This thriller had me questioning every character... and every motive. This story had me hooked from the very first page. Two women. Two sets of secrets. And a baby caught in the middle.
The tension builds with every chapter as the lines between truth and lies blur, and you’re left wondering who you can trust.
I loved the slow unravel of hidden pasts and the creeping sense of dread that made it impossible to stop reading.
If you love psychological thrillers full of twists, betrayals, and jaw-dropping reveals, this is a must-read!

What Every Mother Needs by Emily Shiner is an intense page-turner that had me hooked from the very first chapter. Shiner masterfully blends the emotional complexities of motherhood with gripping psychological suspense. The characters feel real and their fears and doubts are palpable, making it impossible not to get invested in their story.
The tension builds steadily, with twists that kept me guessing and turning pages late into the night. This book isn’t just thrilling — it’s a deeply emotional exploration of trust, protection, and maternal instinct. Emily Shiner’s writing is sharp, heartfelt, and incredibly compelling.
If you’re looking for a suspenseful read that grabs you emotionally and won’t let go, What Every Mother Needs is an absolute must-read. Highly recommended!

What a great read!
It can be a bad thing when you are reading a thriller and you like Charlotted (whose husband Lawerence just died and left her alone as a single mother) and Sophie (his sister).
This book had every angle of suspense that you want in a thriller and shows that skeletons in the closet may come out when you least expect it.
The ending.. WOW just wow. Emily Shiner does it again.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this book, with my honest review below.

What Every Mother Needs is a well done thriller that has you completely shocked by the end (actually shocked vs. Amazon description of book ‘shocked’.

Charlotte is a new mother to baby Jordan who recently lost her husband Lawrence and desperately needs some help at home. Sophie is Lawrence’s sister who comes to help - though Charlotte has never met her before. Interspersed are recollections from ‘her’, a woman (maybe Charlotte) who had a relationship with Lawrence. The tension in this book ramps up because neither Charlotte nor Sophie seem quite right, but the reason why is the big twist as is the ‘oh no you didn’t’ ending. Definitely a solid thriller for all the lovers of that genre, unique in the idea it explores if not wholly unique for the genre.

Some stranger just shows up and says they know your dead husband. Says she's his sister that he never mentioned and you're just like heck yes move in sis. Such a great book. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. I was hooked from the start and couldn't stop reading it.

This author never fails to deliver a thrilling, suspenseful journey. Loved everything about this book. Amazing character building and I hope that there will be a follow up book on this.

ARC REVIEW: This was so much fun and just what i needed to read! A quick binge worthy thriller with plenty of twists and turns - a combination of things I guessed and things that were total surprises making a great suspense thriller.

This was the first book i’ve read by Emily Skinner, and it was creepily enjoyable in a lovely warped way! Scandal, shock, murder. surprise and more … thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this truly depraved and enjoyable story.

Due to be published May 30th - and recommended for fans of Daniel Hurst and Freida McFadden.

What Every Mother Needs

5⭐️

Any book by Emily Shiner is an automatic read for me. I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller! Charlotte is mourning the recent death of her husband while dealing with anxiety of being a new mom when Sophie shows up unannounced. Sophie is her deceased husbands sister Charlottes never heard of but accept the help as she has no one else. Soon she will wish she never let Sophie in the door.

From the very beginning this book had my attention. The twists and turns are crazy up until the very last word in the epilogue. I loved every minute of it. A very fast paced intense read!

First, as always, I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Emily Shiner really starts to become one of my auto-buy writers at this point, not gonna lie! The story itself though, I have to admit, makes me feel glad I do have no baby. I am not sure if I could handle all the stress and the lack of sleep myself....

Anyway, this twisty story is told in the POV of both Charlotte - our mother who recently lost her husband Lawrence and now has to raise her daughter alone - and Sophie, Lawrence' sister. She said she came to help Charlotte. But we know what kind of story this is, so it is safe to assume that Sophie surely did not only come to help... There is also a thir POV only named 'her, which tells what has happened in the past. No spoilers here, though. If you want to find out who is this, you will have to go and read the book yourself!

Emily Shiner is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed this book. The back and forth between the two main characters was interesting because you never really knew who the villain was. How far would you go to protect what’s yours?

I was invested in the story right from the start. I loved how the story was pieced together from not only the POV of the two main characters, Charlotte and Sophia, but also from someone simply described as “her”. While the story was mainly set in the present, the chapters set in the past helped with character developments. I kept changing my mind about both Charlotte and Sophia throughout the book, where I would side with one, and then the other. The twists throughout the book kept me wanting to read more and the more I read, the harder it got to put the book down until the last 25% where I ignored my family and finished it. The only negative for me is that I wanted a further epilogue but this could just be because I was enjoying the book so much that I didn’t want it to end.

Emily Shiner is one of my favourite authors and I look forward to reading more by her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

WOW. Emily Shiner knocks it out of the park yet again. What Every Mother Needs is a fast paced, riveting and anxiety inducing thriller. I couldn’t put it down, and I was at the edge of my seat, biting my nails the whole time!

Charolette is mourning the loss of her husband and struggling with managing postpartum and grief hand in hand when a random woman claiming to be her sister in law shows up at her door step. She’s never heard of her husband having a sister..but she still accepts the help. Will she come to regret it?

If you love Frieda McFadden, John Marrs or Daniel Hurst you’ll love Emily Shiner. Her thrillers are fast paced, twisty and leaving you with your mouth hanging open at the big reveals.

This book is a page turner from start to finish! Although I found some parts to be predictable I couldn't slow down, I couldn't wait to finish it and put the pieces together.

Charlotte and Sophie both strive to be a mother more than anything in the world, just how far will they go for baby Jordy??

What do you get when you put a newborn, a first time mother and a sister in law together? What Every Mother Needs is a world wind story that will have you guessing and gasping to the very end. In this fast paced thriller you will meet Charlotte a recently widowed mother who is trying to navigate raising a baby alone and Sophie her unknown sister in law. Its so well written and relatable on many levels that it will have you questioning all of your 1st time decisions.

Thanks you Netgalley & Bookouture for thr ARC for my honest opinion.

Wow! This was amazing this did not disappoint I was completely blown away
The twisted just kept coming I was completely on edge it was perfect.
Loved the characters the plot the twists everything was spot on brilliant thriller !

The twists in this book are unbelievable. It is a little bit creepy but addictive. I like that it ends on a cliffhanger so I am eager for the next book to find out what happens. The characters are likeable and I enjoyed the thrills in the plot.

Another amazing book, by Emily Shiner, wow, I could not put this one down, I was addicted straight away, what an amazing twist.

A brilliant ending which ended on a cliffhanger, very good story and couldn’t even imagine how it would end, looking forward to the next one though in the future AAA

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

I love Emily Shiner, and she never disappoints. This was SO good, and i didn't want to stop reading. It's got a great pace and could easily be binged if time allowed.

One thing that Emily always handles well is the twists. I can never pinpoint exactly how it will go. She keeps you so interested to the last second, and you still won't know where it is headed. I don't want to write anything definitive because i don't want to spoil it for anyone, but trust me, this one is so satisfying.

This was easily one of the better thrillers i have read recently.