Wow! This anthology is RAW, and funny, and sad, and frightening, and inspiring--basically all the emotions.

"A word about mothers. Not all mothers, of course. Just some."
I requested this arc because I saw that Mother Horror wrote the forward and, again, WOW. Oh em gee, her writing is powerful and it cuts deep to expose some universal truths of motherhood.

Full transparency: I do not enjoy reading poetry. There, I said it. Now! I enjoyed, actually enjoyed, more than one of the poems in this book. And, for the ones that I didn't enjoy, well, I respect them and can acknowledge that they are beautiful.

When I tell people that some of the scariest stories I've ever read are short stories, Oh, What a Tangled Web by Tanya Pell, is an example of what I'm referring to. The ending of this story had me doing that awkward, wide-eyed look around me to take inventory of who is witnessing me panic laugh.

I would recommend this book to any avid horror reader because, sure, not everyone is a mother or even wants to be a mother, BUT everyone has someone who birthed them, and there are stories in this anthology that will speak directly to you. Also, I truly appreciate the diversity of perspectives on motherhood represented among these stories.

Overall, a fantastic horror anthology written by women. Brava!

A collection of psychological horror stories and poems, I really enjoyed how the authors manage to infuse creepiness by exploring the bound between mother and daughter. It's about toxic relashionships, traumas, abuses, mental illness but some texts also deal with resilience and how we can write our happy ending.

This was unique and creepy and fun. I don't read a lot of horror or a lot of short stories, so I was stretching myself with this anthology and I had a good time. It takes a lot of talent for a writer to make me feel both creeped out and emotional in such a short space. Bravo.

I love horror collections, and this one was such a great idea. I imagine that mother-daughter relationships are always complicated, and this group of stories runs the gamut from bittersweet to creepy as hell. There are poems and short stories, many by writers I'm already familiar with and enjoy. At times I was so grossed out I was squinting while I was reading.
I'm glad there was a story at the end of someone breaking free from a negative relationship.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

★ ★ ★ ★ //5

Mother Knows Best
by: Lindy Ryan (editor)

I am a HUGE sucker for horror anthologies and this book packed a punch with a bunch of very fast paced eerie horrorish stories. I loved each of these stories for their own reasons and will def snag a physical copy of this book to have on hand for when I want to just open up and get those creepy feelings! I did really enjoy Little Mother if I had to choose one, but I honestly loved them all. This is a must have/must read book for all horror readers alike.

Mother/Daughter relationships cap be fraught, to say the very least, but this book has something for everybody. Whether you get along just fine with your mom, are completely out of contact with her, or are just sort of indifferent to her.

I especially loved the mix of short stories and poetry, and while I’m lucky enough to have a fairly good relationship with my mom, I was surprised by how many of these stories really got to me.

I especially adored @rachelharrisonsghost ‘s story “Dog Mom”, that was ripped my heart out while showing that the ability to give birth doesn’t actually make you a mother. And the final story “Your Mother’s Love is an Apocalypse” by the wonderful @gwendolynkiste will leave you feeling surprisingly light after all the darkness.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for a chance to review this book.

This collection is full of short horror stories and poems all centered around a mother. Some were slightly creepy while others were downright scary and gory. The one that will stick with me is, “Oh, What A Tangled Web.” I could smell that apartment and it was foul.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for a chance to review this book.

This was so much fun. An anthology of horror stories,and poems all by women. Everyone has a mother, not everyone has a bad mother, but these stories are full of them.

It starts with a wonderful introduction from Sadie "Mother Horror" Hartmann. Each story or poem is beautifully crafted, and is sure to bring chills to your spine. Mother trauma at its finest. Be sure to remember you mother when reading these spooky tales.

Also, this book shouldn't be enjoyed by just women. If you're a man with motherly issues read this too.

There are some creepy short stories in this collection. This definitely opened up my eyes and introduced me to some new sides of the genre.

I really liked this entire collection, if I were to rate them all individually they would be 4 or 5 stars with my personal favorites being “Oh What a Tangled Web”, “Little Mother”, and “Sometimes It’s Hard To Let Go.” I enjoyed the mix of short stories and poetry.

Against all odds, the amount of anthology books I've gotten from NetGalley has been rapidly increasing but fortunately, I've been enjoying every one of them... Mother Knows Best being no exception. As I will attempt to structure my reviews from now on, this will include the positives of the book followed by the negatives, although there weren't that many of the latter.

Mother Knows Best excels at its consistency, with the writing style of each short story varying enough to make them different but all of the styles being fantastic, leaving the reader in shock when they realize that they're reading a new story. The inclusion of poems that separate several stories is also a very nice one, as they are usually short but very powerful. As for the negatives, my only complaint is that none of the stories were scary, although I don't think that was the point; there are several very interesting stories that are more unsettling, such as a Coraline-esque story or one taking some inspiration from Hitchcock's Psycho. If you go in with the mindset of being more unsettled than scared, then you'll be in for a treat.

Regardless of the fear factor, I still immensely enjoyed this short story collection and will definitely be buying it upon the official release.

A fantastic anthology of creepy and gory mother horror.

Each story/poem is fast paced and keeps you hooked from start to finish! Loved how there were poems in between the short stories too.

Recommend for fans of: horror anthologies, mother horror, fast paced treads.

I enjoyed this collection of horror short stories quite a lot. At times I felt that the stories might have some "hidden meanings" to them, as in they were metaphors, but I was unable to pick up on them. This was even more so especially when it came to the poems.

A few of them I didn't fully understand (again, mostly the poems), but there was none that I disagreed with to the point of not liking them. Most I fully enjoyed.

This one is definitely one of the better short story collections I have read!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

I must admit, short stories and short story compilations aren’t really my thing. I know a lot of people love and swear by them but I never did. Idk why exactly, but all I can say is this was enough to make me seek more of its kind.

This was full of promising stories that delivered, and ofc we love mother horror

This anthology was so fun. I have my own Mommy issues and that definitely helped add to how chilling some of these stories and poems could be! If you wish that Ghost Stories To Tell In The Dark had more Mommy issues then you're in the right place!!

This is a really fun, unique collection of short stories focused on motherhood.

A lot of really great authors that I love and really enjoyed getting a little bit more from them.

This collection has short stories and some poems which are great to break up the walls in your brain while reading.

Highly recommend if you enjoy creepy and weird stories! Thanks to NetGalley and all the included authors for the opportunity to read Mother Knows Best. I have written this review voluntarily.

Mother Knows Best was such a fun and creepy read!

While reading through this collection of stories I was hit with so many different forms of creeped out. There were stories that struck me as very sad, where the grief led to terrible things. Some induced literal crawling feelings on and under my skin. Others where just plain unhinged from the get go and I had no idea what was going to happen on the next page or even the next sentence.

Then the whole thing being centered mothers who are usually a point of comfort and care taking on the twisted morbid roles that do in this books makes it all the more unsettling and enjoyable. There's something for everyone in this book, cursed lipstick, creepy dolls, guts and gore, and many other things to give you goosebumps!

All the stories flow nicely and held my attention through suspense, shock, and anticipation of what the hell was about to happen next. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick unsettling read to get your horror fix.

(I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Stop it rnnnnnnn. I am OBSESSED with this collection so much. I am so thankful to Black Spot Books, Lindy Ryan, Mother Horror, and all of the fantastic creators and contributors who helped to make this book what it is -- a MASTERPIECE. Mother Knows Best features eerie works from poets and writers alike, interweaving sonnets within the vastly gruesome mommy-horror depictions for a bit of an unsettling palette cleanser if you will.

Rachel Harrison scribbles out a story of a wannabe mom/nanny who would die for her sweet Charlie. Yet, she watches motherhood exist in a more than traditional lens, catapulting its eventual horrors. We've got tales on Sorority House mothers and their borderline obsessions, dystopian parenthood, and so many other delicious angles from authors such as Gwendolyn Kiste, Kristi DeMeester, Kelsea Yu, and many more women collaborators!

Mother Knows Best hits shelves on May 7, 2024, and I will need some more anthologies between now and then to satiate my needs.

This has to be one of the best horror collections I’ve read !
Every poem and story was so well written. I truly felt the horror in each one. They’re something so unsettling about a complicated mother/child relationship.
I loved the speculative/fantasy elements … it really added to the intrigue for me.
It was so hard to put down !

Thank you Black Spot Books and NetGalley for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This collection of stories and poems really intrigued me! Many of them had me hooked immediately, definitely recommended