Michael is holding onto a lot of secrets. But right now, the number one secret he is trying to address is the fact that his real mother has been replaced by an imposter. What can he do? Who can he tell? How can he get his real mother back?

I love love loved this book. Matthew Dicks always writes the quirkiest and most heartfelt books and this was no exception. I love Michael - he reminds me so much of the kids I see for school counseling (oh yeah - Mrs. Newfang is a pretty cool school psychologist). This book is going to get you in all the feels. I literally can't say anything other than just READ THIS BOOK.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I felt about this book the way I feel about Ted Lasso (on AppleTV, if u haven’t seen it, check it out) — it’s so darn sticky sweet, I don’t want to like it, but I do. I really do. A lovely, uplifting book.

I spent the whole book really rooting for Michael, despite the fact he wasn’t always kind. Book dealt with some tough subjects. Not revealing too much but the main ‘other mother’ theme didn’t work for me towards the end. But overall a really good read.

I love Matthew Dicks!! I love all of his books & this one is no different. It's heartbreaking & uplifting & I will think back on it for a very long time...an excellent book club book!!

Michael is 14 and going through some tough stuff. His dad has died, he’s acting out at school, and he thinks his mum has been replaced by a not-mum imposter. Being a teenager, he’s guarded in what he tells us, and it’s written in quite a simple style from his perspective. But as the story unfolds we slowly learn more and, by the end, I was more than a bit emotional 😭

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. I hope readers enjoy it as I have.

I absolutely loved this book. It was just So different. I enjoyed the fact that the author can write so well from a child's point of view. It was a story of everyday life with a difference and I found it really hard to put down. Such an unusual subject but it really worked. Would highly recommend.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I do not even know how to classify this book, Literary fiction/coming of age/suspense? I too love that the main story focuses on 13yr old Michael dealing with losing his father. His starts to someone named Glen, whom Michael detests. This is where the suspense part comes in for ,me. His mom disappears but returns mysteriously. Michael is convinced the returned woman is not his, she is "the other mother." What is really happening?

The rest of the book has a few slumps but Michael grows up and starts to see a psychologist for his mistrust and anger issues. He does not trust easy, but who can blame him with everything that happened in his young life. Does he have some sort of mental disorder? This is unclear but many other reviews have speculation about his possible disorders like ADHD or even being manic depressive. A very emotional book at times. I was rooting for Michael to find his confidence and learn to trust some people.

Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley, Matthew Dicks, and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 1/12/21

The Other Mother starts slowly but builds up to an emotional rollercoaster. It tells the story of Michael, a troubled boy, who walks up one morning and believes that his mother has been replaced by another mother. Who or why, he has no idea. His father is dead, his mother remarried to a loser and now she has to work extra shifts to pay the bills leaving Michael to look after his younger siblings.
The story is told from Michaels point of view and the writer gets inside the head of a fourteen year old boy in a way I have never imagined before. It is insightful, emotional, and very well written.
I think I would recommend it for YA, an excellent read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I was blown away by this book. Michael is a strong character who carries the whole book, while secondary characters help him grow, shine, and heal. "The Other Mother" is a complex journey through grief, mental illness, searching for answers and love. I found myself cheering for Michael, his "other" mother, his mother, his family and friends...everyone had a complex storyline, while also having endearing personalities. I will highly recommend this book to my reading community and will look forward to seeing what Matthew Dicks creates next.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book. 13 year old Michael has a tough life, his father died, his mom remarried a man Michael doesn’t like, he’s responsible for his siblings most of the time and he carries a big secret.
I enjoyed this book, but I think it should be marketed more for older teens. There was a childish quality to the writing that made me feel like it wasn’t purely written for adults. The ending was abrupt but it wrapped up the story.

I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. The writing was fantastic and the plot was incredibly jarring in the best ways. The ending was such a great way of wrapping up the story and giving it the ending it deserved.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and St. Martin's Press.

This was a tough read for me and I can't exactly pinpoint why. The book was good and it was well written. The story, a 13 year old still coming to terms with his father's death and the changes in his life. There were times when I wanted to cry for MIchael and the cards he has been dealt with.

However, I do wish the author went more into the issues that Michael had as he did seem like a troubled soul and I wish the author touched on that. That might have been why the book was a little tough for me.

A heartfelt, dramatic, smart story with a delicious twist!

Welcome to thirteen years old Michael’s world who is really angry, frustrated, lost after losing his father two years ago, dealing with siblings who are making him want to jump down from the window, an irritating stepfather always gets into his nerves and a mother who is an intruder, body snatcher who is not his mother- she is definitely fake and he needs to know what happened to her real mother, did this woman kidnap her? Is she really all right? Can he save her by interrogating this doppelgänger and learn her whereabouts! -

How did you find the story so far? If it picks your interest, come in, join this moving, surprising, well-written ride which is told by young and troubled boy’s POV!

Michael misses his father, suffering from anger management issues, seeing school therapist, standing up to school’s bullies, taking care of his siblings even though he hardly stands their quirky antics and collecting money to pay his debt to his stepfather.

Let’s not forget his obsessive thoughts about his mother’s replacement. He truly believes the woman stands at their kitchen, cooking breakfast for them is not their mother!

He also keeps a big secret for two years from his family and as soon as he meets with his new neighbor, he feels like he finally finds somebody he can fully trust and share his some of his secrets.

This is brilliantly written coming of age story from a young boy’s perspective. There are some things a little bothered me: I wanted to know more about Michael’s father to understand his grief process and how his loss changed his family’s life completely. It could be a little longer so I can spend more time in Michael’s head for deeply connecting with him.

There are so missing and some irrelevant pieces at the story but thankfully those irrelevant ones complete the puzzle at the end.

I mostly enjoyed my reading and giving my four young age, resentment, pain, loss, sadness, family stars!

This is of the unique, original, realistic and moving readings I had lately !

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy of remarkable novel with me in exchange my honest review.

Well..... I was so thrilled when I was approved for this ARC and am still so happy to have read and really loved it. Give this book a read you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Hmm. The Other Mother by Matthew Dicks is an interesting read. Kind of a coming of age for the protagonist, whose dad recently died, and whose mom is recently 'the other mother.' How he deals with it all is an interesting read, full of heart.

I’m not quite sure what I expected when I started to read “The Other Mother”. Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed, several previous books by Matthew Dicks I was curious about the start to the book.. We are introduced to 14 year old Michael who believes the woman cooking his breakfast, in his kitchen, is not his mother. This is a good, solid, novel that will stick with you long after the final page is read. Matthew has had a very tough time the last few years. He is working with a school counselor and trying to hold things together. I found it a sad story in many ways but also full of the redemptive story line I have experienced in previous novels by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Other Mother.

You can guess what books I prefer to read when I first read the blurb and thought it had a supernatural/horror element to it!

I'm still pleased when my request was approved because even after I started reading it, I was intrigued though after I finished it, I can firmly say this book belongs in the YA category.

Michael Parsons is a troubled fourteen-year old. His father died several years ago of a heart attack. His mother is married to a lazy louse, his stepfather, Glen. And he has behavioral issues. And a terrible secret.

To make things worse, Michael wakes up one morning and goes downstairs to find that his mother has been replaced by a copy. A dupe. Sort of like Invasion of the Body Snatchers but that's not real, Michael concludes, so it has to be an abduction or kidnapping of some kind.

As he works out where his true mother is, Michael soon comes to realize his issues with his mother are related to his personal demons.

This was a heavy read, especially for YA. The themes (suicide, bullying, depression and mental health issues) are not for the faint of heart, and I'm not 14 years old anymore.

Yet, I still found certain chapters and scenes hard to read, mostly because the author writes with such compassion, emotion and sentiment.

Michael Parsons is a relatable, though not unlikable person. He knows he has problems. He speaks to a counselor on the regular. But, he is a good brother to his siblings, and a good son to his mother.

He is aware of his limitations and unlike most people, including adults, he is trying to do better, though he admits it's not easy being like everyone else, especially when you're not.

The Other Mother is about family and coping with death, learning to speak about the subjects we're afraid to speak about but should discuss, and that living is never easy, especially when you lose someone you love.

Some readers may enjoy this, though it's not for everyone, especially if you're looking for something thrilling or suspenseful.

Parts of the narrative dragged, especially since Michael's POV tends to meander from subject to subject; from annoying classmates, teachers he despises, and random flashbacks to the past when he and his father spent time together.

The author did a good job with Michael; I could hear his voice clearly in my head, imagine the way he interacted with his siblings, mother and classmates.

The Other Mother is moody, kind of dark, honest, but the ending is optimistic and hopeful.

Matthew Dicks has a wonderful ability to write from a child's perspective - and he does an amazing job of that in "The Other Mother".

Between the excellent writing and the emotional plot, this is really a very heartfelt book that I quite enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Dicks himself for giving me the chance to enjoy this book; its characters; and its world!

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for this free review copy. I enjoyed this story so much, I did not want it to end. Michael is the main character. This young man has a lot on his mind and he is dealing with a lot of turmoil, inside and outside, and most of the time, he feels alone. The story begins when Michael notices that the woman in the kitchen making breakfast for him and his family is not his mother. He believes his mother has been replaced by another mother, who looks just like his real mother. What follows is Michael’s attempt at finding out what happened to his real mother. There is sadness, joy and many emotions in between in this story. This is a touching, engaging, heartwarming tale, where as a reader, I was so lucky to witness a character’s growth within the story. I really liked that multiple characters were so likable and important to the story. This book was spectacularly written. This author’s greatest gift is storytelling. What a talent! I’m so happy I discovered this book and look forward to read all his work. I give this book 5 (big, neon sign, shout from a mountaintop) stars.

To hold my attention a book needs to capture my interest quickly. Unfortunately this book didn’t succeed. The author may have written a great book but the characters, and the intended direction of their purpose was unclear.