Mothered is a psychological thriller about mental health and the insane reality that was a pandemic and quarantine.

Anyone who has grown up in a not so great relationship with their mother would feel as claustrophobic reading this book as the main character Grace.

Having lost her job and her mother losing her husband, the two join households and thus the misery starts.

The book was written well and written to make you want to crawl out of your skin with uneasiness.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

This was such a good book!! I could not put it down and read it in one sitting!! It was definitely an on-the-edge of your seat book! I will definitely recommend this book.

"Mother" is a psychological thriller novel by Zoje Stage. The story revolves around a mother named Suzette who becomes increasingly concerned about her young daughter, Hanna, as she begins to exhibit disturbing behavior. As Suzette struggles to understand and control Hanna's actions, she realizes that there may be something sinister at play. With its tense atmosphere, unreliable narrators, and exploration of mother-daughter dynamics, "Mother" is a chilling and unsettling read that delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Good, but not as good as Baby Teeth. I Keep reading though, hoping one day one of her books will live up to to it. 3.5 rounded down.

I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers. Stage has the perfect voice for this genre. This is the best kind of psychological thriller because it takes you along on the mental journey and as the book goes on, you’re not sure whether you’re sympathizing with the mother or the daughter. I felt like the book was satisfying overall but I have read others like it, and I was ultimately wanting a little more, I think ultimately in this genre, I expect a big twist or bang at the end if you will, and this book did not satisfy that. I do think I would read other books by this author, but I would not purchase this for my library simply because I serve high school students and there are some parts that I think would resonate better with an adult audience.

3.5 stars

This book was weird, but I couldn't stop reading it. Zoje Stage can write some twisted stories, and this was no exception.

What I liked: the unlikeable characters, demented storylines, strange humor

What I disliked: the dream sequences, chaotic timelines, and too much COVID plot

I didn't know what to think about this book overall. It was one of the strangest books I've ever read but I kind of enjoyed it!

Wow what a nail-biting read the book is fantastic and keeps you hooked from the very first page and you will find it had to put down once you start.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC! I wanted to love this but it just left me confused. The delirious feeling throughout and growing sense of confusion was actually cool… but the ending raised more questions than it answered.

This one was just ok for me. It was a little slow, and i had a hard time keeping my focus to finish it. We follow Grace, who has begrudgingly allowed her estranged mother to move in with her during the pandemic. You start to get a peek into her childhood as she descends into a level of madness. It makes you question how truthful her own memories are at times.

Definitely a slow burn, but almost too slow for my liking. This was high on my TBR list, and I thought I'd love it, but unfortunately it was just ok and that was after struggling with the pace and lack of plot. Thanks for the ARC.

"It's so easy to make offers when there's nothing to give."

Honestly, even days later, I'm still unsure how I feel about this one.

One of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't think I ever really knew what was real or what was madness and wasn't something that I felt got resolved. There was a lot of blended information that had memories and dreams of memories, only it took a minute to realize Grace was spiraling.

I am still not sure reading about the pandemic is for me. However, I recognize how hard this must have been to write when the author lost her mother during the pandemic.

I just really have no idea how to explain what I read. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but I would recommend another work by this author, Baby Teeth, that book is wild!!

This book was difficult to get through. The pandemic angle and quarantine was played out. I didn’t care for the premise and the twists. It was predictable.

The author said it best when she said this book is batshit crazy. It is a thriller set during lock down during the COVID-19 pandemic and it was such a trip to read.

There are so many layers to this story. It's like one giant fever dream. There is forced proximity between Grace and her mother, who already had a tense relationship. The chapters go back and forth in time between Grace's childhood and the present. For most of the book it is impossible to know what is real and what is a dream.

Reading this book is unsettling, but in the best way. I was thinking about it for long after I finished reading, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This was just ok. I think the author has some great ideas - and felt the same about her first book - but doesn’t always execute them well. I will definitely continue to read her and see where she goes as she writes more books!

Zoje Stage will forever be a writer I will search for as I really enjoy just how macabre and fascinating and quite frankly, how messed up her books are.
Mothered is no exception to this. While this story will definitely not be for everyone, it is for the reader who enjoys something a little WTF, a little off, a little “whoaaaaa” (for lack of a better description with actual words).
Grace and her mother have not really ever had a great relationship. When her mother asks if she can move in, Grace feels as though it will be a chance for them to bond, and a chance to get some help with the mortgage. Reliving her childhood memories/nightmares is not part of the bargain, and Grace finds herself questioning everything.
The trips and turns this story takes at times can be a bit over the top, but I really did like where this story went and how the timeline progressed. The dream sequences were a little much, but I could see how they were adding to the story, so I kept reading to see how it would end. It was creepy, it was claustrophobic, it was definitely what I would say was a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage was extra twisted, and so is Mothered, And, that is high praise when it comes to this genre. It's taken me a while to come around to pandemic/quarantine reads, but if you like psychological thrillers and can handle that concept, this is one to check out.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This book just didn't work out for me. I guess I'm still not ready for a pandemic novel even if it's a horror novel. I need books for escapism not as a reminder of COVID-19. The dream sequences within the book I found to be confusing from the POV as well as whether it was the past or present. The remaining portion of the novel I struggled to stay interested in the plot.

Zoje Stage is a master at creating character tension on the page. The space between each sentence is packed with ratcheting anxiety that forces readers to keep the pages turning. Mothered is another example of Stage's ability to tap into domestic horror. It's quiet and psychological and brutal.

This novel, set during the pandemic, had many elements— an overbearing mother, a dead sister, job loss, covid-19, a pregnancy scare, mental illness, online catfishing— combining to form a contemporary horror story, unsettling and insidious. The terror and confusion slowly built throughout the book until it was hard to discern what was dream and what was reality.

The conclusion felt a bit predictable and rushed for such a wild ride of a story. But I can honestly say I haven’t read anything like this book in recent memory.