The author does an incredible job of setting the scene on a remote Maine island where Julie Weathers accepts the educator role in a one room school in a tight knit loving community. After a while I was terrified of every rustling branch and idyllic sounds of coastal waves. The inhabitants hold secrets and grudges, and I wonder if Julie would be safer living on the streets of New York. A slow burn, an interesting premise and a slightly disappointing resolution but a good read overall.

If you want to read a book about a dog’s life, then read this book. Not so much a thriller, as a personal growth fiction. Took me so long to finish this book due to the fact that the majority of the plot was irrelevant and not as thrilling as I wanted. I know more about Depot (her dog) then any other topic from this book alone. Not recommended for thriller fans. Perhaps it would be enjoyable if you were a fiction fan.

This book is a good story about resilience, determination, and the desire to do what’s right. Julie works hard to become a better teacher, a better friend, and a better person, even as the dark forces behind the scenes at Mercy Island are hell-bent to keep her from accomplishing anything that could topple their tightly-controlled house of cards. The ending provides us a resolution of sorts to many of the open questions of the novel; while the story itself is (just maybe) slightly too-long, I definitely would have enjoyed a more detailed ending/epilogue that focused on what would happen for Julie and the other main characters moving forward.

Julie Weathers, grieving over the loss of a child and an impending divorce, is looking for a new start. Opportunity comes in the form of a job opening teaching a one room schoolhouse on an island in Maine. Upon arriving, it is almost idyllic—this could be just what she needs in order to move forward in her life; new friends, a wonderful new home. But there is something not quite right about Mercy Island.

The isolation of the island plays a very big part in the plot this book. Insular, holding tight to ‘the old ways’, in many ways Mercy Island was its own character. It helped cultivate the residents about as much as lobstering does. Mercy keeps certain kinds of people. It thrives on the disparity of the haves and the have-nots. This is something that becomes apparent very early on in the book. In a location so self contained, what exactly can you get away with? When you are holding the power, what ways can you get others to twist to get what you want?

Where this book excelled was the author’s description of the environment. It helps paint a picture of the nearness of the island locales. The mounting dread that Julie starts to experience as things start to go amiss began to stress me out. I enjoy that sort of thing in a thriller.

However, as much as I can appreciate a slow burn, this book ended up feeling long. It took me much longer to get through this than I had hoped because at some point along the way it started to drag along. On top of that, when I reached the end it felt abrupt and almost sudden. This left me feeling very middle of the road in the end.

Thank you to Books Forward Friends, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

It my opinion, this story was just too slow & too long. I did eventually finish it, but it took me quite a while.

Julie Weathers isn't sure if she's running away or starting over, but moving to a remote island off the coast of Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life. The sun-washed, sea-stormed speck of land seems welcoming, the lobster plentiful, and the community close and tightly knit. She finds friends in her nearest neighbor and Callum, a man who appears to be using the island for the same thing as she: escape.

But as Julie takes on the challenge of teaching the island's children, she comes to suspect that she may have traded one place shrouded in trouble for another, and she begins to wonder if the greatest danger on Mercy Island is its lost location far out to sea, or the people who live there.

Thank you Books Forward for the e-arc of The Second Mother by Jenny Millman.

First I have to say that the grief and the loss of a child is written beautifully. I had tears running down my cheecks. As a mother i can't imagine this pain but Jenny broke my heart with this subject.
The character developments are written wonderfully. One woman moving away and starting her life over with a weight in her heart in a town with secrets of its own.
This isn't the thriller I was expecting, actually nothing thrilling really happened but none the less I enjoyed this book very much. As a woman's fiction I would recommend.

This book pulled me in quickly but the middle and ending I found lacked suspense and mystery. It’s more just a fiction about grief and loss.

This book is HEARTSTOPPING nearly from beginning to end. I have absolutely no doubt that once you have started reading this you will not be able to put it down! I am so surprised by the character development and the way the story comes to life, and will be searching out Jenny Milchmans novels in the future!

I wanted so much to absolutely love this one! Anything set in Maine, I will read. I LOVE Maine! The premise sounded good. The cover is really cool! What was not to love? Well, it WAS good, just draggy in parts. I felt that it could have been a lot shorter. It starts slow and i probably would not have given this a chance if it wasn't an ARC.
I am glad that I did, though! This is very well written and I liked Julie, who has lost a child and is trying to make a fresh start. after her husband asks for a divorce. The author does a great job of making the reader feel like they actually are on an isolated island in Maine. I do recommend.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Jenny Milchman and SourceBooks for this ARC.

About five years ago, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Milchman's novel, As Night Falls. And though I've kept my eye out for more of her books, this is the first one of hers that I have read since then. The premise seemed promising to me - a main character looks for a fresh start on a remote island off the coast of Maine, alongside her giant dog and island full of secrets. But, unfortunately, I just never connected with the Julie, the main character. It takes a long time for her full background to be revealed, and her initial grieving behavior is somewhat alienating. On top of which, the island mysteries unravel at a painstakingly slow pace. Not enough tension ever really builds to make this a riveting read and I just never felt motivated to keep reading it. I would pick it up and set it back down at the first possible distraction - which is not my typical reading behavior! The book bored me and the plot points are too unfocused for the bulk of the book. By contrast, the ending is convoluted, abrupt and rushed. I never felt any concern or urgency about any of the human characters (well I was concerned for the giant dog - I am not a total monster!). This book had so many elements on its surface that I thought would combine to make me really love it, but ultimately, it was disappointing from start to finish.

This book took me forever to read, and it was quite long. It was a bit atmospheric, taking place on an island, which I enjoyed. It moreso annoyed me though, and I probably should have given up at some point! There is a character in the book who is sort of the controller of the island and its residents and she was repeatedly referred to as “the grandmother.” I found that so annoying! My favorite character in the book was probably Julie’s dog. This book contains an infant loss story line.

This was a slow burner that was more mystery than thriller. It has a wonderful setting on an island off the coast of Maine. I liked the characters and their back stories. It was very good.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Second Mother was an adventure, a mystery, a thriller and it has a big ol' dog in it which is always a plus. A solid 3 star read for me (which is good!!), I enjoyed how the story unfolded. My only wish would have been for it to happen a bit more concisely as parts felt a tad drawn out.
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I'd recommend this to fans of The Winter People or The Lake House.

I put this down at 30% - it's just so slow! I don't particularly like Julie, I feel like I've been reading for days and don't know anything but that she drinks a lot and has a big dog. It's just not working for me.

I'm torn with this one. On one hand, the drama was delicious. On another hand, I went into this expecting a thriller and didn't find any of the heart racing, thrills I expected. It's a slow burn for sure. The writing was pretty well done, though, so 3 stars.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the ARC ebook in return for my honest review.

I liked this story a lot. It was suspenseful without being terrifying and there were some unexpected twists that kept it interesting until the very end.

4.5 stars

Julie Weathers needs a fresh start so she answers an job vacancy advert for a teacher based on a remote island in Maine. Her application is successful so she heads off to the coastal island full of hope that she may be ridding herself of her demons, as well as looking forward to a good life in a sunny, welcoming village. But Julie soon discovers that swapping Wedeskyull, New York for Mercy Island might not have been her greatest moment.

The Second Mother was my first novel by Jenny Milchman and I found it difficult to put down. The author's descriptions of the idyllic Mercy Island were delightful and deeply atmospheric and I was there alongside Julie, feeling as though I was being watched and observed. Though the pacing was slow-burn, the plot was intriguing and the characterisation was sound. I particularly liked Jenny Milchman's portrayal of the ruthless Hempstead family with their authoritative and commanding presence over everything. With family issues, long-held secrets, grief, and hope at its focus, The Second Mother was a very compelling and claustrophobic read. The build up from a slow simmer to the dramatic, exciting denouement was very well done. A highly recommended psychological thriller/ atmospheric mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wow. When I requested this book, i think I was expecting another run of the mill thriller. Nothing special, utilizing the same tired formula as so much else that’s out there right now. What I got was so much more.
The Second Mother is a beautifully written, wholly atmospheric examination of loss, love, and the lengths that some people will go to for their families, however misguided those lengths may be. I absolutely loved the setting, a remote island off the coast of Maine that was so richly detailed it became the main character of the story. The mystery woven throughout was dark and creepy, and I truly didn’t know where it was going until it was laid out for me.
Loved this so much. Can’t wait to pick up Milchman’s entire back catalogue.

A mesmerizing page turner that I could not put down! Julia Weathers, a woman looking to start fresh. She finds the answer in an add on opportunity.com. Is it the answer to her prayers or something more sinister? In searching for her new life she quickly learns that every person on this island in Maine has their own story to tell. She needs to quickly decide if the biggest danger on Mercy island is its remote location with no cell service or the inhabitants. This fast paced thriller had me hooked needing to know the ending quick. It had me asking myself what to do when you are isolated form the world and you feel isolated in your own life. This did not disappoint with an ending I did not see coming. Thank you #NetGalley and #sourcebookslandmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF.
I am not sure if it was my mood or...what but I couldn't finish this. It just kept droning on and on....and it wasn't really what I was expecting. I was expecting fast paced from the start!
Trigger Warning: Child loss is main theme.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the ARC ebook in return for my honest review. I appreciate it!