Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC of The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner.

I loved the author’s Greenwich Park and so this book was an automatic request for me.
I was not as taken with this story, though it did keep me guessing and page-turning, wanting to learn each of the many characters’ secrets.

It is a domestic mystery thriller that contains one of my favorite story subjects: that of class envy and a peek into the lives of urban (Faulkner’s London here) elite families, especially women.

The main character Tash became “addicted” to keeping up with the fancy women of her son’s playgroup after she was invited into their circle.
She almost ruined her finances and her marriage while struggling to adopt their luxury lifestyle activities.

This avarice I find so juicy and relatable, but the fact that struggling journalist Tash also risked her social status - as well as her relationship with her husband - with these women over trying to solve the mystery of nanny Sophie’s death and its connection to her new group did not make much social sense, until (spoiler) we learn that Tash is as opportunistic and greedy as the rest of the group is revealed to be. ‘Friends close and enemies closer’ comes to mind.

I did enjoy Sophie’s parallel narrative for its intimate look inside the home of wealthy Claire and Jaz, as well as her relationship with another worker, Sal. It was fascinating to look backward through already-deceased Sophie’s chapters as the reason for her death is eventually revealed.

What I liked most about this story are the details we learn about these elites and how Tash and Sophie were near but so far to this “exclusive life that [they were] no real part of.”

The tidy wrap-up ending where all of the women join together in their secret shows that Tash did become one of them, if only their “vile protection racket.”

Four stars

Tash, a new mother and journalist, begins to investigate the death of Sophie, a nanny that was found near her home. Tash is interested into a new friendship group at Finn's playgroup she begins to wonder how much the other mothers know about Sophie and her disappearance. She thinks that this is just the story for her to investigate. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner is a solidly written book and one that really held my attention. Plenty of rich mommy characters to keep track of, Tash the freelance journalist, and intrigue that runs rampant behind closed doors. A somewhat familiar trope to the story, but engaging nonetheless. Recommend.

Once you start reading this you won’t be able to stop! Wonderful, amazing story. Totally captivating. Tash is a journalist hoping to restart her career. She becomes almost obsessed over the death of a local nanny, Sophie. Sophie’s death was deemed an accident but Tash disagrees. Her investigation becomes dangerous for her. Just loved this book and the characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Usually it’s a little tricky for me to keep track of different characters and timelines but I think I’m this case it was done very well. I thought the twists were good and not all of them were fully telegraphed. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

The Other mothers is a quirky psychological l thriller that highlights the real extent of what your decisions can mean in the long run. Tash is a new mother who is desperate for her some to fit in and like play group so she can get back to work. A group of mothers who are richer and seemingly idle take her under their wing. Meanwhile Tash discovers the death of a nanny that seems suspicious and starts to dig into what happen, little did she realize the consequences.

Katherine Faulkner's sophomore novel, "The Other Mothers" is certainly a great suspense-filled book.

As soon as I started the book nothing could interrupt me and I sadly finished in one sitting. The mother’s secrets are sinister and they have nothing to hear by hiding them. This is a very dangerous book to start if you have other obligations!

Loved Greenwich Park and enjoyed this book as well. Tash, the main character, investigates a death of a local nanny while befriending the moms and playgroup children of those closest to the victim.

Positives:
Characters were well-developed and well-rounded
Fast-paced thriller
Tash, the main character, is the one doing the investigation of the murder mystery
The author created credible reasons for many of the characters to be the murderer
A satisfying conclusion and an overall entertaining read.

Negatives:
There were a lot of character to keep track of. I had to keep a running list through the entire book.
I wish the storyline of one of the children, Jude, was better developed. Left me wanting more.

Thank you @netgalley for my ARC of the Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner. I had just read Greenwich Park by the author and loved it. This one was good, but didn't grip me in the same way Greenwich Park did. It was suspenseful and kept me reading, but I felt the author was trying to steer me to too many paths that didn't go anywhere to create suspense.

Tash moves into a new neighborhood with young mothers. She is a journalist and sets to use her skills when a young nanny turns up dead. She discovers that there are many secrets and that she may have a connection to the nanny as well.

A really solid, engaging thriller. This one had all the ingredients: vicious drama, complex female characters, gripping writing. Recommended.

A group of well to do mothers of children in the same playgroup are very tight knit and all share a big secret. When Tash’s son enters the playgroup, she is pulled into these women’s world. They are keeping her close. What are they afraid of that might be exposed? Especially as they know Tash is investigating what appears to be an unrelated drowning of a young woman. Overall, an intriguing premise, but the author tended to drag out each woman’s storyline.

I knew I would enjoy this after reading Faulkner's "Greenwich Park." "The Other Mothers" has great suspense, (toxic) female friendship dynamics, jealousy, revenge, and murder. If you enjoy stories about posh mom-cliques and upper-class backstabbing you will love this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I always love books with shifting points of view and the fact that one of the narrators was the victim (not a spoiler, it's apparent early on) was a new and interesting way to slowly give us readers information and a different view into what happened. It also involved a significant shift in time (before vs after a death), which makes the author's skill in shifting narrators/time/perspective even more impressive.

I definitely felt seen with the discussions of the difficulty of working and juggling childcare, as well as the trepidation involved in trying to navigate relationships with other parents/families. I also felt like a lot of the characters ended up surprising me and the ending definitely was not what I expected.

In general, a fun read that kept you guessing and re-evaluating new information as you went along with solid character development and just the right amount of suspense vs. information.

✅Posh mummies cliques
✅Extramarital affairs
✅Complicated familial/relationship dynamics
✅Murder mystery

Whatever you’re looking for in your next read, The Other Mothers delivers. I kept thinking I knew where the story was going, but then I’d be hit with another big reveal. I loved the characters and how multidimensional they were- I simultaneously loved and hated most of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I can’t wait to check out what else Katherine Faulkner will deliver.

4.5/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was the first one that I read by this author. I would recommend to others who like mystery books.

Geeeez some sneaky snakes in this one! lol Good book though! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, jealousy, revenge, backstabbing, A great who done it, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

4 stars

Oh, I couldn't WAIT to devour this after absolutely loving _Greenwich Park_, and for me, this is another winner from Faulkner.

Tash and Sophie share perspectives in this very twisty thriller/mystery, and they are operating in distinct timelines. This becomes clear immediately because Tash, a news reporter, is investigating the unusual circumstances around Sophie's death! The timing is a highlight. As Tash finds that yet another person in her orbit may have some questionable involvement, Faulkner sends readers over to Sophie's past to learn exactly what kind of interaction she actually had with that character. Both central women start off seeming reliable and relatively typical, and they share the role of outsiders, to some degree, in a world they are just not fully part of (mostly but not exclusively for socioeconomic reasons).

As a mother of a toddler herself, it's somewhat organic for Tash to do what would appear so odd from the outside: begin hanging with some of the people who were part of Sophie's life and maybe even her demise. It's easy to come up with many reasons why many people would have wanted to kill Sophie, so it never feels surprising that her "accidental" death could easily have been a murder (not to mention the various pieces of physical evidence that point to this). What does keep readers guessing is the general ridiculousness of these characters and their broken moral compasses. They are making their own rules, finding value in only their wants and needs, and generating and keeping many secrets, so while readers may be onto several reasonable theories, they are also often reminded that none of these folks can be trusted. All of this makes for a highly enjoyable read.

This is my second novel by this author, and I expect likeminded incoming fans as well as those new to Faulkner will find a lot to like here, too!

This author is incredibly talented. I love her books, the content and characters are very well developed.

This is one of those "what did I just read?" moments where my brain is scrambled trying to make sense of this marvelous book! Faulkner deftly weaves together the stories of young nanny, Sophie and investigative journalist, Tasha in a whirlwind of secrets and lies that will make your head spin! I'm still reeling as I think of all the friendships forged, friendships ruined, and alliances broken beyond repair! It begs the question, "do we really know our closest friends, or even our spouses?" This is one of those novels that will resonate with me for a long time!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!