After hearing rave reviews of this book, I jumped in feet first. It quickly lured me in and left me intrigued. There are two timelines - what happened in Andrea and Maeve's youth, and what is happening now. Unfortunately, I became quite frustrated that the book wasn't going back and forth enough. I didn't care about the now as much as I wanted to know what the heck happened then.

I didn't end up finishing this one because it didn't give me enough after hooking me. I wasn't sure if I loved the characters or not. I think someone with more patience who loves a good psychological thriller will enjoy this.

I have no other word to describe what I'm feeling upon finishing this one other than: disturbed.

This is a heavy book, and spine-chilling, disconcerting, but incredibly well constructed and a massive page-turner. I had seen the least information about this one possible, and just the fact that it appeared to deal with motherhood and its dark sides was already enough for me to want to read it because I absolutely adore books on this topic, so I was eager to see "Just Like Mother" take on the subject. Also creepy unsettling cover and horror? Sign me up.

The first time I tried to read this the first chapter was impassable. Then yesterday I gave it another chance because the publication date is near, and I finally understood that the MC used to be in a cult, and that's why the first chapter is so weird because it is narrated through the eyes of the child main character as she was living inside this cult. Thus this book combined two things I am interested in, motherhood and cults. I was immediately hooked.

This book is nothing but disturbing, as I said, in the best way. The first-person point of view gives a dimension of suffocation, fear, and apprehension throughout the whole narrative. As the reader, you can sense that there is something deeply wrong going on, and as you read it is like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop so you can say "I knew it!".

From start to finish there are many discussions in regards to motherhood, and the cult from which the MC was raised was entirely based on Mothers in the most creepy, extremist, abusive, and violent way. They believed that the sole path in a woman's life was to become a mother, and that having a baby girl the most blessing. Throughout the novel characters express different opinions in regard to motherhood, including the main character in her opinion that she does not wish to become a mother. I really enjoyed these scenes where conversations would sprout and some people would express horrible views on it, I feel like the author worked this theme really well, this is definitely a book I would recommend to someone interested in reading a book about this topic.

The cult aspect was also done really well, this sense of foreboding is always present, the atmosphere was really well constructed and it made me unable to stop reading. It was frenetic and I needed to know what would happen next. I would definitely recommend it as well to someone looking for a good book featuring cults.

To me, the ending was hard to get through because I was so apprehensive of what would be the closing of this story, I would also say check the trigger warnings if you're used to check them and do not mind spoilers, this is a horror book and it comes with a lot of heavy stuff in it. The ending was satisfactory, but do not go into this one expecting a happy ending, because this is not that type of book. It's the type of book that would in fact look great as a limited series, the one where the closing scene leaves a bitter taste in your mouth from all the dread it brings you, but like I said, in the best way possible.

The best way to describe this book is in three words: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss. I have to say, this book provides me with exactly what I want out of a cult-themed horror book. It was overwhelmingly eerie and at times hopeless, while also gaslighting the hell out of me. Cult fiction is only really good if you felt as though you've been gaslit the moment you put it down. This book did a phenomenal job by not only being creepy, but realistically creepy. The events that occur in this book are simply terrifying, especially if you're a woman living in the twenty-first century. It's crazy how applicable this story feels given the current political climate with everything happening in the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade. It's just relatable horror. As creepy as supernatural/monster-centric horror is, it can never really compare to horror based in reality. The events in this book are realistic; it's terrifying because it's not outside the realm of possibility. While this book has nothing necessarily to do with abortion, the themes of pressure to have children, the mental and emotional toll of sexual assault, and the loss of ownership of ones' own body are pervasive and sharp. Heltzel did a great job at portraying these themes in a meaningful way. They were not only integral parts of the narrative, but they also added to the growing horrors surrounding the protagonist. Throw in some cult fanaticism and gruesome acts of violence and you've got quite the horror novel. The writing itself was descriptive and the tone appropriate given the profile of the protagonist. Now, did the author stick to the tone she had created for the protagonist throughout the entire book? Unfortunately, no. There was a large veer off-track that felt supremely out-of-character at the very end of the book; but for the most part, Maeve felt like a cohesive and supremely relatable character.

Now, my qualms aren't big, but I did have a couple of problems with the story itself. My primary problem lies in the predictability of the story. The twists were never very far "out there" in terms of shock-value. I was able to predict them all, which kind of caused any action to follow to sort of fizzle out. Trying to guess twists is a favorite pastime of mine, but this one really made it too easy. It was kind of obvious where this book was going right from the get-go. My other thing was that I wanted more background information. The bits and pieces we were thrown just didn't feel like enough. I felt like there were big gaps in Maeve's background in regard to the inner workings of the cult. Given the importance of the cult and what was to follow, it seems like the more that we could've known, the better. Half of the bits of backstory we were given focused on Maeve growing up outside of the cult and just felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, it helped us to understand her problems adapting, but understanding whole her history felt more important to me. I also feel as though there is quite a bit about Andrea that we don't know that could really help to flesh out her character. She's kind of two-dimensional in her purpose.

I really think that, when taken as a whole, Just Like Mother is a great, quick horror read. It is not only appropriate with the current political climate in America, but also it's just a compelling story. The most effective horror stories are the ones based in realism and let me tell you, if you identify as a woman, this is as horrifically real as it gets. This is the kind of book that just gaslights the hell out of you, but its better for it. Despite any shortcomings it is a great horror novel. I look forward to seeing what Anne Heltzel does next, because I have a feeling this one might be hard to follow up!

If you're looking for your next great cult read that'll make you look at mommy bloggers in a whole new light, I encourage you to try this. It's quick, it's realistic, it's graphic, but most of all, it's a compelling story.

I feel like I don’t read thrillers as often as I used to because I often struggle to feel for the characters (and their often terrible decision-making). But Just Like Mother was certainly an exception, a story following the very different lives of Andrea and Maeve, two cousins who grew up together in a matriarchal cult.

In addition to being an addictive thriller, Just Like Mother has the potential for the kinds of discussions you’d have over a literary fiction novel. Conversations on motherhood, family planning, and feminism are more relevant now than ever, and this book does such a great job of exploring those concepts in depth.

One of my most frustrating experiences with reading thrillers is knowing how many escape routes a character just doesn’t think of taking. But I was amazed at how well Just Like Mother covers everything, from why Maeve can’t leave the property to what would help her regain her independence. Plus, gothic novels are my favorite, and I love the modern take on this.

The one thing I wished for more of in this book was the backstory of the cult. While the chapters set in the past do a great job of progressing the story and showing why Maeve behaves the way she does now, there wasn’t as much about the history and operations of the cult. We know what they do, but not so much their guiding principles aside from a high-level explanation. This would have made it a 5-star for me.

But that aspect of the book certainly didn’t take much of my enjoyment of Just Like Mothers. This is perfect if you’re looking for something creepy from start to finish. I think this could also be an interesting recommendation for readers who enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale.

This horror-thriller is one of the best I've read in recent years. I'd say that besides the occasional Stephen King book, I find most horror books do not live up to my expectations. Just Like Mother is a frightening and shocking story with an ending that left me speechless.

The story is told from Maeve's point of view in alternate timelines. The first timeline is in the past when Maeve was still a child living under the roof of the Mother Collective. The current timeline focuses on Maeve's life as an adult living in New York City working as a low-level editor in a small publishing house.

Maeve crafts an interesting story of her days in the cult, and she makes it clear that she is still working through her trauma from those days. The biggest manifestation of her issues is that she doesn't allow anyone to get close to her. She keeps everyone including Ryan, the man she's been sleeping with for over a year, at arms' length.

As the story develops, Maeve reveals that she orchestrated escaping the cult after finding what Mother was hiding behind locked doors. She feels guilty that escaping caused the rest of the children to be put into foster care because not everyone was able to get adopted as she did. She specifically feels guilty that she abandoned her best friend and older cousin Andrea, who was too old to get adopted and lived from foster home to foster home until she turned 18. Now as an adult, Maeve wants to find and make up with the only family she ever had, and thanks to DNA testing, she finds Andrea right away.

I truly enjoyed the technological aspects of the book. Everything from the DNA testing to Andrea's company patented dolls was realistic, and it was nice to see how the author incorporated these elements to create a masterpiece in horror writing. One of the aspects I was more curious about this book was the cover, and when the dolls are introduced to the plot, I had an aha! moment. The description of the doll itself was truly frightening, and I was curious about how it would become a plot device. I was horrified once the dolls become a constant element of the story because I've seen reborn dolls in real life, and they are scary. I would never want to see a robotic baby like the one in the book in real life.

The other thing I truly enjoyed was how Andrea and Maeve's relationship was described. Andrea comes up as a dazzling woman who people are easily captivated by, and Maeve's own trauma makes her more susceptible to her charm. Not only is Andrea older, but she is also more successful. Maeve's opinions of Andrea are distorted by their childhood, which Andrea refuses to acknowledge. There is a clear imbalance of power in their relationship, but Maeve fails to recognize it because all she wants is to have her family back.

The characters are multidimensional, and I was in awe of how their stories were crafted and linked to one another. I was in a constant state of disbelief about some of the choices the characters made, and I was in shock when Emily and Micah's relationship is introduced. Every character boosts the plot, and their storylines intersect at the right moment. Something I truly enjoyed about the plot was that even the secondary storylines were interesting in their own right. I wish a couple of them had been explored further such as Maeve's life with her adoptive parents and Henry's life after Emily gets hurt. The story goes fast, and these subplots keep the book interesting from beginning to end.

Overall, the book is an amazing piece of horror storytelling. The plot is dark and unsettling, but also engaging and hard to put down. And the ending was something I didn't see coming and left me completely shocked.

“𝙰 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚊
𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎.
𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚊.“

I saw this novel here and there so I thought I would give it a try. The creepy cover art, description, and prologue drew me in immediately. Told in a first-person POV, we are introduced to Maeve, a 33 year old New Yorker and former child member of a misandristic cult known as the Mother Collective. Told through past and present timelines, we follow Maeve as she searches and finally reconnects with her cousin and best friend, Andrea, who she hasn’t seen in 25 years. Maeve and Andrea were as close as sisters but were separated when the Collective was raided and dispersed.
 
“𝙼𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗‘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.“

I really enjoyed this novel. For the most part, it was exactly what I was looking for in a read. I found it fast paced and continuously creepy, with many incredibly suspect characters. It began as a highly entertaining gothic horror then quickly descended into serious madness and depravity.
 
“𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍.“
 
Don’t get me wrong; I love a good, grotesque horror. However, this one ended with a few unanswered questions that kept me thinking. Although I predicted every reveal, save one, the epilogue came with an unexpected, and very welcomed, twist.

There is no doubt, this debut author knows her stuff when it comes to disturbing and spin-chilling subject matter. I will definitely be on the lookout for her next story.

I knew I had to read this book solely based on the cover. What’s creepier than a bald, severed baby doll head whose eyes follow you wherever you go? Ok maybe the Annabelle doll, but only because she is based on a real Raggedy Anne doll who was possessed by a demon. All I know is you won’t find any baby dolls in my house.
➡️Prepare to suspend your beliefs during this one. It will be way more fun if you do:)

Maeve grew up in a cult called The Mother Collective with her cousin Andrea where women are valued based on their ability to have children. They escaped as kids and lost touch with one another. When Maeve and Andrea suddenly reunite through a DNA search, Maeve is beside herself. The trauma of her childhood prevented her from forming any lasting connections and she couldn’t be more excited to have a family again. She moves into Andrea’s Catskills estate and shit starts to get weird. The novel is told from Maeve’s perspective, switching between the past and present.

I wanted more of The Mother Collective! We definitely get creepy cult leader vibes from the “present” chapters, but I wish we got a more detailed view of Maeve’s childhood. The beginning of the book was great and kept me turning the pages quickly, but I was able to predict a lot by the halfway mark. Did I still enjoy reading it? I sure did! It definitely gives off some Rosemary’s Baby vibes🙌

What the heck did I just read?! Wow, what a crazy thriller about motherhood. This book was chock full of sinister characters and questionable events. And the dolls… honestly I hope this book gets turned into a movie just for the creepy dolls alone. Overall I enjoyed the book especially as I couldn’t always tell where it was leading. My first critique is that I wish the plot would have been slimmed down just a bit. At times it seemed a bit all over the place with the different characters and their storylines. The second is that this book would have been unputdownable with more atmospheric writing. The mood of the book did not meet the eeriness of the plot. The ending though was on point!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Twenty years ago, Maeve risked her life and fled the cult she was born and raised in. After that Maeve was swiftly adopted by a loving couple, but the transition to life on the outside was quite difficult. Maeve feared boys and men. She had never been to a public school, or played amongst her peers of the opposite sex.

Now an adult, Maeve has done her best to build a normal life for herself in NYC. She works in publishing and has a guy she's kind of sweet on.

One thing she is missing though is a family. She doesn't want any children of her own, but Maeve misses being a part of a larger family nonetheless. In particular, she misses her cousin and childhood best friend, Andrea, who she hasn't seen since the night she fled the cult.

In an unexpected turn of events, Maeve is finally reconnected with Andrea via a DNA service. Thank you, 23andMe. Andrea is wildly successful, an entrepreneur in the fertility industry. She's married, with a loving husband and big old house she just purchased upstate. A house she pretty much offers up to Maeve on a platter.

Maeve is excited for the opportunity to reconnect with her cousin and become a steady part of her life. She travels to the house upstate, along with Andrea, her husband Rob and Andrea's work partner, Emily. The more Andrea and Maeve interact, and Emily too, she can't be discounted in this assessment, the more uneasy the vibe becomes. There's clearly something off, but Maeve isn't really open to acknowledging that.

Maeve wants Andrea back in her life. She's willing to overlook any awkwardness. Even though Andrea and Emily both seem to disapprove of Maeve's lifestyle, she's not going to let that ruin everything. She dusts it off. As things in Maeve's normal life begin to veer wildly off course, however, she's pushed even further into Andrea's orbit. That's when things start really getting intense.

Just Like Mother is a sort of Rosemary's Baby for the modern age. It's definitely channeling those vibes and I'm not mad about it at all. While I will admit, for me, this started slow, it did leave me with one of my favorite things: an evil smile on my face!

Heltzel's writing was engaging and I did like how Maeve's character was built out using both past and present perspectives. Understanding her past in the cult was pivotal to understanding her life path and choices involving Andrea.

I liked Maeve. I definitely connected with her decision not to have children of her own and some of the other characters reactions to that choice actually infuriated me. I feel like my strong reaction to those topics is a clear sign that Heltzel delivered these ideas believably. This is super intense towards the end. After the initial build-up, once it starts spiraling, it really starts spiraling.

I feel like this would make a great selection for a book club, or a buddy read. There's a lot of solid discussion topics held within these pages. If someone is looking to deep dive, there's plenty to keep them occupied. I will remember this one for a long time to come.

Thank you so much to the publishers, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review. This one definitely kept my attention and I look forward to picking up future works from Heltzel!

First off? That cover is cursed. That creepy baby head will be living in my nightmares for quite some time. Unfortunately, the book itself didn’t quite live up to that for me.

“My cousin had made a real life for herself. What did I have to offer, after all these years? If my life was a lazy river, Andrea’s was the Autobahn. I couldn’t help but feel that all those years I was looking for her, she’d been busy leaving me behind.”


Maeve and her cousin Andrea grew up in a cult that venerated motherhood – until Maeve’s eighth birthday, when everything came crashing down. Twenty-five years later, Maeve has a job as an editor in NYC – she loves studying people – but feels like she’s not quite living her life. She struggles to open up enough to people to make friends and her romantic relationship barely qualifies as a relationship. Then a genetic test reconnects her with Andrea, now a CEO of a successful life-coaching startup, happily married to a doting husband, and the proud new owner of a rambling mansion in the Catskills. As Andrea and Maeve reconnect, Maeve’s life starts falling down around her again. But the echoes of her childhood are all in her mind, aren’t they?

“Well. Trust takes vulnerability,” Andrea pointed out. “And bravery. You’re a strong person, Maeve. You have the capacity to let people in.”
“I want to trust you,” I said, my throat tightening. “I just—for so long, after everything—” I faltered, mindful of our pact not to speak about the past. “I’ve been alone, for the most part. I’m not used to this.”


This book is an exploration of the darker side of motherhood, of rejecting patriarchy so far that you hit the exact opposite side. For the cult, motherhood is everything, the source of women’s power, and men are good for only one thing. Women who reject motherhood, like Maeve, are seen as misguided at best and traitors at worst. From the moment Maeve and Andrea meet up again, it’s obvious something is not quite right but Maeve is so desperate for connection that she misses the red flags. Maeve’s foster parents encouraged her not to talk about what happened, so she feels like seeing Andrea again will finally give her some sort of closure. But Andrea’s more interested in making a future with Maeve than reliving the past, which Maeve reluctantly accepts. But spending time with Andrea and her friends isn’t exactly comfortable for Maeve. She feels self-conscious and almost like a child, like they’re caring for her. Their financial success, their understanding of how to move through the world, sets her off-balance. What reads as condescension to the reader feels more like love and caring to Maeve. It does require quite a suspension of disbelief – it takes Maeve way too long to realize what’s going on despite the ridiculous number of red flags – but I liked Maeve’s voice and part of it was just watching a train wreck.

“Well, it sort of is just what you do,” Emily replied. “Right? It’s the greatest power we’ve been given as women. It’s what we were made to do.”
“Like I said, skeletons,” Micah broke in, shaking his head. “This is probably why you don’t have a partner.”


As for cons, the plot never quite coalesced for me. There’s a lot going on – the echoes of the Mother cult, the creepy baby dolls (modeled after the child Andrea lost as an infant), the secret passages in Andrea’s house. It’s creepy, but it’s all a bit muddled. Rather than a cohesive narrative, it’s more like a bunch of content warnings thrown at you in hopes that something sticks. That’s also perhaps why the ending fell flat for me as well.

Overall, this is a very chilling premise, but the execution fell a bit flat for me. I’d probably try another book from the author, though, as I found her writing style very readable and engrossing.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Twisty turns had my eyes glued to each page from the beginning. This thriller has all the elements I want. Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel pushes past suspense into horror and wow, this book blew my mind! I do not want to write too much, only enough to tell you that the character development, plot, twists and turns, and ending had me all caught up into finding out what happened. I like the way author Heltzel builds the suspense so that I have this pit of dread building that makes me want to put the book down! Let me say that it contrasts nicely with that desire to read nonstop until I figure out what is going on and how it all endS

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publishing, and author Anne Heltzel for this digital review copy for me to read and devour! As always, my reviews are voluntary and my opinions are my own!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC.

4/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A quick, creepy read with an excellent cover. Just Like Mother is about Maeve, a woman who is still grappling with escaping a cult as a young girl. She is closed off from the world until her cousin, Andrea, makes a reappearance. As Maeve gets closer to Andrea, things begin to spiral out of control.

This book is a ride and would definitely work as a miniseries. I loved the creepiness and unpredictability. It is very dark and the ending is spot-on. I am interested in what this author writes next.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn’t love a good cult book? And JUST LIKE MOTHER starts off strong introducing us to Maeve growing up in a compound where every adult woman is “Mother” and there are no men. Despite her unlikely naivety, Maeve was such a fun protagonist to follow, as she is roped back into this baby fever world.

I think my biggest qualms come down to 1) I wish we got more nitty-gritty culty details - I think it was played a bit too easy by leaving it somewhat vague, and 2) I was disappointed that the "twists" we so easily anticipated and it was almost grating how naive Maeve was until the end. However, neither of these things were deal breakers for me. I was invested and interested in the journey itself. I enjoyed the narrative on motherhood, gender roles, and family. Even that ending made my creepy-senses tingle a little bit and I enjoyed that abrupt reveal.

This is definitely not a book I should have been reading right after my daughter gave birth to twins, but in spite of the creepy topic, I could not put it down. A mash-up of the Stepford Wives and a few other similar tales, this included an old house with hidden corridors, and was just too tempting to pass up.

Andrea and Maeve grew up in a cult called the Mother Collective. The women believe motherhood is the ultimate goal in life and that men are useful for only one thing—and that would be supplying the sperm. If that was all there was to it, maybe it would not have been so bad, but the Mothers took things to a horrific level. When the authorities discovered their secrets, Andrea and Maeve were separated and ended up in foster care.

Having been apart since they were children, they managed to find each other as grown women. Suffice it to say, Maeve was in a better place before she reunited with Andrea. Their entire relationship was odd, eventually proving to be dangerous.

The ending was chilling! I’m not much of a horror reader, but this was tame enough for my tastes. I do think readers who may be sensitive to anything related to childbirth, child abuse or a few graphic details may want to pass this one by.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMIllan-Tor Forge for allowing me to read an advance copy/. I am happy to give my honest review.

Exceptionally disturbing!!

Maeve and Andrea are cousins who grew up in The Mother Collective, escaping and being split apart, they haven't seen each in over 20 years. When they reconnect, is it like they were never apart or are they now too different to get back what they lost?

Some parts of this roused such anger in me I literally had to pause and walk away. Despite the deeply powerful feelings this pulled out of me, I absolutely enjoyed the journey of this WICKEDLY MESSED UP RIDE! These characters are unforgettable and so sideways you can't help but be drawn to watching what they do next.

Also, just look at that cover! It's so creeptastic! I also listened to parts of this and the narrator did such an awesome job!!

Please read TW for this one before going in blind; infertility, child loss, abuse, rape, and murder.

Thank you so much to @tornightfire, @macmillanaudio, and Anne Heltzel for the gifted copies to review!

What made me really want to check this out was the cover then I read the synopsis & found out it was about a cult & I was sold.
I loved the concept of the book definitely saw the twists coming but I enjoyed how creepy it was. It deals with some heavy topic so be sure to check for trigger warnings if needed. It switches timelines from the time our 2 main characters are just girls stuck in the cult then flashes 20 years later to them being adults and reconnecting (I just wish we got to know a little more about the cult though). The ending was probably my favorite part out of the whole book, really had me looking at strangers wondering if they're part of some secret cult. I could definitely see this getting a sequel in the future. The only thing I didn't like was how predictable it was. Overall I thought this was an okay read. I give it a 3.5 star rating.

I'll be posting this review on its pub date on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chibichapters/

Intriguing story centering around Maeve and her cousin Andrea that were separated as children after living in a cult. Years later they reconnect and as they do Maeve is force to relive the trauma she has been trying to forget. Andrea seemingly has it all and has chosen not to talk of their past and the dreadful night that separated them. As Maeve spends more time in Andrea’s world she finds herself facing the past and experiencing more terror than she thought was possible.

Definitely a similar vibe to The Handmaids Tale, it is disturbing on so many levels. It is predictable in places but I couldn’t put it down. Starts off slowly but builds to a heart stopping finale. Trigger warnings of rape and cults.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #JustLikeMother #AnneHeltzel

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is the first book I've read by this author. It's her adult debut, so I suppose that's why I was not familiar with her work. Now, however, it's a name I'm sure not to forget! I started this book late last night and sped through it. I just had to find out what happened next!

Maeve last saw her cousin and best friend Andrea the night Maeve escaped the cult in which they both were raised. Two decades later she is living a lonely existence in New York City with no real friends and her occasional hook-up partner. She's been searching online for Andrea for years, and suddenly up she pops on a DNA family search! Maeve begins to spend a lot of time with Andrea and her husband Rob at their remote Catskills estate. Andrea's work friends cannot understand why Maeve doesn't want a family and children. Andrea's business, NewLife, is a life coaching business, with its upcoming roll-out of an Artificial Intelligence doll whose purpose is helping expecting and grieving families to connect with a baby, so you could understand their obsession with having children, especially girls. They are a blessing, are they not? The longer Maeve spends in the Catskills, however, the more she feels detached and cut off from her independent life in NYC. She begins to have disturbing dreams and flashbacks of her horrific cult childhood. Just what the heck is going on?

This book was creepy and disturbing on so many levels! There are trigger warnings for those disturbed by storylines of cults, violence and rape. Did those things disturb me? No. But the nightmarish AI dolls totally FREAKED ME OUT. Seriously, the only things scarier than dolls are clowns. Yes, apparently I have weird issues, but I digress... Maeve was a compelling and sympathetic character. She initially comes across as being a bit standoffish, not having anyone she's really close to; even the man she's sleeping with doesn't know much about her. Yet flashbacks of her childhood show us the horror this young child survived. The events started out being uncomfortable, but there was a feeling of impending doom. You just knew these events would increase in terror. The same was true of her current life. She was thrilled to be reunited with Andrea, who seemed to have the perfect life, home and marriage. But Andrea lost her baby Olivia, hence the NewLife venture for expecting or grieving mothers. Andrea and Rob were quite welcoming, but some things began to feel...somehow off. I don't want to give anything away; I want you to be as surprised as I was. I did figure out a few things before they were revealed, but others I didn't suspect until they jumped up and slapped me in the face! I'm hoping to read more exciting gothic horror from this storyteller.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This was a an original and very quick and interesting read about a woman who grew up in and escaped a cult as a child, to be raised by adoptive parents. She takes a dna test and is reunited with her cousin, who was also a child in the cult. When she moves in with her, cousin and becomes involved in her life, strange things begin to happen and she begins to have harrowing flashbacks of the times when she was in the cult.

I thought this was unique and I liked the main character a lot. I felt like the plot was too over-the-top at times. It was a little far-fetched. Some of the characters were very black and white and not entirely authentic. Still, this was entertaining with a lot of action and suspense.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is a trip. Creepy and immersing, I didn’t put this down until 2 in the morning. I had to know what was going to happen. The character development of Maeve and Andrea, two complex people, was nuanced. Their arcs were completely satisfying, as was the conclusion to Just Like Mother.