Being a stepmom, I always love to see the portrayals of them in books. I loved that The Stepson kept me on my toes through several questionably reliable character POVs. We were introduced to past Maggie, the stepmother of Nick who has been rehabilitated by Nick's father and afraid of Nick and future Lulu, Nick's current wife and working psychologist who adores her husband. I thoroughly enjoyed the unraveling of events and was happily content with the ending. It was a great dark and twisty psychological suspense to devour when you need a little dose of mind f*&kery to deviate from the normal tropes.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the gifted copy of this audiobook.

The Stepson was published in December of 2021 and has great and not great reviews on Goodreads. One of those books you either enjoy, or in some cases, hate. I listened to the arc of the upcoming audio release and for me, it started as a one star (and I fought my instinct to dnf) and ended up being an enjoyable listen.

This is told in multiple POVs bouncing around from 1997 to 2019. The stepson, Nick, later becomes a husband and it's these two women in his life (step-mom Maggie and wife Lulu) who tell much of the story. He was a troubled youth, and signs are there that Nick suffers some psychological issues. Or does he? Step-mom Maggie also has some baggage and after birthing her own child, wants teenage Nick out of their lives.

Returning home one afternoon Nick discovers his family gone and he always insisted it was evil step mom Maggie who had done away with them. He is left with no family willing to love him, but life goes on.

Fast forward to adult Nick who has managed a good life, financial security and a wife who happens to be a psychotherapist who wants to free Nick from childhood trauma. Defying every reasonable standard that treating ones family members is not wise, Lulu begins EMDR therapy on him which then turns into a trip home to face the trauma.

I enjoyed the storyline. As a person actually in process of EMDR I also liked the explanations of how it works and can confirm - it works!

This part of the review is now strictly about the audio - there were three narrators, Mhairi Morrison, Katherine Littrell and Joshua Manning for this 9 hour book. One woman spoke with an Irish accent while the other was Australian. It took a long time for my brain to be comfortable with the switching of the voices. This could be entirely a personal experience but I found it distracting and it took a moment for the auditory side of my brain to readjust to the new POV being voiced.

Overall a satisfying read and I will definitely be checking out Jane Renshaw's other work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen in advance of the August 9, 2022 release.

Lulu is a psychotherapist and is married to Nick, the love of her life. But there is a shadow to their happiness. Nick is struggling with his past: his entire family vanished. He is convinced his stepmother, Maggie, is to blame for their disappearance. Now he thinks everyone he loves is in danger, and must protect Lulu. She thinks it would be good for him to go back the the house where his family disappeared. But soon after they get there, someone else disappears, uncovering dark secrets from the past.
This is told in dual POV, Lulu in the present, and Maggie, in 1997, who is afraid of her stepson, but who should you believe? I listened to this in audio and found it slow to pick up. I zoned out many times. It had a lot of potential with creepy Nick and childish Lulu who is so blindly in love with him that even as a professional psychologist, she can't see the obvious. But it fell flat. I would definitely be curious to read the physical copy, because I have read another book from her (The Lost Boy) and loved it.
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a review copy of The Stepson thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media.

The Stepson is told from two differing POVs - one from Lulu (in 2019), the bubbly psychotherapist who recently married Nick, a successful, handsome man with a tragic childhood, and the other from Maggie (in 1997), Nick’s stepmother who has her own recollection of the strange man’s past.

Nick’s aversion to therapy and underlying PTSD are starting to get in the way of his relationship with Lulu, so the two return to his childhood home to confront the ghosts of his past. Not the best idea from Lulu - shit starts to go DOWN. And yet, Lulu remains hopelessly and blindly in love with Nick, a clear and obvious sociopath from like, the 4th chapter.

Perhaps I’m naive but shouldn’t a therapist be a little better at reading people? I know that we are not always self-aware or fantastic at taking our own advice but Lulu reaaaaaallllly throws all caution to the wind when it comes to her own interpersonal relationships. I mean, evidence keeps mounting in front of her and she keeps making excuses for this absolute monster of a man.

Overall, The Stepson is fairly predictable. Renshaw does a great job building suspense and setting the scene though, so it’s an enjoyable read, and an even better listen. I really appreciated the conversational Australian and Scottish accents. I knew what was around each and every corner until the prologue, which was the payoff we deserved for getting through Lulu’s bumbling attempts at psychotherapy. I wouldn’t say it was the twist promised on the cover of the book, but it was definitely satisfying.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

Listened to the audiobook.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

This book has a big claim on the cover - “a psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming” …I find it odd that a book would make a bold claim like that and then spell it out for us how it ends.

It was obvious what was happening from the beginning. With the claim on the cover, I expected that there would be a twist - so I waited and waited and then - epilogue. No shocking twist. Even the twist in the epilogue was obvious if you’re paying attention.

Overall this was a good thriller but making a claim like that overhyped this one for me. It was a typical thriller that went down a typical route with a typical ending. Or maybe I read too much - could be either one.

Let’s call it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it was good - even if the cover lied to me.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, Jane Renshaw, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. The narration was excellent. The main character, LuLu, was a bit dense in my opinion and Nick the perfect guy you automatically want to hate but I still enjoyed the book immensely. Few twists here and there that made this book a fast listen. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars from me!

This is my first book by this author and it did not disappoint! I was intrigued from the first chapter. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Maggie, it’s one tough mama. I felt for her the entire time and was rooting her on. Lulu felt a bit daft to me but it could have been just love struck like Duncan was. I love how the author finished everything up in the end so we aren’t left wondering what could happen. The ending was THE BEST! I am in search of more books by this author. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to preview this book, I LOVED IT!!!

#TheStepson #NetGalley

I loved the premise of this book. Unfortunately, most of the characters weren't very lovable and the "mystery" was so obvious early on that I struggled to bother finishing it. I did enjoy the accents on the audiobook though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty good story - but I do wish they had chosen one person for the narration. Multiple narrators tend to drive me nuts :) I prefer one that will deeper/lighten their voice for the different characters.

Overall - 3 stars, partially due to the narration.

What would you do if you found out your whole life was a lie? That everything you thought to be true had been invented by the person closest to you?
The Stepson by Jane Renshaw is everything a thriller should be; untreated mental illness, gaslighting, severe trauma, and
SO
MUCH
MURDER.

Lulu is a psychotherapist and an Australian transplant, recently married to her new husband, Nick. He's not your typical husband, though. Nick is obsessive and has a dark past. His dad, stepmother, and infant sister disappeared one day when he was teen, never to be heard from again. Lulu believes Nick is suffering from PTSD as a result, and she encourages him to go back to his childhood home to make amends with his loss. That is a decision Lulu will live to regret.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I loved that there was a different narrator for each perspective. Sometimes I struggle to keep up with audiobooks, but the voice changing every other chapter made it easy for me to stay focused.

The writing was gripping and kept me wanting to hear more. The characters were well-developed (although I found myself yelling at Lulu a lot), the plot was cleverly woven, and the ending was 🤯😱
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

I was really excited to get approved for this one, and I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook! It was very captivating and kept me hooked.

4.5 stars

Loved it!!!! Loved the story, loved the characters, loved the writing!!

A great mystery about a young man who might or might not be as diabolical as his step mom describes him to be. The story is told from two perspectives, past and present and in the end they both come together nicely.

I also loved the ending. Felt like a great redemption!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this awesome book!!

Lulu is a therapist who uses some unique methods with her patients, but she’s good at what she does. She’s newly married to Nick who lost his mother to an accidental fall down the stairs as a kid. A few years later, his dad remarried and had another baby with Maggie. On a day trip with friends, teen Nick arrives home to find his whole family has vanished without a trace. It looks like they left in a hurry and didn’t want him to come. Some think they’re dead, some think they ran, but why? It’s a mystery and has been covered in true crime documentaries. Nick is convinced Maggie killed his family. Alone, a sad Nick was ushered away to boarding school.

Maggie sings a different tune though. She had her own issues as a youth, but she says Nick is cruel and dangerous. It doesn’t sound like the charming Nick we know now but there are a few red flags like his possessiveness over Lulu and his attitude toward her patients and mental health in general.

Lulu wants to take Nick to his childhood home where it all began to use some of her PTSD junk science to help him heal but is going back to ground zero the best idea? As his past fuses with the present, she’s not sure he was the best stepson.

This was a creepy thrill ride! I liked the dual POVs of present day Lulu and 1997 Maggie. It kept a lot of the suspense up until the story came together in the end. The end was my only issue because it got more and more ridiculous as it arrived there and I started to think they were all kind of stupid. There were new characters that I kept forgetting. Still, the journey was worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audio copy! The narration was great.

This one was unique in the way that you kind of know who the bad guy is from page one. The story is well told from past to present until they collide. It was chilling at times and goosebump inspiring. It was pretty dark at times but overall a decent listen. The narrators were great.

For some reason I did not enjoy the characters in this book. I would have liked to see a stronger female character. The storyline was good however I found the characters lacking.

Okay, wow! Thank you NetGalley! I listened to this audiobook in one day. Jane Renshaw is my new favorite author! At first it was difficult for me to follow along with who was who and what was happening at the beginning. However, this psychological thriller came together brilliantly. I could not turn this book off. The story was suspenseful and mysterious. I was not sure who was the true “villian.”
Two words. The Epilogue. Muah!

The Stepson, by Jane Shaw, was fantastic! I could not stop listening until the audiobook was finished. The story is everything you could want, the writing is top-notch, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
I recommend this one to anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller with plenty of relationship and family dynamics in the mix.
4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book. All opinions are my own.