
Member Reviews

2.5 stars rounded up. I read and enjoyed BABY TEETH, so maybe the problem lies with me. I feel like I wasn't smart enough to understand this book!
MOTHERED is set during the pandemic, but I had no problem with that. Grace has just bought a house shortly before the world shut down. She's not able to work as a hair stylist, and she's worried about paying the mortgage. Her mother Jackie asks to move in as she's getting up in years and is worried about the isolation of being alone. Grace has never had a great relationship with Jackie, but she reluctantly agrees.
There are two weirdly compelling back stories in this book; one, Grace catfishes people online to the extent that she keeps notebooks to keep all of her personas straight. In a way she's helping vulnerable people work through issues, but the whole idea was just unsettling. Then the other...Grace starts having vivid nightmares about her disabled twin when Jackie moves in. Tensions between mother and daughter mount until Jackie finally accuses Grace of the unthinkable. Plagued by night terrors and insomnia, Grace has trouble differentiating reality from nightmares. Is she responsible for her sister's death, or has her mother accused her for her own sick reasons?
I had no idea what was going on half the time, and just like Grace, I had trouble telling the truth between reality and hallucinations. Maybe that was the whole point, and I just wasn't the target reader for this book. I did appreciate the atmosphere of dread that permeated the entire book, but I wasn't a fan of the unsettled, confused feeling. MOTHERED will publish March 1, 2023. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for this early read.

This is my first Zoje Stage book but it most definitely won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book, I barely was able to put it down and when I got to the last page I craved more.
I think reading a story that takes place during the early stages of the pandemic and lockdown can be quite jarring. But I also think the experience that many Americans had, are having still, is also so far removed from my own experience as a person living in Denmark. Which might make it easier to read this as there’s no exact parallels between my own experiences and the character’s experiences (no near deaths, no lockdowns or masks, not really, except for just a little while). With that said, the relationship between Grace, the main character, and her mother was something that I could only relate to all too well. It made the book uncomfortable at times and I always appreciate a book that makes you uncomfortable while you read it.
It wasn’t due to the pandemic, not really, maybe only a little bit, but as with Grace and her mother. My mother and I also moved in together to save costs and for her health. Our relationship has been on thin ice a lot during my childhood, so the microaggressions that Grace’s mum showed throughout the book only felt that much more real, as I’ve experienced it myself. I think this book, despite it being horror, could resonate with a lot of people who have a strained relationship with their mums. Especially when most of us know, all too well, how complicated our feelings can be when it comes to our own parents.
I’m not sure what my point is beyond it being relatable (to an extend, not to get spoilery) and that I felt excited and uncomfortable reading it. It’s hands down one of my favourite reads of this year and I only wished I had more of the story. There’s so many questions left unanswered, not because the author didn’t consider answering them, but because life isn’t so cut and dry. We don’t always get all the answers and we don’t get to always understand what happened. I appreciate a book that’s realistic in that sense. I also appreciate the openness with which the book ends, leaving us, the readers, to imagine what comes next.
There’s not much I can think of to criticise the book. I know others felt less than excited about the unreliable narrator, but it’s one of my favourite tropes, and so it only added to my reasons for liking it. There’s a character with cerebral palsy in it, I’m not sure, as an abled bodied person, whether it’s a truthful and safe depiction of someone with cerebral palsy or of disabled people in general. She is described as somewhat vicious in her treatment of Grace, but since she’s described in flashbacks and nightmares, I can’t help but wonder if that’s the flaw of the unreliable narrator: thinking one thing happened, while another thing actually happened? It feels realistic for Grace to have viewed her childhood in a different light than how it truthfully was. But then again, if this is the only depiction of a disabled person, is this positive or negative then? I’m not sure and I would love to actually see someone else’s views and opinions on this.
All in all, I really appreciate this book. It's not one I would necessarily read again, I rarely re-read most books, but it is one that will stay with me for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

This book. Wow! Complete and utter mind fuck. Zoje Stage has a talent for writing extremely intense and claustrophobic thrillers. This one did not disappoint. From the very first page you feel a sense of dread and tension. The slow descent into madness of the main character was so well done, and the pacing is perfect. I couldn't put it down, I just HAD to know what would happen next. I will have to say if you have any kind of pandemic trauma, maybe wait on this one. I do think that added to the anxiety I felt while reading though. Grace moving her mother (who she has a strained relationship with anyway) into her home, in the middle of a pandemic, while dealing with terrible nightmares and financial issues... God the tension practically drips off of the pages.
Thank you to Zoje Stage and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this awesome book!

This was a strange and unique read. Some parts were confusing in trying to figure out the characters mind and left me with questions. Overall I like it and would recommend.

In Mothered by Zoje Stage, we meet Grace who, in the midst of the pandemic, moves in with her recently widowed mother. Grace and her mother have a very strained, toxic relationship. I had a hard time getting vested into this book. I think mainly because I try not to read about the pandemic and this book pretty much centers around the pandemic.

An easy to read book that I got through quickly, with lots of twists and turns. The fact that this was set during the pandemic adds an interesting factor to the storyline. At times the character was unreliable and it was hard to know what was real, which added to the storyline as you were never 100% sure who to trust. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I would read more in the future.

This is 4.5 stars. After a shaky start, I ended up tearing through this book. It was excellent. Who could have thought a mother coming to live with her daughter during the pandemic could be so damn unsettling? The pacing is excellent as Stage seems to close the walls in around you all the while confronting you with horrifying nightmares asleep and awake. Haunting and emotional, you won’t be able to put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Hmmmm. This is one I feel unsure about after finishing but I get the feeling it will stick with me for a while. It was very vivid! I read it with anticipation something horrible and dramatic would happen.
This one also felt a bit less subtle compared to Baby Teeth; I think I would have liked a bit less ambiguity!

I wish to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This thriller/mystery novel simply leaves you breathless. In the beginning Grace’s very difficult, widowed mother moves in with her just as the pandemic is beginning. She takes over the house and Grace’s life and her wild dreams. Just when you think this book is about living in the pandemic it switches to subjects such as catfishing, loyalty to friends, and the remembrance of the unexpected death and loss of Grace’s disabled twin sister. I would say this is a psychological thriller and one that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. I never knew where it was going but I held on for the ride of a lifetime. I did read it cover to cover as I was really intrigued and the author did not disappoint. Spooky and totally strange are words that come to mind. It really hooked me.

This book was bizarre but I mostly enjoyed it. It takes place at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which I wasn’t quite ready to revisit, though it does a good job of describing what those first few months were like. The story centers on Grace, whose mom Jackie comes to stay with her after a long estrangement. The relationship has not healed over time and being quarantined together pushes Grace to her limit.
You get an unreliable narrator in Grace, which is something I enjoy. Is Grace crazy? Is Jackie? It’s sometimes hard to say. Jackie’s visit brings back forgotten memories of Grace’s childhood and the death of her twin sister. There are creepy passages as Grace uncovers things she had forgotten. A lot of the book takes place in dream sequences, which is effective in figuring out Grace’s frame of mind, but often confusing to the reader, as I sometimes couldn’t immediately tell if something was a dream or not. The ending was fascinating and leaves the reader with unanswered questions, but in a “makes you think” kind of way versus a “loose ends weren’t tied up” kind of way.
Overall, a strange and unique read that was uncomfortable at times but that I enjoyed overall. Thanks for Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

During a global pandemic Grace, a new home owner, finds herself letting her mother move in with her in order to make both of their lives financially easier.
But things quickly begin to unravel as Grace now needs to deal with her distant mother, her sick best friend, an unhealthy hobby and horrible nightmares.
Mothered by Zoje Stage is a unsettling read that will keep you turning the pages until the very end and will rattle around in your mind long after you finish.
This was a one day read for me, I just could not put it down.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the early chance to read this book.
I absolutely loved it.
You can find my spoiler free YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Q8wQiTGsg

I was really impressed with this fever dream of a novel set in the early days of the Covid19 pandemic. If I had known it was set then, I likely wouldn’t have requested it, but I’m glad I did.
Grace, the MC, is navigating a tense relationship with her elderly mother. This dynamic is what propels most of the book. Well, that and Grace’s memories of her dead twin sister, Hope.
I struggled to know what was dream and what was reality, and this was as disorienting for the reader as it was for Grace. I felt on edge reading this, as if waiting for something to happen - but it was a true slow burn. My one major qualm with this book is that Hope is a disabled person who is (for the most part) portrayed as the villain. That just didn’t sit right with me.
I absolutely loved the very ending and how it all wrapped up.

Creeptastically unputdownable! Another thrilling and scary story from Zoje Stage. Quarantined with her mother, not for everyone, especially Grace and Jackie. A mix of horror and psychological suspense that will scare the shot out of you! So good.

4 stars
In this c-r-e-e-p-y novel, Stage presents yet another disturbing mother/child relationship (I'm looking at you, _White Teeth_), but this time the child is grown, and the tables are turned...or are they?
Grace, the m.c., is an adult who starts to have a lot of memories of her childhood with her twin, Hope, when her mom, Jackie moves in with her. That childhood seems...worrisome, to say the least. Hope, whom readers learn immediately has been dead for quite some time, was forced to rely on her sister and mother for her physical needs, but she has a clear grasp of her own seemingly disturbed mind. Stage challenges stereotypes with the portrayal of this character, especially, and this technique, along with Grace's sudden onslaught of horrific nightmares, Jackie's bizarre statements and behaviors, and the concurrent early stages of the pandemic lockdown make it impossible for both characters and readers to know what is and is not real.
Readers who dig an unreliable m.c. will LOVE much about this read. Stage expertly creates an environment of uncertainty that matches both Grace's childhood trauma and the communal trauma of a pandemic lockdown.
One guarantee? NO ONE will be left wondering if there's true horror in the world.
This is a sinister read with some grey areas, and readers who love this vibe in horror/thriller will speed through this one. I know I did, and I'm now about as excited to fall asleep next as I was after seeing the first _Nightmare on Elm Street_!

I am so so grateful for this ARC. I was so excited for this because I loved the author's other work, Baby Teeth. But this was too much. The constant back and forth tricks of "is this a dream/is it not" and then constant pandemic talk while I'm trying to block out the real world. It just wasn't for me.
Again, she's such a talented writer, but this didn't work for me at all. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it early.

Thank you very much for the arc. I appreciate it, and I tried my hardest to read this book, but I couldn’t get past the insufferable main character. She was completely rude and intolerable to her mother. It was just too much for me to handle. It’s a DNF for me. The writing was very amateurish and a sloppy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.
---
Like a few others with middling reviews, I'll say I liked this but I didn't love it. The unreliable narrator aspect was almost well done, but the idea of a toxic mother-daughter relationship complicated things too much for it to be effective for me. I also really disliked the carrot-dangling of the introduction. I would rather the suspense build and continue to question what will happen, rather than have half of an answer from the start. And...dream sequences? Really? It's lazy to me. I hated both of the characters, and the convenient pandemic sideplot to throw them together just seemed like a cop-out. Meh.
---
Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dark and twisted book. While I wasn’t sure about reading a book based in lockdown “times” I was quickly absorbed in this story and felt it added to the plot and lent well to the psychological thrill ride.

I felt as if this was a very typical read. While I didn't necessarily find anything wrong with it, per se, it just didn't capture me nor tell a story that was fresh in any way.

This book was a very dark read.
Grace had a twin sister who passed away. Hope had cerebral palsy and as a child Grace had to take care of her while her mother worked. Grace had a very dysfunctional upbringing with Hope and her mother Jackie.
Grace finally moved out on her own, working as a beautician she was able to purchase her first home. When the pandemic hit the salon shut down. Her mother Jackie, offered to move in with her to help with finances in hopes they can rebuild a relationship.
This arrangement sent Grace to a dark place.
Very enjoyable read for those that like a dark read.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in return for my honest opinion.