Member Reviews
Everyone knows that “perfect” mom on social media. The one that makes you feel guilty for feeding your kid chicken nuggets and box mac & cheese. The one that makes you feel less than because your house isn’t as big or clean and your car isn’t as new or fancy. The one that makes you feel inadequate because your house looks less magazine worthy and more “we were playing Jumanji”.
This book is about that perfect mom and how imperfect she really is. And the mom envying it all and how imperfect her life really is also. Because motherhood is hard and messy, there’s no such thing as a perfect mom - and the moms in this book are REALLY struggling.
I was engaged from the start. There’s a little mystery, a lot of anxiety and a handful of subtle twists to keep you guessing. It is an easy, fast-paced read and I really enjoyed it.
Andrea- recently moved into the neighbourhood with her husband, Terry and her son, Jack. They were all forced to move after Terry made a mess of things, putting all of them in danger and running their finances to the ground. Now they live in this new neighbourhood, a second child on the way, trying to make ends meet.
Gabby- she doesn’t have a social life and doesn’t do much, her whole world revolves around her son, so she’s excited when Andrea, another mother, moves in across the road from her.
Both Andrea and Gabby have secrets. So who’s going to pay the price?
Wow!!! I loved this from the first page. There were so many twists and so much suspense. It definitely ticks all the boxes of a psychological thriller. I really liked the authors writing style. The way it was written, how the storyline developed and unravelled was really impressive. That stood out to me. And that ending!! Wow! Twists within twists, how cool is that? Overall, I really enjoyed this! So much so that I stayed up until 4am finishing it despite having to get up not even hours later. I highly recommend this
A great fast paced thriller! Couldn’t put it down and read it one sitting. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!
Having read a few other books by this author I was very excited to see what this one would be about. This book was just like all of the others in the way that Nicola managed to pull me in and leaving me wondering what was going to happen. I love that about all her books and this one especially had me questioning everything. The book starts off with a bang and from then on, I was left fully immersed in the story but especially the characters. The book starts off with a woman (Andrea) getting a strange phone call telling her to take down the missing child poster because the child in it is her son and he isn’t missing. Well right from there I knew that this was a book that would leave me up at night and I had to figure out what was going on. I really liked how the book was told through two different points of view Andreas and Gabby’s. It gave the reader more background information on our characters that you wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. The characters were very interesting, and I just had to see what they were hiding. I found with this book I either loved the characters or I loved to hate them there was none that I disliked how they were written, and it was a nice change. There were so many twists in this book that I couldn’t put it down and I had to see if what I was thinking was right (however it was normally wrong, in a good way). The ending was the best part. I was thrown for such a look that I never could have see it coming! Great read for anyone that enjoys a good thriller. I cannot wait until this book is released and I can recommend it to everyone I know. I’m so glad that I got the chance to check it out. If you haven’t read anything by Nicola Trope then I highly suggest starting now and this one is a good place to start a long time addiction.
Another great psychological thriller by Nicole Trope! The book is narrated through two POVs—Andrea, who is a young pregnant mother who moves to a new neighborhood with a young toddler, and Gabby, the woman across the street who is very into posting on social media, especially about her teenaged son, Flynn. Both women are hiding secrets about troubled aspects of their personal lives, which slowly are revealed over the course of the novel. Andrea is in a bit of a bind because of how close she is to her due date and because of troubles in her marriage and so she is forced to rely on Gabby for babysitting even though she doesn’t really know her. Then something terrible happens involving Flynn, and things quickly spiral out of control. I love books with unreliable narrators so this was a really fun one to read with lots of twists as we reached the second part of the novel. It was a short, fast-paced read that kept me guessing. I really liked the twists in the epilogues. 5/5 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley for review purposes.
And once again Nicole Trope does it again. She had me staying up until I couldn't keep my eyes open to finish this book. Nicole has a special way of keeping her readers fully engaged in her work. This twists and turns in this novel were just enough to have you guessing and thinking you know what is going on, but as always we are never right in our guesses but we damn sure think we are. I love anything this women writes and cant wait for the next gripping novel she is going to produce. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone.
I give this book 5 stars amazing job and cant wait for the next novel to be released.
Jessica
My third novel by this author and the best one yet! This psychological thriller kept me up way past bedtime!
A missing child, pregnant mom, troubled dad and strange neighbor kept my interest.
Andrea Gates and her husband move to a new neighborhood to get away from their past. Turns out her husbands past could be catching up to them. Their elderly neighbor and Andrea find a common denominator in their loneliness. The elderly neighbor watches Andreas young son to give her a break.
One day they both come up missing. This novel is a page turner.
Thank you @netgalley, @bookouture and author Nichole Trope for this advanced copy!
This novel is available January 3, 2023.
#netgalley, #bookouture, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50
Everybody has secrets. Andrea has come down in the world thanks to her husband's weakness but thinks she has found a friend in Gabby but has Gabby got her own agenda? A twisty tale told from both ladies' bt are they both telling the truth.? I enjoyed it even though I guessed one of the twists early on.
WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!! I was so happy to receive an ARC of the latest book from Nicole Trope who is one of my favorite authors and it did not disappoint. The twists and turns kept me guessing and her excellent writing style kept me reading late into the night. This was a rollercoaster ride with a mind-blowing ending I did not see coming.
The Stay-at-Home Mother uses a familiar plot line - how much do we really know our neighbours? The writing is compelling and the plot quite intriguing, which of course mean that I sped through the book in under a day. I absolutely loved the depth of the writing and the build up of the story line, but was slightly disappointed with the ending.
I flew through this book mainly due to a good plot and that I had a ‘snow day’ so I was able to do nothing but cosy up with this book.
Each chapter tells of Gabby and Andrea, two women who appear to have very different lives. Gabby is a complex character who wants the perfect life after being treated so appallingly by her mother. Gabby has a history of stealing as this gives her control. She wants to be liked and loved and will do anything to achieve this. Andrea moves in the house opposite Gabby after being forced to move out of her home with her husband after he loses everything to gambling debts. With a toddler and heavily pregnant Andrea is vulnerable so when Gabby befriends her she is lured into her neighbours life with traumatic consequences.
This story has some surprising twists and had be hooked from the first page, which is what I love when starting a new book.
My thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for the ARC.
Twist and turns makes The Stay-at-Home Mother an engaging read! The novel focuses on Andrea, who is mother to a 3 year old boy, but also 8 months pregnant with her second child. She is forced to move into a new house due to her husbands actions and is unhappy, stressed and exhausted. She meets her neighbor Gabby, who has a 16 year old son and runs a Facebook page where she posts about her picture perfect life, but with cracks starting to show. Then Andrea’s son disappears and nothing is as it seems.
The novel is told from both Andrea and Gabby POV so we as readers can start to see how unreliable Gabby is as a narrator. I enjoyed reading about the way social media plays such a huge role in Gabby’s life. You can be anyone you want on social media and the picture posted is carefully curated to support that ideal. This is a fast, fun read with a twist at the end that had me going back to reread the last chapter!
This is the 2nd book I’ve read this week by Nicole Trope and once again, she has us guessing till the end. Andrea who is pregnant with her 2nd child and is mom to Jack. She lives across the street from Gemma who has her own set of “issues”. They become good friends but lots of secrets come out! A nice twist at the end brings it altogether! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published January 2023.
3.75 stars
This is my first book by Nicole Trope and I am glad I gave it a try. This book is an easy read by an unreliable narrator told in third person. It started off slow and then quickly picked up and I had to know what was going to happen next.
Andrea is pregnant. She has moved into a new house with her husband and son for a fresh start. Andrea doesn't think her husband is being entirely truthful with her, leading her to lean onto her new neighbor, Gabby. Gabby is an interesting character. You aren't able to put your finger on what she is hiding and Andrea also doesn't want to let her own secret spill.
Gabby's son Flynn, is always out with his friends and Gabby is often alone. She sees that Andrea is having a difficult time, and her husband is gone working. She invites Andrea and her three year old Jack over to her help her relax at the end stages of her pregnancy. After all, that is what good neighbors do right?
I was not the biggest fan of Andrea, but I started to have a change of heart for her. She was in denial, but I think that is what makes her relatable. How many of us give second chances, third chances. Not everyone deserves a second chance though.
I thought that the ending was happening so quickly, and then there is a twist that made my mouth drop! That ending made the entire book in my opinion. I don't think people will see that coming, and will have the same reaction as I did.
I will be reading more books from Nicole Trope! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. (My review is also posted to good reads.)
This was a fairly quick read and I found myself wanting to learn more about the characters and their stories because straight away, there’s so much background information that you’re trying to figure out. I wish we knew more about that from the get-go. Lots of twists and turns so buckle up. Thanks netgalley!
The one thing that separates a Nicole Trope book from any other fabulous book is the ending! The book has enough suspense and drama to keep you guessing, the writing is great, the characters all have a back story and you get to the end and you think - brilliant, what a good read! And then you get to the epilogue! And it’s WTAF!! This isn’t a twist you don’t see coming - this is a twist that makes the entire book you have just read something else entirely! Every book I have read by Trope have had the exact WOW moment and this one was just as mind blowing as the others! Another firm favourite of mine!! Get it on your shelf!!
I received this arc through net galley and the publisher.
When Andrea has to move house due to a problem with her husband, little does she know the issues she will face when she meets her new neighbour gabby.
A fast paced story which I raced through
4 stars
Really enjoyed this, got straight into it from page one and if never let up! Lots of red herrings which I love!
This was my first Nicole Trope read and my mom has been raving about her books so I knew I had to give this one a try.
It was very slow paced and took me quite a while to gain interest but about halfway through the twists started coming and I started wanting to pick it up and read more frequently.
The ending had a good twist but it wasn’t totally unexpected. Overall this was a good read, I just personally prefer more fast paced.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc 🙂
How well do you really know your neighbors?
Everyone has secrets, and the life splashed across social media may not accurately reflect reality.
Andrea is heavily pregnant with her second child. Moving to a house she detests, in a neighborhood where she knows no one, and all while keeping up with her active three-year-old son is taking its toll. Making things worse, Andrea doesn’t trust her husband is turning over the new leaf he’s sworn to her that he has.
Across the street, chic Gabby seems to have it all together. Stylish clothes, a perfect house, a handsome teenage son and recognition as a provider of sound parenting advice to her Facebook friends. When she sees Andrea struggling, she is kind and welcomes her to the neighborhood. But Gabby is also hiding secrets.
I enjoyed this Australia-based story, told over a few weeks and through the alternating perspectives of Andrea and Gabby. The writing and pacing were good, and I enjoyed the layers as we discovered the two women’s backstories and the secrets they were intent on keeping from others. An enjoyable, quick-paced read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.