4 stars. A very good read by Miranda Smith. Loving Mothers is a book about how far we will go for our children. Stella Moore has recently left her abusive husband and her and her son, Hudson, have moved to Hickory Hills. Hickory Hills is a gated community where Stella is hoping to restart her life and her son's life. On Halloween night, the whole neighborhood gathers for their annual outdoor Halloween fest. Stella tries her best to fit in with the other moms and women there. The next day, one of the teenage girls, Shelby, is missing. She never came home Halloween night.

There are quite a few characters, Mary, the neighborhood perfect mother and wife. Naomi who has a cheating husband. Janet who is always drunk. The story goes on to show how these women are entwined and how different things are behind closed doors. The book had many twists and turns. It was a pleasure to read. I found the characters so well done. I loved Stella and her son. Was hoping they'd get a nice happy life after all they had been through.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it and highly recommend this book.

Wow! This is a brilliant book. I literally couldn't put it down. The plot was really gripping. I've reccomend the book to all my book group.

Book Title: Loving Mothers:
Author: Miranda Smith
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: October 3, 2024
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 277

Story starts on Halloween Night when the neighbors of Hickory Hills are having a neighborhood Halloween party. We are introduced to: Stella, Donna Mary, Naomi, Janet and Annette are all neighbors.
-Stella Moore is new to the gated community as she recently left Beau her abusive husband. Her son Hudson is the new kid at school.
-Donna Bledsoe is described as the Vixen – we soon find out that her sixteen year old daughter Shelby goes missing during this Halloween party.
-Mary Holden is the queen bee of the neighborhood, her husband Ken is the vice principal at Hickory Hills High School, Their daughter Grace is best friends with Shelby.
-Naomi Davis is a Fitness Fanatic married to Rick,
-Janet Parks is the Trophy Wife of Julian and acts like a movie star and
-Annette Friss is a Spinster and the others feel pity whereas she thinks how all these women can be so different.

The women are -loving mothers well except for Annette however all have secrets.

The secrets become the dominate factor in this story. I am a big psychological thriller fan so knew so have my suspicions of everyone.
Whodunit and why was a surprise.

As always I love the Author’s notes. In this case
‘A Letter from Miranda’
She tells us how Mary and Stella intrigued her.
The appeared to be very different however their complicated pasts actual unit them
They judged the others behavior with thinking how their personal experiences shaped them.
The center of the story is the unconditional love these two had for their children. I believe they truly wanted to be Loving Mothers!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this audiobook!
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 3, 2023.

I found this a bit slow in bits but on a whole was a neighbourhood drama with every mum out to protect their child at all costs!

I received an ARC of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. This was Desperate Housewives crossed with Mean Girls; the women all live nearby each other in a gated community, and there is a lot of cattiness/ nastiness among them. I thought this moved a but slowly, or perhaps was too long; either way, I definitely felt like it took a while to read. It was interesting that really everyone had at least one chapter compared to most books with multiple POV chapters in which it might be just two or three characters. There are lots of twists, none of which I predicted; the author is definitely trying to lead you astray as far as thinking who is guilty. It was an enjoyable thriller but nothing earth-shattering.

ARC with thanks to netgalley. Due to be published 03/10/2024.

This is a little similar to something I've read before so the themes weren't new but the story development was good. Its a slow burn to give you insight into each character and what their motivations are or what they might be. Some slight twists that give a different perspective on who the killer might be. I'd guessed one of the outcomes as that bit was predictable (without giving away a spoiler) but hadn't guessed who the actual killer was.

It's an interesting read and the characters all have their own woes which makes adulthood and parenting seem quite mundane for the most part. They are pretty sad characters who cling on to each other until everything unravels and they have to find their own way.

I didn’t get to the end of this book, the back and forward with the narrative just wasn’t for me, not to say I wasn’t enjoying parts of the story I just prefer it to be written in one style. I have enjoyed other books by Miranda.

This was a great mystery about a teen that goes missing after a neighborhood party and is found dead.
Set in an idillic gated neighborhood, there are so many secrets to be discovered. Things are not always what they seem. So many twists and turns! Very entertaining

Thanks to netgalley for this eArc !! .

If you like neighborhood drama and Moms that will say and do anything to protect their children this is it!
After the neighborhood Halloween party a 16 year old girl goes missing. Just when I thought I knew what happened to Shelby I figured out how wrong I was.
This book checked off so much for me that I love in a good thriller!!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith is a good psychological thriller and a fairly good suspense novel. It was slow in some parts, but overall, the story held my interest because everyone seemed to have a secret. The story showed the lengths a mother would go to to protect their child.

I would recommend this book.

#LovingMothers #NetGalley @bookouture

This book was so good I didn't want it to end but at the same time I wanted to know the outcome. Miranda Smith writes an exceptionally good domestic suspense story and this one is one of her best. I can't wait to see what her next one brings.

We all have little secrets from our past but they are usually harmless, embarrassing occurrences we are hiding. The women from Hickory Hills, a "fancy", idyllic neighborhood have taken secrets to the extreme. There's Mary, the self appointed leader of the group that will go to any extreme to keep her secret hidden and protect her only daughter. Next is Janet, who in her own mind is the trophy wife. However, Janet seems to love herself and the bottle more than she loves her husband. Then there's Naomi, who's husband cheated on her. Now she is fighting to hang on to her marriage and her family. Lastly, there's newcomer Stella who ran from her past life along with her son.

When one of the teens from the neighborhood is reported missing and later found murdered each woman must decide just how far they are willing to go to protect their own secrets, their children, or their spouses.

This was the true definition of a book you can't put down. The writing is excellent, the characters are very believable and real and the attention to detail is masterful.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book

I'm a sucker for multiple POV's. Let me just say, the plot twists were chef's kiss. They kept me guessing the entire way through and even in the end my jaw was on the floor! You can't help but binge this book and when it's over you want more!

I really enjoyed this book. All of the twists and turns will keep you guessing and wanting more. The characters and their development are so well written I could imagine them in my head.

The murder of sixteen year old, Shelby Bledsoe, turns one quiet neighborhood inside out. Everyone is searching for answers inside and outside their homes. Shelby’s death brought some families closer and destroyed others.

Book/Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐.5

TRIGGER(S): DOMESTIC ABUSE, MURDER, UNDERAGE GROOMING, CHILD DISAPPEARANCE, ALCOHOLISM, INFIDELITY (OFF PAGE/MENTIONED)

POV: Multiple, First & Third Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Tropes: None
Spice: None
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Debut Novel: No
Safe or Dark: Dark

How far would you go to protect your children?

The women in the affluent neighborhood of Hickory Hills all have secrets, and after a tragic event at a Halloween party, they start getting revealed one by one.

“The most convincing lies are born from truth.”

This is a fast-paced, quick read with nice, short chapters. I could not put this book down! It gets right into the action, which I love. It is easy to fly through this story without giving it a second thought. All the characters are well developed and nicely fleshed out. We are given all their backstories in a fun and pretty straight-forward manner.

The author does a great job of weaving the past Halloween night (the night in question). It doesn’t get confusing, and there isn’t constant flipping back and forth. Miranda Smith does it just enough for us to get a glimpse into what all the neighborhood ladies and kids were getting up to that night. It was fun seeing what part they all played at the Halloween party and using that to try and piece the mystery together.

“Beneath the detailed makeup and elaborate ensembles, each person wore another mask, the role they were accustomed to wearing every day, not just on Halloween.”

There were a few subplots within the main plot. I enjoyed those as well. They didn’t get confusing or bog down any part of the story. You get pulled into all their personal problems one way or another and always want to know more. Although the issues the couples/people had are typical ones found in many books set in affluent neighborhoods, they each had their own twist on the situations. It was fun exploring the lives of all the characters involved. 

The only thing I couldn’t really get on board with were the differing points of view. Stella’s POV was told in the first person, while all the other characters POVs were told in the third person. There might have been a reason behind it, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

At the end of the day, though, the shift between the two wasn’t jarring enough to pull you out of the story, and it didn’t ruin anything within the plot. I just found it to be a bit odd. 

I could not stand Mary Hudson. Unfortunately, most of the book is told from her point of view. She was the worst. Her constant gossiping was reminiscent of a high schooler trying to get revenge on a fellow student who had wronged her. Her holier-than-thou attitude made me want to karate chop her in the throat. She thought she was the most amazing person to ever walk on the face of the earth. She was so full of herself that it made me want to vomit. Mary thought she was just the best at everything (wife, mom, neighbor, friend). She so desperately wanted to be the Queen Bee of Hickory Hills. Eh, blow it out your butthole, Mary. 

I could put up with her constantly talking about how beautiful she was growing up and how she turned a ton of heads. I could put up with her thinking that her daughter, Grace, had the beauty of an angel and was better than other girls. I was done with Mary when she judged one of the other neighborhood housewives (and her supposed good friend) for not wanting to have children. Janet didn’t even say out loud that she didn’t want to have kids; Mary just assumed she didn’t and instantly judged her for it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Mary stated that she couldn’t “think of a reason as to why Janet wouldn’t want children.” First of all it’s none of Mary’s business as to why another woman wouldn’t want kids and second of all, SIMPLY NOT WANTING CHILDREN IS A VALID ENOUGH REASON TO NOT HAVE THEM! 

*Takes a deep breath* However, I myself am child-free by choice. So needless to say, this is a hot button topic for me. 

If Smith didn’t want me to like Mary Holden, then she succeeded because I HATED THAT LADY! However, she did eventually get what was coming to her and somewhat redeemed herself. 

“It was more like being transported back to my Mean Girls high school era, except now all the women are in their thirties and forties.”

Stella Moore is another key player in this story, and I have to admit that I didn’t care much for her either. She wasn’t as bad as Mary; she wasn’t even close. However, there was just something about her that didn’t jive with me. Her vibes just weren’t vibing.  Even though she was going through a difficult time, I found it very difficult to sympathize with her. 

I enjoyed the side characters. In a way, I felt bad for all of them and what they were dealing with. Well, all except one. You’ll figure out why. At least, I hope you will. 

The couple's kids in the story were also well developed, which doesn’t always happen when a book focuses more on the parents' lives. They weren’t cardboard cutouts of teenagers. They were well fleshed out. I found that to be refreshing. 

I’ve read a lot of thrillers with a lot of different plot twists, but this one by far takes the cake. It threw me for the loopiest loop. I wouldn’t have seen it coming from a mile away with a pair of binoculars. I was truly shocked. Bravo, Ms. Smith. Very well done. 

Don’t even get me started on the ending! It was phenomenal. It gave great closure to the story. Very satisfying. 

“All children love their parents. Even if they’re flawed, even if they’re downright horrible people. Even if there’s an impenetrable wall between them, love is always there.” 

I can’t wait to check out some of Miranda Smith’s other books! She’s definitely gained a new fan! 

TLDR: FUN THRILLER SET IN AN AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A PAGE TURNER, CHECK THIS OUT! 

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. 
 
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. The characters were very relatable and as a mother I could understand where all sides were coming from. The ending had some shocking twists and felt extremely satisfying to me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I loved this book from the very first page, especially the short chapters and the background into all the women involved. Everything was so well explained with all the women's secrets, extremely well written, just one great book with an ending that brought everything to a satisfactory conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Why did you get in an argument with Shelby at the Halloween party?
Why weren't you worried when she was reported missing?
Why was your costume covered in blood?’ That’s what’s to be uncovered in this book, along with the secrets of the people in hickory hills

The story was great however there was a lot of unnecessary details that made it hard for me to follow personally, I nearly DNF quite a few times.

Overall I think if you like a story where you also get a lot of background information, some not relevant, then this is the book for you, for me personally it just wasn’t that.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

When a sixteen year old girl goes missing in a small community, the mothers in the neighborhood begin to spiral. Rumors and gossip begin to spread like wild fire, each prioritizes their own families and putting blame on others. You think you know what is happening, but it will surprise you up until the very end!

I for one am a huge fan of using multiple POV for plot and character development. However I feel like there were just a few too many to keep this story flowing steadily.

In saying that, Loving Mothers is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, exciting psychological thriller. Everyone has a secret and it's exciting to see them all come to light.

This one completely fooled me. I had predicted it as an obvious reveal as to who did it and why, and then it did a complete u-turn and I was so very wrong!

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.