Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t Trust Mother is a good psychological thriller that will keep you gentertained from cover to cover.
Ivy lost her mother in a car accident.
Now she is finding it hard to get by.
Her husband is concerned.
One day there’s a knock at the door.
A woman, Sandra, claims she is Ivy’s mother.
How can this be, she just buried her mother.
Is Sandra telling the truth or is it something more sinister…..
An engaging plot, sneaky characters, much melodrama and a few twists thrown in.
Gripping, hooking, unhinged and totally chaotic.
Nothing is at it seems, so get reading to find out the truth.

A fun and unique thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. This was one where I really didn’t know what was going to happen next!

I had such high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, it didn't land for me. The constant jumping between subplots and multiple POVs left me with whiplash. Normally I love multiple perspectives, but here it felt choppy and disrupted the flow of the story.
The characters weren't just unlikable - they were the kind of unlikable that made me lose interest entirely. I found myself bored, not even caring enough to want to stay around for their inevitable downfall.
This might still be an engaging read for someone who enjoys a more chaotic narrative style, but for me, it just didn't work unfortunately.

I was excited by the premise and loved that it sounded unlike any other thriller od come across so I was keen to say how itd all play out and I was most definitely not disappointed! What a book! Its well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The characters are brought to life and there are just so many twists, turns and red herrings that just when you think you have a grasp on it, it slips through your fingers again! This is one of those books that you will be reading into the early hours

What would you do if you suddenly found out that your whole life was a lie? What if the family that you thought was yours was really not? What would you do if a woman shows up at your door step claiming to be your biological mother?

Ivy’s perfect world is crumbling. She is grieving the recent loss of her mother, Patsy, who died in a tragic accident. Ivy didn’t think her life could get any worse until a woman shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her long lost biological mother. Ivy doesn’t know what to think. The woman must be lying. Ivy wasn’t adopted. Was Patsy keeping something from Ivy? Is Ivy really adopted? Is her life a lie? What other family secrets are lurking behind closed doors? Ivy doesn’t understand what is happening but she is determined to find out the truth. And in this story, the truth definitely comes at a cost.

Don’t Trust Mother is a fast paced psychological thriller. So many questions to be answered, and truths to uncover. The story is a whirlwind full of drama and suspense that kept me engaged from beginning to end. While some aspects of the story were a bit far fetched, I found Don’t Trust Mother very entertaining. My brain was in over drive (in a good way) trying to figure out who was trustworthy and who was a villain. In the end I discovered there are way more villains and shady characters than good. There were twists and turns and even though a few were predictable, I didn’t see the ending coming 🤯.

Thank you Bookouture @bookouture for my e-arc and having me on the Book tour for Carey Baldwin’s latest book Don’t Trust Mother. This is my second book I’ve read by this author and look forward to reading more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date July 22, 2025

❤️ WoW this book was so good!❤️

Don't Trust Mother by Carey Baldwin and narrated by Elise Roth was an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that will have you sitting there with your mouth open and then spend a few seconds thinking about it!!! Now, thats what I call a excellent audiobook/book! especially as it was very twisty throughout that will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. I loved it I found it hard to turn this audiobook off and I ended up listening to it whilst shopping, walking my cavapoo and doing my housecleaning. WoW what a day, this book made me finish the house cleaning and washing and I didn't mind doing it! 😂 The time flew by!

The narrator Elise Roth was superb for this book, she bought it alive.

I highly recommend this audiobook/book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC

Don’t Trust Mother is a fast paced read full of twists and turns. Red herrings abound and drama ensues. Every character left me feeling apprehensive and suspicious. Every new twist made me more confused and turned around in my predictions but the ending pulled them all together.

I have posted this review on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Storygraph

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/adacf77b-e9f4-4c22-960f-f5183c5b23aa

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7752711328

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMdedECp4G_/?igsh=emZ5ZHU1bTJlZXZr

I received this digital arc from Bookouture for a Books on Tour with them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Overall I found the characters and general storyline good with some surprises. I found the idea of experiencing the loss of a parent to then have another turn up whilst you are still grieving to be an interesting plot twist. I also enjoyed the twists and interlocking lies told and revealed throughout the book.

The book is presented with different viewpoints to allow the reader to experience both sides. I think this also helps with one of the underlying messages: who can you truly trust?

Ivy's mother died in an accident six months ago and she's still grieving, so when Sandra tells her that SHE is Ivy's mpther things for Ivy turn a little more than strange.

This is a pacy and incredible story that I really enjoyed.

Yes.. things were a bit predictable, Yes.. I did guess what would happen next ..BUT I was hooked from the start and for me this was a one sit read..

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc.; This one was very slow in the beginning I almost quit reading. The characters were hard to like. I had no clue who to trust which is good in a thriller! The plot is a great one and the twists were shocking!

Reading in Between the Wines book review #75/125 for 2025:
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: Don’t Trust Mother
Author: Carey Baldwin
Available now!!

Sipping thoughts: Wow! I was not expecting the twists and turns. I was very invested to see what the story was behind Sandra and Ivy. I could not figure out who was the real villain. Was it Ivy for the secrets she was keeping? Sandra for her duplicitous tendencies? Or the family members who set it all in motion? This is my first Baldwin book and can’t wait to try another one.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @DontTrustMother.

#DontTrustMother #CareyBaldwin #Bookouture #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Your mother is the one person that you should be able to trust implicitly...If only life was that simple...for Ivy it opened a whole new big can of worms...and it wasn't all good!

Narrated from multiple POV by unreliable narrators? That was me hooked, lined and sinkered!

It's fast, twisty and certainly keeps you on your toes...there were so many layers waiting to be uncovered.

I found the characters very 'marmitey' and couldn't make a solid connection with them...they did make for a good story mind.

A gripping and enjoyable experience.

This is a great psychological thriller that drew me in right away. The plot is gripping and full of twists. It’s intriguing and full of secrets, lies and drama. A great read

Dark, gripping, and full of jaw-dropping twists, this thriller dives into the complicated and chilling bond between mother and daughter. Carey Baldwin masterfully keeps you on edge, questioning every motive. A must-read for fans of psychological suspense.

This was such a good book. It was a little over 4 stars for me but not quite a 5. The twists were so good and had me guessing throughout the book. And what a great ending. I started questioning if it was going that way but didn't know for sure. Awesome job to Carey Baldwin.

📱E-Book Review📱

Don't Trust Mother
Carey Baldwin

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love a good psychological thriller and this one had me second guessing from start to finish!

As Ivy comes to terms with the death of her mother, she is shocked when a woman arrives at her door claiming to be her real birth mother.

As the story unravels it's really hard to work out who is telling the truth and who is hiding secrets.

I really liked the multi-pov format which allows us to really get inside the characters heads and see the events in different ways - but the more I read, the more I struggled to work out what was going on.

The characters were not hugely likable - but I think that this was necessary for us to keep our distance and view this without too much emotion.

The writing style created the perfect atmosphere to keep us on edge throughout.
This was a gripping read and I raced through the pages, making my own theories as I went along, but I didn't quite get all the twists and turns.

A great read and I'm sure I'll be grabbing more from this author in the future.



💕Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Don't Trust Mother' by Carey Baldwin.

WOW!! JUST WOW!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT EXPLOSIVE ENDING. WHAT A TWIST!!!

This book is extremely well written and the vivid descriptions completely absorb the reader from beginning to end. The cover and synopsis work well with the storyline.

Yet another hugely successful gripping thriller by the extremely talented Carey Baldwin!!! I have yet to come across a book by this fantastic author that is not addictive, page turning and explosive!! This book had me hook, line and sinker from the first page and I could not put it down!!! Every time I said one more chapter it ended on a cliff-hanger and I just had to know what was going on!!! This kept on happened over and over until before I knew it I had devoured the whole book in one sitting!! Each of the chapters are short, gripping and filled with mystery and suspense. If you are going to read this then clear your day because it is truly unputdownable. I started this this morning and finished it at approx. 2pm, reading it in one sitting. This is one of those fascinating books that will have you questioning the characters and yourself throughout!!! You have no idea who to believe and if any other of them can be trusted!!! You really do just have to grab your copy of this superb page turner today to find out more for yourselves!!! It is ram packed with twists, turns and surprises you'll never see coming. I definitely didn't and I have read hundreds of crime and psychological books so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Carey!!! It is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you managed it in this successful, chilling and page turning psychological thriller!!! Grab your copy and jump on the rollercoaster ride of secrets, family, suspense, drama, twists, thrills, mystery and everything you could ask for in an epic page turner!!! Carey's fantastic and evocative writing skills ensures you are sucked into the lives of the characters feeling your heart pounding and the hair on your arms raise. This book is rammed with suspense and tension and will keep you biting your nails, on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding while your flipping the pages because you just cant stop. I loved the fantastic ending that left me wanting to pick up more of Carey's books and get stuck straight in.

Clear your schedules and get sucked in to this gripping page turner today!

The authors evocative writing skills brings each of the characters to life and leaves you feeling that you are standing next to them as their story unfolds and lives start to tumble around them. Each of the characters were realistic, well rounded and strong characters which makes it a realistic read. All the characters were strong and realistic as well as hiding their own secrets. I was completely invested in each and every one of them. Carey does a fantastic job of weaving the multiple protagonist perspectives of Ivy, Sandra and Kathleen together perfectly to ensure the reader gets a bigger picture of what is going on without giving anything away until Carey is ready to. Although many of the characters were flawed as well as unlikeable this made them all the more realistic!!! It is rare for me to become so invested in unlikeable characters but the storyline was so addictive I just could not put it down!!!! There were flaws, secrets and so much more you have no idea who to trust and what the truth really is!!! Carey makes you question each and every one of the characters throughout!!! I don't want to risk saying more about how I felt about the characters as I don't want to give anything away to future readers but I will say that I was annoyed, angry, upset, disappointed at the different ones for many different reasons!! Regardless of whether you love them or hate them they each played their parts perfectly!!!

Overall an addictive and gripping emotional rollercoaster of secrets, family, suspense, tension and everything you could want in a gripping thriller!!

#DontTrustMother #CareyBaldwin #Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous
@CareyBaldwin @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous


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Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Don't Trust Mother by Carey Baldwin. This is my first book by this author. This was a twisty read with lots to unpack and sort through. There were many subtle changes that kept this story unique. It was a fun and easy read. It was a psychological thriller full of secrets and jaw dropping reveals. The ending surprised me! I would recommend this book and I gave it a 4 star rating. #Bookouture

Mother or menace??
I thought Sandra was awful pushy but that was only scratching the surface.
Was anyone capable of telling the truth in this story???
I couldn’t fathom why parents would go to such lengths to paint a deceptive picture until little clues began dropping and it turns out one of the liars was actually telling the truth unbeknownst to her because she’d been hired to lie.
Jumbled weave of truth and truth tampering. But a family emerges!

Don’t Trust Mother by Carey Baldwin is a sharp, twist-packed thriller that keeps readers guessing until the very end. From the first chapter, Baldwin sets the tone for a tense, emotionally charged story where nothing—and no one—can be taken at face value. Just when you think you have it figured out, another layer peels back to reveal something even darker.

Baldwin’s writing is immersive and richly detailed, drawing readers into a world filled with secrets, lies, and psychological tension. The pacing is pitch-perfect, with just the right amount of suspense building in each chapter. The twists are not only shocking but cleverly executed, demanding the reader’s full attention to every subtle clue along the way.

This is the kind of thriller that keeps you up late reading “just one more chapter.” Don’t Trust Mother is a chilling, well-crafted psychological ride and a must-read for anyone who craves an unpredictable, gripping story. Carey Baldwin delivers once again.