What a fantastic psychological thriller! Trope is a fave of mine and I love everything she writes! She’s a queen of twists and turns. The ones in this book made me dizzy!

Nicole Trope has become one of my favorite psych thriller authors, and The Stay-at-Home Mother is the perfect example of why she is so good.

In a nutshell, whatever story she is telling is really only partial. It’s enough on its own, but if you’ve read her books, you know there is always another shoe to drop somewhere along the way (usually toward the end).

In this case, Gabby is the stay-at-home mother in question. She has an online following that commiserates with her over her troubles with her teenage son.

When Andrea (very pregnant), her husband Terry, and their 3-year-old son Jack move in across the street, Gabby can’t help but offer assistance to a frazzled Andrea. And Andrea is all too willing to rely on this virtual stranger who seems like the perfect lifeline.

However, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is…not true.

Not only does Andrea have pregnancy fog, but her husband’s “issue” rears its ugly head at the same time as everything else comes to a climax. It’s really a perfect storm of distraction.

I don’t want to give anything away because, like any good psych thriller, the fun is in realizing what is actually occurring without any spoilers to wreck the enjoyment of the plot.

But I will say that even if you think you have it all figured out (which I did a few times) – there is still more that you will not guess.

And that is why The Stay-at-Home Mother is a quintessential psych thriller. Nicole Trope has cemented herself as an absolute go-to for a jaw-dropping read.

Another great psychological thriller by this author whose books never disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple character viewpoints and didn’t know where it was going to go. This book was fun, fast paced and easy to read. I loved it!

Nicole Trope pulled out all of the stops when she presents her latest psychological thriller. We have two principal characters, Andy and Gabby. Andy is married to Tom and they have a three-year-old son and she is also pregnant with their second child. Gabby lives across the street from them and is the mom to a teenage boy. In fact, Gabby is a social media influencer and most of her time is spent keeping up her posts on social media. However, at some point Andy and Gabby meet and before long Gabby is the perfect stand-in for whenever Andy needs help with her son.

With this thrilling story being alternately narrated by Andy and Gabby, Andy is navigating a difficult situation with a change of circumstances after she and her husband moved into a house that could stand some major updates. Along with that, she finds herself utterly drained and feeling like her life is out of control. Meanwhile, Gabby‘s problems relate to her feeling like her life isn’t going in the direction that she wants. In fact, she starts to think that she can change her circumstances in what would be a drastic and actually a catastrophic way.

At least one of our principal characters proves to be unreliable to the nth degree. Considering that Andy and Gabby make a fast friendship, things just might soon turn disastrous. With secrets and lies being the backdrop of this story, there are some twists that happen in rather quick succession, leading to what will most certainly be a difficult and painful showdown. Despite while reading this book I thought I had things figured out, the twists were more than shocking. In fact, there was a jaw-dropping twist that truly caught me by surprise, thus making this latest book by Nicole Trope one of my absolute favorites!

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/2IG418eYxRw

I loved this story!! It was captivating and hard to put down. It held my attention and i really enjoyed the surprising twists !

The Stay-at-Home Mother kept me on my toes and pulled the rug out from under me. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I was fooled! Such a gripping and twist filled book!

Andrea a pregnant mother and wife has moved into the neighborhood with her husband and their young son. She is not the happiest camper at the moment. She knows her husband is keeping something from her and being 9 months pregnant, she is tired and annoyed. Soon Gabby, the woman across the street has befriended her. She is an older mother full of good advice. She has a teenage son and has a following on Facebook for her parenting page. Gabby is a source for babysitting and sound parenting advice, or is she?

Both women have secrets ....

This was a twist filled book which kept me on my toes. I had a feeling that I had things all figured out and was way off base with that shocking reveal. This was a fun entertaining book and I enjoyed how OTT things became. Readers get to see (read) what each woman is doing and thinking. There is a nice amount of tension as things unfold in a shocking way! By shocking, I mean my mouth was hanging open at the end. I did not see that reveal coming at all. If you are a fan of twist filled books with mega reveals, look no further.



Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had high expectations for this book bit sadly it wasn't for me. It was the last few chapters of the book where the plot became more & more unlikely, that ruined the book for me. Unfortunately this book is one I can't recommend

I'm a big fan of Nicole Trope and The Stay-at-Home Mother was another edge-of-your-seat thriller. Very well done!

A super quick read that doesn’t require too much thought as the “twists” are pretty obvious. The portrayals of stay at home mothers were so stereotypical; you’re either perfectly put together - thin and stylish with a perfect house and fresh baked treats or a total hot mess in an oversized hoodie with unwashed hair crying in your bathroom - and the female leads were pathetic and cringey. However, the author did a nice job of displaying how gullible we all are regarding social media and how eager we are to believe the perceptions we see online. It was an easy read but just ok in my opinion.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Bookouture to review but all opinions are my own.

This is my second Nicole Trope book and like the first this one started off strong, kinda lost me and then just got so twisted and off kilter in a non pleasing way. This was a quick read with an interesting plot but about halfway through it felt rushed and then it just fell apart at the end. I enjoyed the concept and the final lesson to be learned but it was convoluted and felt like every idea was crammed into one book. It might just be that Nicole Trope is not the author for me. Out of five stars I would give this a solid 2.5 rounded up to 3 as the overall message was spot on - you never really know who people are online and not to assume based on a single photo/posting.

This is exactly what I am looking for in a domestic thriller!
I absolutely love unreliable narrators, so this book was a hit from the start.
The story is told in a dual perspective. On one side we follow Andrea, a struggling pregnant mother who has been through hell and back with her husband. Her life was completely uprooted and now she finds herself unhappy in a new home far away from friends and family with a little girl on the way and an energetic toddler. In comes the neighbor Gabby, with a teenage son who seems to have it all together and is very willing to help Andrea with whatever she needs. But both woman have secrets and one of them is going to cross lines.
This is a very gripping, fast paced book. Maybe a bit predictable, however the epilogue left me with a open mouth. I didn’t see that coming!

Andrea is a stay at home Mum who has had to up root her whole family due to her husband's gambling addiction. To pay of his debts to a loan shark they sell the family home and move into a house that is due to be demolished.
Andrea has a toddler and is 8 months pregnant.
Feeling alone and vulnerable she makes friends with a neighbour.
Gabby is also a stay at home Mum to her teenage son, her husband travels overseas a lot, leaving Gabby with lots of spare time. Gabby loves posting to Facebook about her son and offers lots of advice to other Mum's.
Andrea and Gabby start to become friends until one fateful day and slowly Gabby's life starts to unfold and Andrea begins to suspect that Gabby is not who she says she is.
I want to start by saying that this was Nicole Trope best book so far.
This story was told from Andrea and Gabby's point of view. And while it was quite easy to figure out Andrea's story it took me right until the end to figure out Gabby's.
But from the first page you can tell that there is something not right with Gabby's story, she tells so many lies that when you think you have her figured out another lie is revealed taking the story in a whole new direction.

The Stay at Home Mother is told from an unreliable narrator perspective, which I usually love. However , this one seemed to really drag on. It didn’t start to pick up until about 70% in, which is unusual for a Nicole Trope book. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for an advanced copy,

What the hell?

This turned out to be totally the opposite to what I was actually expecting, but it was all good!

The synopsis alone made me want to start reading more and once I did it didn't take me long to fly through it.

The suspense built throughout the book up to the big moment and OMG what a reveal it turned out to be.

I started off feeling a little sorry for Gabby, but when the big exposé came, I was shocked, and felt absolutely hoodwinked when I realised all was not what it seemed to be with Richard.

The Stay at Home Mother is a cleverly plotted, twisty, suspenseful and highly engaging thriller.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

An original take I’ve never read anything quite like it! The twist and turns all while never having too big of a “lull” I was entertained and intrigued throughout the entire book!

This is story centers around two stay-at-home mothers, struggling in their own ways, with secrets to hide. Andrea, with one young son and another child on the way, is new to the neighborhood. Forced from her previous home due to her husband's past, Andrea is essentially starting over with no one to rely on nearby. Gabby, with a teenaged son who is needing her less and less, is more than happy to fill that role for Andrea.

Something isn't quite right with Gabby, but it's hard to exactly pin point what- after all she runs a successful parenting page and seems to have it all. While tensions in the friendship build, it all comes to a head in a gut-wrenching way.

This book was fast and slow at the same time. Tension in the book builds throughout and you’re just flipping pages waiting for the ball to drop. I read the synopsis so I sort of knew what was coming... but it did take a while to get there. I recommend going into this one blind so you aren’t waiting impatiently like me!

Although I didn't really like either main character, I did find a lot of their lives and emotions to be relatable. Perhaps it was because I was an "outsider looking in," but I couldn't help but want to scream at Andrea the whole time. I felt like the twist was somewhat predictable (maybe intentionally, since it really seemed obvious?), but it certainly didn't unfold in the way I was thinking. The ending actually made my insides turn outward. While not gruesome or gory, the ending is just... ick. I didn’t love the wrap up, but hats off to any author that makes me feel that strongly about something.

Side note: can we talk about the synopsis? It certainly now seems so misleading! Go. In. Blind.

Thank you @NetGalley and @Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve given this book 3.5 stars rounding up to 4, I’ve read many of Nicole Tropes books and have enjoyed them all. I found with the stay at home mother that it started off really well, and caught my attention straight away, then suddenly it slowed right down and finally it picked up again near the end.

I’d say this book is very easy to read and very easy to follow for the reasons mentioned above.

Andrea and her husband terry pack up their lives, move away from their friends and family and move into their new house, along with their secrets. Soon Andrea spots a red car that keeps appearing and is convinced she and Terry are being followed. Andrea has a 3 year old son jack and is heavily pregnant with her second baby. Over the road from Andrea is Gabby who is soon to offer a hand of friendship to Andrea sensing she isn’t the only one with something to hide.

It soon becomes clear that Gabby is lonely and needs a friend, she has a teenage son who isn’t getting along well with her and a husband who live in the USA who she rarely sees.

When Andrea goes into hospital she tried to get hold of Terry so he can look after their son Jack, however after being able to contact her husband Andrea is left no choice but to leave her child with her new neighbour who she hardly knows. Andrea knows Gabby isn’t all she seems, but with little choice, Can Gabby be trusted or is Andrea making the biggest mistake of her life?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of his book in exchange for this review.

3.5 stars
This is a quick, entertaining psychological thriller set in Australia. The book is told through two points-of-view, Andrea and Gabby. Andrea, a young mother who is due any day with her second child. She knows that her husband is keeping secrets from her, but doesn't know the whole story of what he's hiding. Gabby was already living across the street when Andrea and her family move into the neighborhood. Gabby talks a lot about her husband and her teenaged son, but it's clear pretty early on that something is off with her. There is a strong sense of foreboding that something bad is going to come from these two women forming a friendship. Some of the details of the story didn't add up for me, but I Iike all the plot twists, especially the final one at the very end of the book. I have other books by this author on my to-be-read list and after reading this enjoyable book, I'm really looking forward to reading them.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Bookouture. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

This is another lo rated book for me. I just couldn’t get into this one. I found the writing felt rushed and confused. It was very slow and laborious to read. It took a long while to reach the point of it all. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was the last book I read in 2022 and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick/fast-paced read with chapters that switched between Andrea & Gabby, who are neighbors and are both hiding secrets.