Sarah has just lost her young husband, Adam, to illness. Now she is alone, with a toddler and pregnant. When her mother-in-law, the same one Adam had claimed was dead, shows up at her house after his death, Sarah feels like maybe she should give her a chance to be in their lives. When her financial situation implodes, along with other scary circumstances, Sarah decides that taking her mother-in-law up on her offer to come stay with her at least until the baby is born might be the best option. Sarah flies across the US and moves in with her. She quickly finds out that not only does she not know this woman, but she also may not have known her husband either. Sarah may have to fight for herself, her daughter and her unborn baby to keep them all safe.

This was a wild ride. It was a different type story than I have read and I really enjoyed it. I love family drama, especially with some shocking elements thrown in! My only negative comment is when the narrator would do the toddler's voice it grated on my nerves!

Thank you Netagalley for the ARC! This was my first book to read by Mina Hardy and it was a pleasant surprise! Enjoyed it and will read her others now!

While this began rather slowly the pace picked up later on. There were a lot of twists and turns, and crazy surprises around every corner. Unfortunately not all the surprises had an explanation for them. I felt like I was guessing at reasons for things happening.
When Adam leaves Sarah alone and with no money she decides to move in with the mother-in-law she didn’t know existed. What seems like salvation at first becomes a strange type of cage. Sarah slowly learns why Adam kept her away from his mom.
In theory there are so many good thriller plots here. Not all of them work however, with holes and a rather quick ending.

This thriller had my emotions all over the place. Between feeling enraged at how a pregnant mother’s grieving is interrupted by demands of signing her child’s guardianship away to my frustration at her for being so clueless. The beginning of the story was good but as it unraveled it became frustrating for me because of how clueless Sarah was as a main character when things felt so obvious when at the least she should of been suspicious. Overall it was a decent read but I wasn’t big on the ending.

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and the author Mina Hardy for this audiobook arc.

SPOILERS AHEAD: 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an eArc of this book. I really enjoyed it, however there were some plot holes and character motivations that made this less than a 5 for me. This book is about a woman named Sarah. She is pregnant with her 2nd child and her husband was terminally ill and has just died. Much to her surprise, a woman claiming to be his mother shows up at the funeral and offers her a place to live and an extra set of hands because Sarah's financial situation is looking bleak and she's a little overwhelmed. Her husband had a business partner named Graham and his wife Ava. They had apparently moved things around with Adam before he died, leaving Sarah without any money. They also try to question Sarah's ability to parent her own kids and they threateningly offer to adopt the kids and take care of them for her. Of course, Sarah's heckles go up and she feels like she must get out of there, so she takes Candace up on her offer and moves cross country to live with her. FIRST ANNOYANCE. Sarah asks almost no questions. If your husband kept the fact that he had a mother from you and didn't speak to her for your entire relationship, maybe you should be a little more cautious about moving in with her. I understand feeling desperate, threatened and eager for help, but this just seemed stupid. Anywho, she moves in and finds out that Candace is a radical Christian, but with a cultish spin. I loved how we get a lot of insight into Jewish culture as that is Sarahs faith, and while I don't think Candace is meant to represent Christianity as a whole, I still really hate reading about these tyrannical Christians because its easy for non believers to make generalizations (personal preference). In Candace's home lives a live in house keeper (or so she thinks) but its actually her husbands first wife. They got "married" in the church at 18 and 14 and it wasn't a legal marriage. He then escaped the cult but the woman stayed a virtual slave to the mom. She had a baby but the mom insisted on a home birth and the baby died. Now Candace wants Sarah's baby because if its a boy it can reinvigorate their church and get her more money. Candace is indeed pregnant with a boy and when its born she tries to take the baby and let Candace die, but she escapes. Graham (the business partner) was actually an adopted son that they gave back when they didn't like his behavior so he came to rescue Sarah. However, the possessiveness over the baby and all of that is just gone by the end and I don't know why. The housemaid/first wife was the one who was doing scary things to Sarah originally because she was jealous of the life she lived. Candace ends up dying in a house fire-- maybe murder, maybe not. The other big plot hole was that the little girl kept saying she was seeing her dad. I fully expected Adam to be alive in the end , but that storyline was never explained. Sarah, too, had times of seeing things that would indicate Adam was alive, but I guess it was everyone's grief and disillusionment? Overall, this was entertaining and had potential to be great, it just didn't quite get there for me.

This book kept me entertained! Nothing like shadowy figures from a secret past to keep life fun

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

Like a Mother
By Mina Hardy

I was hesitant at first about this book only because I have never heard of the author before but what a great story.

Sarah & Adam have life figured out. They have a beautiful daughter, a nice home, their Jewish faith and plenty to look forward to. Until Adam gets sick with a rare form of leukemia and dies. While Adam was sick they decided that their daughter should not be an only child so they get pregnant. After Adam’s death, Adam’s best friend and work partner’s wife is adamant that Adam wanted them to adopt the baby because Adam was worried about Sarah’s mental health. Then a lady claiming to be Adam’s dead mother shows up to support Sarah. Having nothing left and no family, Sarah makes the hard decision to move across country to live with Candace her apparent mother in law. The secrets that Adam hid start coming out and Sarah is not so sure moving with Candace was the best for her and her children.

Such a great story and I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the advanced copy for my honest review.

2.5/5

The narrator of this book, Gail Shalan, did wonderful and gave life to the characters through the different voices she did. Unlike other narrators, it did sound like someone else stepped in for each character at times.

I had numerous grievances with the book, but regrettably, the most significant one was my aversion to the main character, Sarah. Despite sympathizing with her situation of being left alone and pregnant with a young child after her husband's death, I found her decisions to be incredibly foolish. She blatantly disregarded every warning sign, especially when her supposedly deceased mother-in-law suddenly reappeared. Opting to abandon everything and live with her was a glaringly unintelligent choice, especially given their strained relationship. Candace, the mother-in-law, imposed strict rules, preventing Sarah from leaving the house, and disconnecting her from the outside world by forbidding Wi-Fi and cell phones. Frankly, I couldn't comprehend how Sarah perceived any of this as a rational decision.

The overt religious fervor was also off-putting. Candace's extreme religious beliefs led her to make irrational and dangerous choices, constantly belittling Sarah for her Jewish faith, even going as far as to undermine her religious practices, and secretly baptize Sarah's child. The discomfort caused by this dynamic was palpable throughout the narrative, but it felt unnecessarily exaggerated and aggressive.

Moreover, the book left numerous plot points unresolved. It hinted at dark themes like abuse, rape, and cult involvement, yet failed to fully explore or integrate them into the main storyline, leaving a disjointed and unsatisfying narrative. Even significant questions, such as the eerie occurrences involving Sarah's deceased husband, were brushed aside hastily, contributing to the overall lack of cohesion.

The conclusion felt rushed, with loose ends left dangling and characters lacking depth. While the book may appeal to some as a superficial thriller, its shortcomings overshadowed any potential enjoyment for me.

The story maintains a steady pace overall, but one aspect left me perplexed. The motive behind Adam's friend attempting to cheat Sarah out of her husband's inheritance remains unclear, leaving a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. I anticipated a surprising twist at the end that would shed light on this subplot, yet it never materialized.

Thank you to Netgalley & Dreamscape media for the audiobook review copy.

Narrated by Gail Shalan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Mina Hardy ⭐⭐

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Unfortunately this book was not for me.
The pace of the book was good, the cover was eye catching and definitely a book I would click on in the kindle store, however when it came to the bones of the story I just could not get into it and didn't real feel any particular way towards the characters.

Also I don't feel like all the questions or plot point where addressed.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sarah’s husband Adam has just passed away, leaving her to care for their toddler, with a second baby on the way. Sarah is being harassed by her late partners business partner, to agree to let them be guardians of her daughter as well as adopt her unborn child.
Sarah learns that her MIL is alive, when she had thought all this time that she had died years ago. Candice, ( her MIL) offers to take her in and care for her until after the baby is born. Anxious to get away from her husbands business partner; she moves in with her MIL.
Once there, Sarah starts uncovering more and more family secrets. Who was her husband really, and why did he hide so much from her?

This book was an okay read for me. It was a little slow the whole way through until the very end. I didn’t love the ending either, and that there was no clear ending for honor.

Reading Between the Wines book review #12/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Like A Mother
Author: Mina Hardy
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: So many secrets and lies that I did not know who was telling the truth even when it was right in my face. Sarah thought she had a perfect life with her husband Adam and daughter Ellie. After Adam dies, she realizes her whole marriage and life was based off of years of lies and deceit. I thought I knew where the story was going but it really threw me for a loop. I haven’t read a Hardy book since After All I’ve Done in in 2020 which had my mind blown and received 5 stars. Like A Mother did not have the same effect but I enjoyed it!

Cheers and thank you to @DreamscapeMedia and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @LikeAMother.

#LikeAMother #MinaHardy #dreamscapemedia #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I enjoyed this book, but I’m not sure I would classify it as a thriller. The only part of this that was thriller-y was the ending, which happened very quickly. The rest of the book was slower but still entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and plot development, but the beginning of the novel was quite slow. I listened to this as an audio book and think I enjoyed it more than if I read the book on paper copy or on my kindle. The ending was satisfying and unpredictable. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this book ahead of publication date.

I was hooked from the very beginning! I’ve never read anything from this author but after this, I’ll be searching for more works by Mina Hardy.
The story starts just after the passing of Adam, Sarah’s husband. As she mourns their beautiful life together, secrets begin to unfold and Sarah learns that her husband is not who she thought he was. In fact, no one is who Sarah knows them to be. Sarah moves in with family in order to try to piece her life back together, but instead finds herself in quite a predicament.

This was a riveting thriller. I was guessing about what was going to happen and how it all would shake out until the very end. Caution though that there are trigger warnings for death. Including of an infant as well as child abuse.

The narrator was excellent!

Mina Hardy has another winner on her hands with her latest novel, "Like a Mother". This one kept me engaged all the way through. What a great, thrilling book.

5 stars! I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narration was great, the pace was perfect, the rising tension kept my attention the whole time. I had no idea how Sarah was going to make it out of her horrible situation, and I was very invested in the outcome. She was a well-rounded character, and I rooted for her throughout.

Read Completed 2/6/24 | 2 stars
Thank you to Netgalley & Dreamscape media for the audiobook review copy. This did not affect my reading experience or review in any way.
Sadly, this book wasn't for me. I stuck with it because I was actually really interested in the little mysteries and the concept of the book. I was hoping the plot would make the whole thing worthwhile and I tend not to DNF once I hit 35-40% because of how much time I've invested in a book. I still hoped that the plot would turn out well in the end, but it just didn't do it for me.

Contains some spoilers.
I had a number of issues with the book, but sadly the biggest one was that I hated the main character Sarah. I felt for her, her husband just died and she was left alone and pregnant with a young child, but she made some really, really dumb decisions and ignored EVERY red flat when there were tons of them. When a mysterious mother-in-law shows up that her husband told her was dead, she decides to abandon everything and go live with her? That was incredibly stupid. There were situations that left her few choices, but that did not have to be one of them. Especially after how they met and it's not like she was the most welcoming person in the world. Candace (the MIL) keeps the house locked and armed at all times, won't let Sarah leave, refuses to be connected to wifi or have a cell phone. I mean, I don't know how Sarah thought any of this was a good idea.

The religious fanaticism was also a huge turn-off. The mother-in-law turns out to be extremely religious, which I have nothing against religion, but it was pushy, it led her to make wild decisions, and she turned out to be dangerous because of her religious beliefs and I hated it. Sarah is also Jewish and her mother-in-law is constantly shaming her for her religion and it was wildly uncomfortable. She intentionally prepared food that wasn't kosher or acceptable, told her to her face that she picked the wrong religion, baptized Sarah's child behind her back.... it was very uncomfortable, and I know that was the point but it was all just too over-the-top and the entire religion thing did not need to be so aggressive.

There were also MANY plot points that never really got answered. There were tons of moments that hinted at abuse, rape, pedophilia, forced marriage, possibly a cult, and more and half of it never even became a main point in the book, so then it just felt like it was added for shock value instead of actually being an important part of the story. Some were sideways mentions, some were talked about head on, but it was all just a jumble of a mess that didn't have a clear line and many things that got shoved to the side. Did we even get an answer about the the 3yo kept saying she would see her father in the house when he was dead? I think maybe, but it was such a fast answer if so that I missed it in my audiobook, so we didn't even get to dwell on that.

The ending was sloppy, the plot points never came together, the characters were all kinds of awful. This was just not a good book for me. High on the scale as popcorn thriller but too many things bothered me too much to be enjoyable.

I liked this audiobook however it was slightly repetitive. Great premises and plot. And this has been a quick read for me.

Thank you publishers and netgalley for this opportunity!

To say I devoured this book is an understatement. I could not stop listening to this one. If you like psychological thrillers with twists that keep coming be sure to check this one out.

Sarah seemed to have it all, the perfect husband, a sweet little girl and a baby on the way. When her husband Adam dies, all his secrets start to unravel. There are several parts in this story that never really got wrapped up for me. The more I think about them, the more they bother me. This book had my attention the whole time, so for that I give it 3.5 stars, but can’t quite get past the holes in the story line to give it more.

Thank you NetGalley, Mina Hardy & Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC!

3.75 ⭐️

Quote the addicting book!! The twists were heavy hitting through to the end & the mother in law/daughter in law aspect was fun 😉