Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

This was so much better than I thought it would be. The first couple chapters I was a bit bored but glad I continued it because it’s great! The storyline the plot twist all of it!

"Maternal Instinct" by Becky Masterman is a decent thriller with a compelling premise and well-developed characters. The plot is engaging and keeps you turning the pages. Overall, it's an enjoyable read!

An absolutely wild ride from start to finish, you don’t know who to root for as truths are slowly revealed, the best type of story. It’s not so much “the twist” as twist after twist after twist, and I gasped out loud a few times in surprise. Definitely will be following this author!

Read this if you liked: Like A Mother (Mina Hardy)

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the book #MaternalInstinct by #BeckMasterman. This book is the common for most people that have to take in a parent or parent in law. There is a lot of drama, butting of heads and manipulation. All this combined with talking to a dead husband, obsession with the church and the stigmata and a missing daughter/sister all rolled up together.

DNF at 20%

Too much Catholicism for one but the story isn’t interesting or moving forward plus the two MC are complainers and annoying for me. Really liked the narrator though

Thanks netgalley for my ALC

I ended up DNFing the audiobook at 50%. I thought the narrator did a great job, this one just wasn’t for me.

I thought the description was intriguing, as the mother-in-law from hell is always a fun trope to play with, but I think this book ended up being less domestic thriller and more gothic horror for my taste.

This book is told in alt perspectives of Althea (mother in law to Grace, and Hal’s stepmom) and Grace (Hal’s wife). Althea’s husband passes away, and Hal and Grace, along with their daughter Shyla, move into her house and Althea is relegated to a separate suite with her cat. Nobody is happy with this arrangement but it is written into Hal’s father’s will.

I wasn’t a huge fan of some parts, specifically how Althea spoke aloud to Robert in present-day and converses with him (as in, he responds), but it was something I could cope with. It just felt confusing with timeline flashbacks, and also just a tad weird.

The major downfall for me was that every character is unlikeable. I can usually handle this, and I do think it can be done really well when the internal and external conflict reflect the character’s behavior, but I unfortunately didn’t feel that way here. When Althea literally *chops a tortise’s neck off for biting her cat’s ear* it felt too far. I read for a little longer but ultimately could not finish it. I ultimately found myself avoiding reading the book and did not find that productive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

This is Monster-in-Law (the JLo movie) x murder. It’s a lot of fun, even if the story gets increasingly far fetched - whacky, even - from about 50% on.

Premise - Hal inherits his father’s house with one major line of fine print: they have to let his stepmother, Althea, live there with them and must take care of her to the end of her days. No one is happy with this: not Althea, who’s been tucked away into a small corner of what was her home for years. Not Grace, who hates living under her unpleasant MIL’s thumb. Not Shyla, who misses her old school and old friends.

The antics escalate gradually, eventually up to lizard beheadings and murder, but Hal retreats into depression, so it’s up to Grace to protect her family.

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of the Heiress

💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 3/5
💕 Pacing: 3/5
💕 Unputdownability: 3/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 3/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Severn House, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.