First of all, this book is one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read. But, this comes with a huge caveat: I don’t know if you can truly understand how profoundly creepy this book is unless you have Borderline Personality Disorder (which I do) or if you have a loved one who has Borderline Personality Disorder and you are in their life. Having an intimate connection with the main character of a horror story where their mental illness plays a huge part of the plot except with the symptoms almost turned up to 11 is a huge mind screw, because you know exactly what the character is trying to say. You know what is causing their behavior. You know how they likely turned out the way they did and you know how profoundly toxic it can all be. It’s surreal and more horrifying than just about any other horror novel you could put in front of me.

This book is filled to the brim with morbid humor, which delighted me to no end since morbid humor is practically a love language in my family. It’s also vulgar and gory, filled with vivid imagery that is both hilarious and gross to see in the mind’s eye as you read. It’s also filled with prose that’s purposefully meant to make the reader feel uncomfortable, awkward, squirmy, on the edge of nauseous, and deliberately grossed out. In some of these passages I’m reminded of Chuck Pahalnuik and Zoje Stage and books like “Invisible Monsters” and “Baby Teeth” (yes, I know I have used those examples in my reviews before, but you’ll have to forgive me because they immediately came to mind). The prose surrounding the human body, gore, and viscera also reminded me a bit of this year’s “Manhunt” in style, but since they both came out this year I’m going to chalk it up to common inspiration for the authors of both books.

Inter-generational mental illness is something I have a great interest in, since it runs deep in my family. I seem to have gotten the lion’s share of mental health issues, but every AAB female in my family has some sort of mental health issue, going back at least two generations. My kids (one boy, one gender fluid) both have mental health issues and are neurotypical. Their other parent is neurotypical and has mental health issues in her family. As I was reading “Motherthing” and watched the plot and the characters unravel one chapter at a time, delusion giving way to delusion until desperation was all that was left, I felt more and more terrified about how unaware the main character was about her own mental health issues and more and more horrified about her obsession to protect, save, keep, and love forever and ever.

It seems as though not as many people like this book as much as I did, and that’s okay. I do have to point out that I think it is a little longer than it needs to be, but the space isn’t exactly wasted because the prose is so entertaining. The inner narrative is done in a style of stream of consciousness that is just the right amount of unhinged that I enjoy instead of being so disjointed and without any sense of syntax or grammar that it becomes utter trash.

If you have a strong enough stomach, like your horror with a huge dose of weird, and morbid humor is something you enjoy, I suggest picking this up and giving it a read. It truly is one scary tale.

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Vintage for granting me early access to this title in exchange for fair and honest review.

What did I just read?! Motherthing was the weirdest book I’ve read in awhile and I had a good time doing it. Definitely check CWs as this book explores a lot of difficult topics that may be trigging for some - depression, self-harm and infertility to name a few.

Abby’s life changes when she meets Ralph. He’s a bright, perfect light in her otherwise unsavory life. Their relationship with his mother Laura is complicated, but when she slinks into a dark depression they move back to the suburbs to be there for her. She dies by suicide and a darkness sinks into the house, into Ralph. Is it depression or something more sinister?

Reading Motherthing was such a unique time. I knew this would be dark, but I was surprised by how funny it was at times. The story is told from Abby’s POV and while she’s a rather unlikeable character, it was an interesting mind to be in. We see every single dark and twisted thought she has. While there certainly were horrific moments, this book wasn’t as scary as I was anticipating. Just something to keep in mind if you’re wanting a true horror novel this spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. I will definitely check out other books from this author.

(ARC from NetGalley) First, please look up CW!!!!
Abby had a rough childhood and was always searching for a Motherthing in her life. Unfortunately, her mother in law, Laura, was the type that threatened to unalive herself at the slightest inconvenience…uh then she actually did it. As the couple tries to move on, they find themselves being haunted by the ghost of Laura.
It’s like Monster in Law, but leans more macabre. Equal parts psychological thriller, horror, but also so sweet and hilarious? It was a mixed bag and I LOVED it!!! Although, I received an e-ARC I will go hunt down a physical copy on the release date.

Book review coming at y'all! Tw: death of a parent, su!cide, mental abuse by parent, cannib4lism, personality disorder

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

Thank you for the advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review @netgalley and @doubledaybooks

Y'all. I am here for psychological horror that shows the effects untreated #mentalillness can have on family units. This husband and wife have to process the death of the husbands mother, Laura, after she unalives herself. It is discovered later that the son can still see Laura and she seems to be haunting them. It is revealed that the mother suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder, and the wife seems to be deeply codependent, possibly Borderline herself What I found most interesting was the likeness of being raised under someone with untreated mental illness and the "haunting" effects that carry on, even after the person has passed on. Often the inner monologue is tinged with how Laura would have responded to actions taken. We see the after effects of how these relationships affect adulthood, as well as how those with the disorder also think themselves. This one hit me on a deeply personal level and I probably would not recommend this to anyone who has this disorder themselves, or those healing from having someone in their life with this untreated disorder. The writing was deeply disjointed, and at times confusing, so I will be giving it 3 stars.

⭐⭐⭐/5

Do you like psychological horror? What about horror that is more character study versus plot?

#bookstagram #bookreview #motherthing #netgalley #books #bookrecs #horrorbooks #horrorcommunity #horrorlover #psychologicalhorror #instabook #hauntedhouse #horror

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. Definitely a different writing style, which took some getting used to, but overall enjoyable. In it, we follow Abby, who finds herself struggling help her husband work through the death of his mother. Through the ordeal, Abby searches for various remedies that will heal her husband’s sadness, while also dealing with the ghost of her late mother-in-law.

The story is very geared toward a darker sense of humor, which I enjoyed. Recommend if you’re looking for something genre-bending that is outside of your comfort zone.

The premise was great but the book left me cold. I so wanted to like this - and initially the voice of Abby was intriguing and made me question, a lot, what was going to happen with Laura, Ralph, Mrs Bondy, Janet… but then, it just got too weird for me. I didn’t like the script sequences, and there is quite a lot here which is graphic and tough to read. It is a book about abuse, about mental health, about obsession, about what is true and what isn’t. Yes, it is certainly original but it didn’t work for me, I’m afraid - no pun intended but it left a very nasty taste..

This was such a delightfully bizarre, and darkly humorous read, and I loved every moment of it.

When Abby and her husband, Ralph, move in with Ralph's mother, Abby views it as an opportunity to bond with her mother-in-law and to finally have a mother figure (a motherthing) who will love her, having had an unstable childhood and not much of a mother herself. Instead, what Abby gets is a cruel and manipulative mother-in-law, Laura, who will never approve of her or shy away from a chance to undermine her or cut her down, resentful of Abby and wanting to be the sole recipient of her son's attention.

After Laura commits suicide, Abby believes that it could be a fresh start for her and Ralph, but Laura haunts them both, sending Abby on a desperate quest to save her husband.

Abby was such an outrageous character, and I couldn't help but to feel for her, and I even found myself relating to her at times.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, and I thought that Abby and Ralph were brilliant together. Also, that cover! It might just be one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

✨𝘼𝙣 𝙚𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧-𝙞𝙣-𝙡𝙖𝙬, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡✨

𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯.
When Abby's mother-in-law takes her life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in different ways leading Ralph into depression. At the same time, Abby develops an unhealthy obsession with one of the residents at the nursing home where she works. And now Abby is fighting alone to save her husband and their relationship while struggling to control her obsession, even if it means doing the unthinkable...

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀.
OMMG! What did I just read😱 Motherthing was such a unique experience.. I just want to say THIS BOOK WAS WEIRD.. VERY WEIRD!!!

To start with, the writing style had different phases. The first phase was incredible, a mix of OMGs and WTFs. I enjoyed the dark humour along with Abby's inner monologue, immensely.

As the plot progresses, the same inner monologue became too much to bear and many things just didn't make sense. The plot is dragged a lot around the mid, making it a bit boring. BUT, suddenly comes the twist turning the plot into a very captivating read. I was totally dumbstruck and still can't process the ending..

This book is a mix of dark humour and horror, but in my opinion, the horror part was not that prominent. Though there were moments veryy creepy and unsettling, and Laura can go-to-hell before she comes and haunts Abby hiding behind a shower curtain.

The way this book tackles depression, motherhood issues, and the descent into madness was terrific. It aptly portrays the phases and emotions one goes through after losing someone and when you have to save others before you lose them forever too..

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Overall, it is a captivating read with a tendency to be weird. Filled with dark humour, supernatural and creepy circumstances, this one gives you an unusual adventure of looking into the mind of someone struggling to remain sane amidst all the chaos.

𝗧𝗪: Motherhood issues, Depression, Death of a loved one, Grief, Self-harm, Suicide, Graphic Scenes.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘧 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

P.S. I looove the cover.. It's so cool and totally apt for the book👌🏼

I could barely make it through this. The main character is selfish and whiny, lying to her husband from the start. Why not just tell him about the ring? It was like she wished her mother in law dead then faked caring to her husband. The whole thing made me uncomfortable and not in an entertaining way.

When Abby’s mother-in-law commits suicide, her world starts to fall apart.

As Abby desperately tries to pull her husband Ralph out of his depression, her grip on reality loosens and she shows how far she’ll go to keep her family together.

While there are some darkly funny moments, this book is permeated with despair. Everyone here is struggling, and the relentless heaviness of the characters becomes uncomfortable to sit with.

As we watch Abby and Ralph spiral in their respective mental illnesses, the story takes a bizarre and horrifying turn.

I’m not really sure how I felt about this book. It’s not what I was expecting; it was horrific, but I’m not sure if I’d classify it as “horror.” I was left feeling conflicted about the ending, and the story as a whole.

I will say, the author does an excellent job creating a tense, desperate atmosphere. I’m going to be thinking about this one for awhile.

Check out this book if you’re looking for a weird, unsettling story where the horror is (mostly) psychological.

Motherthing comes out on Sept. 27, 2022.

Thanks to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning for suicide and self harm:

What a wild ride! This book tells the story of Abby and Ralph, a married couple who have moved in with Ralph's mother Laura to help her deal with her deteriorating mental health. Laura dies by suicide at the opening of the book, but the couple quickly realize she hasn't truly left them. Unfortunately, in life, as in death, she is cruel and manipulative to both her son and daughter in law. As Ralph's mental health deteriorates, Abby is desperate to save him from the same fate as his mother. She is not without her own demons, and her own unhealthy, and just odd, coping mechanisms. This description makes it sound like a garden variety, sad book about mental health and generational curses but this book is so weird, it's just impossible to put into a review without ruining it. There are so many components and bizarre twists and turns. It's about the damage that we do to each other without trying, and the damage we do in the name of saving each other, and how one person's villain is another's hero. I really enjoyed it, even if it made me a little sick at times. Would highly recommend to anyone with a taste for the macabre and the strange.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 54%. Idk what the heck is going on in this book and I’m so bored I don’t even care. Going into this I expected more of a horror/creep factor and up until this point I have gotten neither.


Abby is excited when her mother in law Laura moves in with her and her husband Ralph. In her mind this is the perfect opportunity to build their relationship. However, Laura is very critical, judgmental and down right mean to Abby making Abby’s home life a nightmare. Abby escapes to her job spending her days caring for Mrs. Bondy her favorite patient at the nursing home she works at. Mrs. Bondy has become a mother figure for her and the two have formed a strong bond.

Laura takes her own life and Abby and Ralph take her loss very differently. Ralph sinks into a deep depression and Abby is growing paranoid someone or something is trying to destroy her happy home. When Abby hears that her beloved Mrs. Bondy may be moving it completely shatters her. Abby comes up with a plan to help her husband, keep Mrs. Bondy close and get rid of Laura once and for all.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing group for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A scary, domestic horror that is also weirdly funny in some places. A Mother-in-Law from hell gets even worse upon her death and has her daughter-in-law, Abby, fighting for her family. Weirdly creepy and extremely entertaining. Also, that cover!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for an e-arc of this novel.*

Ralph and Abby Lamb decide to move in with Ralph's mother, Laura, now that she is old and needs help around the house. Laura has always been a manipulative and selfish woman, she loves her son but she wants to be the only woman in his life: Abby will never be good enough for her Ralphie.
When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts them in different ways: Ralph feels the symptoms of a depression relapse, while Abby is scared that this will be the ending of her relationship... but she is determined to do anything to save her marriage.

Motherthing is such a unique story of love, pain, trauma and... weird food (what the hell is jelly salmon??). It's hilarious, intriguing, WEIRD and hard to put down. This is not a ghost story, there's no haunted house here, but we do have two very complicated main characters, with a traumatic past and witty sense of humor, that you'll fall in love with.
Abby Lamb's stream of consciousness is fascinating, dark, very funny and very scary at the same time: is she a victim or a perpetrator? At a certain point she even shocked me (no, not during her last tasty recipe) when I suddenly noticed that I did have some of her same thoughts in the past - still do at times. Mmm maybe I need therapy again...

Ainslie Hogarth's writing style is interesting and fresh, it reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk and Jen Beagin and it's weirdly charming. I wouldn't necessarily label this book as horror, but it does have its dark moments (please check TWs): it may not be for everyone, but it was certainly for me! I absolutely loved every single page, every single weird joke and odd recipe in this book!
Also: can we just appreciate that amazing cover for a moment? I want to hang that on my wall.
5 stars.

* I'd like to thank Ainslie Hogarth, Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was expecting a spooky, horror book based on the description, but that’s not really what this book is. After Abby’s difficult mother-in-law dies, Abby is at first thrilled. She is sure that now she and her husband, Ralph, will have a child and be free of his mom. However, soon it seems like her mother-in-law’s ghost has returned to haunt their house. It is less spooky and more a commentary on depression seemingly. I also just didn’t like the narrator and found her annoying.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

📚Book 36 of 2022: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

💬Reader’s digest version: Abby has a problem: a toxic mother-in-law and a husband with major mommy issues. Even after her death, the specter of her mother in law’s presence still casts a shadow over the lives of Abby and her husband, Ralph. Abby pulls out all the stops to get her husband back from the death grip of his mother and loses her own grip on reality in the process.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: Buckle up for this one is all I have to say. This book is packed with dark, domestic horror, beyond gory imagery, and little spouts of humor along the way. If you’ve ever read Bunny by Mona Awad, this book has a similar vibe.

I’m still in a place of WTF with this one. There are parts of this book that made me want to vomit, scream, and laugh out loud. It’s perfect for spooky season, but I will warn you..it is not for the feint of heart.

🙏🏻Big thanks to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the Arc. This book hits the shelves on September 27, 2022

I love a horror novel that makes me laugh -- Hogarth's MOTHERTHING is the perfect blend of unsettling dread and nervous laughter. Abby and Ralph's married-couple repartee is fabulously realistic, and I was immediately sucked into Abby's narrative voice. What a horrible charmer! Every inch of the novel was thrilling and terrible, from the jellied salmon to the blood-soaked basement carpet. I will certainly be stocking Hogarth's books and recommending them enthusiastically!

Do not be deceived by the fun cover and synopsis. This is not a spooky book about a haunted couple. This is a dark story about two mentally unwell individuals dealing with infertility and the traumatic event of their mother/mother in law committing suicide. By the time you reach the end, your are probably going wtf?! or at least I was lol. If you know that going in and it sounds like your cup of tea, this is def the book for you!

So dark and likely one that readers will either love or hate, especially depending on their relationship with their mother in law. Abby's mother in law Laura is a horror story who is relentless in her small and large digs and her constant threat that she will commit suicide- and then she does. Abby's left to deal with the fall out, especially on her long suffering and quite nice husband Ralph who seems to be haunted by her. At the same time, she's working at a care home and her favorite patient might be leaving. How Abby resolves all of this is at the heart of this novel of psychological horror, And then there's the chicken a la king. I'd not read Hogarth before but I'll look for her again. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

The writing style got to me. It was just a free flow stream of words and there are times it tripped me up. Otherwise a very interesting and kept my attention wondring what in the world was next.