Thanks to Minotaur Books for the copy of this ARC!

I really enjoyed Nora's debut, The Favor, last year and am happy to report that her sophomore novel was also great!

While this is classified as a "thriller," I'd say to adjust expectations, it's more contemporary fiction with a slow-burn thriller element, as the first 40% is exclusively a look at a woman's postpartum experience. This hit sooooo close to home in the beginning - watching the ceiling fan with the baby, seeing work as a “break”, the feeling of dread when your partner leaves… whew. I thought that Nora Murphy did an incredible job of writing this - having a new baby is HARD and it's easy to want relief and some extra help and to just be able to depend on a friendly neighbor. Props to her for turning that neighbor nefarious and letting us watch it all play out!

Sometimes I strongly suggest readers go into books blind and sometimes I think expectations should be set so readers can best enjoy the experience. In this case, I think some expectations should be set, mainly that this is more domestic suspense than a thriller. More specifically, it's a walk through the first couples months of motherhood with a side of murder (LOL). If you go in expecting an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you will be disappointed. I know we're supposed to think every cover with a window with a yellow light on is an intense thriller though, we've been conditioned well. (LOL)

While I don't think everyone will be the ideal reader for this one, I think I probably was the target audience and I really enjoyed it. So much of what was written was relatable as a mom of two young children. In some ways, this book may help validate the feelings of new moms, but in some ways it also could be triggering- I fell on the side of validation.

I think this one was pretty on par with The Favor which was Murphy's debut novel and I'll definitely be looking out for what she writes next!

Thanks to St Martin's Press for the ARC! This book will be available for purchase on May 30th!

This book was an interesting one! It was a slow burn mystery and a way to explore how awful the first months of motherhood can be especially if you don't have a support system and you're dealing with PPD. Having had a baby somewhat recently, I struggled hearing how hard everything was for the MC. And that was mostly because it was so realistic. I like how the author combined the mystery part of it as well. I thought the narration was done well. Thank you so much to SMP/Minotaur Books for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

Natalie Fanning has just been released with baby Oliver. Maternity leave is not going as well as she hoped. Her husband is about to return to work, She's ok with that because she feels he is no help anyway. Baby Oliver only wants her. It's pretty clear early on that Natalie is suffering from postpartum depression. She doesn't realize it, and worse, nobody who could be of any help to her notices it.
Unfortunately for Natalie, there is a neighbor who sees the signs. He knows she is vulnerable and he plans to use her for his own nefarious plot. He's no stranger to using women, whether it's to support his lifestyle or to meet his other needs, but his plan for Natalie is much worse than he's done to others.

This is a book that every mom can relate to. Those first few days home from the hospital, the pain, the exhaustion, the fear of making a mistake, the weight of knowing you are entirely responsible for another life, the unsolicited advice. The author paints a realistic picture that brought those memories to life for me. I had a lot of sympathy for Natalie, but not so much for her husband who was too wrapped up in his hurt feelings to notice that his wife needed help until it was almost too late. I think this is a book that will appeal more to those with children than without. It definitely has me nodding and agreeing and feeling seen. Loads of suspense made this a fun read.


My thanks to Minotaur Books

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 8 | Writing: 7 | Plot: 8 | Intrigue: 8 | Logic: 7 | Enjoyment: 7
Total: 7.43/4 Stars

I don't think I've been this stressed out by a book in a long time, especially not a domestic thriller. The thing with this book is that it doesn't rely on twists, or even an unreliable narrator- it relies on hope that someone will realize this mother needs help.
It's always hard to review these novels without spoiling, so I won't get too into the plot here, but it was pretty good. The descriptions of the struggles with new motherhood felt realistic and the atmosphere was written fantastically. However, the characters? Were not. I've never wanted to punch a new dad in the face before, but this book changed that. I felt no love towards Natalie's husband, and in fact, frequently wished at least something would happen to him.
And, the quick and tidy wrap up at the end takes a full star from this book. You're in the weeds with this one and suddenly- it's over. Epilogue. Everything is resolved and fine.
I'm sorry, what? That felt rushed and ridiculous.
Everything apart from those two things was great, but really and unfortunately, those two things are important to the plot.

I received an ARC via NetGalley for review*

Motherhood is rough. Bringing home a new baby and watching your husband ride off into the sunset to work like nothing has changed, while you sit at home with no adult-contact and a fussy baby could drive anyone mad.

Meet: Natalie. She’s a hard working lawyer whose life just turned upside down. She’s type A, and so in love with her son, she’d do anything for his happiness. Including putting herself on the back burner.

Enter: bright and cheerful neighbor Paul. Seemingly the answer to all Natalie’s problems. He’s great with her baby, and such a great listener. But what exactly are his intentions?

While the beginning of the book had me immediately on Team Natalie, the middle of the book draaaaagged. It took me days to get through. However, once my kindle said 50%, I finished the book in one sitting.

Deliciously f*cked up, and an absolute page-turner toward the end.

Maybe just don’t read it while you’re on maternity leave 😉

This book was too much of a slow burn for me, I DNF’d it in the second part and couldnt pick it back up again.

At its core, this is a story about motherhood and postpartum depression/ psychosis. While I am not a mom myself, I found the perspective quite interesting though extremely detailed and at times, repetitive. Also, the mystery itself did not play a part until well into the second half of the book and the marketing misled me, especially after reading The Favor. If you plan to pick this up, I really enjoyed the dual audio narration and thought both narrators did a great job portraying all the emotions as well as building some suspense.

Read if you like:
-Domestic suspense
-Stories about motherhood
-Small town setting

Thank you SMP and Macmillan Audio for the ARC/ALC. Pub date: 5/30/23

What a great thriller! Natalie is a new mom in a new home and neighborhood who is on the brink of her breaking point with her baby. Sleep and food deprived, Paul approaches Natalie with help and advice and friendship. Paul then plays to Nats vulnerability to set her up for the murder of his wife. I thought this was a great story with a quick pace and could relate to having been a new mom and the emotions that go along with it.

I think this book mistakenly was categorized as mystery/thriller. The mystery element not happening until way past the second part of the book, which is super misleading. The book did a great job describing postpartum depression, difficulties of new motherhood and its struggle.

This is a great portrayal of motherhood and the struggles that sometimes accompany the post partum transition, including depression and psychosis. This story follows Natalie and family and her new neighbors, in her lovely suburban cu de sac. Events begin to make her question her reality and her neighbors. This was gripping and really disturbing! It kept the readers interest, throughout and I highly recommend this book. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and St Martins press/ Minotaur for the Arc in exchange for my fair and honest review..

DNF. So much emphasis on being a new mother, which the title is aptly named but still. I just couldn't get into the story.

3.5 stars rounded down. This story is somewhat mismarketed as a "thriller." Although it has a thriller component, that does not really become relevant until over halfway through the story. The majority of this story is about a new mother who is portrayed as the stereotypical unreliable narrator. While I believe the author was trying to depict the struggles of postpartum life, and the toll it can take on one's mental health. Some of the maternal experience was written in quite a detailed manner, which was a bit much for me at times.

This book stirred up all kinds of emotions within me. I struggled to connect with the new mother, Natalie. Once I realized what was happening, I reminded myself that it is something many women go through and I was able to move forward with an open mind. There were all kinds of dark, depressing moments as she struggled to do what she felt needed to be done.

The neighbor, Paul, kept me on pins and needles. I never knew what he was going to do or what his plan was. I wanted to like him. I wanted him to be a hero. I needed someone in this book to be a hero. One did eventually show up much to my relief.

This has a huge build up and when things are just about to be revealed it cuts off and we are fast forwarded to life in the aftermath of it all. I felt a bit cheated that I didn’t get to see it all unfold. Natalie’s story was exhausting, which is a testament to this author’s writing, and the ending, while a bit whitewashed, was satisfying enough. Be sure to read the author’s note as it shines so much light on this story and this topic.

After I read Murphy’s debut The Favor, I knew I wanted to read her next one.
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Natalie and her husband Tyler are new to the neighborhood. She has a baby, Oliver. As an exhausted mother she is having a hard time adjusting to motherhood. Oliver is colicky. Natalie is trying to adjust from working full time to motherhood after taking a sabbatical. Tyler tries to be there and help Natalie but she won’t let him. She feels like she is loosing her mind.
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One day meets a neighbor Paul, who has a daughter and they share stories and he is very helpful with Natalie. He seems to understand and commiserates with her.
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Paul’s wife is not thrilled about their friendship and warns Natalie to stay away from her husband. Soon she is missing!!! Paul goes to the police but he has his ulterior motives.
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Motherhood does not come easy to everyone and it’s important to have a great support system. As a mom, I remember those sleepless nights. The author note is a MUST read.
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Thank you Netgalley, Minotaur books, MacMillian Audio and author Nora Murphy for these advanced copies. This novel kept me engaged the entire time.

This novel is due out May 30, 2023.

#minotaur, #stamperlady50, #noramurphy, #thenewmother, #netgalley, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram

I probably should have passed on this one knowing the premise of the book, but I really liked the author's first book The Favor. The title says it all and as a childless woman (by choice), I couldn't relate to or really care about all the issues that come with being a new mother. Although thankfully this book didn't have as many references and descriptions of breastfeeding like another book I read recently.

Overall, I guess it was a psychological thriller, it just took a long time to get there. It was pretty predictable and paints an interesting, albeit scary, picture of what it's like for a woman after she has a baby.

I tried really hard to get into this book, but I couldn’t do it. The early chapters of the new mother obsessing over every infant movement was too much. With a protagonist that I dislike, I have no interest in what happens to them. Not the thriller I was hoping for.

A new mom struggling to adjust befriends a man in the neighborhood who uses her extreme vulnerability to his advantage (queue the murder!!) The descriptions of postpartum issues/life with a newborn were so painfully accurate that it kinda stressed me out while reading. A unique spin on the traditional domestic thriller.

I really struggled with this book. While i think it really grasped motherhood and new motherhood so well and authentically, it failed to really grasp my attention. I didn’t find it particularly thrilling and i wanted to move past the redundancy of the motherhood aspect. I wanted more.

I did like the neighbors chapters. I think he was creepy.

This was a slow burn but a pretty good story. New mom Nat moves into a new neighbor and becomes friends with her neighbor Paul, who is a stay at home dad. Paul is a lifeline for her as she struggles with a her difficult baby, but Paul has an ulterior motive for befriending her that becomes more apparent as the story continues.

While the book does a good job as showing what those first few months of motherhood are like, I felt really sad that Natalie was clearly struggling with post pardum depression and no one around her even noticed. She also kept feeding that baby to calm him down and I was like “nooooooo”. Beyond that, I like the cat and mouse game that she and Paul were playing before all was said and done, and thought the ending of the book was enjoyable.

Overall, decent read that I liked ok, but didn’t love. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.