I received an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

Most of the things I want to share about the book would be spoilers.

First, without giving anything away, it’s an extremely shocking concept - the relationships in the book are extreme. There is moderate to excessive gore and it could trigger anyone with PTSD, anxiety or who is upset by violence and descriptions of it. It is not for anyone under 18, in my opinion. It also could be problematic for Christians, as it contains themes involving homosexuality.

It is one of those books where the logical suspension of disbelief comes into play, bc hopefully the things described in the book aren’t really happening. I read it in one evening. It was interesting but veered into upsetting, over the top, gratuitous violence territory.

When Jack was ten years old he killed his father. At eighteen he's killed again and, yet again, his mother is determined to do whatever it takes to protect him from any and all consequences.

This was chilly, dark, and creepy. Not only is Jack a murderer but he's a stone-cold brat. Just an awful human. His mother isn't much better and it was disturbing. I really enjoyed this story but I also struggled with the characterization of Natasha.

She was bad but had a mother's love and protective nature. And it felt like two totally opposing personalities. In one instance she's protecting her son who she sees as a savior, a lovely boy. In another, she's envisioning bashing his face into the dashboard. It was a difficult bridge to gap. It bothered me through the whole book.

I need a scalding hot shower and gallons of brain bleach. That was disturbing, creepy, ghoulish and wrong on so many levels, and yet I loved it! Sometimes I worry about me!!

An abusive relationship, a disturbed child, and a mother who who will do almost anything for her son. This book had my attention from the start. I would give it 5 stars.

This was a really twisted and dark story. I really enjoyed this novel from Lizzie Fry.

The story revolves around Natasha and her son Jack. We learn that Jack killed his father when he was eight. He jump forward ten years later. Jack is 18 and has killed again. Natasha does whatever she has to do to protect her son. But we quickly learn that Natasha has a dark side herself. How far would you go to protect your son who is a murderer? Is someone born evil or is it their environment that makes them evil?

The novel had some pretty good twists and turns. It also relies on some classic horror tropes. I did find it hard to root for any of the characters. My main reason for knocking a star off is that I did not really like any of the characters. However, it is still a really good novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Coffee Books for the advanced copy.

This was a lot of fun to read, and it had the twists that I didn’t expect at all. This reminded me of Freida McFadden, and I mean that as a compliment because I love her works. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes a good thriller.

Wow! This book was wonderful. If you like seriously messed up relationships between moms and sons. Natasha is a single mother to her teenage son Jack. After killing his father when he was 8 years old, his taste to kill may be back as a young man. How his mother handles it is the big question. Read this one now--you may be horrified, but you won't regret it!

The cover originally drew me to into requesting this book.
When I started the first chapter, I was drawn in.
I was intrigued from the first chapter, it had me guessing the whole book!
Halfway through the book when the twist was revealed, I was utterly shocked. I was actually sitting there with my mouth open as I could NOT believe what I had read!
The plot of this book was wild!
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a thriller who will literally keep them guessing.
I finished this book two days ago and i am still thinking about this book!
Thank you to Lizzie Fry for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my first book by Lizzie Fry but i am now a fan and will continue to read her work.
Thank you so much for allowing me this ARC Netgalley.
5/5 stars.

The cover is inviting and intriguing, which I liked. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. To me, the wording and descriptions felt a bit excessive e.g. ‘a frustrated, frightened shriek escapes me’ and, at times, the dialogue unnatural. There were a couple of typos - e.g. p32 ‘As Dean’s periods of unemployment had grown longer and longer, we’d found herself further and further out on the fringes of society’.

Alongside the arguably unrealistic actions of Jack, the book just didn’t grip me as I’d hoped it would. I’ll definitely look out for further titles from Fry and see if I find something I prefer. Others may enjoy this more!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a page turner for sure, but it wasn't one of my favorite reads. The storyline was definitely different and there was a lot I did not see coming. But it was also just weird; a little too weird in my opinion and it was edging on the end of ridiculous.

Natasha is a mother that thinks she is one of the best and dotes on her son, but she has a very twisted viewpoint on what it means to be a good mother. She is a single mother to her son, Jack, whom is as crazy as his mother. There is killing, lies and cover ups like no other. There is a lot of shock factors in this book, which is why I kept on reading it. You run through a whole gambit of emotions while reading this book; compassion for Natasha in the begining and then horror as you see her true colors. You touch on horror as you watch event unfold that you didn't even think possible. Then the final twist at the end leaves you speechless.

While I was not crazy about this book, it keeps you wanting to turn the page because you need to see where the heck this book is going to go next. So kudos to the author for making things interesting in a completely different way.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

2 ⭐️

really disappointed by this one. I was so excited after reading the synopsis and getting the email that I was accepted to read it but this thriller was..

Ok? I don't agree that it's high stakes but I do agree its dark but it's just ok. There's nothing particularly wrong but it's just not the book for me.

Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this one in exchange for an honest review.

THE GOOD MOTHER
by Lizzie Fry
A domestic noir thriller. What a very intriguing story. What a pair the mother and son had become. Jack's 8-year-old boy kills his dad and his mother does everything in her power to protect Jack. It then skips 10 years where it seems The mother does everything to protect her son, everything, no matter how insane and disturbing. But, the game changes as he becomes older. NO spoilers, but The last parts had me gasping in disbelief.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Good Mother - Lizzie Fry

When Natasha’s 8 year old son kills his dad after finding his parents fighting, Natasha vows to protect him at all costs. But now 10 years later when history seems to be repeating itself, how far is Natasha willing to go to protect her son.

This was a real page turner, I struggled to put this one down. The characters were quite evil but despite this you could really connect with them.

It is quite gory and does go into detail with the description of the killings so if you’re a bit squeamish this may not be for you.

I really enjoyed this one and will definitely be looking out for more of Lizzie Fry’s books in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book for review.

What does it take to be a good mother?

Natasha has a problem, namely her son, Jake. 10 years After the horrific death of her abusive husband at her 8 year old son's hand, she is wrestling with the above question. Which is infinitely more difficult as you suspect your son might be a serial killer.

Natasha is not a reliable narrator and the reader will gather that quickly. How could she be? Seemingly a victim of abuse and covering up what really happened to her husband doesn't really leave room to go to therapy and deal with the issues.

After the loss of her father, the only real stability her son has had, she can see that his fragile grip on the "normal ' world is fading, and she strives to protect him at any cost. Even covering up another murder.

But like any story with an unreliable narrator, nothing is what it seems and the reader will jump on a roller coaster with twists and turns.

It's an entertaining read, but might be too violent for some readers.

I absolutely loved this! I was hooked and spent all of new years day just devouring the pre release copy. So it's definitely a domestic noir/ thriller. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It's amazingly well written and has some of the most clever twists and turns I've ever come across. The characters are so well written and fleshed out, the plot is constable moving forward, the characters motivations and drive is made so clear. You get such a crystal insight into these people and their voices..... and the twists I mentioned?! They are sheer perfection to watch play out. This is the best start any reader could ask for to 2023!!! Let's hope we get more books like this and it'll be a very enjoyable year indeed. A must read!!!

This was a very different thriller to what I usually read it involves a lot of gory details on murder. There was lots of twits and turns which kept me reading till the end. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. It starts with Jack an 8 year old boy killing his dad and his mother doing everything in her power to protect Jack. It then skips 10 years where it seems Jack may not have been the innocent bog who was protecting his mum when he killed his dad. Great read.

As a parent, this book is my worst nightmare. You do everything, absolutely everything, for your child—Go to great lengths to make sure they’re fulfilled. Try to anticipate their every need. And then they still turn out to be a serial killer. What now?
We get to follow Natasha, a single mother, as she grapples with difficult choices that no parent should ever have to make. Her son, Jack, started at the tender age of 8 by murdering his own father. A decade later, as Natasha starts to settle into a comfortable relationship with a man she wants to marry and build a life with, Jack strikes again. And again. Instead of turning in her son, she does what any good mother would do—covers up his mistakes and helps him move forward. Unfortunately, Jack moving forward can only get more dangerous…even Natasha is not safe from the monster she created.

This book has some shock factor. The books is about a serial killer so of course there’s some gore. A few unsettling scenes are described, but what Lizzie Fry excels at is planting an unsettling seed in your head and letting your imagination grow wildly.

I posted this review on GoodReads, but can’t figure out how to send you the link—sorry! I’ll also put it on Amazon whenever the book is eligible to be reviewed.

I didn’t love this but did think it was a page-turner. Natasha prides herself in being the best mom in the world but has a very twisted view of what being a good parent actually means. The story is dark, bordering on ridiculous, and it’s hard to root for any character.

The storyline was unique and there were a few surprises but I struggled a bit with how Natasha’s son Jack had gotten to be almost 18 with no one suspecting that there was something weird going on. As mentioned above, the lengths that Natasha went to bordered on being just plain silly, but the story did hold my interest.

Overall, a memorable read but the lack of relatable characters and the need to suspend my disbelief made this one not a favorite for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite the disturbing read that goes way beyond a mother protecting her child by any means necessary. About halfway through, I found myself no longer rooting for anyone and really started highly disliking the mom especially . She had excuses for everything and the amount of times she told herself she was a good mother was astronomical. That's not to say this wasn't good, I just find myself in between with this one. This is yet another one that I can't fully explain my feelings without spoiling it. I will say this, POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: I can forgive this type of book usually when it's a case of an unreliable narrator but this wasn't an unreliable narrator. This was reading about a mother who's son does atrocious things and she's making revelations about him and their life as your reading. However, as you near the end, everything you're finding out along with her was just a load of bull so you basically read lies the entire book. Again, I both liked and disliked this one. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

Such a good book with tons of twists I never saw coming. I love an unreliable narrator and definitely got one in this book.