True to Zoje Stage's style, Mothered is a character focused slow burn psychological horror that follows Grace, a hair stylist in her early 30s who is just starting to feel established in her life when the pandemic hits. Soon everything that was going right in her world seems to be upended as she copes with the virus spreading through her community and her mother (who she already has a strained relationship with) moving in. As things devolve around her, the lines of her own reality also begin to blur as some of her old memories begin to resurface in the form of nightmares, leaving both Grace and the reader wondering just how much of these scenarios are or were her reality?

For the most part, I really enjoyed my experience reading Mothered. I knew going in that I would enjoy Zoje Stage's writing style since she has a way of writing very nuanced inner monologue and unhealthy character dynamics like no one else and I was definitely not disappointed. Grace and her mother Jackie are memorable, fascinating to follow, and will have you experiencing an emotional rollercoaster ride right along with them.

As Grace starts experiencing her nightmares and the lines of her reality start to blur, it's really intriguing to explore her backstory and try to understand why her and Jackie's relationship is in the state that it's in but over the course of the novel my intrigue started to wane because I never felt like I had a full grasp on what was part of their reality and what was just a nightmare. It was hard for me to fully feel the stakes and tension within the story not knowing how much of it was factual for them and I wish that more foreshadowing and mystery elements were included or a bit more fleshed out.

I think this book will work better for readers who want to experience tension through their confusion and the murkiness of the story rather than through the mystery element slowly unfolding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

YES YES YES! Baby Teeth was one of my favorite reads in a long time, so I had high expectations for Mothered. This psychological thriller immediately drew me in. Set in pandemic times, stilted mother-daughter relationship that is completely put to the test when mother Jackie moves in with daughter Grace. It's claustrophobic, thrilling, and just so good. HIGHLY recommended.

SO CREEPY! Zoje Stage makes such fantastic use of the unreliable narrator trope that it doesn't even feel like a trope.
At first I was 100% on Grace's side, but after her dreams start messing with her mind I had to wonder if she was really all there. Jackie was unnerving and kind in turn, but what parts of that were true? And the deceased, but oh so present, character of Hope added another level of nightmare to the real life drama. Was Hope really a villain or is that just what Grace tells herself?
Stage is truly developing into a master of psychological horror/suspense and I'm always interested to see what she does next.

Creepy, unsettling,and completely addictive. Mothered by Zoje Stage will stay with the reader long after the last page.

Slow burn, didn’t start getting good until the end. I felt like the story seemed to drag out quite a bit.

Es mi primera vez leyendo a la autora y no me esperaba una historia como esta, incluso habiendo leído antes la sinopsis.
Soy muy fan de los thrillers psicológicos y este no fue la excepción. Es atrapante y tiene un ritmo excelente, a excepción de la mitad del libro donde la trama se enlentece un poco.
Los personajes me parecieron fascinantes y con matices increíbles. Grace es un personaje tan diferente, tan poco convencional que definitivamente resulta muy memorable.
Absolutamente continuaré leyendo a esta autora.

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It's my first time reading the author and I didn't expect a story like this, even having read the synopsis before.
I'm a huge fan of psychological thrillers and this one was no exception. It's engaging and excellently paced, except for the middle of the book where the plot slows down a bit.
I found the characters fascinating and with incredible nuances. Grace is such a different character, so unconventional that she is definitely very memorable.
I will absolutely continue reading this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

I loved the writing but the mention of a pandemic was kinda upsetting remembering how bad 2020 was but for the storytelling itself was immaculate. I wanna read more from this author

Wow, what a ride! This is my second novel by Zoje Stage and I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter. I love main characters who are unhinged or unreliable so this story was a win for me. The fact that this book takes place in the midst of the pandemic with horror elements related to that make it all the more nuanced and life like.
The tone of Mothered starts off tense and finishes with that same strong tension. The setting being mainly just inside the main characters house adds to this tension.
I think this is a solid horror story that is unique, stressful and fresh. I highly recommend it!

This book started off super strong for me. I was hooked immediately and was flipping through the pages. Then somewhere in the middle it started to really slow down. While I enjoyed the story, I was a little disappointed in the middle of the book until it started to pick back up with an awesome ending. Overall, good book! And would recommend to friends and family just for the shear oddness/ uniqueness of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 3
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

Okay this book was WEIRD. It was meant to be that way though, hopefully lol. I really enjoyed reading this one.

This book follows Grace, a hairstylist who is trying to survive during the covid 19 pandemic. Her favorite pastimes include catfishing women on the internet and hanging out with her best friend. She appears to be pretty "normal". This is until her mother moves in with her. Grace has a rocky relationship with her mom. Her mom wasn't emotionally or physically available while Grace and her twin (with cerebral palsy) grew up. You can imagine how learning to cohabitate again as grown ups might go, especially during a pandemic.

I really enjoyed this book. The authors writing felt so effortless to read. I found myself reading for much longer than I actually intended to and had time for. Between the nightmares, unreliable narrator, and mommy issues-I was hooked from the beginning. This is actually the first pandemic based book that I haven't hated reading about.

The only thing I didn't love was the very ending with her therapist. It felt a little abrupt and maybe could have used a little more transition.

I love the creepy mind of Zoje Stage and can't wait the read her future works. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to review this ARC.

I managed to finish this book, but just barely.

The story sounded interesting and I liked the first few pages, but when Grace's mother comes to live with her, they lost me.

This book is too "out there" for me. Not knowing if its reality or a thought, misdirections and dreams - its just not my thing.

I think this is a very good book for a specific audience and its not me.

“What made a human being turn monstrous? An error in prenatal development, a
misalignment of chemicals, an insufficient ability to adapt to misfortune, too much of one thing and too little of something else?”

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was thrilled to be given a chance to review an advance copy of this novel (thank you to NetGalley and the publishers). I adored <i> Baby Teeth </i> and couldn't wait to delve into this novel about a mother and daughter - forced to quarantine together after years apart.

I found that <i>Mothered</i>, while deeply troubling and wildly on point when it came to the pandemic, was a bit too off base. The author wrote that this novel was written in a start-stop format and as a reader, I could feel that. There are parts of the novel that I felt could have been completely left out and the novel would have kept up pace (the catfishing, for example).

Overall, I wished for more out of this novel and think the plot could have taken better direction.

There's been a few book written about the pandemic at this point, but this one really nailed it! Whereas the pandemic is a backdrop in most stories, it's central to the plot in this one. We have a situation that is already brimming with tension, unease and claustrophobia magnified to epic proportions. An estranged mother and daughter thrown together, attempting to coexist while also coming to terms with a terrible tragedy they both blame each other for. It's a powder keg and it's bound to end in complete disaster.

This reminded me of What Lies Between Us by John Mars. The culmination of fears, quiet resentments and repressed guilt was unsettling and disorienting. Throw in some wild and intense dream sequences, and it made the stories that much more disorienting.

There are so few female writers in the horror genre, and Zoje Stage is really killing it! I'm looking forward to reading all her books for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.
While I found this book Uber creepy, it just did not work for me. Were her dreams real? Is her mother protecting her from the truth? You could question everything in this book. Was her sister real?
Hard to finish reading this book.
I did love how the pandemic was incorporated into this book, quarantine and all.
If you like twisted, horror books this is probably for you.
For me it fell flat and I wish I hadn’t read it.
Could not connect with any of the characters.
Really, the ending, did her therapist “ catch” what she had……..

This book was truly terrifying! It wasn’t long ago that we all had to quarantine, and I can all too easily imagine this happening! I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I also don’t want to ever quarantine again!

Started this right after I was approved, thanks NetGalley! Man, Zoje always writes the most wildest stuff. I love it. This is such a realistic take in the pandemic and what anxieties surround being in the same space with someone you don’t have a sturdy relationship with. I love that you’re never quite sure if the narrator is reliable, and what else feels contagious when you’re pushed to your limit.

I really wanted to like this book about a mother and daughter with a strained relationship who live together during a pandemic, but it was disjointed and all over the place. This novel was a quick read and had some thrilling moments, but there were so many different things going on that never quite clicked together in the end. I enjoyed Baby Teeth by this author, and had high hopes for this one, but in the end it just fell flat for me.