‘Hooked right from the beginning, I knew this was going to be a one sitting read. This family drama has many twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending. Would recommend to lovers of suspense, mystery, and psychological thrillers.

An entertaining read with a couple unexpected twists and turns. Good narration, decent character development. Would be interested in reading more by this author.

Would recommend to lovers of suspense, mystery, and psychological thrillers.

(I received this ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.)

The river pulled at the shape floating in its waters, playfully passing it from one wave to the next, completely oblivious to the panic and fear of the women watching from the bank.


Well, this was fun. More or less exactly what I expected based on the title and the cover, which I think is a good thing. And while the story was far from mind-blowing and you can more or less guess the main plot threads from the beginning, it was a chill, fun thriller you can finish in a day.

The story revolves around three women who share a huge secret from when they were teenagers. In the present day, they have children of the same age that go to the same school.

Despite their seemingly idyllic lives, each woman grapples with personal challenges. Their mutual confidante, neighbor, and occasional babysitter, Lou, appears to embody the epitome of a perfect life.

One day, as Lou collects the children from school, an unexpected turn of events unfolds. Instead of returning home as usual, the children mysteriously vanish. The question emerges: where has Lou taken them? The apparent answers may mislead, urging us to reconsider our assumptions about Lou's motives.

While predictable, the story was well-written and easy to sink into. I liked it. It’s a good option to have around for when you’re in the mood for a quick, light thriller.

I listened to this book as an audiobook. The narrator did a good job, and this type of book is a great choice to listen to while finishing daily chores. That’s what I did and I had a lot of fun.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me with an audio copy of The Mother Next Door by Leah Mercer in exchange for my honest review.

While I really enjoyed the overall plot points and the storyline itself for this book, the narrator made it hard to follow along in some places if I wasn't paying full attention to detail. I wanted to love it, but I unfortunately wasn't able to.

3.5⭐

The premise of this book - and the ending were interesting and exciting! I love a good mystery of an event that happened earlier in the character's life, but I felt like the epilogue and some of the characters intermingling was confusing. I enjoyed the book at times, and at other times I was very indifferent on what was happening.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an ALC of The Mother Next Door, by Leah Mercer. This is my honest review!

This was a quick, enjoyable read that grabbed my attention from the start. The narration was good but with multiple POV, I think it could have benefitted from multiple narrators. I did guess the twist, but overall thought it was good story.

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the audio copy.

Told in multiple POV's, this is a great thriller. The pacing kept me engaged and I enjoyed the twist and turns. While this thriller isn't super unique, it is a fun read - perfect for a pool side read.

A mothers worst nightmare, her children are missing with one of her friends, as the time lengthens it becomes apparent there is another motive. Interesting plot that reveals itself as you read the book, starts off a bit too calm for my liking as most mothers would be out of their minds with despair however it moves on at pace to the next set of revelations. The friend is not who everyone thought and with confessions thrown into the mix. The situation is very tense. Great plot and reminder that the truth will always come out. Good descriptions of the bullying and repercussions on the bullied can be life changing. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to read.

Title: The Mother Next Door
Author: Leah Mercer
Publisher: Bookouture
Original Publication Date: February 27th, 2023
Genre: Thriller/ Contemporary/ Suspense

Fiona trusts her next-door neighbor Lou with everything, including the well-being of her children, twins Timothy and Tabitha. However, on one afternoon after school, Lou has not arrived with her children, who she picked up after school, and there is a dangerous storm heading towards the town. Where is Lou? Her children? Lou had her ex-husband take her children, so why does she have Fiona’s?

Fiona is even more confused to find out that Lou also has the daughter of Jasmine named Juniper, and Allison named Gabby. Fiona hasn’t spoken to Jasmine and Allison since high school, and had no idea Lou picked up their kids as well. Meanwhile, the moms are figuring out that they all had different pieces of Lou, and are terrified for their children when Lou sends them a text stating “I have your children. I will return them once you all tell the truth.” The truth about what?

I really enjoyed the different points of view in the book, as it is a tool that I enjoy in any genre of novel I can read. Having multiple points of view allows you to indulge in even more knowledge of the story, and be able to rely more on the information, as opposed to having to confide and trust only one narrator. However, it may have given too much away in this case. Also, the shocking twist was not shocking at all, predictable at best, and able to gleam from a mile away. However, Mercer does write really good characters with real problems, and is able to showcase their fear, while apologies and forgiveness can be needing more.

Rating: 3/5

Lou has a reason for not returning the children. She makes a big reference that unnerves Fiona, Allison and Jasmine. They all share a secret from when they were teenagers. Apparently, the secret has come back to haunt them and now their children’s lives are at risk. Will the mothers reveal their secret in time to get their children back safely? This is especially imperative because a storm is about to break out, with heavy rain and flooding threatening the area. In fact, authorities are having trouble even searching where they think the children could possibly be because of the inclement weather.

Meanwhile, the three women have a decision to make. In a dual timeline fashion, as well as multiple points of view, the secret of the past is revealed to the reader of this thrilling book by Leah Mercer. They kept this secret for years. Each of them marrying and having children. Their reactions to the current situation varies among each of them. But ultimately, they want their children home safely.

I was able to listen to this exciting book as an audiobook, which played into the intensity that this story told. The narration was perfect, and this increased the tension in this story. The sense of urgency was strong, especially when it came to one of the children being asthmatic, as this added to the level of danger in this book. While we as the reader knew the secret that the women were hiding, the connection when it came to Lou was woven into the story with shocking twists and turns, leading to a jaw-dropping ending. The pacing never let up for one moment in this book that captivated me from beginning to end.

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

Told from multiple povs this story had me gripped from the start. Lots of tension and twists and a fast paced plot. Although the basis of this story has been told many times I still enjoyed this book and the narration.

This is a psychological thriller told from the perspective of Alison ,Fiona and Jasmine. Their friend Lou goes missing after collecting her friend’s children from school while her own kids are safe with their dad. There is a storm forecast and everyone is told to stay inside, but the police find Lou’s car abandoned nearby.
The plot is full of twists and is fast paced, but I found it he characters frustrating and naive. Great for fans of the genre and the narrator was good.

This book speaks to the fears of mothers everywhere; trusting your child with a responsible and trustworthy neighbor only to find out she may not be who you think she is. I thought the cover was nice, and I liked the title and premise, but the story was nothing extraordinary. First of all, like many reviewers before me, I found it hard to keep up with the characters and who is who and who has what kids. For a minute I thought Jasmine and Fiona were the same person. This has only happened to me one other time reading an audiobook and that was with The Guest List (Lucy Foley). Unlike with The Guest List, I was not able to google the characters ahead of time to keep up with them.
For me personally, it didn't move fast enough, and I did not like the non-linear timeline for this storyline. However, when I got to chapter 20, things begin to move much faster, and I found myself engaged. I actually found for me, it was better to read some chapters ahead and then go back and read the earlier ones. For me it made it much more enjoyable. I really loved the kids POV and wish there had been more chapters dedicated to it. The problem for me, was I read this storyline in a very popular novel and so it felt a bit like a carbon copy. I did however like that there was a different twist at the end, but I hated the ending.! I hate reading a book and waiting for a great ending only to have it make no sense at all and leave you saying what was the point!
Another thing I found hard to believe is the maturity level of the grade school kids, with one saying she had never seen her mom show any "extreme emotions." Most 5–8-year-olds do not use such expressions. They usually say angry, sad or mad but not extreme emotions. I also found the intelligence of the police to be lacking. In one chapter they find a kid's headband with blood on it, yet never test the blood, only make assumptions on who it belongs to. To me that was laughable that police would never test this when there are missing kids.

The women characters in here were all pretty weak and very oblivious to many things. They all seemed to cater to their spouses and even ignore things to keep them; even when such things are discovered, there are no harsh consequences or repercussions because the women are so happy their husbands chose to stay with them. I think the narrator did a great job telling story, and I would love to hear more books read by her. I would also be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. What a well written, tense and twisted read this book was. It's told from multiple points of view. I was pulled into this story from the first few pages.

Lou is the perfect mother next door. She cheerfully carpools the neighborhood kids, runs an interior design business, and makes friends with all the moms in town. But one day, she doesn't make it home from school with the kids. Through the eyes of three panicked mothers whose kids are now missing with Lou, the suspense unravels. As the storm of the century beats down, the moms search frantically through town and through their memories for any clues as to where their missing children could be.

I couldn't stop listening to this book. Although I guessed one of the plot twists, the author had several others that I didn't predict. The narration in a British accent was stellar too.

Enjoyed this audio book although did find it a bit slow at times & repetitive. Well worth a listen though and I liked the narration & characters.

This spectacular thriller needs to be on your reading list. Leah Mercer continually writes edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers! The dread and panic in this one are caused by missing children, desperate mothers and long-buried secrets.
Thank you NetGalley, Boookotoure Audio and Leah Mercer for letting me listen to "The Mother Next Door" in exchange for an honest review.

Audio version of this book 📚- A good listen, though I did find the storyline to be a bit predictable and guessed the outcome. The narrator was easy to listen to and it was easy to distinguish between characters.

Full of suspense and mystery. Really liked the different points of view including having the kids. Somewhat predictable but still had some good revelations. Took away stars because some parts were very repetitive and didn't actually add to the story. I think they were trying to convey a feeling, but it just made it a little boring. Either way, would recommend as a quick, interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley.

This one had me guessing. Lou offers to bring other kids in the neighborhood home from school, then one day she doesn’t show up with them. Everyone is frantic with where she is, what happened and eventually they wonder why. With multiple narrators, this one is a complex layered story that just keeps exposing one secret after another. While I was never sure I liked any of the mothers, I was hooked and needed to know what happened to the kids. And with the storm of the century getting ready to blow in, the intensity is off the charts.

I was able to both listen and read this one and Jasmine Blackborow does a terrific job narrating the story. She draws you in and along with the plot, keeps you wanting more.