Wow, Just Like Mother was a wild ride and a very quick read. I will say that there are about a dozen trigger warnings throughout the book, so reader beware - childhood trauma, cults, birth trauma, rape, etc etc etc. I did enjoy the ride it was filled with surprises and turns, however unbelievable they may be. You spend the first half of the book in the state of mind of the protagonist, wondering to yourself - should she be paranoid or should she be working through her childhood trauma and learning to trust people again. Little things will happen within her interactions that will make the reader nervous something is about to happen but it takes a while for the action to unfold but boy when it unfolds it is nuts. My jaw dropped a couple of times, I had to re-read lines, I read most of this in public so I'm sure I put on a good pantomime show for whoever glanced my way.

Bottom line - if you are looking for a ludicrous story with huge twists and turns, cult-themes, and some gore-y details this book is for you. IT is also a very quick read so if you are in a reading slump this may get you back into reading.

This book is intensely creepy. The cover is enough to give you nightmares. It;s interesting to see the different ways the cousins reacted to their past trauma,

3.5 stars

My favorite aspect of this book was the flashback chapters. In fact, if I had an entire book of just Maeve and Andrea during their childhood with the Mother Collective, I think it would be such a fantastic read. I found Maeve’s interactions with the Mothers much more unsettling than any other part of the story. There is a part where Maeve gets locked in a closet as punishment, and even though it doesn’t take up much of the chapter, the way it is described was so suffocating that I felt like I was right next to her. The banging from the basement, the little boy under the table hoping for scraps… all of it worked so well. It worked so well that I feel like it lessened the impact of the rest of the story. I’m still dying to know more about the cult. How did it get started? How did the mothers not get caught? How did all of that work? This book definitely isn’t about the cult, even though I wish it had been. Anne Heltzel, if you read this: please write a prequel novella or full-length dive into the Mother Collective. I will buy it immediately.

Maeve, as an adult, was a little too naive for my liking. The red flags started piling up and she just kept waltzing past them like nothing was wrong. Like what? I know that her naivety is part of her character, especially since it’s paired with such deep-rooted trauma… But for someone who keeps the world at arm’s length, she was way too welcoming to Andrea and her friends. After a certain incident that propels the story early on, I would have slowly ghosted that long-lost cousin and moved on with my life.

I personally wouldn’t label this as horror. It read much more like a thriller with some creepy aspects. With that said, it was easy to read and hard to put down. Even though I guessed pretty much every plot twist fairly early on, the story was paced appropriately and the writing sucked me in. This would make a great mini-series or movie. It would have me on the edge of my seat as soon as one of the dolls came on screen. The comparison of The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Stepford Wives really rings true. If you’re a fan of cults, preachy motherhood lifestyles, and quick/easy reads, then this is the book for you!

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance.

When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory.

The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…

3.5 stars!!

Creepy, creepy, creepy!! I loved this. I have found that I really enjoy cult books lately. This was a bit gory so if that's not you thing maybe steer clear.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting look at a cult and motherhood. Maeve and Andrea grew up in a cult but were separated long ago. When they met up as adults, Andrea is quite wealthy and has a lifestyle brand. The latest invention is Olivia. Olivia is a doll made to look like and mimic a real baby. It’s marketed to prepare new mothers for motherhood or help grieving mothers get through an unimaginable circumstance. But as Maeve sinks deeper and deeper into Andrea’s new life, the past comes out and rears its ugly doll head.

I read this book in one sitting! Seriously, you will fly through this one! Also, I think my way of approaching a book works for me because I don’t read much of the synopsis so I have ZERO expectations. There was some creepiness, some twists, and a few thrills - FIVE STARS. Loved the writing style! Loved the plot! Loved the ending! Loved everything! Muah! *chefs kiss*

If Rosemary's Baby was about worshipping the act of Motherhood rather than the Devil, you'd have Just Like Mother. And I was so here for it.

This was an easy 5 stars. It started a bit slow, but I ended up popcorning my way through most of it, just shaking my head at all the things the main character was missing. The second half was deliciously ominous, and the last 20% had me absolutely screaming. It's definitely going to be one I'll reread and recommend to anyone who enjoys this particular brand of horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced digital copy for review!

First of all, please let the record show that I don’t “enjoy” reading horror books. So let this be a lesson - don’t let labels dissuade you from picking up a book! It was a great one! Did it make me anxious? Did I lose sleep from reading too many pages? Why, yes! And in fact, even though this one has a horror fiction tag I might would call it a suspenseful thriller.

I started reading this book and just couldn’t put it down. This book grabs you from the first pages, and you don’t want to stop reading! You can tell that something isn’t quite right…but you can’t put your finger on it! So many reviews detail the intricacies of the plot, but I read it at face value and really enjoyed it. I will definitely read more books by this author!

This was so good. So many trigger warnings are needed for this one but it was such a wild ride! Every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong. Looking forward to this authors next one.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced reading copy of Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel.

I went into this book not knowing anything (how I personally like to go into thrillers).

Without giving away too much. Maeve escaped the Mother Collective cult at a young age. As an adult Maeve thought she was coping with her childhood trauma until the day her cousin, Andrea, turns up into her life. The more time Maeve and Andrea spend together the more shared history seems to present itself to Maeve. But is there more to their relationship than just the cult they were raised in?

I would definitely keep my eye out for future novels by Anne Heltzel.

3. 5 stars.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is a book that you can judge by the cover. Looking at the cover, it looks like a weird and creepy book, and that is exactly what it is!

Maeve and her cousin Andrea grew up in a cult of women. They escaped and went on to live separate lives. Maeve made a quiet life for herself in New York City, but she is isolated and slow to trust others as she still deals with the trauma of her childhood. Andrea seems to have moved on from her past and has built a hugely successful fertility company. When they reunite, Maeve soon discovers that everything may not be as it seems with Andrea and her company...and some seriously wild and creepy things await her!

This story just grew wackier and creepier as it went on. Yet I have to say it was entertaining. It was hard for me to fully buy into everything that happened, but I was still fairly fascinated with the motherhood cult theme. In general, cults are fascinating to me, and this one was definitely interesting if a bit weird.

If you are okay with a creepy story that is a bit far-fetched, this could be the right fit for you!

This book was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump. Each chapter left you wondering what was going to happen next and was overall a fast-paced book. Since the chapters always left you wondering about Maeve it left me wanting more. I had some guesses about what was going to happen next each time, some right and some wrong. The way the cult was described, it felt so real. After I finished the book last night, I was genuinely scared to walk around my house because the cult from the story felt so real. Fair warning that it is a bit explicit (sexual description, rape, detailed gore). I definitely give this book a 4.5 stars!

3.5 stars
Maeve and her cousin Andrea were raised in a cult known as Mother Collective.  After an escape/rescue, Maeve found a home with a new family and lost contact with Andrea until many years later.  Will reconnecting with her cousin be a good thing for Maeve, or will their past come back to haunt her?  I'd label this more as a psychological thriller with hints of horror (because the thought of a room full of creepy dolls is definitely horrific).  I enjoyed the story well enough, but Maeve was just too wishy-washy for me.  I don't mind unlikable, unreliable MC's, but I just couldn't muster up enough "give a crap" to care about her and her outcome.

This one was absolutely a worthy read! The story of Maeve, a woman who spent the first eight years of her life trapped in a domineering mother cult and the years since trying to re-center herself and her needs as a person, she's nevertheless haunted by those years- and the loss of her only relative an older girl named Andrea. Spending years trying to find her leads nowhere until her cousin's DNA test causes her to reach out on a website Maeve joined and the two begin to reform their bond. At first all goes well and the pair seem to be reconnecting (Andrea has grown up to be a successful business woman and married a man who suits her, a steep contrast to Maeve's own less ordered life as an editor with an uncommitted relationship) but somehow things don't add up. Maeve is about find out why.

I feel like this one recalls some classic novels of the fifties in some ways, it's a modern tale set in our time, but there's definitely an air of that age and the gothic mood you might find in a Shirley Jackson novel if it were centered in a more modern world where science, psychology, and destructive manipulation all come to take their due. Its also a book that confronts the way women's lifespans become centered on reproduction and motherhood while also neutering any traits that fall outside of those ideals even up to the exclusion of the men in their life. A healthy reminder that it's also women who believe in this toxicity who will fight to exist in it an use it to do harm to others. If I had any qualms with this one it was the feeling of being rushed through the final chapters of the book, resulting in an ending that works but feels a bit like it's missing some parts.

What a creepy thrilling read! This book drew me in from the very beginning. Some parts did drag a bit, but overall it was a quick suspenseful read.

When Maeve fled the cult she grew up in, she left her cousin Andrea behind. Reunited as adults, Maeve finds herself drawn into Andrea's world, even moving in to Andrea's home when her own world starts to fall apart. Andrea's focus is fertility, and the importance of women having children, a stance Maeve doesn't agree with, but she loves her cousin and owes her so much...

This book is terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. It is masterfully written and the suspense builds until it's cranked up to 11 and you can't look away no matter how scary things get. And that ending! I definitely recommend this book.

This was a well crafted and interesting story. You know something is off, but you are not sure what exactly. The author managed the story of the past and the present well and I couldn't stop reading.

Just Like Mother has some of the same sinister and unnerving elements that make stories like Rosemary’s Baby, The Invitation, and Westworld so good. When its sci-fi, gothic, and cult horror elements are working, they work well. But overall the book felt like it would be better suited as a short story, at least in its current form. Currently it's too slow paced, too much filler, and too many characters I can't connect with or really like.

This mystery was interesting and very creepy. The story alternates between two timelines - the present, and when Maeve and Andrea were still in the cult. It was intriguing to read about the cult itself, but otherwise I found the story to be very predictable and at times frustrating;; Maeve often did things that no rational person would do in her circumstances. It was unsettling, similar to A Handmaid’s Tale - I was uncomfortable through the whole reading. I don’t know if that makes me the target audience the author was trying to reach but this book was off the mark for me.

Creepy and atmospheric with a bit of a mystery thrown in for good measure. I read it in a day and the ending did not disappoint. Horror/mystery fans will eat this up!

“Just Like Mother” is a fast-paced psychological horror novel. “Just Like Mother” takes an interesting spin on motherhood using dolls. Now, dolls can be creepy. Then add artificial intelligence and you have entered fresh territory.

In. “Just Like Mother” we meet Mauve, who gains reader sympathy rather quickly. As a child, Mauve escaped from a cult called the Mother Collective. She keeps to herself, does not want kids, and shies away from relationships. Throughout the years, she has searched for her cousin Andrea, who was raised in the cult. Mauve reconnects with her cousin. Andres is super wealthy and intimidating. Mauve becomes closer to Andrea, but also becomes more isolated from her life, and creepiness begins to unfold.

The entire story is not about a cult. There are several layers to this storyline that work well to develop this book. The story is told from Muave’s perspective. The reader gets glimpses into her life and flashbacks from her childhood.

From the beginning, the book drew me in. As the book progressed, I asked questions. The need for answers and more details had me turning pages. Some might find the storyline predictable. I did not. The ending pleasantly surprised me.

Fans of cult stories should give this one a try.