What a great ride of a read. Highly recommended this book. The author definitely kept me not wanting to put this one down. Loved it.

A Mother Would Know is a thriller where you can drift along with the story. There are enough twists and turns to keep it enjoyable and keep the reader engaged, but nothing that pushes the reader out of their comfort zone. I would definitely recommend this to fellow thriller fans.

How well do you know anyone? Even your children. When a woman with early onset dementia finds out her son is accused of a murder in the neighborhood. I liked the tension with her son living with her and the dual timeline in the present with her remembering the past events. Couple that with the neighborhood drama and I was in for the entertaining ride. I read it rather quickly and my guess on where it was heading was incorrect.

Cue the discomfort people, you are going to have shivers up your spine with this one.

BUT let’s serious for a moment, let’s just stare at this title. It is not only frightening but its absolutely captivating. It screams "read me" because come on, anything that has a premise with a disturbed kid is going to instantly grab anyones attention.

This book is beyond a thriller, I would more or less classify it as a thrilling, psychological horror novel.

I am completely and utterly obsessed with this book and have become an instant fan of Amber Garza. This book screams book of the year. I will put my bet out now that this book will break the internet.

I am still in shock..

The character development is perfection, the plot is executed well, there is not one thing I could critique with this book. I read it in one sitting, I will most likely even read it again, I just could not get enough.

I would absolutely love to see this book made into a movie or mini series.

Teaser :

A mother questions everything she knows about her son when a local woman is found dead.

Valerie has been forgetting things. Her daughter worries about her being on her own in her big Victorian house—one rumored to be haunted after a tragedy decades earlier—and truth be told, she is a little lonely. With few options, she asks her adult son to move home, but it’s not quite the reunion she hoped for. Hudson is taciturn, moody and frequently gone.

The neighbors already hold a grudge against Hudson, and they aren’t happy about his return. When a young woman is found murdered a block away, suspicion falls on him immediately, without a shred of evidence. While Valerie fights to defend her son, she begins to wonder who she really invited into her home.

It’s a horrible thing for a mother to even think…but is it possible she’s enabled a monster? A monster she is living with, alone?

Full review to be posted on social media - but, in a nutshell…

- I love books with unreliable characters - so I enjoyed that aspect of this one. The mother with dementia - what’s real? What has she forgotten? What is she imagining?

- The ending was pretty quick for me - I thought I had guessed it right and then I was wrong so that’s always a win for me. If I can guess it accurately, I’m always a little disappointed.

- I think my one major feedback is that when the flashback chapters or perspectives changed, it wasn’t obviously indicated in the review copy that I received. It took a minute to adjust. I have seen this in other books as well, it’s a peeve of mine. I shouldn’t be guessing, it should be laid out for me to ensure a smooth reading experience. To me, that took it from a 4 star to a 3 star review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read, write and share my review of this book!

After so much praise from the thriller queen, Ashley Winstead, I had to read Amber Garza’s, A Mother Would Know! It was a thrilling book that gripped me from the start and didn’t let up. It has so many elements in it that worked so well together! And I knew I had it figured out, then second guessed myself, then triple guess myself 😂 Seriously it could be anyone!! This one worked for me! I really connected with Valerie as a mother. She wants and hopes for the best for her children, putting on blinders at times to avoid seeing the bad. She also is terrified as she begins having signs of early onset Alzheimer’s, that took her mother away. She wants to protect her children from having to experience what she had to with her mom. I would say, pick this one up if you’re ready for an edge of your seat thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end! Truly! Cannot wait to read what she comes out with next!

I love an unreliable narrator, however, this one was not my favorite. Valerie has early signs of dementia and is struggling to remember things. I love not knowing if what the narrator tells me is the truth or not. However there were confusing time jumps that were not made clear and it confused me heavily. I wanted to like this book and. I think that it had promise, but it just was not for me.

Well, that was a weird and depressing read! Honestly, I'm not sure why I kept reading, but I did. The characters are almost wholly unlikable. Valerie is the most appealing of the bunch and she's a bitter, whiny has-been who thinks the world is out to get her. Her children are even more messed up than she is! The novel's plot is far-fetched and strange, without the kind of subtlety that could have made it a far better psychological thriller. As is, it's melodramatic, cliché, unrealistic, and just...dumb. I found the ghost element to be the most interesting aspect of this story; unfortunately, not much came of that subplot. Bummer. Even though I did end up finishing this book, I found it to be a strange, unsatisfying read. I really don't know why I didn't put it down any of the times I wanted to...

My heart dropped and seized at times while reading A Mother Would Know. The relationship between mother and child is so complex and vulnerable. Amber Garza does an incredible job at striking a balance between past and present. Valerie doesn’t always make the best decisions, but I felt for her. She’s real and raw. This story is thought provoking and one that will keep you thinking about it long after you’ve turned the final page.

This one gave me Verity vibes. I wasn't a fan of Verity, but I enjoyed this one. It's a slow-burn psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I loved that it had Alzheimer's rep mixed into the story to create an unreliable narrative. I'm a sucker for unreliable narrators. I had a feeling of who it could be, but the way it was twisted was great and had me in shock.

Valerie’s memory isn’t what it used to be. She’s been forgetting things more and more frequently, and after watching her mother suffer from Alzheimer’s, she fears the worst. At the urging of her concerned daughter Kendra, Valerie asks her son, Hudson, to come stay with her. But Valerie’s neighbors hold a grudge against Hudson and are not happy to see him back in his childhood home. Years ago, his girlfriend (and across he street neighbor) died. Everyone always suspected Hudson, and rumors begin to fly again when another neighbor is murdered. But wouldn’t Valerie know if her son was capable of such things?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the slow-burn, the neighborhood setting, and the flashbacks to Hudson and Kendra’s childhood. I thought I had this one figured out, but it still managed to surprise me!

This was a DNF at 45% for me. It was too disjointed to read comfortably - jumping in between multiple timelines at random times with no warning. Very hard to keep track of. I also didn’t really feel a connection to the main character… or any of the other characters. May have continued if I had a TON of free time, but too busy to push through on this one right now.

A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza is a slow-burn psych thriller with many moving parts that keep the reader guessing until the final pages.
Valerie is a broken person-fame is gone, she’s alone in an old Victorian house that may or may not be haunted, and she’s got personal ghosts of her own.
Her kids, Kendra and Hudson, are products of her life. Each one is a piece of work in their own way. But which one is worse, and who is responsible for all the bad events in their lives?
There’s a whole lot to unpack character-wise. The psych thriller comes partly as usual (who is doing what and why), but the psych part is especially prevalent.
Is it fair to blame one person’s choices for a lifetime of misery? At what point does personal responsibility play a part? And should a mother always be able to figure out her kids and know exactly what they are feeling or doing?
The author works hard to keep the mystery throughout the plot. Two particular events are the focus of the story, and the reader gets the truth of them in bits and pieces.
I liked the reflection on how Valerie’s life choices have made an impact on her kids. The “who is responsible” was well done. I had theories that changed numerous times throughout the book.
And just when you think the author has wrapped things up satisfactorily and you are vindicated in your guesses…you’re probably wrong.
A Mother Would Know is a definite page-turner of a psych thriller, and I will continue to look for books from Amber Garza.

This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from MIRA. **For more reviews like this, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks**

A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza is a psychological thriller about a woman named Valerie who is having early signs of dementia. When a woman ends up murdered in her neighborhood, fingers start pointing to her son, Hudson, who has recently moved back in with her. When an incident from the past comes back up to haunt them, Valerie can’t help but wonder if her son is guilty of this terrible murder. But if it wasn’t Hudson, who could it be?

This book had me hooked right away. I was instantly intrigued with the story and what was going on in this neighborhood and who is telling the truth. I liked that Valerie made for an unreliable narrator. Since she is having early signs of dementia, is what she is seeing really happening? Or is she not remembering everything correctly? I was constantly going back and forth with what I thought was really going on and who I thought was guilty.

There were a couple past stories that at first, were very hard for me to follow. I think it may have been easier if the book was labeled with the timeframe in which the parts were taking place. But at about 75% of the way in, the past stories are better explained and end up being a huge twist. I really liked the twists in this story. There were multiple twists throughout the story up until the final 5 pages, that I did not see coming! This story was different from other thriller books that I have read and I really enjoyed that aspect. As an avid reader of thrillers, I am also looking for something a bit different than the others.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I really did enjoy this one as well. There were a couple timelines happening in the story and at times, they were hard to follow, but in the end, the story did piece together nicely with many different twists. I have read all of Garza’s thriller books so far and I have enjoyed all of them. She is definitely one of my go-to auto buy authors.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Company for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is another review I hate to write. I loved Amber Garza's previous book but this one was just ok.
I didnt love the story and the writing seemed rushed.
Now I know people who loved this so I would say read it and form your own thoughts

4.5 stars!

Wow this was quite the suspenseful read!

Valerie’s has been forgetting things lately and her daughter is worried about her being on her own. In the meantime, Valerie’s adult son moves back home, but it isn’t quite the reunion she expected. He’s moody and hardly spends any time at home, plus the neighbors still hold a grudge against him for a tragedy that happened years ago.

When a young women in the neighborhood is murdered, suddenly all eyes are on Hudson, but his mother is determined to defend him, but the more she looks back on past events, the more she questions his innocence.

This was a fantastic read, and while I thought I had everything figured out, I was happily surprised by just how wrong I was. It just goes to show how little you know someone…or everyone. Highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Mira Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review. Slow burn. Took some time to get into. However, the ending made it worth it. Great plot twists. Overall an enjoyable read and I enjoy this author.

I wanted this to be like Defending Jacob. This wasn't like that! It was messy and confusing and seemed to lack research into a lot of the topics this book dealt with. An interesting set-up but at the end of the day, not for me.

I received an advance copy of Amber’s book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion of her work, and let me say THANKS SO MUCH! This was the first book in far too long that I opened, read the first paragraph and didn’t want to immediately put down. And honestly, that felt like a victory to me! But as I continued I only got more and more impressed. Amber is clearly a talented writer. The amount of detail in simple sentences makes you feel like you’re there with the characters from the first page. The book wasn't perfect… But it had an excellent plot and was a definite page turner for me. Amber does an amazing job not letting you know who to trust… and the characters ALL have so many levels. This book literally kept me on my toes the ENTIRE time… and dang you Amber Garza for making me stay up to almost 3am with a burning need to finish!

I really enjoyed this one! This book was a page turner! The main character kept discovering different things along the way, so it made me not want to stop reading. I thought I knew the main twist, but then I was surprised that it was going in a different way.

I enjoyed the author writing style, and the characters were well written. The only thing I did not like was the way the flashbacks were place in randomly. I would sometimes not catch it, and have to reread the part to fully understand.

I thought this was a quick, fun thriller to read.