This was a DNF for me at 16%. After a whole chapter that talked mainly about diarrhea and then taking entirely too long for me to even realize that they were at the hospital because the mother-in-law killed herself I could not continue.
This book was hard to follow and understand. Missing quotation marks many places and then throwing in script writing to show a fantasy? I wanted to stick it out but Abigail was very immature and Ralph was such a push over and kind of a jerk. I couldn’t stick it out.
If there is one bright spot it was this amazing cover! However, I though the cover was misleading because what I read did not match the vibe of this amazing cover!

This was a wild and twist ride that this FMC take you on whether you want to or not.

Abby wished for a great relationship with her mother-in-law, Laura but it was less than ideal. Then after a tragedy that left Laura dead she will never be able to have the relationship she dreamed of. In the wake of Laura's death everything around Abby starts to unravel. Her husband, Ralph, is slowly losing it after his mothers death, Ms. Bondy, Abby's favorite person in her care in the old folks home is in danger of leaving, and Abby is haunted by the past trauma her own mother left her with. But Abby is no quitter and she sets out on a path to fix everything.

This is wonderfully twisted. Between the writing and the characters I was cringing (in a good way). The path that Abby takes you on is both surprising and at the same time completely predictable. She's both a character you love and are rooting for and also a character that you wish would get a grip.

While these are all good things it's also the reason I didn't care for this book as much as I could have. The writing, the characters, how twisted it is are all good things in my opinion. However, you are basically just hearing what's going on inside Abby's head for the whole book. While this was wonderfully done by making you questions certain aspects of the plot, it also left me a bit bored (or I should say more tired of hearing Abby). This left this book being just okay for me, however I am happy I read it and would read more from this author!

Oh boy, this book is weird(complimentary)! It's dark, funny, gory, unsettling, ominous, and at times a little mind bending. A grimly humourous exploration of unconditional love and the desire for it. 'Motherthing' is such an exceptionally well done domestic horror that I scarcely know where to start with the praise. If you like weird, fun, gross horror, you will adore this mother-in-law from hell story. If you're squeamish, or particularly bothered by gore or by treating some heavy subject matter with levity, you may find it an utterly repulsive piece of fiction. For fans of movies like Shaun of the Dead, Re-Animator, Dead Alive, Little Shop of Horrors, and American Psycho.

I loved this! Dark and funny at the same time! Perfect read for October abc I can’t wait to get a copy to read again next year!

What a strange…intriguing book this was…at times I couldn’t tell what was real and what was imagined. The story starts out pretty simple, a wife wants to have the perfect life with her husband but his mother dies and her spirit refuses to leave…I think. The side story about the nursing home was very interesting as I have worked in a NH and I can relate to having a favorite patient. The last 30% of the book felt off the rails and I really wasn’t satisfied with the ending…I guess it just wasn’t for me.

4.5 rounded up - thank you to vintage/penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!

Frankly this is one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever read (specifically the last ~40%), but I couldn’t stop thinking about it whenever I put it down - I think it more fits in the psychological thriller category than horror (big Midsommar/Us vibes), but that could be just me. I loved how you couldn’t ever really tell what was imagined and what was actually happening, and my jaw was unhinged for the last 30% with the unexpected ending. Anyone who loves an anxiety-provoking narrator will eat this up.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Boy, talk about dark comedy - this book Is loaded with the darkest! The story hinges on a relationship between a wife, husband and his mother. But the wife’s mother is also in the mix. There are funny moments but it is mostly a tragic relationship. Readers who enjoy bizarre situations will appreciate this story.

With a book hook that went something like this; a darkly funny domestic horror novel about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law, I was caught.

And that, my fellow reader, only barely scratches the surface of this deeply weird and wonderfully written book.

Our narrator, Abby, is a dedicated employee at a nursing home who in a stroke of misfortune, finds herself a live in caregiver for her mother-in-law. An absolutely abhorrent woman she puts up with because of her love for her husband Ralph. Who somehow turned out to be a lovely human being.

But when mommy not so dearest dies, Ralph plunges into a grief induced depression. Good riddance I say, but to each their own.

And then things get much worse when it turns out the motherthing is, well let’s call it lingering. And she is not going to release her maternal death grip on Ralph without a fight. Abby goes to extreme, and rather unsettling lengths to shake her husband loose from this hags’ clutches.

A book that will have you laughing at highly inappropriate moments and feeling profoundly grateful your own mother-in-law doesn’t seem nearly as bad anymore.

This cover is just perfect and so is the book. Abby and Ralph have moved into Ralph's mother's home to be with her and help with her depression. It's supposed to be a temporary arrangement before they start their own life. Living with Laura is hell. So is having her as a mother and mother in law. But Ralph loves his mother and is devoted to her. When Laura kills herself things get creepy. Even though she might be dead Laura still has a hold on Ralph and it's up to Abby to break it.

Motherthing is original, creepy, dark, funny, and a great horror story. It stayed with me long after I was done. I've never read anything like it. It's definitely not for everyone though.

At times I wanted to shrink back, but not too far because I needed to know what was going to happen. Things will happen. You know they will. Everything is portrayed so perfectly. Perfect. Perfect horror. Perfect Motherthing.

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth is a tale about a woman who wants to curate the picture perfect life with her husband. The only hold up is her mother-in-law passes away in a grotesque way and she's not letting go of her husband in the afterlife. Before she can find ways to be the perfect wife and mother, she has to rid her house of a nasty spirit before it's too late.

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this story. The title is truly eye-catching and I definitely loved the cover. The plot is filled with dark humor and ghostly sighting and it's a great story to read before all your spooky festivities. We follow Abby as she's trying to grip with keeping up her domestic persona while also dealing with her husband Ralph, who has unresolved mommy issues. After his mother, Laura, dies in a traumatic way, Abby hopes that she can swing things back to norman without any worries. But Ralph stops going to work, doesn't even acknowledge his own wife, and claims that he sees his mother. So Abby is forced to choose between her own sanity or saving the love of her life from her monster-in-law.

I have to say while I enjoyed reading the story there were moments that were too drawn out. Abby is a complex character with her own set of issues but I feel like we dived too deep in to them. It go to the point where I was wondering when the hauntings were going to happen. There is also a cut to different writing styles as some chapters contain script writing in them. I didn't entirely mind that aspect but I don't really think it added anything to the story. It was more of telling me rather than showing me. All in all I liked the plot and the characters but the story felt too long at times without anything substantial happening.

Honestly not sure how I felt about Motherthing. That cover! It really is to die for and between the artwork and the synopsis I was dying a bit for this. In reality it’s an interesting story told in a very different writing style. Each paragraph feels like you have to reread each word to make sure you have grasped every careful selection the author made. It’s interesting and experimental, but I don’t think I quite connected with it. It’s not something I found easy to sit down and just read, more a book to read a chapter or two and then reflect before continuing later.

Wow! Do me a favor a read this terrifying book with the lights on. I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with the arc of this book. I knew immediately from the cover it was going to be something to remember.

I devoured this book in one sitting, it has a lot of aspects that made it so unique and absolutely terrifying. At first I truly believed it would be a horror comedy story, but this wasn't the case and I loved every minute. We meet Abby, she is married to a wonderful man named Ralph, but Ralph's mother is completely and utterly evil. She disproves of Abby and loves controlling Ralph. When Laura commits suicide, the couple's troubles seem to dissappear. That is until Abby starts noticing some weird activity going on around the house.

Whispers, inanimate objects move by themselves and Ralph's bizzare behavior start to test her sanity. Also Abby had an extremely rough upbringing by her promiscuous mother. Definitely read with caution since it touches sensitive topics like rape, domestic abuse, child abuse, and psychological issues and suicide. I believe this book under the appropriate director would make an incredible movie.

Ainslie Hogarth has written a wonderful, darkly comedic tale of grief and love and what to expect if you take a ring that isn’t yours. Motherthing grips you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the final page. Yes it’s spooky. Yes it’s funny. And yes it’s gory. But it’s very human. Loved it. One of my all time favorite books. I cannot wait for Hogarth’s next novel.

Abby Lamb and her husband Ralph have moved in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, a very, very difficult woman, who makes no bones about the way she feels about her daughter-in-law through subtle digs and not-so-subtle insults hurled in Abby’s direction. Ralph is the ultimate mama’s boy and Abby does her best to survive this thruple she finds herself living in and justifies everything she has to put up with by reminding herself how great Ralph is. Abby, who has had a troubled relationship with her own mother is searching for a mother figure. She works at a long-term facility and has bonded with a patient there. Ralph’s mother, Laura, suffers from depression and when a suicide attempt takes a dark turn, Abby’s believes that she and her husband can finally move forward independently and work towards having the baby they always wanted. But the ghost of Laura remains in the house, affecting the couple in different ways. This book is both gothic and filled with dark humor, sometimes scatological in nature. It’s a book about loyalty and mental health struggles and the narrator’s reckoning with her relationship with her own mother. Perhaps Ralph’s mother alive was the tripod they needed in their relationship after all, and without her there, who will fill her wicked shoes? I read this in one sitting, I don’t think I’ve ever read a horror novel with so much heart and humor. Can you tell that I really loved this book? If you’re looking for an off-kilter spooky read, if you enjoyed An Elderly Woman is Up to No Good, then I think you will enjoy this book! I know I will be thinking about Abby and Laura and Ralph for a long time to come. Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Hilarious, gross, fun, eerie, and wacky. This book has it all. I both laughed out loud and gagged while reading… is there a better combo?

My interest was piqued by the synopsis and great cover, but the writing was superb and truly sold me on the story. Abigail was fantastically weird character to be in the mind of and I particularly enjoyed her and Ralph’s relationship. This book was less horror that I anticipated and more focused on mental illness and generational trauma. However, Hogarth writes on these topics in such a humorous way that some heaviness is lifted. While I never lost interest, the first half of the book had me fully immersed and started to lose its grip on me towards the end… those who finish the novel will likely understand why. I didn’t hate the direction it took, just didn’t keep me engaged the way the earlier sections did.

Oh dear. I love a good horror/mystery book. If only this had been one.

We immediately meet Abby, her husband Ralph and her recently deceased Moher-In- Law, Laura. Laura has committed suicide and Ralph is, understandably, destroyed by this. So, I think the stage is set, Laura will be haunting Abby and Ralph, let the frights begin! And I waited, and I waited...

It didn't take long for me to really dislike the character of Abby. She is self-centered, clingy, needy and devious. And whips out one-liners at the most uncomfortable of times, thinking she is being funny. She is not. Ralph comes off as a wishy-washy Momma's boy. We see Laura only through Abby's eyes and of course, she is painted as overbearing and demanding (the usual mother-in-law trope), but not really evil or creepy.

Then there is the writing style. The majority of this novel is a soliloquy by Abby, with an occasional paragraph or two of dialogue. Then there are the 'dream' sections written in the style of a play:
"Abby: Ralph?
Ralph: (Leaning against the doorway without turning around) Hmm?
Abby: I wasn't going to say anything quite yet, just to be sure, but...
(He knows what she's going to say, he turns around, his smile about to crack his face in half.)
Abby: Yeah. (Nodding, smiling) I'm pregnant."

No. Please, write a book or write a play, don't do both at the same time. I didn't think it was as cute as the author seemed to think it was.

To recap, I did not like the characters (any of them), I did not like the writing style, and there was next to zero horror/mystery. But that could be blamed on the marketing, which lead me to believe this would be a horror/mystery.

Might appeal to some, but it was not for me.

I loved this book! The protagonist is funny, complex, sympathetic, and at times, frightening. This book has genuinely funny moments that never undercut the tension and horror, which is a difficult balance to manage. I couldn't wait to see where the story was going and how it would play out. Now I just need it to come out so I can talk to other readers about it!

This is one of those self-aware, witty horror novels that seem to be coming into fashion at the moment. I enjoyed this a lot - though I preferred the first half, and found the second half lost its way a bit.

((4.5 stars))

Motherthing is a novel living at the intersection of trauma, mental illness, and motherhood. The story begins with the suicide of Ralph Lamb’s mother, Laura, and is told through the lense of Ralph’s wife, Abigail Lamb. And Ralph’s wife is exactly what she is. In Abby’s own words, she is nothing; she is a blank canvas for Ralph to make something out of. Abby’s dedication and devotion to caring for Ralph and building a family with him drives her every action throughout this novel.

The trauma inflicted through abusive mothering is apparent in this novel as not a single character has a healthy relationship with a maternal figure. While the surviving Lambs are haunted by Laura’s ghost, turning their lives on their head and threatening their ability to carry on as expected, Abby goes to unimaginable lengths to save her husband and their chance at parenthood. Abby carries her trauma through her every relationship, mothering as her only steadfast goal in life. She seeks a child in an attempt to save her younger self from the abuse she experienced, promising to be a better mother. This is shown through her relationship with her “baby,” an elderly woman she cares for at the nursing facility she works at, and her undeterred desire to birth her own child and save her family.

Hogarth’s narrative style is engaging throughout and kept me wanting to know more until the very last page. Every sentence seems purposeful as I found myself remembering small details from earlier in the novel as they came into play later. This novel is smart, provocative, disturbing, and downright funny.

Abby’s inability to self reflect takes the reader on a wild ride submerged in the disintegrating psyche of a woman with a derailed one track mind. This novel is the perfect blend of humorous and horrifying.

Perfect for fans of Nightbitch and Boy Parts.