This was a really dark and interesting read. I feel likethe plot of this one takes a backseat as you experience the thorough description of the inner struggles of postpartum. I have not yet become a mother so I cannot relate to these experiences but they seemed really well detailed and researched. Murphy captures the physical, emotional and mental struggles descriptively. Because of this groundwork, the actual plot doesn't start until 50% in and is a bit lackluster.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced arc!

Natalie and Tyler are excited about their new baby, but after Oliver is born, he is colicky and Natalie has a difficult time. Reading it, I immediately recognized post-partum depression and psychosis, but none of her family or friends seemed to understand that she was suffering, not even her doctor friend!
This allowed a neighbor, Paul, to worm his way into her life, and frame her for the murder of his wife. He is sneaky and takes advantage of Nat's weakness.
I liked how the book ended, but I was exhausted by all the craziness that Natalie was experiencing, and how she refused help or using formula.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As the title suggests, the story revolves around new mom, Natalie. Her and her husband Tyler have just purchased a new home, she has taken a sabbatical from work to stay home with baby Oliver and she is struggling. She doesn't sleep, she feels as if she is constantly breast-feeding and she's just trying to find a new norm when she befriends neighbor Paul. A stay at home dad, he seems to know just what do to quiet the baby and he understands her. But when Pauls wife goes missing, Natalie begins to question everything.

I am not sure I have ever read a book that gave me so much anxiety. As someone who suffered from postpartum depression, there were moments I couldn't breathe reading this. Yet, I still kept coming back for more. While I wouldn't necessarily consider this a thriller, it definitely affected me. The main focus is much more on postpartum than the mystery surrounding the missing woman. It is definitely a slow burn and not twisty and full of thrills, if you are good with that, then I would highly recommend it!

I read this while also reading a very similar book, which had be lowkey confused for some time. The other book was almost a better version of this one, but I’m not sure if I’d think that if I had read it at a different time. Either way, what I’m certain of is that this MC was hard to root for. The book addresses post-partum psychosis (a real thing) but also had other unreliable characters that made it feel kind of chaotic.

3.5 ⭐️’s

I feel like I need to stop reading books where authors make motherhood sound awful lol

The writing was fine and super easy to read, but there’s so many books out there like this. The story just screams “let’s take advantage of new mothers!!”

Thank you Minotaur for my ARC!!

With a fussy new baby, a career put on hold, and a new neighborhood where she knows nobody, Natalie is really struggling. Her neighbor, Paul, seems too good to be true. A stay-at-home dad/writer, Paul has all the time in the world and a knack for soothing babies. Natalie soon finds herself spending hours with Paul, confiding in him while he holds Oliver.

At the same time, she is increasingly worried about her forgetfulness and her husband's seemingly obliviousness to how sleep-deprived and anxious she is. When Paul's wife is inexplicably hostile and then disappears, Natalie's fragile new reality crumbles around her. When Paul's wife is found dead, Natalie does not immediately realize suspicion is focused on her.

Thrilling, page-turning suspense that is all-too-relatable to many parents of extremely fussy babies. #TheNewMother #NetGalley

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review this book. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

This book was just ok to me. Not super exciting or thrilling. It was more like a story of PPD. The ending was a little surprise but it was just dragged out drama… not a true THRILLER.

However, it was a quick read.

Thanks again Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This book was hard to read. Make sure you check out the TW! I felt so bad for Natalie and how much she struggled with her new baby. When Paul came along, he seemed like a lifeline for her. But nope…Paul has ulterior motives. This was more mystery than thriller. Most of the story dealt with the difficulties Natalie was facing as a new mother. That part of the story did drag on a little. The last 1/4 of the story really ramped up. Thanks to NetGalley and Minatour books for my ARC.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

The New Mother is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The New Mother asap.

Tough to read with the intense scenes of depression and post Partum. This was just too slow of a burn for me

The New Mother follows Natalie, who just gave birth to her sweet son, Oliver. As her husband transitions back to work, Natalie is left to figure out feedings, diaper changes, and functioning with a lack of sleep. All of it seems impossible, until her neighbor Paul, offers his listening ear and support. His friendship seems like the only thing Natalie can count on. But is it sincere?

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel!

I think the phone it in Canva Cover was accurate for the overall quality and experience of this book.

I wish I could come at this with a better review, but I had to DNF this one. I had heard fantastic things about her first book, The Favor, and was really excited to read The New Mother. Sadly, it was not for me.

First, I'll start out by saying, I will absolutely check out her first book and anything she writes in the future. This book simply did not resonate with me. I'm not a mother, nor do I have plans to become one, so I could not relate to Nat's character. I know others have really enjoyed this book, and I was not the right demographic for it.

Second, this is more of a drama, than a thriller. At least by that point, I had put it down to around 46%. I've heard that there's a great twist further into the book, but I couldn't get there.

I will say, I did feel for Nat's character and all that she was going through.

Anyways, not for me, but others have loved it.
Thank you Minotaur Books and St. Martins Press for providing me with the ARC and the opportunity to provide my honest review.

'It wasn't the sort of neighborhood for murder.' That was the tag line in the promos I had seen for this book, and it was also at the beginning of the book. So of course, that line drew me in and made me want to know more.

As Natalie tries to settle in as a new mother with a colicky, demanding baby, the nice stay-at-home father who just lives down the street comes to her rescue and seems to be her lifeline to sanity. Motherhood is hard and to have someone to lean on is a god-send. As she comes to depend on him more and more, things take a turn, and maybe their friendship isn't what she thought it was.

The New Mother was intense as I tried to figure out who was going to die, and how it was going to go down. I kept setting up scenarios for a murder and then I would be wrong. The ending was very satisfying and the last sentence? Wow, just wow! Is she serious?

This book was not what I was expecting. It was a psychological thriller, which I enjoy, however, it dealt a lot with new motherhood and postpartum depression. That was so much of the story that I took away some of the thriller aspects of it.

This was not a book for me but it was well written and I am sure will be enjoyed by many others.

“The New Mother” is for you if you’re wanting a slow-burn domestic suspense novel with tinges of psychological thriller and crime fiction. It is NOT for you if any postpartum/motherhood issues are triggering.

“The New Mother” is about …. you guessed it, a new mother! 🥁 Natalie was a rising star at a Baltimore law firm when she had baby Oliver, who’s extremely fussy. While her career is on hold, her husband’s is taking off — and he has no idea what Natalie is going through. Then Natalie meets Paul, a stay at home dad in the neighborhood, who seems to just get what she’s going through. But what does Paul want in return?

I found myself super entertained and engaged by this one. The first half of the book, you’re pretty much stuck inside Natalie’s head, but I found it darkly riveting. The second half, this book becomes a little more crime fiction-y. It’s a good mashup of genres, a quick read, and I thought the writing was fantastic. I haven’t read the author’s debut “The Favor,” but I know it was a very popular book, and I’ve added it to my list.

loved this romance and her trying to find love and finding herself. loved the friends and and the romance. I would read this author again. I really enjoyed the pacing and how the story and the character worked things out.

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.