I have had a copy of this sitting in my NetGalley account for a while now and why I waited so long to read it, I have no idea. I read “Never Have I Ever” by Ms. Jackson and thought it was good, but hands down “Mother May I” is so much better. Kind of dark, kind of twisted … the kind of thing I like to read.

The Cabbat family was seemingly happy until the darkest secret possible surfaced. Bree came from poor and humble beginnings in life. She finally met Trey, a rich guy, when she was in college harmlessly strolling through a museum for a theater assignment. They ended up married with three beautiful children. Little did Bree know that Trey was holding a long-lost secret until one day her world fell apart. The path she had to go down to right her world again was a dark one. She had no idea why one of the worst things a mother could endure happened to her, but she soon found out. Enter Marshall, her long-time friend, who also married her best friend, Betsy. (Betsy was a police officer shot in the line of duty.) Little did Bree know Marshall harbored feelings for her that he chose to suppress, but he helped her right her world again.

With all the twistiness, the darkness, the sadness, the happiness, mistakes from the past creeping into the present … this one is sure to keep you reading well past your bedtime.

I struggled with the first half because Bree, the main character, was just so whiny and frustrating. The acting references were also over the top. I did think that the mystery behind the kidnapping was interesting and the whole story raises a lot of moral questions that would be great for a book club discussion. What is right or wrong if you're protecting or trying to save someone you love? There were several characters faced with impossible situations and most of the ending surprised me. I wouldn't recommend this to a mom with babies or toddlers because there are some graphic descriptions that would have been too much for my mom anxiety in those days.

Entertaining easy read. Joshilyn Jackson's books are always fun. I like that she is writing some mysteries now - I do love her southern fiction. This one I had to do some major suspension of disbelief. Witchy woman = kidnapper - child abduction by elderly grandmother type - Quirky characters and a deserted amusement park. It runs slow in parts and gets mired in a bit of over-emotion. Perhaps a good beach read.

What a great read! It is my first by Joshilyn Jackson and it won't be the last! Ms. Jackson writes very well and draws the reader into the story. This is a true "couldn't put it down" book. The story is told in three parts and gives a good look at each character. You really feel like you know them. Very clever plot too. If my library did not already have this book, I would ask that it be purchased. I will for sure tell everyone I know to read it!

This was a fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed reading. The ending wasn't my favorite, but the book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I would definitely read more books from this author. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes, when I read a thriller, I must suspend belief a bit. Certain actions just don’t seem logical. However, I almost stopped reading this book it was so unbelievable.

Bree Cabott is married with 3 children. She has an infant son, Robert. He is suddenly kidnapped and Bree gets a message from a woman saying she has the baby. She also drops off a bottle of prescription pills. She is told she can not tell anyone or the baby will be killed. So, she doesn’t call her husband, she asks her mom to watch her 2 daughters, saying she has a stomach flu. Her husband works for a law firm and they know someone in law enforcement, but for days she does nothing, but wait for this women’s instructions.

The women becomes even more sinister, asking Bree to do something unconsciousable and illegal. Yet, she is willing to do it. She attends a party for her husband’s firm and speaks to her friend’s Marshall and Gabrielle. She just chats with them. Both of these people could help her, but she is willing to hang on this woman’s words and promise to give the baby back. Really? Even if you would do anything to save your baby, I do not think it would be possible to behave this way. Huge surprise, things do not work out as this phantom woman has promised. Meanwhile, more time goes by and her husband lives in their house. He doesn’t realize the baby isn’t at Grandma’s and she doesn’t have a stomach bug? No, he doesn’t. Please…..

So, to continue with the book, I just had to go with this crazy plot. Finally, she does tell her lawyer friend and ex-detective and at least things make some sense. Still, Bree will not call the police or FBI like both suggest. No, she will wait until tomorrow when the woman calls. The story goes off on all sorts of tangents, but at least I could read it and stop rolling my eyes.

So, this was a fast read and parts were intriguing. Much could have been cut out, too. I did like the ending. That felt just and addressed something very serious in a good way. So, I did like that. Overall, though I just could not get too into this book. I think many people really loved it, but unfortunately it did not work for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Joshilyn Jackson, and William Morris for a copy of this book. Much appreciated.

I don't know what it is about Joshilyn Jackson, but her books always scare me to death. The possibility of it all is what gets you. The idea that what you see on the surface may not be the truth, especially in the suburbs! Mother May I is another thrilling ride that is best enjoyed during the daytime far away from the suburbs!

Wow! This was a good one! A thriller that makes you keep turning the pages to find out what's going to happen...I love that! Being a mother myself, it did trigger some anxiety for me. But what a great story! I can fully relate to Bree, and know exactly how she was feeling and reacting to everything. Highly recommend!

*Thank you @netgalley @harperaudio and @williammorrowbooks for the egalley and audiobook.*

So in general this is a story with a lot of dark themes, diving into everything from murder, suicide, drug abuse, addiction, sexual abuse and abduction. The story follows Bree Cabbat, a poor girl with a talent for theater, who marries into money and almost 2 decades later she finds herself still happily married to her husband Trey and mother to 3 kids, including 10 week old single son Robert. When a mysterious woman snatches Robert right out from under Bree’s nose, Bree enters every mother’s worst nightmare. Facing a deadly quid pro quo, Bree is forced into making awful choices in the hopes that her son will be returned to her. With the help of her trusted friend she wants to dig out the information about who has targeted her family and why? In a case of revenge being best served cold, secrets buried deeply are slowly brought to the surface bringing unknown consequences for the future of Bree’s tight little family. This story is definitely exciting and starts off with a bang following the abduction of baby Robert. It continues at a frantic pace and doesn’t really let up, which is good because it holds attention. It is a dark tale, full of triggers for a whole range of issues. If you enjoyed novels like the Drowning Kind, this may also appeal to you. Review posted to Amazon, Litsy, LibraryThing, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Bree’s infant son is kidnapped by an old woman who orders Bree to perform a task in order to get her son back. The task has dire consequences. While Bree is trying to get her son back she is also trying to find out why her family was targeted. She enlists the help of her deceased best friend’s husband, not knowing that he secretly loves her. She wonders what her husband Trey may have done that made this woman kidnap their son and must come to terms with what she finds out.

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson is not a nail-biting, twists and turns thriller. It is more of a slowly evolving suspense story with social commentary. That is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a lot more going on here than the main storyline of a baby being kidnapped and his mother doing whatever it takes to get him back. The book takes on unrequited love, the death of loved ones, the disparities between socioeconomic classes, rape, and drug abuse.

SPOILERS: I liked Bree’s character but I didn’t like that she didn’t seem to have remorse for what she had done. I think some of the actions the old woman took were a bit extreme. I think what happened to Trey was also a bit extreme, although he should have been punished. I kept waiting for one final twist at the end that never came.

Thank you to Harper Collins for this advanced reader’s edition.

This was a great thriller! Toward the end of the book, it got a little murky with the woman's violation of rights (rape). But, just when I would be bored with it, it would get thrilling again. I have read other books by Jackson and she's a very talented author.

This was a new to me author and not my typical genre. I don’t normally choose suspense or thrillers, but I really enjoyed this novel. Clever, suspenseful, unpredictable. I look forward to reading more by Joshilyn Jackson.

I’m almost giddy when I know I love an author and I’m waiting for my copy of their book to arrive. Occasionally it doesn’t work out the way we expected and we don’t love the book. It is such a let down.

THAT DID NOT HAPPEN WITH MOTHER MAY I, AT ALL!!!

It’s been all over Instagram so I’m sure you know the synopsis by heart but just in case, Bree grew up poor but married well and she is living her fairytale life. Until one night she wakes up and sees a ‘witch’ outside her window. It sounds ludacris so she dismisses it without calling the police. Shortly after, while waiting for her daughter to finish practicing for a musical, Bree takes her eyes of the baby and when she turns around he is gone. Stolen by the ‘witch in the window.’

The things that Bree must do in order to get her son back are outrageous. The woman warns her not to involve the police or she will harm Bree’s infant son, so Bree’s only choice is to do what she says. There are a series of things she instructs Bree to do before she can see her baby again. I felt Bree’s struggle as a mother, how far is a mother willing to go to save her child?

This book took off from the very first sentence and kept me engrossed til the very last page. It was twisty and there was one twist that I didn’t see coming at all. It is so fast paced and bingeworthy, you have to read it if you haven’t. It is out now and I highly recommend.

Thank you to @bibliophileshanna liolifestyle @williammorrowbooks and @joshilyn_jackson for my finished copy of the book to review.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I had no idea where it was going for a while, but the author expertly weaves together the storyline and the characters. The plot, although creative, is still believable. I highly recommend this fast-paced family drama.

Beware if you see a creepy witch watching you or your child!!

Bree Cabbat sees a witch looking in her window. It was definitely a mistake for her husband Trey not to go outside. Past catches up to the present in this thriller. But what IS the past that caused that creepy witch to take Bree’s child? Will she get him back? What will it take? What will she learn along the way?

I enjoyed the characters in this story. There were a few that I loved to hate. I was definitely invested in them and rooting for a happy ending.

The story definitely sucked me in and hooked me right from the start. Lots of twists and turns - some I saw coming and others I did not. Didn’t want to put this one down! I will definitely be picking up other titles by Joshilyn Jackson.

What if someone stole your child from right under your nose? And then, that someone, a woman, told you exactly what to do to get them back? How far would you go to them back?
This book took me on a ride. Thrills and sorrow and worry. Suspense that kept you guessing. Detective work that kept me reading. At times I couldn't put it down. I had to know what happened. Such a horrid moral dilemma to put a mother through. Knowing that this woman has everything you want. Your child back, and at this point will do anything she says. Taking a thriller and adding the mom aspect just pulls at your heartstrings. Knowing the fear and anxiety of losing a child to a maniac. Someone that may or may not be stable and able to understand the reality of taking a child. A mother herself. A mother that wants something. Something you didn't even know existed. Something that could tear you apart from your family.
This was such a good suspenseful thriller. Highly recommend it.
Thanks to #netgalley for an ARC of this novel. What a great one I was honored to read.

This is the story of Bree and at what lengths would you go to save or protect your family and revenge

This book starts off with a BANG! Straight away, from the beginning, this book had my attention. Most books that begin like this-usually do not end like this as well, but that is not the case here! I wouldn’t call it a twisted suspense novel, but more so the fact that we learn dark secrets about the characters past, which kept in attention and interest until the end!

This book builds up the suspense slowly, and doesn’t disappoint! I love the dark secrets from the past that come to the surface. The author did a great job with including characters back stories, and building up the suspense that way.

Aside from that, there were also some pretty heavy and important topics that the author included throughout the book, such as: love vs loyalty, misogyny, women’s rights, keeping women’s voices silenced, justice, and parenthood. I think this was all an important message that the author tied into the book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Oh my what an enthralling page turner. The authors writing style sucked me in immediately. The layout of the story captures your attention as she pulls you along for quite a shocking ride. Hooked from the moment Bree sees a “witch” in the window of her home. What ensues next and until the last page is turned was engrossing. JJ book has all the elements of a suspenseful thriller. A life of privilege ultimately comes crashing down around Trey, Bree’s husband after a shocking revelation is uncovered. What will his family do and how they move forward is up to you to discover. I couldn’t put this one down. Thank you #NetGalley #MotherMayI for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

As a mother, this book is terrifing and really puts into writing what lengths a mother would go through to get a lost child back. This one was a wild ride and you can't help but imagine what would happen if if you were in the mother's position. I don't think I could be as brave, sly and awesome as the mother in the story was!