This is such a hard book for me to review. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's, previous book The Favour and jumped into this one expecting another addictive suspense read. But I didn’t get those vibes until the last 60%. To be honest, I almost gave up at 40% but since other reviews mentioned the action started later, I persevered. Also I was gifted both the audio and digital arcs and did listen to the last 40% in one go.

So what did I struggle with? The pacing was very slow and also very repetitive, but given the subject matter and reading the author notes at the end, kind of softened my view of how I felt. Does that make sense?

The New Mother is the story of Natalie, a professional attorney, highly educated, but this new, living creature named Oliver is now totally dependent on her. He doesn’t sleep so mom doesn't either, he cries all the time and she is at her wits end. Also, Nat believes she is the only one who can take care of Oliver properly, because she read that in a book or two, which then alienates her from family

Then there is Paul the neighbour, who is totally unreliable as a character but as Natalie’s new friend, he is someone she has come to lean on and trust. What follows is a twisty story that would have worked better for me if the last 40% was spread out a bit more and some of the repetitive detail was toned down.

The New Mother is a twisty story with a mystery as well as some serious subject matter for new moms. There should be trigger warnings for some which I won't mention but given the subject matter it should be obvious.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for an early copy in exchange for a honest review.

Natalie and Tyler are both attorneys and have just welcomed their baby boy into their career oriented lives. Natalie is not prepared to care for her colicky son who never sleeps. Tyler offers to help, but Natalie keeps shutting him out, trying to do it all, but being resentful at the same time. Eight weeks pass in a blur and maternity leave is soon over for Natalie. The pressures of returning to work along with no sleep and having to pump every couple of hours has Natalie making mistakes that cause problems at work and has her questioning her own sanity at times at home. Stepping away for a sabbatical, Natalie meets her neighbor, Paul, a stay at home dad, and quickly gravitates to him as he is quite the baby whisperer. Paul has ulterior motives though, plans that could be detrimental to Natalie. Will she catch on before it’s too late? While I empathized with Natalie (I had a colicky baby once upon a time myself), her whining got old after a bit, but my main concern was that no one noticed that she really needed help, even when she refused their offers. The crime seemed like more of an afterthought and I think it would have been better to put more emphasis on that and less of the sleep deprivation that we heard so much about. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 30. 2023
“The New Mother” is Nora Murphy’s second novel (the first being “The Favor”, which I read and loved) and I was thrilled to receive a copy.
Natalie Fanning is an attorney, married to Tyler, who is also a lawyer on the way to becoming a partner in his practice. Now, Natalie has just given birth to their son, Oliver, and it isn’t at all what she expected. Oliver is a difficult baby and she is often up all night, losing patience, sanity and sleep. Natalie is desperate for an escape and she finds one easier than she expected- in her neighbour, Paul, a married stay-at-home Dad. Soon, Natalie is relishing their time together in a purely platonic way. But that’s not what Paul’s wife, Erin, thinks, and vocally says so. So, when Erin is found dead, questions immediately arise and fingers are pointed- it’s usually the husband, but could the sleep-deprived, stressed, new mother next door be hiding dark secrets?
Murphy has another novel to add to the suburban murder genre! “The New Mother” will definitely resonate with mothers (new or not-so-new) but it even appeals to those of us non-procreators! Sure, the first few chapters detailed, ad nauseum, Natalie’s struggles with her newborn son and although I sympathized, I could not relate. But I know, from second-hand experience of friends and family, that motherhood is no joke and Murphy pulls no punches. Her honest depiction is terrifyingly realistic and I loved Murphy’s open honesty. Natalie’s fatigued mind and depressed mood also leads to her budding platonic friendship with Paul, which is where the real story begins.
“Mother” is narrated primarily by Natalie, but we do get to hear from Paul here and there. Right from the beginning, it is obvious who is (and isn’t) responsible, but this is intentional on Murphy’s part, and all that’s left for readers to do is be pulled in to the gripping suspense and follow the ride through to the end!
The beginning of the story was more of a slow burn than I would’ve liked, but it quickly picked up and I couldn’t put it down after that! Murphy is respectful of post-partum depression and psychosis (and shares an author’s note about her own experiences), and also depicts society’s understanding of it in an emotional way, without making the plot preachy. “The New Mother” is satisfying, emotional and suspenseful, and I’m so excited to read more from Murphy down the road!

A friendly neighbor takes a new mom under his wings, but is there a sinister reason behind it? This was a slow burn for me. I had a hard time keeping focus. While I loved the brutal honesty with how hard motherhood can be, I just didn’t love this book. Thank you to NeyGalley for the early release.

Fascinating take on new motherhood, PPD and just how terrifying it can be. Well written, evenly paced and held my interest all the way to the end! Very clever!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for this ARC!

I wanted to like this one so much but it was a cliche from start to finish. I feel like I’ve read it before so it just fell flat. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review .

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) After having her first baby, Natalie realizes just how difficult motherhood is. Even more than that, her baby has colic and nothing seems to help.

Natalie goes through her days half-awake, half-aware of anything going on. Everything revolves around her baby and she’s starting to lose herself, but also her sanity. While on a walk, she meets the neighbor Paul who is instantly able to calm her baby down. Could he be the answer to everything she’s struggling with? After striking up a friendship with Paul, Paul’s wife goes missing. Both Paul and Natalie are suspects. In her sleep-deprived haze she can’t remember certain things and seems very suspicious to the investigators.

This book had a lot going on. Nataie’s new motherhood, her relationship with her husband, her job, her lack of sleep and more. Honestly, the details on new motherhood were too tedious for me, even though they are very accurate. It was hard to live those moments with Natalie when I remember them so well myself.

“Mom. It was the greatest honor. It was homogenizing. It was all-consuming, devouring, crushing.”

I did feel the book gave somewhat a negative expectancy of motherhood. It’s not always so bad, but this book focused on the bad and the judgement of stay-at-home-parents.

The end shabang was underwhelming- I wanted details. The shabang consisted of details before the climax then after. NOT DURING. Well psh, I want the good stuff. I want the reactions and the emotions and the surprise. So while that wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it still had a good ending and I was entertained.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the copy!

The book releases May 30, 2023.

Book about a woman struggling with a new baby and postpartum depression. After having the baby and living in their new house, Natalie can't cope. She's getting no sleep and her husband is not there to support her. She tries going back to work but has to give up as she is too sleep deprived. She befriends a stay-at-home dad who lives a few houses away and he helps her with the baby. But this father has ulterior motives for this friendship. A good page-turner though quite predictable.

Natalie and Tyler just had a baby, Oliver. He is a difficult child who rarely sleeps and constantly wants to be attached to the boob. Natalie feels overwhelmed and sleep deprived. She feels the constant need to follow the advice of all the baby books. She starts forgetting things, losing time, becoming moody, and making poor decisions.

Paul and Erin live in Natalie’s neighborhood. They have a loveless marriage. Paul is a stay at home dad, even though his daughter is 10 and in school all day. Natalie and Paul begin a friendship, or so Natalie thinks. Paul has ulterior motives for befriending this stressed out, sleep deprived mom.

This was a pretty good book! My first by Nora Murphy. There is discussion of postpartum, affairs, and murder. It delved into how women behave and feel differently after having a child, and how feeling isolated is real. This book focuses more on the postpartum aspect, and less on the murder and mystery part. I wouldn’t say this is a thriller at all, more of a contemporary fiction with a splash on suspense. The ending was predictable, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. It won’t be for everyone though.

I loved the author’s note. Nora was vulnerable in telling us that while this isn’t her autobiography, she had postpartum and a difficult time after her first child.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. Being a new mom is hard and can be quite alot for some to adapt to the new way of life. The way the author was able to convey Natalie’s struggles, adaption to motherhood and confusion made this story come to life. Being a mother, I could absolutely see this story happening in real life. Natalie 's struggles with being a new mom is all to real. This was a believable and cautionary tale. I read this book in one setting because it was just that good. Now, I will have to read this authors debut novel. She has a fan now.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. #netgalley

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I love thrillers that keep you turning pages and at the edge of your seat. The New Mother is one many of us moms can relate to. The unreliable narrator trope is also well done here.

Nora Murphy proves once again that she is a master writer of domestic suspense. I was first introduced to her work last year when I reviewed an arc of her debut novel The Favor. It was an adrenaline rush from start to finish and a 5 star read for me. So when the opportunity to review her second book,The New Mother, presented itself, I dove right in.

The New Mother was so intense I couldn’t get through the words fast enough.
I was having heart palpitations and heightened anxiety about what was going to happen next. I wanted to scream and yell at Natalie’s husband, so he’d wake up and see what was happening to his wife and newborn son. But instead her creepy neighbour Paul saw what was happening and took advantage of Natalie in the worst way possible. Paul was a perfect villain. I absolutely loathed him. He preyed on, Natalie, a vulnerable new mom whom was clearly struggling with her new role as a parent. No spoilers as to what he did and why, but trust me, you’ll be shocked!

I really admire how Ms Murphy addresses important issues in her books such as domestic abuse, alcoholism, postpartum depression and psychosis. I could relate to the craziness and fluctuating hormones and lack of sleep that Natalie experienced as a new mother.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Nora Murphy for my electronic arc of the New Mother. It was a 5 ⭐️ read for me.

Publish Date: May 30, 2023

This one wasn't for me. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable, nothing much happened in the first half of the book, there was a little cat and mouse game going on in the second half, and then it ended rather abruptly. Can't recommend this one.

3.5 stars
Natalie and Tyler are new parents and also new to the neighborhood. Natalie is struggling with motherhood. The depression, sleeplessness, breastfeeding, colicky baby, working husband, loneliness and more is catching up to her and leaving her resenting becoming a mother. Enter...Nat's neighbor, Paul. Paul is a stay-at-home dad to a now 10 year old daughter and can sympathize with Nat and even help her out some. Unbeknownst to Nat, Paul is using her for something else entirely.

This was a bleak story. Somewhat relatable as a mother, and it brought me back to those first tough months of having a baby. However, I was hoping for more of a thriller/mystery element than what we got. I felt that part of it was very predictable and was lacking in any suspense. It's a slow burn for sure.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my review.

“I needed to work, I needed to bill…”

“Bring food and don’t stay long.”

These quotes totally describe how I felt when I returned to work after having my oldest. So many descriptions in this book really resonated with me and felt so authentic. It was so relatable. Being a new mom is HARD but it’s even more difficult if there are other components to it. This book does a good job of capturing the less talked about feelings of new motherhood.

I felt bad for Tyler, those helpless feelings he had were so heavy. He was legit clueless about when to do to help Nat. He was trying to be supportive but Nat wasn’t having any of it. Pushing away his support. I felt bad for Nat too feeling isolated, less than, unfulfilled and like a total failure. It was a perfect storm.

This is a like a modern day cautionary tale which just felt so incredibly realistic at its core.

Craziness. Trust no one.

TW: I don’t want to give too much away so check trigger warnings before reading.

4 stars

This was an intriguing and compelling story. It felt realistic, although it wasn’t quite what I had anticipated; I was expecting a lighter thriller, and it sort of was that, but it was definitely more of a dramatic yet believable story of maternal mental health, the social expectations placed on women/mothers, and how easy it could be for a certain type of person to manipulate and exploit the vulnerability of a new mother who’s not getting the support she needs. All in all, it was an interesting read.

After reading Nora Murphy's debut novel, The Favor, I was please to receive an e-ARC of Murphy's new book, The New Mother. Told from multiple points-of-view, this one kept me reading. I enjoyed the twists and turns. While it was a bit predictable, The New Mother was a good read.

I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would mainly because I found the character of Natalie so unlikable. I understand she was supposed to be suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis but it was just chapter after chapter of her complaining. I also felt the book ended somewhat abruptly - it was suddenly the epilogue with no real explanation. It was a decent enough book but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This books was ok. There was nothing wrong with it, technical or story wise, I just couldn't connect. I don't know whether it's because I don't have kids or what. It just didn't do it for me.

I really enjoyed Nora Murphy's THE FAVOR, so I was super excited to receive a copy of THE NEW MOTHER. I think this book was well written and had some good twists and turns. It also tackled some important issues in regards to motherhood. I am a mother of two and I dealt with postpartum depression so I was definitely able to make a connection with this story.

This book was a slow burn but I did find it entertaining and I did enjoy it. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.