitely put extra thought into this one and created a twisty, scary read. I thought it was predictable in some places but I was wrong...so very wrong.

Loving Mothers
By; Miranda Smith
Pub Date: October 3, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture

Hickory Hills is a nice, safe neighborhood to raise your family. But is it really? A teenager, Shelby has come up missing and you know you daughter might know more than she is sharing. You have discovered clues in your daughters’ room and have heard some phone calls that suggest she knows more. Will Shelby be found? Adding to the atmosphere there was a Halloween party the night before she went missing. What happened at the party?

A Sixteen year old goes missing at a neighbourhood Halloween Party. Her friends are lying to their parents, and soon, all the neighbourhood secrets are revealed.
When her body is found, it seems as though life explodes in the community.

This was an entertaining read for me. Mothers doing whatever they can to protect their children, even though they suspect their children of terrible deeds.
I did not like the attitude of the teens when questioned by their mothers - I can't imagine my mother letting me get away with that!
There were some unexpected twists, and then a massive twist that really did my head in.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was so good. The twists and turns didn’t stop coming.

It’s told in multiple perspectives which keeps you wanting to read more.

The characters were so well written. Mary, Stella, Naomi, Janet, and Donna are all neighbors. Stella is new to the neighborhood. She’s gone through a lot and is wanting to find a place of safety. Stella’s son is the new kid in school. Donna is trying to find her daughter who goes missing during a Halloween party. Mary is the queen bee of the neighborhood. Her daughter is best friends with Donna’s daughter. All of the wives have secrets. As the secrets start coming out, you can’t help but keep turning the pages.

Author Miranda Smith has taken a familiar theme and written a well thought out book with refined characters. Mary lives in Hickory Hills, a wealthy suburban neighborhood, with her teenage daughter Grace and her educator husband where she is described as the “Queen Bee.” The day after the big Halloween party, her neighbor Donna (the more flamboyant divorcee) realizes her daughter Shelby is missing. Shelby is Grace’s best friend, or at least she was until that night. In this neighborhood of “perfect” houses and many secrets, the protective and competitive mothers (including Naomi, Janet, Stella, along with single and older Annette) are determined to find out the truth. There are several storylines, red herrings and complex relationships. This is a book where even the teens are interesting and suitably designed. I highly recommend this domestic, psychological thriller. With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

In a small a small community a teenage girl goes missing. When her body is found, the rumour mill goes into overdrive.

This one completely fooled me. I had written it off as obvious as to who did it and why, and then it did a complete u-turn. Told from the point of view of everyone involved and in the present but also Halloween night, when Shelby disappeared. It was exciting. The characters were very real, flaws and all.

I really enjoyed it.

Stella Moore has recently left her abusive husband, and she and her son Hudson moved to Hickory Hills, a gated community where she feels much more safe. It’s the night of the neighborhood Halloween party, and all of her new neighbors are out celebrating. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of drama, and the next morning, a teenage girl is missing.

Mary is the Queen Bee of the neighborhood, upholding her perfect image with her husband Ken, the vice principal at Hickory Hills High School, and their daughter Grace. When she gets a call from her neighbor Donna the next morning, saying her daughter Shelby never came home, Mary didn’t panic. Donna pays more attention to men than her daughter, and Shelby has run away in the past. Surely this is a matter of an obstinate and probably hungover teenager hiding out, but as the day goes on, nobody has seen her. Mary asks Grace, Shelby’s best friend, what happened at the party, and Grace said she didn’t know - she and Shelby broke off their friendship.

As the parents (and eventually the police) get involved, they start asking their children questions that come with shocking answers. Not all was well in the neighborhood, not by a long shot, and soon they are all snooping, trying to find out if their kids were involved - and how to protect them if they were.

There are plenty of surprises in this book, and this was a very entertaining page turner and a quick read. Sometimes the people who put their “perfect” lives on display have the most to hide, and all of their secrets are quite juicy. The book ended with several twists that made this a highly entertaining thriller. 4.5 stars!

(Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me on this book tour. “Loving Mothers” is slated to be released on October 3, 2024.)

Okay this book is unlike any book Ive read in a very long time. It was just so good!! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Loved it!

Ok this book was so good! It had everything it needed to keep it exciting and interesting. The characters were really well developed and I was completely engrossed in the story. It was easy reading and I read it in a few sittings.
thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC releasing October 3rd.

read if you like:
😱 missing people
🏡 suburban mom dramas
🖐🏼 multiple storylines

summary:
Wow I loved this ARC. This book is about the neighborhood of Hickory Hills, the home to several families. We have Mary, the “Queen Bee”, the neighborhood gold standard with her teenage daughter, Grace. Donna, newly single mom with her boy crazy teenager, Shelby. And Stella, single mom looking to escape her past by moving to the neighborhood with her son, Hudson. The night of their over the top Halloween party, Shelby disappears, and the whole neighborhood rallies in the search. But who knows more than they’re saying? Grace, Shelby’s best friend? Or Hudson, Shelby’s supposed boyfriend? With everyone denying any knowledge of what happened to Shelby, the mothers hunt for one of their own while worrying about what their own children might NOT be telling them.

I loved everything about this book honestly. The characters are SO well developed, and you feel like you know them all on such a deeper level. While some of them appear to be snobby housewives, through their chapters you learn about their vulnerabilities and find yourself empathetic to the life they’re living. Their kids are also well developed, which isn’t always the case in a book about “the moms”. They’re complex and flawed in every way, and it just expands the story to be even deeper and more engaging. On top of all this, the plot moves quickly, with a lot of action and several twists and turns. I read it in essentially one sitting and could not put it down. There are several red herrings and the entire story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also loved the ending, as it felt complete, satisfying but left room for more if there was a sequel.

I am off to find Miranda Smith’s other books because I was such a fan. Thank you to Bookouture and Net Galley for the ARC, and check this out when it releases on October 3!

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller by Miranda Smith. A teenager goes missing from an affluent suburb and the locals try to figure out what has happened. Friendships are questioned. Relationships become strained. The book is well paced and gripping. I read it in one evening and would read more by this author.

This talent author has written a cannot put down novel. Family and friends…secrets and red herrings…do not try to discern the ending too early. Not easy. This is a page turner. Thanks Netgalley

Just wow!!! what an amazing read, this book gripped me from the start so much so it was a one day read!
The story of the lives of a group of ladies all in an affluent neighbourhood with newcomer Stella trying to fit in until a tragic turn of events at the yearly halloween street party makes everyone question each other and themselves.
Shelby, a neighbourhood schoolgirl disappears at the party and from this leads a trail of revelations showing the not so perfect lives the women trying to portray break down whilst having to now face testing friendships and marriages. Parenting is also questioned forming bonds some never knew were broken.
I will definitely be reading more from the author and recommend this to everyone.

A great thriller that I couldn't put down I had to find out what was going to happen next. Look forward to reading more by this author.

Pretty good thriller. How far would you go to protect your child if you thought they had murdered someone? Mothers especially will appreciate this thriller.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉.

It's the night of the Halloween block party in Hickory Hills, a quiet, idyllic neighborhood filled with loving families. The streets are lined with people in costume, each person playing a role; however, while some are just wearing a temporary mask, others are in costume daily. Mary is Queen Bee, Donna is the Desperate Divorcee, Naomi is the Fitness Fanatic, Janet is the Trophy Wife, Annette is the Spinster, and Stella is the Newcomer. While enjoying the revelry and the anonymity that come with Halloween, the women have no idea that in just a short time, their secrets will be exposed and their lives will change forever.

It starts with a missing teenage girl who doesn't come home after the party. Donna is frantic to find Shelby, and she calls Mary, whose daughter Grace has been Shelby's best friend since pre-school. Mary is shocked by Grace's blasé attitude toward the news and is dumbfounded when Grace casually says they're not friends anymore. Meanwhile, Stella finds out that her teenage son and Shelby were an item, and after what happened at his last school, is she wrong to question her son's possible involvement?

There was a depth to these characters that isn't always found in thrillers. All too often, neighborhood women are written as stereotypical; often vapid and devoid of the layers of personality that make up a living, breathing human being. The author says in her notes that all too often we pass judgment on others, especially women, without taking into account what they have experienced and the invisible baggage they are carrying around. Of course, as the title suggests, this book examines the love a mother has for her child, but once again, it's done in many shades of gray.

This was a sophisticated thriller that will make you think. Obviously the mystery of what happened to Shelby takes center stage, but I think you will be surprised by the all of the moving parts that contributed. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was slated to publish October 3, 2024.

Wowza!! I just read the greatest thriller! Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith was a wild ride. It was full of twists and turns.