Well, I wasn't quite as keen as others on the authors previous book, Valentina (well, I gave it four stars, everyone else gave it five) but this one totally blew me away and very definitely gets five stars. Dark, twisted, so well written and very unsettling.

Being set against the background of the Yorkshire Ripper attacks really resonated with me. I was at Manchester University at the time (the book is set in Leeds) but the behaviour and fear of the female students was exactly how we behaved and felt at the time as he also attacked in Manchester.

This just drew me further into the book - no spoilers so not much more to say!

*thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.
This was just too slow for me and I wasn't interested in it. The description sounded rather interesting, yet, after the first few chapters, the story slowed to an almost stop. The cover is very good though.

Great read, really enjoyed this, would definitely recommend

This is the first book I have read by SE Lynes and I was absolutely blown away. The first few pages puzzled and intrigued me, and by the second chapter I was absolutely hooked.
I don’t want to say too much about the plot as it is difficult to do so for fear of giving a spoiler (and this is a book which deserves to be read untainted without any spoilers). So I will just say this is definitely in my top five reads for 2017 and must be read by anyone who appreciates a good psychological thriller.
SE Lynes is definitely an author to watch and I will be buying her other book very soon.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review - without this I would not have discovered this wonderful book!

I thought this book captured the impact on adoption and its impact upon subsequent relationships well. The book was a gripping tale and the intensity increased the further through the book as the relationships developed. I thought the chapters interspersed through the book which were from a (at the time) unknown 3rd party) added a different dimension to the story and indicated a sign of whats to come. I thought the ending was unexpected which is always enjoyable and look forward to reading future books by the author.

After reading Valentina by this author I was eager to jump into this.

It covers adoptions and struggling to find your identity. I’m not sure how I’d feel or react to be sat down at an older age over a cuppa to be told I’d been adopted.

It’s also based around the time of Jack the Ripper where women are scared.

I need to say, the first half of this Read was extremely difficult to get my mind into. I really struggled, I put it down several times today. I did preserve with it though because I enjoyed Valentina so much. Plus I hate giving up on a book. I might miss something! And I certainly would have here.

The second part of the book was well worth waiting for. Hence a 3 star becoming 4.

Thank you Bookoutour via Net Galley for my copy.

I loved Valentina so was really looking forward to reading Mother. Wow I wasn’t disappointed. I particularly love the way Susie Lynes writes with such eloquence and seeming ease that draws her readers in from the very beginning. I am positive that every word and sentence is probably fretted over but the reader never gets that impression - which is such a skill and a delight.
The subject matter was so different to Valentina but at the core of both books is the topic of intense relationships. The backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper added a sinister element which increased the tension beautifully. I empathised with all the characters- they had all been so uniquely drawn that their motives were completely understandable and realistic.
I can’t wait to read what Susie Lynes has written next - whatever it is, I’m sure it will be just as satisfying as this one. Well done!

The book starts with a violent and impassioned events, that is not fully understood until the close of the book. After this introduction the book back tracks a few years and so an an incredibly sad story begins that centres around adoption, mental health, family secrets and the lies that we tell ourselves to justify our behaviour. Christopher is the young man at the centre of the book, who accidentally discovers that he is adopted at the age of 18, just as he is about to leave the family home for university. What follows is his journey to locate his birth mother, and fill the hole that he thinks resides within him. There are lots of little threads that are woven in amongst this story ; the Yorkshire Ripper case and the impact this has on female students in Leeds, moving away from home, starting university and the adoption process in the 50's and 60's.

The story is told from a friend of Christopher's view. The friend is in some kind of hospital and has been encouraged to write about Christopher as some sort of rehabilitation. As the reader we do not know who this person is until the end of the book. This worked in some respects, because it really shows the impact that the giving up of a baby has on so many more people than just the mother and the baby. However, I also felt that it allowed a rather neat wrapping up of the story that in some way I felt detached from.

Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

EXCERPT: He worried these things would make him sound wierd, and with that monster on the loose - and in Yorkshire - she might think it was him. The idea filled him with a cold, sick feeling. The Ripper's victims: bodies mutilated and abandoned in wasteland, behind cemeteries or left to rot in parks. When he thought of these women, these murders, these bodies, something dark niggled away at any peace, however short lived, he might feel. He thought he knew what they meant by 'bodies', the fathomless dark the term concealed. All around him,he could sense the terror that still permeated the female student population, judging by the frenzied conversations he had overheard in the shuffle of the lecture halls, the squash of the corridors and the clatter of the university canteen. Normal women had been murdered. Normal women, just like them.

And if the victims included normal women, he wondered, was the Ripper a normal man, a man as normal or as troubled as any other man - a man like him.

THE BLURB: Christopher would never hurt anyone. Not intentionally. Even after everything that’s happened I still believe that…

Christopher Harris is a lonely boy. A boy who has never fitted into his family. Who has always felt something was missing from his life. Until one day, when he discovers a suitcase in his family’s attic. And a secret about his mother that changes everything. What price would you pay for the perfect family?

Christopher finally has a chance at happiness. A happiness that he will do anything to protect…

MY THOUGHTS: Mother by S. E. Lynes is told from three points of view. That of Christopher, Ben, and someone not identified until almost the end of the book. Which was kind of frustrating/annoying. The change in narrator was never announced - headings on the chapters would have been useful. Several times I had to go back to the beginning of a chapter and reread it once I realised that the narrator was different.

While the idea behind the plot is good, the full potential was not tapped. The first half of the book dragged, the second half was more interesting, but at no time did I feel a real connection to any of the characters and, in the end, I didn't really care about the outcome. It all felt rather contrived and somewhat overdone. Like a good steak that has been ruined by overcooking.

The most interesting part of the book for me, was the references to the Yorkshire Ripper. It was this that provided the atmosphere, a little suspense.

A grudging ☆☆☆ for a book that I suspect could have been a lot better.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Mother by S. E. Lynes for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. A lot of people will like this book more than I did, therefore if you enjoyed the excerpt and like the sound of the blurb, please take a chance and read Mother. I will enjoy reading your reviews.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Mother’ by S E Lynes, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Christopher, born in March 1959, is adopted by Jack and Margaret Harris who later have two children of their own. It isn’t until Christopher is leaving for university that he finds an old battered suitcase in the attic and inside is information of his adoption.
I found ‘Mother’ to be confusing. As I didn’t know who the unknown narrator was I couldn’t understand what was happening and I was more than three-quarters of the way through before it became clear. This is a well-thought-out dark psychological thriller with a complicated plot and although it was very well written I didn’t really enjoy it. Okay, it wasn’t the worst novel I’ve ever read but there again it wasn’t the best – it’s up to the reader to decide.

I am still sitting in shock. The ending is brilliant. I did not expect it at all. The whole way through the book the narrator is a mystery. Everything is only tied together at the very end. We learn a lot about Christopher through the book. Looking back the clues are all there. At times I thought the book was a bit tedious but I am so glad that I kept reading. The ending is spine chilling. The book is really well written. This is a book that I will definitely be talking about and recommending.

A fantastic, dark read that lives up to the genre psychological thriller. A story of families, friendships, deceit, betrayal and obsession. An unknown narrator, a lonely boy and his story of his mothers. Christopher who is a strange sort of character who yearns to be liked and fit. He has alway felt at odds with his family until he finds a secret which send him on a mission. It seemed a fairly gentle read at first and then wow the twists and turns in this book are truly surprising and shocking. Beautifully written and a wonderful read!

Hmmmmm this was a strange one. Christopher has always felt like an outsider in his family. He discovers he is adopted and so begins the search for his "real mother" He begins university and succeeds in finding and then building a relationship with his birth mother and her family. This was very strange and creepy to me, almost bordering on incest and stalking behaviour. Christopher is rather a difficult character to like or have any empathy with. He is callous towards his adoptive family. I was also rather bored with the ramblings about his university life and his roommate. This added nothing to the story.

The other thing that was strange was the mysterious narrator. It was obvious to me who it was and just seemed strange. I have no doubt that many people will love this book but I just couldn't connect with the author's style of writing.

Mother was the type of book where you never know quite where it’s heading and even when you think you have things figured out, you’re probably not totally right. This was a chilling story of deception, betrayal and obsession that I throughly enjoyed.

This was a slow burning thriller, the kind that takes a bit to gain momentum but be patient because when things come to a head it’s all worthwhile. It centers on Christopher, a young man who has felt like an outsider in his own family so when he finds out he was adopted as a baby, it’s not altogether surprising for him. I did sympathize with him, he’s sort of odd but he just wants to belong and everyone really longs for that I think. There are also chapters from an unknown narrator as well as a few from a man named Benjamin who lives in the US. I struggled to see how these separate threads would connect and when they did converge I was shocked!

This wound up being quite emotional for a psychological thriller, especially towards the end. I found myself sadder than I had expected to be and there was something dark and melancholy about how things were left in the end. Strong characterization, a well thought out plot and fantastic writing made for a really distinctive, sinister read.

I’ve not read this authors previous book but I’ve added it to my wish list after reading Mother.

So let me get the negative out of the way. All my reviews are totally truthful and I do believe I need to say this. I found this book hard going at the start. I saw a few early readers saying to stick with it and so I did. Usually I can jump into a book and read it pretty quickly. However this book didn’t suck me in straight away.

The positive is once I reached a part of this story any negativity I had for this book went out of the window. I became obsessed with wanting to know what was gonna happen next. I needed to know.

This is a brilliant storyline. It’s written in such a way that you can see the story enfold in front of you.
I will certainly be recommending this book to my friends with a bit of advice- stick with it as it’s definitely worth it.

A fantastically dark and twisty psychological thriller that I could not put down. I’d seen a lot of buzz surrounding this book and was worried it wouldn’t live up to the high expectations I had for it, but I needn’t have worried as it was every bit as good as I expected it to be.

The pace of the story was slow to begin with, the tension building up page by page (along with my blood pressure), leading to a payoff that was definitely worth the wait. Fantastic! A highly recommended 5 stars.

This was such a dark and disturbing book that I was completely addicted and read it in a day - I loved the cover, it really intrigued me and the blurb drew me in, so as soon as it landed on my Kindle I was keen to get stuck in - and I was not disappointed!!

The book builds up it's pace slowly and the suspense increases with it. I thought that Christopher was a great character and I did really feel sorry for him at times!  The plot was well thought through and planned to give the maximum impact and it really did keep me hooked.

A five star read in my opinion and definitely a book I'd recommend for people who love a good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns that keeps you guessing until the very end - I loved it!

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nearly 4 stars but not quite! I was really excited to read this book having seen all the great reviews and praise for the book. However perhaps this has led me to have higher expectations which is no fault of the author.

I found the first 60% quite slow going and my personal preference is a book that grabs you. However once the story unravels it became more interesting and engaging.

Other than Phillis however, it was hard to like any of the main characters and there were a few threads that I didn’t feel were necessary.

Overall however enjoyable and I will read more by the author.

Mother was a brilliant read. Told from the narrators point of view based on conversation Christopher had was such a great way of story telling. For all of his life, Christopher has felt out of place in his family until the day he goes to university and discovers why. Christopher is adopted and found out by accident. Never telling his parents he’s worked this out. A bright but disturbed young man we are Christopher navigating university life and trying to shed all that makes him awkward. Fast forward to his ultimate goal of tracking down his birth mother, his dream to finally belong somewhere that makes sense to him; sure what could go wrong? What indeed? I was hooked and very pleased to have received an advance copy of Mother. Special thanks to the author and publisher and of course, Netgalley.

I give this book 4.5 psychological stars out of 5. This book admittedly took me a little while to get into but once I did, I didn’t want to put it in down. This was a great psychological thriller. I was able to read this book within a day and enjoyed the page turning hypnosis it had me under. I was totally engrossed in the plot and wanted more. I also felt very bad for Christopher and was shocked how things went about in this book. I highly recommend this book if you need a good psychological thriller.