My Mother's Shadow: The gripping novel about a mother's shocking secret that changed everything

Do you like family secrets, characters to root for, and a book that whisks you away on an emotional rollercoaster?  If you’re nodding your head, then My Mother’s Shadow by Nikola Scott is a book you need to take note of.

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Balancing the books is a quick fire review where I list the assets and liabilities of a book (as I see them) and leave you decide if you think this book is worth investing in.

The Assets of My Mother’s Shadow by Nikola Scott:

Mother/Daughter theme :  I lap up mother/daughter themes in books.  And I loved that a loving relationship was present, but there was also a strained relationship.  It wasn’t a cruel one, but rather a situation where they didn’t understand each other, and wound each other up.  Both bonds were fascinating to read about.

Swoony cover:  Scorn all you want!  I’m a shallow book-cover-magpie and I can never resist a gorgeous cover.  The image on this one, of a girl crossing from a dark depressing world into a happier, light-filled zone captures the tone of the book perfectly.

Secrets: Family secrets lure me.  I want to dig deep, and uncover every hidden detail.  Watching the search for the truth, and the subsequent fallout that rocked the family made this a book that I wanted to keep reading and reading.

Emotional Rollercoaster:  I loved how the author wove all the emotions in to the story in such a way that I felt them all.  I was giddy during the fun summer, broken at the misery some characters endured, frustrated at how gullible one naïve girl was, enraged by a useless father, confused by the shocking appearance of new family members, and in love with how a sister bond developed.   All the moods, and all the feels made this a very emotionally satisfying read.

The Liabilities of My Mother’s Shadow by Nikola Scott:

Rambling sentences:  Some sentences were overly rambling, and long winded.  It was something I noted, but it didn’t overly hinder my enjoyment of the work.

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Investment potential of My Mother’s Shadow by Nikola Scott:

If you like the sound of a contemporary/recent historical fiction mash-up and a heartfelt plot, then this might be just the book for you.  Or if you are a fan of authors like Kate Morton, or Julia Crouch, then you might also like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration.  As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

Addie and her family have come together to mark the first anniversary of her mother’s death when they get a shock. A woman, claiming to be Addie’s twin has turned up on the doorstep. Phoebe insists that their mother, Elizabeth Harrington gave birth to them both. At first Addie doesn’t believe Phoebe, but as the two women look into their mother’s past, they develop a friendship, learning that one twin was given up for adoption. Told in 1999 and 1958 (Elizabeth’s story), this is a story about the difficulties unwed pregnant women faced in the past as well as the ability to find and reconnect to family

My Mother's Shadow is a well written story with an uplifting feel.