This book was an OK read for me. It felt really long, with a lot of detail and many scenes that took up space but didn't directly relate to the central story. It centers on Julie, a woman who lost her baby daughter a year ago and has been suffering through the aftermath of that situation, turning to drinking heavily, and experiencing the break-down of her marriage. Julie sees an opportunity to teach at a multi-grade school on a tiny island off the coast of Maine, and jumps at the chance to start anew. Once there, she makes a friend, meets a nice man, but also has some creepy things happen that makes her feel like things aren't quite right,. Much of the story centers on her interactions with Peter, who is in the family that pretty much owns the island, and is a character whose intentions are not clear.

I liked Julie, for the most part, and thought it was really cool how big of a part her dog, Depot, played in the book. There was an overall spooky vibe throughout the book, but the pacing just felt really slow to me. That being said, the last few pages of the book seemed rushed to tie everything up and didn't line up with the pacing of the rest of the book. Also, this is a small nit but I was bothered by the fact the book kept referencing one character as "the Grandmother" even though the reader and Julie both knew her name.

Overall, if you like a slow burn up to a faster paced ending, with a little bit of mystery, I think you'll enjoy this book. Not my favorite but was a decent read for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

I love the process of picking books for my TBR. Whether it's a good blurb, a beloved author, or an amazing cover, it's something of which I never tire. The Second Mother's cover caught my eye; that pink is striking, and the blurb was intriguing. I jumped in and lost myself within pages.

Following the unexpected death of her baby girl, Julie is lost. She's an alcoholic treading water, unable to find her footing, until a chance job posting gives her the opportunity she didn't even know she was looking for: one year of teaching on a secluded island off the coast of Maine. As her husband asks for a divorce, Julie is pleased to accept the position and start over, only to find that things on the island will require more than adjusting to life without wi-fi and cars.

This is the kind of sprawling generational book that digs deep into a way of life that you might not expect to still exist. Having grown up near the ADKS, I loved the references to mountain life and being off the beaten path. Tourist season in Lake George keeps the area booming, and life on Mercy wasn't much different in terms of the familial expectations and routines. Milchman created an insightful, stark portrayal of a small fishing community whose town is disintegrating faster than the crumbling banks on which it sits. Without the younger generation to carry on its legacy, Mercy will be lost, and the wealthiest family on the island is hell-bent on keeping things in order. I loved this aspect most of all, and the parts where this novel really succeeded were in Julie's interactions with the lifers.

Additionally, the spirit Julie embodies when she accepts her job as teacher carried more symbolism than the giant lighthouse on stage. While she quite literally has a "savior complex" to a degree, Julie is motivated by nothing except doing what's right for the children. She's not trying to save them from their way of life. She doesn't want to expand their technological horizons or show them that there's a big world out there; rather, she wants them to learn the maps of their own hearts. Many of the kids are expected to fulfill their parents' wishes, and while she understands most if not all will do that, she also wants them to find satisfaction and truth for themselves, and I found that aspect of her character to be beautiful.

On a final note, it was so refreshing to read a book with a dog as a secondary character that wasn't used solely as a way to create emotional conflict for the main character. Deep was my favorite.

More quietly suspenseful than all-out thriller, The Second Mother is a slow burn of exciting proportions. You won't regret getting lost in Mercy, just be sure you know how to swim. Big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing an eARC in exchange for review consideration.

I enjoyed the remote Maine location. I didn't feel like it was very suspenseful or a mystery which I had expected It was well paced and I felt like the main characters were well developed.

Jenny Milchman’s new book, The Second Mother, is an inside look at a troubled woman’s decisions to make changes in her life to move forward instead dwelling on the problems of her past and focus on the results of those decisions. The fast pace of the author’s storyline centers on Mercy Island’s lobster industry and the island’s key residents and the way Maryanne Hempstead’s family influences life of the island residents. The main protagonist, Julie Weathers is looking for a fresh start creating a new life, as she prepares to educate the students of Mercy Island’s one room school house. Julie’s future looks promising and understands she must continue working to overcome her issues of alcoholism, loss of her child, her husband’s betrayal and her need to put her past behind her.

The author provides background details of the families on the island as well details of the different class system of Mercy Island’s lobster industry. The mystery and intrigue begins to build as Julie starts her teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse, then noticing that strange things start to happen around the house where she's staying. She tries to ignore what is going at her new house and continues working on strengthening her relationship with her students. Milchman take the time to introduce her readers to ne of Julie’s students Peter Hempstead providing his backstory as well as his family connections and their history. She goes into detail explaining the circumstances of the death of Peter’s father.

The storyline uses subplots and key support characters as the intrigue and suspense intensifies as events unfold on the island. Readers sit on Julie Weathers shoulder as she works with her class to plan a special project at the school. The Second Mother storyline builds to a dramatic and emotional ending that involves Julie and her dog Depot and all the special people she cares about. Milchman’s new book is a must read earns a five-star ranking.

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A book about the struggle to define our place in the world, how our past defines our future, and every person's quest for autonomy in the face of the need to survive the daily pressures of life. Julie is a charming and plucky heroine who won't quit til she solves the compelling mysteries of Mercy Island.

The second mother was an entertaining read and the storyline was exciting at times. However, I found myself getting a little bored at times and the characters were not particularly likable. Some of them were a bit confusing, for example Peter. I am still not sure if I was supposed to like him or not. Overall I enjoyed it but I would have liked to see more character development.

I, for the most part, enjoyed this book. There was an overall spooky vibe to it, and the setting of the book added to the story significantly. I guess I just kept waiting for a little more to happen than it did. There was a few parts that I did not find believable, and some parts that seemed to drag, but for the most part it was light and easy to read. Thank you for the opportunity!

TW - Child loss, alcoholism, suicide

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was full of twists; some predictable and some not so much. The story was well written and I found it a quick, easy read. I loved the main character, but I have to say I loved her dog even more. The two of them were the perfect duo and made me continue reading, hoping that all would be well in the end.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing my the opportunity to review this book.

I warmed up to it eventually, but the author kept doing this thing where she separated the main character and her dog, implying that the sweet beastie would be hurt (though, spoiler alert: He wasn't). I'm all for a good jump scare or a cliffhanger chapter ending, but this was a bridge too far.

I really enjoy Jenny Milchman's novels and I was really excited to get this ARC as it's been awhile since her last one came out. The Second Mother follows Julie, a former teacher who recently lost her little baby girl and is not coping well. After accepting a position as a teacher on a remote island in Maine, she realizes there is something not quite right on Mercy. This book was definitely a page turner. I couldn't hardly put it down. My only criticism is that the end was rather abrupt. I would have enjoyed an epilogue to tie up the story a little better. Otherwise it was a really great read.

This one was so creepy! Gah I am obsessed with it. Definitely threw me for a loop and was not expecting the ending! A must read!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was pretty twisty- some more obvious than others but still an enjoyable ride. You really do you fall in love with the main female character. Solid four

Yeap, we have another Switzerland book: that I didn’t adore but I don’t have any negative feelings about it so I decided to meet in the middle.

We have a promising coastal setting and intriguing start: Julie Weathers wants a fresh start after her loss of baby and divorce, moves to the remote island located in Maine, starts her teaching job (considering she is only teacher educate kindergartens to eight grades, she has so much work to do)

She meets with Ellie who afford to drink more wine than me and throughout her friendship she learns more about island history and menacing grandmother Hempstead’s family. ( I think that irritating woman is the only thrilling character makes your little hairs on your arms stand up!) She also meets with Peter who becomes regular intruder of her new home, a problematic teenage who needs urgent help.

And slowly some strange things start to happen throughout her stay. But the suspense part of the story is not sufficient enough. This book is mostly a dramatic adult fiction about suffer, grief, pain, learning to deal with your losses. It is slow burn, there is too much meandering, unnecessary repeating, parts about pranks have been pulled for Julie are taking too many pages and second half are mostly about Julie’s forming relationship with her students which are also emotional, dramatic but as you may imagine, there are still not enough mysterious part in this story.

As a fiction it was long, but the characterizations and back stories are easy to relate so I would give 4 for fiction but as a thriller, I gave it 2 stars because there is nothing dazzling, questioning and also riveting about the story.

Average: 3 solid stars. I happily declare this is good book as a fiction with it is interesting story-telling style but
I’m disappointed that I couldn’t find the eerie, blood freezing, exciting story that I hope to read. I wish it would be presented as adult fiction or women’s fiction because there are so many good parts about a mother’s grief and trying to keep her head above after her tragic loss. I think I have to read more books of the author because I enjoyed her talented and impressive way of story telling.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this ARC in exchange my honest review.

** spoiler alert ** THE SECOND MOTHER
BY JENNY MILCHMAN

Julie Weathers accepts a new job at a new location on an Island off of the coast of Maine as the only teacher in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Right in the beginning the reader learns that her marriage is ending in divorce and her baby died. Her husband Dave and her have been drowning their sorrows in getting drunk on scotch. Julie ventures to Mercy Island with her appointed housing in one of the central character's old house an adolescent boy named Peter Hempstead. The Hempstead's, Julie learns are like Mercy Island royalty and leading the iconic family is the grandmother Maryanne Hempstead who I found to be sinister and menacing. I didn't like her right from the start. Julie thinks Peter is a troubled tween because he shows up uninvited into the house she has been given to live in while teaching. Julie finds out that he could be confused because that used to be his old house. One of the main non talking character's is Julie's dog Depot whose bark lets her know if Peter is in her house. She thinks a character named Ellie who drinks 2 or 3 bottles of wine and is really a pawn of Grandmother Hempstead's, is there to show her around the Island is her friend and in some ways she is. But mostly Ellie is there to fill Julie's head with the hierarchy of the Island which consists of lobstering.

I thought the premise of this book is promising having one mother whose lost a child relate to another set of parent's who have lost a child. The problems were this is something that takes place too late in the story. There is too much meandering around not getting to this a lot sooner instead of pranks being pulled on Julie. There isn't even a thread that follows through on Julie's whole purpose there to be a teacher. The novel had a spooky vibe to it about Julie's safety. I had the feeling while reading this while entertaining just was going off in too many directions. I did like Julie's character and would have liked to see more of her relationship with Callam developed. He was the only one she could trust on the Island besides Peter. I also think that the Grandmother, Maryanne Hempstead was not believable in how much power she held over the other Islander's was very believable and found it hard to believe that her husband let her rule over him in letting his daughter Melinda suffer without having physical custody over her biological son Peter. My closing thoughts on "The Second Mother," are you really have to suspend belief throughout reading this one. I really wish I would have liked this more.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jenny Milchman and Sourcebooks Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

#TheSecondMother #JennyMilchman #NetGalley #Sourcebookspublishing


READING PROGRESS
Finished Reading Add a date
February 18, 2020 – Started Reading
February 25, 2020 – Shelved
February 25, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
February 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

Post a comment »COMMENTS** spoiler alert ** THE SECOND MOTHER
BY JENNY MILCHMAN

Julie Weathers accepts a new job at a new location on an Island off of the coast of Maine as the only teacher in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Right in the beginning the reader learns that her marriage is ending in divorce and her baby died. Her husband Dave and her have been drowning their sorrows in getting drunk on scotch. Julie ventures to Mercy Island with her appointed housing in one of the central character's old house an adolescent boy named Peter Hempstead. The Hempstead's, Julie learns are like Mercy Island royalty and leading the iconic family is the grandmother Maryanne Hempstead who I found to be sinister and menacing. I didn't like her right from the start. Julie thinks Peter is a troubled tween because he shows up uninvited into the house she has been given to live in while teaching. Julie finds out that he could be confused because that used to be his old house. One of the main non talking character's is Julie's dog Depot whose bark lets her know if Peter is in her house. She thinks a character named Ellie who drinks 2 or 3 bottles of wine and is really a pawn of Grandmother Hempstead's, is there to show her around the Island is her friend and in some ways she is. But mostly Ellie is there to fill Julie's head with the hierarchy of the Island which consists of lobstering.

I thought the premise of this book is promising having one mother whose lost a child relate to another set of parent's who have lost a child. The problems were this is something that takes place too late in the story. There is too much meandering around not getting to this a lot sooner instead of pranks being pulled on Julie. There isn't even a thread that follows through on Julie's whole purpose there to be a teacher. The novel had a spooky vibe to it about Julie's safety. I had the feeling while reading this while entertaining just was going off in too many directions. I did like Julie's character and would have liked to see more of her relationship with Callam developed. He was the only one she could trust on the Island besides Peter. I also think that the Grandmother, Maryanne Hempstead was not believable in how much power she held over the other Islander's was very believable and found it hard to believe that her husband let her rule over him in letting his daughter Melinda suffer without having physical custody over her biological son Peter. My closing thoughts on "The Second Mother," are you really have to suspend belief throughout reading this one. I really wish I would have liked this more.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jenny Milchman and Sourcebooks Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

#TheSecondMother #JennyMilchman #NetGalley #Sourcebookspublishing


READING PROGRESS
Finished Reading Add a date
February 18, 2020 – Started Reading
February 25, 2020 – Shelved
February 25, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
February 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

Post a comment »COMMENTS** spoiler alert ** THE SECOND MOTHER
BY JENNY MILCHMAN

Julie Weathers accepts a new job at a new location on an Island off of the coast of Maine as the only teacher in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Right in the beginning the reader learns that her marriage is ending in divorce and her baby died. Her husband Dave and her have been drowning their sorrows in getting drunk on scotch. Julie ventures to Mercy Island with her appointed housing in one of the central character's old house an adolescent boy named Peter Hempstead. The Hempstead's, Julie learns are like Mercy Island royalty and leading the iconic family is the grandmother Maryanne Hempstead who I found to be sinister and menacing. I didn't like her right from the start. Julie thinks Peter is a troubled tween because he shows up uninvited into the house she has been given to live in while teaching. Julie finds out that he could be confused because that used to be his old house. One of the main non talking character's is Julie's dog Depot whose bark lets her know if Peter is in her house. She thinks a character named Ellie who drinks 2 or 3 bottles of wine and is really a pawn of Grandmother Hempstead's, is there to show her around the Island is her friend and in some ways she is. But mostly Ellie is there to fill Julie's head with the hierarchy of the Island which consists of lobstering.

I thought the premise of this book is promising having one mother whose lost a child relate to another set of parent's who have lost a child. The problems were this is something that takes place too late in the story. There is too much meandering around not getting to this a lot sooner instead of pranks being pulled on Julie. There isn't even a thread that follows through on Julie's whole purpose there to be a teacher. The novel had a spooky vibe to it about Julie's safety. I had the feeling while reading this while entertaining just was going off in too many directions. I did like Julie's character and would have liked to see more of her relationship with Callam developed. He was the only one she could trust on the Island besides Peter. I also think that the Grandmother, Maryanne Hempstead was not believable in how much power she held over the other Islander's was very believable and found it hard to believe that her husband let her rule over him in letting his daughter Melinda suffer without having physical custody over her biological son Peter. My closing thoughts on "The Second Mother," are you really have to suspend belief throughout reading this one. I really wish I would have liked this more.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jenny Milchman and Sourcebooks Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

#TheSecondMother #JennyMilchman #NetGalley #Sourcebookspublishing


READING PROGRESS
Finished Reading Add a date
February 18, 2020 – Started Reading
February 25, 2020 – Shelved
February 25, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
February 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

Post a comment »COMMENTS** spoiler alert ** THE SECOND MOTHER
BY JENNY MILCHMAN

Julie Weathers accepts a new job at a new location on an Island off of the coast of Maine as the only teacher in grades kindergarten through grade eight. Right in the beginning the reader learns that her marriage is ending in divorce and her baby died. Her husband Dave and her have been drowning their sorrows in getting drunk on scotch. Julie ventures to Mercy Island with her appointed housing in one of the central character's old house an adolescent boy named Peter Hempstead. The Hempstead's, Julie learns are like Mercy Island royalty and leading the iconic family is the grandmother Maryanne Hempstead who I found to be sinister and menacing. I didn't like her right from the start. Julie thinks Peter is a troubled tween because he shows up uninvited into the house she has been given to live in while teaching. Julie finds out that he could be confused because that used to be his old house. One of the main non talking character's is Julie's dog Depot whose bark lets her know if Peter is in her house. She thinks a character named Ellie who drinks 2 or 3 bottles of wine and is really a pawn of Grandmother Hempstead's, is there to show her around the Island is her friend and in some ways she is. But mostly Ellie is there to fill Julie's head with the hierarchy of the Island which consists of lobstering.

I thought the premise of this book is promising having one mother whose lost a child relate to another set of parent's who have lost a child. The problems were this is something that takes place too late in the story. There is too much meandering around not getting to this a lot sooner instead of pranks being pulled on Julie. There isn't even a thread that follows through on Julie's whole purpose there to be a teacher. The novel had a spooky vibe to it about Julie's safety. I had the feeling while reading this while entertaining just was going off in too many directions. I did like Julie's character and would have liked to see more of her relationship with Callam developed. He was the only one she could trust on the Island besides Peter. I also think that the Grandmother, Maryanne Hempstead was not believable in how much power she held over the other Islander's was very believable and found it hard to believe that her husband let her rule over him in letting his daughter Melinda suffer without having physical custody over her biological son Peter. My closing thoughts on "The Second Mother," are you really have to suspend belief throughout reading this one. I really wish I would have liked this more.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jenny Milchman and Sourcebooks Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

#TheSecondMother #JennyMilchman #NetGalley #Sourcebookspublishing


READING PROGRESS
Finished Reading Add a date
February 18, 2020 – Started Reading
February 25, 2020 – Shelved
February 25, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
February 25, 2020 – Finished Reading

Post a comment »COMMENTS

Absolutely awful. Wayyyyy too long, could have been shortened by 200 pages. Plot ridiculous characters inane. I started skimming halfway through the book. I should have called it quits after the first few chapters. One star is too high a rating.

I really wanted to love this novel as it grabbed my attention right away. Unfortunately, it dragged on for me. There were too many little storylines, most of which were not fully thought out. Great idea, just not for me.

I received an advanced reader copy of The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman in exchange for an honest review. The main character, Julie, is losing her marriage due the loss of their only child. On a whim, Julie applies and accepts a teaching position on a remote island that is "ruled" by the Hempstead family.
This writing focuses a lot on the description of the island and the ways of seafarers. The book moves along at a good pace for the most part, and the reader really questions Julie's mental state and who is trying to mess with her. Is Peter an innocent child or a devious monster? You'll have to read The Second Mother to find out.

The Second Mother is an atmospheric novel with many layers. And wonderfully creepy. Ms. Milchman knocks it out of the park - again.