I was blown away by this author's debut novel, Baby Teeth. So intense, and yes, a bit creepy. Mothered was just as intense and creepy, maybe even just a little bit more so. And so disturbing! I loved every single bit of it! What does that say about me?

Grace has taken in her mother Jackie as they are both struggling and hoping that by being together, things will be easier for both of them. What they didn't factor in was the fact that there were a lot of issues between them that had never been resolved, as well as the fact that the world was in crazy-time mode with the pandemic out there.

Grace's struggles and dreams turn into nightmares, literally, and honestly, they had me sitting on the edge of my seat, cringing. I had to stop every once in a while to catch my breathe. But again, like I said before, I loved every minute of this story!

And then the ending had me sitting back in my seat wondering what the heck I just read. And where the characters and the story could go from there. Mind-boggling!

I highly recommend Mothered—even with it's somewhat disturbing cover—if you like edge-of-your-seat, troubling, twist-and-turn types of stories. Mothered is that kind of story for sure and you will not be disappointed.

So I will Preface this review with I LOVED Baby Teeth.
This one not so much. From the start it was missing something. It did not grab my attention and the writing was just not the best.
The story line sounded really interesting but it just did not do it for me.
It was a DNF at about 100 pages in.

Mothered
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 3/1/23
Author: Zoje Stage
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pages: 317
GR: 3.51

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This is a creepy atmospheric disturbing (in a good way) thriller. This is a slower burn build up, but absolutely a psychological thriller. This book has all of the elements of a fantastic thriller, creepy, dark, disturbing, reality distorted, twisty, and suspenseful. Grace’s mother asks to move in with her. Their relationship has been strained and estranged, but Grace is putting a positive spin on it, hoping that their relationship can change. Things begin to go south when Grace begins to have these nightmares that distort her reality. I loved the supernatural element to the story.

The story is narrated in both a past and present timeline. Grace is x. On the other spectrum, Jackie is very passive-aggressive, extremely critical of Grace, and judges Grace at every turn. The storyline has a subplot of the pandemic, for those that may be sensitive or triggered by the pandemic, please know this going in. The characters were well developed with depth, were mysterious, and the dream sequences were very creepy. The author’s writing style was claustrophobic, twisty, suspenseful, and just brilliant.

I love a good psychological thriller that has twists upon twists. The mother-daughter relationship is throughly tested throughout the novel. I highly recommend picking up this novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to enjoy this title early in exchange for my honest review.

There is something so casually unsettling about Zoje Stage's stories and I always appreciate that but I had a hard time connecting with this book.

I think multiple things are to blame for this: the pacing, the language and the fact that it's pandemic fiction. The pacing was very slow going and it took a long time for the story to really hook me. Around 53% into the book, I realized that I didn't feel immersed in the story nor did I connect with any of the characters. I think if it went a little quicker and was a little tighter, I could've been swept away. Then we have the language; the overuse of the word "mommy" and the juvenile dialogue that was used in memory scenes had me so irritated. It read so whiny to me that it pulled me out of the story every single time. Also... the pandemic is still too close for me to fully appreciate a pandemic psychological horror/thriller.

This book started off a little slow, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. But then I reached the second half of the book, and I could not put it down! Following the slow descent into madness during lockdown, Grace has difficulty distinguishing between dream and reality. Not only does this madness led to an unexpecting end, but the epilogue left me with a wicked smile on my face because of how cleverly Stage left the ending. I highly recommend this book for fans of psychological thrillers but be warned that this does bring back a lot of the fear associated with the beginning of the pandemic. Zoje Stage used that to her advantage with this book and it worked brilliantly together to create this work that causes the reader to use their own fear surrounding the global pandemic with the mental instability that we all feared it would lead to. 4.5 out of 5 stars, rounding up to 5 on goodreads.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Zoje Stage for providing me with this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I found this one confusing and super dragged out. Not much really happened and I’m still not sure what was dreamt and what actually occurred. I do not recommend this one.

Zoje Stage is a wonderful author! A pandemic setting but not a pandemic book, Mothered examines the dangers of drudging up the past, the tribulations of a strained family dynamic, and the nature of fear. Great book!

Sadly, I just couldn't get into this one. It was SO weird. I feel like there were so many plot points that didn't make any sense to me, didn't add to the story and were left unfinished. I especially don't recommend reading if you're looking for an escape from the pandemic!

This is a rather dark story about a woman who grudgingly lets her estranged mother move in with her during the pandemic. Most of us remember what it was like having restrictions imposed upon us and not being able to go about our lives in ways we were used to but for Grace and her mother, Jackie, things are extra stressful. Living with mother brings up a lot of bad memories for Grace. The additional worries about money and what will happen after the pandemic cause Grace to begin to unravel, and with bad dreams and her mother;s snippy attitude Grace finds it impossible to tell what is actual memories and wart is her stressed mind warping reality. An engrossing story that is quite sad at times but with little flashes of wry humour, and a cute cat. Recommended.

Dark, dark, dark, dark and UNSETTLING! Wowzers, I feel a little traumatized after reading! This story carries a sinister vibe from beginning to end, darkly claustrophobic and atmospheric. Grace, a new home owner, loses her job during the Covid quarantine. Her newly widowed mother moves in to help pay the bills. Their relationship is complicated as Grace still carries baggage from her early years and her mom, Jackie, can’t help being her critical, judgmental, and snoopy self. When Grace starts experiencing insomnia and nightmares about her sister who died young, she begins to spiral to a very disturbing place. Thank you Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 15, 2023.

My first Zoje Stage and mixed feelings all the way...

The Story:

Grace has just bought a new home. Unfortunately, she lost her job due to the lockdown. When her mother, Jackie offers to move in with her, Grace is unsettled but grateful for the monetary help her mother will provide.
As soon as Jackie moves in, she starts changing things in Grace's home. She evokes memories of Grace's twin sister, Hope.
As they pass through an infection scare and subsequent quarantine, Grace starts spiralling. And when Jackie accuses her of a terrible crime, Grace cannot believe what's true and what's false.
With frequent nightmares and paranoia, Grace proceeds towards an ending that may be disastrous to both her and her mother.

What I Liked:

1. It was an absolute trainwreck of a book. I couldn't put it down at all. Finished it in a day and a half.

2. The characters are well-etched. One of the thrillers that concentrates on the characters.

3. Grace's descent into madness was so well-written, it was as if I was there.

What I Disliked:

1. The writing was...chaotic. It was more like a stream of consciousness narrative and made me crazy.

2. Grace. She came across as immature and prone to temper tantrums like a child.

3. The ending. I didn't understand it? Especially the epilogue?

Final Thoughts:

I've heard mixed reviews about Baby Teeth but wanted to read it anyway. When I saw this book on Netgalley, I couldn't resist.
This book is good for a one-time quick read. It will grab your attention and keep you awake at night too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas&Mercer for the ARC.

3 stars.

This was a strange book and my first one from Zoje Stage.

It was claustrophobic given that it takes place during the pandemic where a mother and daughter and stuck with each other in a house with nothing else to do but deal with each other and their pasts. But I have to say that it was not my kind of book.

It's filled with scenes where you don't know if something is really happening or not and the whole book seems to be a vague mishmash of events. I only kept reading because I wanted to find out what happens in the end.

Not for me but thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the uncorrected e-copy. I appreciate it as always!

Had such a hard time connecting to the dream sequences. Very disorienting but maybe that’s the point!

I was super excited to receive an early copy of Mothered. Zoje Stage's Baby Teeth was one of the creepiest books I've read.. literally gave me goosebumps and made my skin crawl. While Mothered had a creepy feel about it, I couldn't quite get into the book. I definitely think it was a me thing though. One of my least favorite things in books are dream sequences.. and boy did this book rely heavily on dreams. I don't know what it is about them but my brain doesn't process the story well, I miss the connection to the plot. I spent most of the time reading Mothered confused as to what is real and not real. Also by the end I'm still not 100% sure I understood the novel. I do think this would make a great book for a book club pick.. I feel like I could use a support system to process the story. Zoje Stage's writing style is fantastic. The book was intriguing. The backdrop of a pandemic felt authentic to the story. I think fans of horror stories and the dark psychological thriller books will find enjoyment in Mothered. For me it was okay.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Grace isn’t exactly thrilled when her newly widowed mother, Jackie, asks to move in with her. They’ve never had a great relationship, and Grace likes her space—especially now that she’s stuck at home during a pandemic. Then again, she needs help with the mortgage after losing her job. And maybe it’ll be a chance for them to bond—or at least give each other a hand.

This book is twisty but a really slow burn. It was a little hard to get into as the story took me some time to sort out. It came together but had lost my attention by then to really appreciate a Zoje novel. The dream factor, is it real or is it a dream just didn't work for me. Hoping that I will love the next one more, I have faith that we will receive a brand new twisty and thrilling read soon!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Mothered was definitely twisted. A different kind of dark and crazy read. The pandemic twist was something I didn’t think I’d like but I did. Zoje Stage definitely knows how to weave the crazy tales!

Grace isn't thrilled with idea of her estranged mother, Jackie, moving in with her but the recent loss of her job and poor job prospects due the Covid pandemic lock downs and Jackie's inability to continue living on her own due to health problems leave Grace with little option. Initially it looks as though Grace and Jackie are going to find a common ground with cohabitation, however, when Grace starts to experience nightmares, primarily involving her sister, Hope, Grace realizes there are still unresolved issues. Hope was Grace's twin sister who was born with Cerebral Palsy and wheelchair bound and died as a teenager. As Jackie was a single working mother, Grace was often left with a lot of the caregiving responsibilities for Hope and often blamed for Hope's conniving ways. What's the cause for these lifelike nightmares and what accusations will abound from Grace and Jackie?

Mothered is my first book by Zoje Stage but won't be my last!! Stage is a great story teller with an ability to build characters with depth while staging an intriguing yet horrifying story!! The book's opening scene builds such suspense that you can't wait to get to the end to find out what really happened inside Grace's home!! The nightmares did get redundant after awhile but for the most part, added to story as a whole. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this story and found myself not wanting to put it down!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know when you wake up in the middle of the night, and you still think you’re dreaming? Everything kind of goes in and out of focus, but you sort of know you were sleeping and now you’re awake? That’s what this book is like. lol
You don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I tried to keep up, but seriously had no clue. Grace is the ultimate unreliable protagonist. But then again, her mother is a nut job too. The two of them, stuck together in the same house under quarantine, was damn hostile.
I wish this book had been a little longer. Maybe with more of Grace in the after Covid. She is a pretty complex character and really needs more diving into.

This book blew my mind! I eagerly devoured it in one sitting. The fallout from the pandemic is something everyone can relate to, and the author captured this perfectly adding a supernatural twist. The entire time I was reading I couldn’t definitively decide on the mental state of the main character Grace, and I loved it! It was creepy, claustrophobic, atmospheric, and by the end my mind was twisted into a gymnastic position. Grace is learning to navigate life after the pandemic when her elderly mother asks to move in with her. The two have had a strained, tumultuous relationship and Grace immediately regrets her decision when she says yes to her mother's request. She decides to look at the glass half full and hopes that their relationship will be different. Things take a drastic turn after her mother Jackie moves in. Jackie is critical, passive aggressive, and judgmental. Grace also begins having disturbing dreams about her deceased twin sister Hope who suffered from Cerebral Palsy. As Grace’s dreams intensify, she begins to question reality. After a disturbing accusation from her mother sends her off the deep end, an act of revenge changes Grace’s life forever. Now mother and daughter are quarantined together pitting them against each other once and for all. Who will be the victor and who will be the victim? Who can really be trusted? You'll have to read this to find out!

Those expecting the usual horror novel here will be largely disappointed. On the whole, there's nothing supernatural here, not even lurking in the margins: no ghosts, no ghouls, no monsters of any sort (outside of the nightmare of a certain virus, and the monsters that lurk in the shadows of your memory). At best, this could be seen as a claustrophobic or paranoid thriller. What this book is, however, is a really excellently done examination of at the anxieties of the 2020 quarantine. Perhaps better than any novel I've read, this captures all of those uneasy moments that were so common during that period: the restlessly, the cabin fever, the anger of having to spend your every waking hours with the same person, day after day,week after week, month after month. It's about watching a friend go on intubation, not knowing if they'll ever get out; it's about watching your career go up in smoke as your bank account slowly drains; it's about wondering where your next bit of food will come from, as Amazon delivery windows grow even as the selection at the grocery store falls. It's about having to grow into a new lifestyle. Add to this the lingering presence of a dark moments from your past, coming up like bubbles from water, all told with the lyrical, but relatable, prose of Zoje Stage, and you get a very solid little thriller, that may spin its wheels a tad too much, and may not be the horror book I wanted, but captured the feelings of the quarantine better that just about anything I've come across.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read this one early! Be sure to check it out when it hit shelves March 1st!