The New Mother by Nora Murphy

Natalie Fanning is a new mom and she is struggling. Between her colicky baby and potentially giving up her law career while her husband makes partner, she feels lonely and resentful. When her new neighbor Paul who is a stay at home dad enters into her life, he seems to have a way of making her feel at ease and also has the magic touch to calm her baby. But what does Paul want? Is he really as nice as he seems? Natalie knows something doesn’t feel right but she doesn’t know what.

I have never been a mother (unless you count my two doggos) and maybe that’s why I was so detached from the first half of the book. I found it very repetitive. The book is broken up into four parts – the first three are about Natalie and her struggles but the last part is about Paul but we don’t get as much background on him as I would’ve preferred. Overall, this one doesn’t feel so much as a suspense/thriller but rather mostly about Natalie’s struggles with post partem depression.

The New Mother, by Nora Murphy, is a slow-burn thriller that focuses primarily on the difficult transition to motherhood, the hardships during the postpartum period, as well as the disillusionment, despair and even dissatisfaction that new mothers often face. This story is slow-building and rather repetitive, and yet the author does an excellent job building an impending sense of doom

Natalie Fanning is new mother who is utterly exhausted and struggling to manage her baby. She’s bitter about relinquishing her career and resentful towards her husband who has gone back to work and has received a promotion. Natalie has a misguided sense of motherhood and it’s obligations and as a result she is whiny, self-sabotaging and repeatedly makes poor choices, even when other options are available. Her antipathy towards her husband is hard to swallow when he is clearly trying and she simply won’t let him in.

When her neighbor, Paul, insinuates himself into her life, he not only shows compassion, but buoys her confidence, and provides much needed relief. He quickly becomes her friend and a savior, of sorts. But what begins as help from a kind neighbor, soon becomes twisted into something darker and far more threatening.

Admittedly, this novel employs one of the tropes I do not like at all in thrillers, but the author definitely creates a chilling atmosphere, despite the whiny, unreasonably frustrating characters and somewhat tedious nature of the topic. The final 20% of the story were far more interesting to me, and the conclusion, though it came rather quickly, was satisfying and important.

The New Mother definitely had it’s merits, but it was a bit of a slog for me to get through and I found myself more aggravated than intrigued, at least until the final scenes. I know others have enjoyed this story and I’m so glad. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

The New Mother by Nora Murphy is a solid 4 star read for me. Natalie, a new mother, is not adjusting to the change well. When her new neighbor Paul steps in, she feels a bit more hopeful. He’s a whiz with babies and seems to add a bit of balance to her world. It seems an unlikely friendship, and maybe, it is!

This is a bit of a slow burn to start but it’s worth sticking around for. Murphy’s rep of PPD feels spot on to me, the isolation and constant fear/anxiety that comes with new motherhood. Fantastic plot and characters, highly recommend.

My thanks to @MinotaurBooks for this DRC.

This book was a little hard for me to “get into”, but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down. This poor new mother—-bless her heart! I don’t want to give away any surprises, but Natalie definitely had challenges and more

Thank you for the ARC. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to more from this author.

This book was not really what I expected. There wasn't much mystery and it did not seem like a thriller. It dealt a lot with being a new mother and postpartum depression. It wasn't something I could relate to. I'm sure others will love this book however, and I would definitely still hand sell it at my bookstore if someone is interested in it. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I got about halfway through and I was done. It was too much involved around her post partum stuff and just too repetitive and boring.

So, so good! Dealing with postpartum depression, Natalie made some crazy decisions and at times I found myself getting annoyed with her and her martyr like behavior but I’m so glad I read to the end because the Author’s Note is important here…

I love stories about the sinister side of neighborhoods and the people in them and I couldn’t have been more enthralled with this one, staying up late because I couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a slow burn thriller.

THE NEW MOTHER by Nora Murphy

If you like a slow burn domestic thriller, add this to your list. Natalie, a new mom struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety, finds a friend in her new neighbor/stay-at-home-dad, Paul. Paul seems to be the perfect daytime companion— he listens to Nat and can get her colicky baby to sleep in his relaxed arms. Told from Nat’s and Paul’s POVs, you’ll see their friendship has a use for Paul. But what’s his plan?

The struggles of new parenthood are accurate. I felt for Natalie battling with depression and psychosis and just wanted her to get help. But as in reality, there’s a stigma around depression and Nat feels constantly like a failure. Thank you, Nora Murphy, for adding resources at the end of the book and sharing your own story. I hope more will normalize this topic and encourage people to get help when necessary.

I liked the cat-mouse aspect of this thriller, but it was slow first half. I couldn’t put down the last half. Overall, good book & recommend it to anyone that likes the cat-mouse hunt!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thanks @netgalley and @minotaur_books for this eARC! Available now!

A postpartum depressive journey through what is set up to be a murder in the neighborhood, and I am 1/3 of the way into the book and cannot go on. The descriptions of these characters is like trudging through quicksand- they are negative, nasty and I simply don’t care about them or the plot enough to go on. The writing itself if worthy, but that’s all I can say about this book.

This story really hits deep if you are a mother. It really touches on sensitive topics regarding postpartum. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me.

This s is more of a domestic drama than a thriller. There is no mystery to solve, but you do wonder throughout who will take the fall for the crime. The main character is a new mother. One who is struggling with her new role (and life) and is probably dealing with some depression as well. One problem I had is that she is not very likeable...and therefore did not garner much sympathy from me. Not a bad plot, but I did not feel a connection that may have made it a better read for me. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Book Review: "The New Mother" by Nora Murphy 📚✨

Natalie Fanning, a new mom in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, faces the daunting challenges of isolation and exhaustion. But when her neighbour Paul enters the picture, offering solace and support, things take a dark turn. As Nat becomes entangled in Paul's sinister plan, will she uncover the truth before it's too late?

This book instantly hooked me with its relatable portrayal of postpartum depression, drawing me deeper into Nat's world. While the suspense kept me engaged, I felt that the story could have been more concise. The pacing occasionally dragged, stretching the tension longer than necessary.

Overall, "The New Mother" was a three-star read for me. Its depiction of the main character's struggles resonated, but the length and pacing held it back. Nonetheless, it provided a sympathetic and bone-chilling take on motherhood in suburbia.

Special thanks to the author and publisher for providing an advanced reading copy! 📚💙

#TheNewMother #NoraMurphy #BookReview #PostPartumDepression

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an eARC of Nora Murphy's novel, The New Mother.

I feel like this book had twists and turns right from the beginning. My heart went out to Natalie and the difficulties she had in the beginning of motherhood. Finding someone who seems to be on your side when you're feeling isolated, lonely and sad must feel so hopeful, only to find that you're the pawn in someone else's awful plan.

I so very much enjoyed reading this novel, I've never been a mother, but it's easy to see how lonely it can be to be a new mother and this was such a good depiction of the possibilities.

This riveting thriller takes place in a tranquil neighborhood with secrets tightly concealed behind doors. Natalie is an overwhelmed new mother with a colicky baby. Paul is a stay at home dad who befriends Natalie to help her feel less alone. Is this friendship too good to be true? What about their spouses? When Paul’s wife goes missing, neighbors start talking & the race is on to find out what happened to her and who was involved. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Oh this was such an interesting book! It has me pulled in early and I was very engaged the entire time I was reading this one.

This is the author's second book. I read and enjoyed the last one. THE FAVOR. I think it was much better but still this one was ok. The problem is it was just ok.

It's about Natalie and her neighbor Paul. Told from each's pov.

Natalie is a new mother and all that entails. She's suffering from sleep deprivation and postparturm depression. It's told in four parts and the first half is pretty monotonous. At least it was for me. Very repetitive and somewhat boring.

It ended to fast and seemed to just end. Some things were still unclear for me and I did not like any of the characters. They were just not easy to relate too.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

Was really excited for this one as it was supposed to be a chilling mystery and thriller. I wasn't though. It was a domestic drama and while I really did understand the postpartum depression, the book just wasn't what I thought it would be. The hard parts of motherhood and PPD are definitely a major point of the book, and I was ok with that as a mother myself, but again--where was the actual thriller/mystery? I think maybe if the murder hadn't been overshadowed by soooo much description of the hard parts of motherhood/breastfeeding this could have been a winner.

Thank you Netgalley, St-Martin’s Press and the author Nora Murphy.
Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be. Neighbor Paul comes to the rescue or so we are led to believe.
The new Mother is a very good read, suspenseful, and brought back memories of when I was a new mother and all the challenges that came with it.
Fast paced, good read
Recommend. 4 Stars

Natalie and Tyler have found that perfect house in the perfect neighborhood to raise their newborn son, Oliver. But when Natalie finds herself in a daze after giving birth, struggling to stay awake and raise a colicky baby, she finds solace in her kind neighbor Paul. Paul, a stay at home dad, understands. But when Paul suddenly begins to treat Natalie as a nuisance, she can’t understand why. Natalie tries to navigate raising a newborn and maintaining a friendship, but at what cost?