This was a psychological thriller with so many unique twists that I never could have predicted! I loved the author's writing style and highly recommend to anyone looking for anyone looking for a psychological thriller and a quicker listen!

A compelling domestic suspense novel involving a pregnant mother and new widow who slowly discovers she didn't know as much about her dead husband as she had originally thought. Full of secrets and twists I didn't see coming, this was good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Liane Moriarty or Jeneva Rose. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Like a Mother sends you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions following the life of Sarah after her husband Adam dies - leaving her with a young daughter and pregnant with another baby. She met Adam in college and he converted to Judaism to practice the same faith as his wife. Now in mourning she’s surrounded herself with friends from her temple. Her husbands friend and business partner and his wife want to be there for her - so much so that they ask her to sign over her children to them because she couldn’t possibly be able to or want to care for her children alone.. right?! Furious Sarah sends them away but money she was promised by her husband and the life insurance meant to keep them afloat for awhile all mysteriously is signed away to a trust that doesn’t belong to her? Why would her husband do this? In steps in Adam’s mother to the rescue.. but Sarah never even knew this mother existed because her husband told her she was dead. With no money and having to sell her house and all of their things Candace says she wants them to move in with her so she can take care of them until she can get back on her feet. Without Sarah having a mother of her own who ever took care of her.. she longer to be cared for……

Moving in with Candace was the beginning of the nightmare.

I loved the characters.. even the evil ones.. I was surprised by all the twists and could feel the emotions through this single POV story telling. The narrator was incredible. Her eerie and emotional tone with the voices of the characters really was amazing and made the story that much better.

Thank you @netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc.

#newrelease #bookreview #thriller #triggerwarning #suspense #bookstagram #likeamother

Rating: 4/5 Stars
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Like A Mother is told in a single POV following Sarah as she takes on life after her husbands death. I really liked this one. Listen, I was rolling my eyes at all of the stupid decision Sarah made and at how she even allowed someone to tell her how to raise her child (don’t get me started). I didn’t trust any of the characters, rightfully so, they were all sketchy as hell.
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I’m not even going to sit here and lie and pretend like I wasn’t positive that I knew how this was going to unfold to end up with complete whiplash at all of those twists thrown at you one after the other from about midway point until the end. Like A Mother is fast paced and hooks you right from the start. It’s a quick read and will have you second guessing exactly who you will let touch your children. Highly recommending this one to all my domestic/psychological thriller friends.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and another Gail Shalan knocked this one out of the park. I am really vibing with her narrations recently. She did such a great job at portraying the fear and panic in Sarah but also the crazy in everyone else. Definitely check out this audio!
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Like A Mother releases on 2/6, be sure to check this one out!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Mina Hardy and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. This book was thrilling and had tons of twists and turns. The ending was great and it kept me on my toes. The characters were portrayed all crazy and I felt like I could visually see them. I wasn’t a fan of the narrators voices which was an incredible distraction.

This book was Insane! I would lose my mind!

Publisher's summary
Sarah and Adam Granatt had the perfect suburban life: a beautiful house, an adorable daughter, a baby on the way, and a once-in-a-lifetime love. They were the couple everyone envied—until Adam died.

In the wake of his death, Adam’s secrets begin to emerge. The first comes out when a woman named Candace introduces herself to Sarah as Adam’s mother. Sarah is rightfully confused: Adam had always said his mother was dead. Adam also lied about making sure Sarah, Ellie, and the new baby would be taken care of financially. The truth is there’s no money.

Candace proves she is who she says, but she admits the relationship between her and Adam was strained. Her beloved son is gone, but she can offer emotional support and, better yet, a place to stay until after the baby is born and Sarah can get back on her feet. Living in Adam’s childhood home, Sarah begins to understand the life he had before they met—the life he buried along with his relationship with his mother.

When Sarah notices Candace’s strange obsession with her, and the house begins to feel less like salvation and more like a cage, she realizes that the secrets go deeper than she ever could’ve imagined. Candace might not be the caring mother-in-law she seems… And maybe Adam had good reason to pretend that his mother was dead.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for this ARC!

Like a Mother
By: Mina Hardy
Narrated by: Gail Shalan
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 02-06-24

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Like a Mother by Mina Hardy, an audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan was holly, molly, sweet pepper! Where to even start? There is everything - lies, betray, more lies, manipulation, crazy religious tweets, more manipulation, and a lot of mad people! And I mean - MAD people!
Starting from the first chapter you constantly get mad as someone is doing something blood-boiling! And the ending, well, that was like a Hollywood action thriller!
Gail Shalan did such a great child voice interpretation! OMG, it was so, so sweet! I loved all the parts where there was communication between mum and daughter!

Sarah lost her husband Adam due to long-term sickness. Sarah must deal with grief, her 3-year-old and the baby growing in her belly... it's a lot to process so imagine Sarah's shock when she realizes that she gets nothing unless she gives away her unborn child.
When Candace appears on her doorstep and introduces herself as her mother-in-law Sarah takes this opportunity to save her babies. She didn't know that her life will never be the same.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this copy! It made my anxiety sky-high and stopped my life for a day...

Wow, this book kept me turning the pages! I really liked the main character and felt so bad for the raw deal and trickery she had to endure. There were some nice twists to help make it, overall, a very enjoyable book. The narrator did a great job of setting the tone and keeping me intrigued.

Once I started i could not put this down. I loved the authors writing style !! The story was creepy and utterly dark and twisted and i loved every page. This book will stay with me for a long time.

Book Title: Like A Mother
Author: Mina Hardy
Narrator: Gail Shalan
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: February 6, 2024
My Rating: 4.3 Stars
Pages: 249

Sarah and Adam Granatt are the idea couple with a growing family. They live in a great neighborhood in the Los Angeles area have an adorable daughter- Elle, and a baby on the way.
Sarah met Adam while attending UCLA.

Adam has been suffering from a rarer form of Leukemia and dies sooner than expected. Now secrets appear ~.
~First there is a woman named Candace who says she is Adam’s mother only she says his real name is Henry; Adam is his middle name. However Adam told Sarah said his parents were dead.
~~next Adam changed his will four months ago leaving his half of his business to his partner Gram Morgan (best friends since attending UCLA).
~ Sarah thought they were fine financially’ however that is not the case-Sarah is left with no money.
~ Strange things are happening to the house to the point Sarah cannot pay for the repairs. Mother-in-law Candace tells Sarah that her home is Ohio is large enough for Sarah and two children and invited Sarah to stay with her. So Sarah accepts the offer and sells her house.

Soon Candace finds a lot of strange things about Candace and now understands why Adam left his childhood home and claims both parents are dead when only Dad Peter who was Minister r in the “Blood of the Lamb’ church – it seems Peter just may have been from the same religious sect as evangelist Elmer Gantry (In case you are young too remember him, here s a link) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Gantry_(film)

I had no idea where this was going – it kept me interested as it got stranger and stranger.

Audiobook narrator Gail Shalan is a GREAT performer; she made it clear as to who was speaking.
There were a few unanswered concerns things at the very end but it was still a wow read for me!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this early Audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 6, 2024.

Sarah Granatt had the perfect life: a loving husband, Adam; a beautiful home, a sweet daughter and even a baby on the way. Theirs was a life that people wanted and envied, then Adam died.
After Sarah’s husband’s death, secrets he kept start to surface including a supposedly dead mother. Soon she realizes that the secrets go deeper than she ever could’ve imagined and maybe Adam had good reason to pretend that his mother was dead.
This thrilling audiobook will leave your mouth hanging open in surprise. Mina Hardy did an excellent job of throwing things at you out of left field that completely make sense and add even more excitement to the storyline. Mina Hardy can be added to list of authors that leave your mind twisted with Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell. Run don’t walk to get your copy of Like a Mother.

Holy crap, this audiobook captivated my attention from the very beginning and had me glued to my seat the entire time! Well done!

Thanks a lot for the ARC !

I wish I had enjoyed this book more as it was really promising : what's not to like about thriller with an evil mother in law, family secrets, and a pregnant main character ?

However, I found it generally lacked the extra sparkle to make it really special. It was fine, but there are a lot of family-drama thrillers out there, and this one wasnt any different. The prose was ok, the voice was fine, pacing a bit slow but not so much so it annoyed me, there were plot twists and the characters worked quite well.
It simply lacked the personality or oomph to make it a memorable story.

Obsessed with this book! Possibly my favorite January read. I think I stopped and gasped out loud least four times.

Another one for the “religious trauma” list, this is (boiled down very simply) about a Jewish widow who goes to live with her very fundamentalist mother in law. the lion the witch and the audacity of this b**** as she deals with slut shaming, being snuck non kosher food, and a host of other gross shit. I think the book unfortunately leaves some questions unanswered at the end and some plot threads unresolved but still a roller coaster thriller!

Sarah and Adam Morgan's seemingly perfect suburban life takes a dark turn when Adam unexpectedly dies, unraveling a web of secrets. The narrator did an excellent job, immersing me into the story, although the pacing felt a bit uneven at times. The plot unfolds when a woman named Candace claims to be Adam's mother, contradicting his previous assertions that she was deceased. This revelation introduces an intriguing layer of mystery and tension.

The audiobook masterfully crafts an eerie atmosphere, drawing the listener into the complexities of Sarah's life as she grapples with grief, financial struggles, and an unexpected connection to Adam's past. The storyline, while solid, left me craving more depth and development, as if the potential for a richer narrative was just out of reach. The exploration of Adam's hidden life and the strained relationship with his mother adds layers to the plot, creating a sense of foreboding.

Despite my desire for a more intricate narrative, the audiobook effectively captures an unsettling ambiance, making it an engaging listen. Special thanks to

NetGalley and Dreamscape for providing me with an advance audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Like A Mother was an intense psychological ride. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but the more the story progressed the more I was invested. It was very fast paced and kept me intrigued, I needed to know the outcome.

This story is so much more than a thriller, there was some messed up stuff. Also, be aware there is a lot of battle between the 2 FMC regarding Judaism and Christianity. I am usually not for religion being a main focus but the author made it work. There were so many secrets, lies and wtf moments which is what I loved the most.

I thought the story was skillfully constructed, the twists were great. I would've just liked a little more questions answered at the end. People who enjoy a good fast paced psychological thriller will definitely be a fan of this one.

🎧 The narration by Gail Shalan was truly good. She had a tone to her voice that made everything so eerie and chilling. She was great at voicing the different characters and portraying the emotions.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia & @minahardy for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! The story was so interesting and sucked me right in almost immediately, but I also loved the narrator! She told the story with feeling and passion and I enjoyed hearing it through her voice. I had a lot of anxiety when listening to this, which is what I love in a thriller. The more tense I am the better!

I found this domestic thriller by Mina Hardy to be compelling, fast paced, and at times shocking. I was immediately drawn in by the description of the book and then the beginning of the audio. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and thought she put a lot of emotion into each character's voice. Although I wish we had gotten a bit of the dynamic between Sarah and Adam before he passed away but enjoyed all of the other character dynamics. I am still left a bit confused by the character with red hair that was scene on the grounds though and why Graham and his wife were thrown in at such random times. It didn't really quite fit together seamlessly when Graham was brought back in at the end. Overall though I did find the book entertaining and intriguing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though it did bring out the "mama bear" in me! However, I have mixed feelings about Sarah. At times she just seemed so naive and oblivious that I struggled to appreciate the actual story. That said, I did not see that twist coming, and I enjoyed the ending. A solid 4-stars for me!

Thank you netgalley, Mina Hardy and Dreamscape Media for the audio Arc of Like a Mother..

I found this book an interesting premise and really enjoyed the dynamics between Candice and Sarah as the storyline twists and unfolds. I feel that some triggering issues have been touched on but in a tasteful way including indoctrination, boundary crossing, controlling relationships, favouritism, mental health, grief and religion. This wrapped up in a suspenseful narrative made Like a Mother unique.

Had the pleasure of listening to Gail Shalan who narrated :Like a Mother who has a great story telling voice who kwon the suspense going throughout the book and keeps the listener engaged .

4 stars