This was on my shelf for a long time - and I kept looking at it and choosing something else to read instead! This was my first mistake! My second was thinking I had the measure of this book! I was blindsided by the mammoth twist, which nearly floored me! I went in thinking one thing and the twist just crept up on me. Told in the past and present it had me hooked from the start! Well written, clever and worth the wait! Loved it!

Loved it! Not My Mother is everything I ask for in a thriller!

The twists and turns had me reeling and that was at the start of the story, Miranda Smith has written a masterpiece. I read in one sitting because I had to know how this was going to end, I had my suspicions about where the plot was taking me but was pleasantly surprised. A fantastic dark family thriller, highly recommended!
5/5

Lies always seem to unravel when you least expect. Marion and her mother have had a on & off mother-daughter relationship. At times she was overprotective to the point she was smothering then all of a sudden it was like night and day! What caused this turn of events?

Miranda Smith created intricacies that one didn’t know what path to really turn down. He characters were amazing and you could identify with them and the angst each of them were going through. The storyline flows and it is believable because in our society today anything can happen!

I definitely would recommend this book!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Straight away, I was impressed. This is an author I’ve not read before and she had hooked me in during the opening pages. I was not left waiting for the main event or issue to occur – it happens almost immediately.

Miranda takes many aspects of a good psychological thriller and works well with them. For example, the use of multiple first person narrators. This, to me, is very important for the psychological aspect of such a book, as we are able to get inside their heads, and in return they get stuck inside ours. We begin to build a connection of some kind and in this case, I did find myself at some points feeling sorry for both Marion and Eileen.

I could not predict where this one was going and I loved the fact that just when I thought there was a simple, yet disturbing explanation, Miranda threw another twist or turn into the mix.

This is a psychological thriller that also provides a strong exploration of domesticity, motherhood and the need for an identity. I think these elements, which help to ensure character development, add another fantastic layer to the book.

I have found myself desperate, hungry to uncover the truth behind the situation and have devoured this one quickly.

Overall, I have definitely been impressed by this book and am eager to read more by this author.

This is such a compelling story. It opens at a child’s birthday party, when the police arrive and Marion’s mother, Eileen, is taken away, amid much confusion. What follows is a series of shocking and twisty secrets and lies that emerge. The story is told with a dual timeline and the perspectives of both Marion and Eileen, as we delve into the past to find out what happened to baby Caroline.

I found the characters very well drawn, and really didn’t know what to think. I liked Eileen, and she clearly had a really close relationship with Marion. But it certainly didn’t look good for her. There is a host of really strong female characters in this book, and the authentic characters, along with the totally gripping plot, make for a really addictive read.

I was totally caught up in this book, and hated having to put it down. I really needed to find out the truth.

Another superb dramatic, twisty and suspenseful novel from this wonderful author. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

From the prologue to the last page, this book keeps you engaged the entire time.

The story takes place in the present with chapters mixed in explaining what happened in the past. The flow between both times worked perfectly. I think the author did a great job entwining the stories and not giving too much away, just enough to keep us wanting more.

The author added in many different twists and turns, I especially liked how she would mention a detail and then bring it back full circle with everything happening. I did guess a big reveal but I think the smaller ones actually had a bit more of an impact for me. Little details really did make the difference in this story.

I would rate this a 4.5/5 but rounding up to a 5 because I really liked how the author rounded up the story at the end with an extra little twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book to review. This review is my own opinion.

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

Being a screw-up is genetic, I think. It is as hereditary as any other trait. I come from a long line of screw-ups, and although I was able to persevere, I had my missteps.

For a moment, Mom appears younger, like she is reverting to her prime, leaving behind the frail woman in her bed fighting to heal. Memories are an elixir in their own way, relieving the hardness of time, transporting a person back to a place, to see that familiar face, inhale that familiar smell.


My Review:

This was a tense one with a smartly conceived plot, family drama, and clever sleight of hand tricks woven into unpredictable storylines that easily lead me astray and tended to unfold ever so slowly with shrewd misdirections and red herrings. Miranda Smith is a wily and cunning trickster and I was totally hoodwinked and fell for her crafty deceptions. I feel like such a rube.

At Marian’s daughters 1st Birthday party the police turn up.
They arrest her mother Eileen saying that Marion was the baby kidnapped thirty years ago
Was she really that baby
Marion needs the truth
This book is told from Eileen and Marion’s point of view
Thanks NetGalley

What an exciting thriller of a ride! This one should be a bestseller! I haven't read a book that has captured my attention so quickly in a long time. The book opens with one of the main characters, Marion throwing a birthday party for her daughter's first birthday. During this party Marion's mom, Eileen, is arrested on kidnapping and murder charges. From there chaos ensues. Enter Amelia, the "mother" of baby Caroline, the child Eileen allegedly kidnapped. After Eileen's arrest Amelia approaches Marion.
I could give you more, but I don't want to spoil it for you. There all kinds of crazy, twisting turns and the minute you think you have it all figured out Miranda throws you a curveball and you're off again!
This ARC copy, #NotMyMother was provided to me by #NetGalley, #Bookoutour, and #MirandaSmith. It is out now wherever you like to buy your books! #HappyReading!

'Not my mother' by Miranda Smith starts at a regular pace but then it gently takes you through a well woven plot with unexpected twists at unlikely times.

Miranda Smith has written a beautiful story capturing emotions of motherhood through the eyes of three different women, Eileen, Marion, Amelia. Each of them have sought motherhood in their own way.

Marion is celebrating her daughter's 1st birthday at the restaurant she has helped build. Unbeknownst to her, police crash the party and arrest her mother Eileen, a soft spoken woman who has lived a low key life at North bay on the charges of kidnapping a baby girls Caroline 30 years back.
Who is Caroline? What Marion knows about her mother is that true or what the police are alleging?
With the support of the stong ladies in her life Des and Carmen and with a lot of doubt in her mind.....she tries to know the truth....this story is that gripping tale about the truth.

Loved the intricate plot, the many twists in the story at different points. I just wanted to complete the story fast to know the truth. With elements of mystery, psychological thrill and a lot of strong women characters.

If you love to lead psychological thrillers with a good story line then this one is for you.

I thank Bookouture and Netgalley for approving my request to read this story. The opinions expressed are all mine.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.
The most emotional and nail biting book! This is not the first Miranda Smith book I've read and it most certainly won't be my last.
Gripped from the first page Not My Mother kept me turning the pages.
Definitely worth five stars.

A tale of an abduction and its aftershocks - can the protagonist believe the worst of her loving mother? Scary but thrilling!

This is my first Read from this author and I wasn't disappointed.

It was an intriguing thriller full of twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat through most of it and couldn't put it down until I finished it.

Will definately read more from this author in the future

A new author for me. A good, well-written read with brilliant twists that keeps you riveted till the very end.. I can definitely recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Oh my goodness where to start! This book had me all flustered with it’s legacy of secrets and lies. Poor Marion is in the midst of her daughter’s birthday party when the police turn up to arrest her mother but calling her by a different name. Who is Sarah Paxton?

Imagine the person who has raised you and been your only constant is now taken away from you and investigated for murder and kidnapping. Accused of murdering a father and attacking a mother, who has spent the last thirty years desperately trying to find their child and it may be you. Where would your loyalty lie? With the woman who loved and raised you or the woman who didn’t get the chance to do either?

This book starts with the murder then goes back and forth between the two timelines. Filling in past details made me look at the characters and the crime in a different light. As Carmen states “people tend to view crime in black and white, did they do it or didn’t they? I focus on the less obvious question: why?”.

This would make an incredible book club read as it provokes emotions over nature vs nurture and it’s easy to feel empathy for all concerned.

First, I want to thank Miranda Smith, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

OMG!! What would you do if you knew your whole life was one huge lie? Miranda Smith’s Not My Mother reads like a true life story ripped from the headlines. It is an unbelievably horrific, tragic, intense, suspenseful read with twists and turns.

Miranda sure knows how to write an intense prologue that hooked me into her story! It was incredibly gripping!

Even though I am not a Mom I can feel compassion on how Marion felt about raising Ava alone.

I loved the beautiful mother and daughter moment Eileen and Marion had with each other. The gift Eileen gave to Marion was so sweet, thoughtful and something she could cherish.

There was one quote in the book that I absolutely loved “I believe in second chances. I believe we all make mistakes, and in the depths of failure, we aren’t in the right headspace to find our way out of it. That’s where I come in.”

I am so glad Eileen penned the letter to Marion when she was 10. It gave us readers an inside look of her past and why she did what she did.

My heart totally went out to Marion who’s life had been flipped upside down with this revelation. I have no clue how I would have reacted if I was in her shoes!

This is one cold case that got more interesting as the story went on!

Thank you to Miranda Smith, NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance review copy of Not My Mother.
5 Stars!
Loved this book. Not My Mother is an intriguing thriller that keeps you engaged from beginning to end with unexpected twists and turns. It was hard to put this book down. I kept reading long into the night.
This was my first read of Miranda Smith's books.
Highly recommend.

Your mother is arrested for murder and kidnap, her victims were you and your biological family...

This was an excellent book. Full of twists and turns that made it a page turner from beginning to end.

Thanks to netgalley.co.uk for allowing me to read this before it's publication date.

It’s your daughter first birthday party. It’s supposed to be one of the happiest days for you. You’re with all the people you love and care about, celebrating your daughter. When a knock at the door comes, it’s the cops and they are arresting your mother. They tell you that your mother not only kidnapped you when you were 3 months old, but she murdered your father. Everything you’ve even known about your life is a lie, and what do you do now?

This premise really drew me in. I was so intrigued to read about how this would play out. Told between the present day Marion, the woman whose “mother” was just arrested, and past Eileen starting from the beginning leading up to the day baby Caroline was taken. This story was just very long and drawn out to me. It takes a really ,one time for us to be told the truth about what happened, when this is something that could of been discovered much sooner. The story drags on and has a lot of unneeded details, like the return of an ex boyfriend to add a romantic story, and things of that nature that was really unneeded in my opinion.

I found that because the story was really just us looking into Eileens past, and really nothing of importance during the present day chapters, I found I didn’t comment with the characters. I didn’t really care to find out the truth, and I didn’t care who was in the wrong.

The Baby Caroline case was big news and Marion Sams has heard the stories. One afternoon, Marion is happy to be having her daughter's first birthday party. Imagine her shock when police officers show up. In fact, the police arrive and are asking about a woman named Sarah Paxton. Eileen is handcuffed, taken away and then jailed.

What is going on? The police hand Marion a warrant that explains something rather shocking to her. Eileen is not her mother. In fact, Marion was said to have been kidnapped as a baby and was then known as Caroline. Could this be true? Did Eileen kidnap Marion as a baby? If so, who is her mother?

Quite naturally, Marion is filled with questions. If Eileen is not her mother, then what is her mother's real name? Where is her mother? Why did it take the police this long to come and arrest Eileen?

I love how this story was told. It is written in first person in both Marion's and Eileen's POV. It is an intriguing story that Marion is determined to unravel. This book was an incredible journey and told an amazing story of Marion's past and her connection to Eileen. Another character came into play into this story, thus grabbing my attention all the more. This riveting story was sharp, emotional, compelling and utterly impossible to put down. This is par for the course when it comes to the crafty writing of Miranda Smith.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.