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.

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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.

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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.

I’ve noticed that newly published books have avoided the year 2020 in story timelines, and justifiably so. Most of us are still feeling the residual affects of the pandemic in some capacity, as a reader I appreciate authors understanding that most readers are not necessarily ready to have to relive their pandemic experiences in their books which they use to escape their daily reality.

With that being said I’d like to give many kudos to the author for approaching this story with respect and honesty that was completely relatable. I didn’t realize how much I needed to read a story that captured the essence of what it felt like to be in isolation due to the pandemic. The anxiety and anticipation of the unknown was deeply felt while reading this book-it was a bit cathartic in some regard and I appreciate the author's bravery and honesty in penning this story.

Mothered centers around our main character Grace and her mother Jackie, after years of estrangement, Jackie a recent widow decides to move in with Grace. Having recently lost her job, for Grace- the idea of her mother coming to live with her becomes a godsend in spite of her apprehension to have to co exist with a mother she no longer really knows. Throughout their quarantine long buried secrets start to surface and Grace finds herself quickly regretting her decision to have her mother come live with her.

What I enjoyed most about this story is how the author captured the monotony of quarantine life; the contained nature of the story could easily have gotten boring, but the story was never boring. I was very interested in every aspect of Grace and Jackie’s daily interaction and how each day peeled back another layer of their contentious relationship. And man that ending, it was actually a satisfying ending that you sort of can see coming a mile away. Not because the story was predictable but the tension building was very well done. And by the end you’re kind of left thinking, “well here goes”.

There were some underexplored things happening that I would have loved to see more of, as soon as it was mentioned in the beginning of the story my interest was piqued, but I feel like it kind of played a back seat to the story and I definitely think it would have elevated the story even more if it had played more of a part in the story line. Overall I would highly recommend, if you are a reader a bit nervous to read about the COVID pandemic I would have to say that I think this book handled the subject matter with sensitivity and with readers in mind. You should definitely check this one out.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

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.

But living with Mother isn’t for everyone. Good intentions turn bad soon after Jackie moves in. Old wounds fester; new ones open. Grace starts having nightmares about her disabled twin sister, who died when they were kids. And Jackie discovers that Grace secretly catfishes people online—a hobby Jackie thinks is unforgivable.

When Jackie makes an earth-shattering accusation against her, Grace sees it as an act of revenge, and it sends her spiraling into a sleep-deprived madness. As the walls close in, the ghosts of Grace’s past collide with a new but familiar threat: Mom.

Grab yourself a copy of this book! I absolutely loved this! I read this book within a day, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters!

There was so much going on with this story. I typically shy away from pandemic books, because living through it, you want to escape reality by reading. This book has all of realities of living together with someone when you don't want to and all of the secrets that come out when you're forced to spend so much time with one person. Great story that sometimes will have you put the book down to think about what you just read!