3.5 rounded down

This was super fun and unputdownable ! Almost like a soap opera on paper. We have your typical well off family with crazy secrets! It was a LITTLE all over the place but overall it's a solid & fun read I would find myself recommending to anyone who wants a fun suspense read

This was just OK for me. The characters were kind of boring and the plot twists were unimpressive. The book is well written; I wish I read this instead of listening to the audiobook as the narrator didn't breathe much life into the characters.

This book was full of unlikeable, shady characters. I was constantly wondering who was the victim and who was the villain. It started off a little slow, but eventually picked up with many twists and turns. The narration brought the story to life adding a layer of suspense. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

I absolutely loved Don’t Trust Mother! From the first chapter, I was hooked. Carey Baldwin delivers a chilling psychological thriller that messes with your head in all the best ways. The unreliable narration kept me constantly second-guessing everyone’s motives, and just when I thought I had things figured out, another twist would hit and flip everything upside down.

The mystery surrounding Ivy’s past, her mother’s death, and the stranger who claims to be her birth mother was gripping. Every chapter made me question what was real and who could be trusted. The suspense builds steadily, and the emotional depth made it even more powerful.

If you enjoy twisty thrillers with strong female leads, dark secrets, and jaw-dropping reveals, this book is an absolute must-read.

This was a pretty good story. I enjoyed it and I thought the narrator was very good. I wasn't able to guess the ending.

Carey Baldwin has outdone herself with Don’t Trust Mother—a twisted, jaw-dropping psychological thriller that will have you yelling “No they didn’t!” every other chapter. This book is a masterclass in suspense and shocking reveals, full of WTF moments that hit like a punch to the gut.

The pacing is relentless, the tension never lets up, and just when you think you've figured it out? Think again. The twists are not only unpredictable but brilliantly layered, with each revelation making you question everything you’ve read so far—including who, if anyone, can be trusted.

If you love thrillers that mess with your head and keep you up way past your bedtime, Don’t Trust Mother is your next obsession. Just prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor. Repeatedly.

This book is a total mind-bender. It starts with a grieving woman trying to move on after her mother’s death until a stranger knocks on her door claiming to be her real mother. From that moment everything spirals. Secrets, lies and twists hit you at every turn and just when you think you’ve figured it out boom another twist🫡

The writing is tight and fast paced and the tension never lets up. Perfect if you love domestic thrillers where no one can be trusted and the truth is buried under layers of lies.

Final verdict: Twisty, suspenseful and super bingeable. A great weekend read that’ll keep you guessing until the last page.Loved the audio book so much!


Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an early ALC

Honestly, I didn't really connect with this thriller. It throws a lot of plot twists and characters at you right from the start, which felt overwhelming rather than intriguing. Then, just as quickly as it started, the pace crashes and drags for a long stretch, making it hard to stay engaged.
I found myself disliking almost all the characters— they come across as selfish and unrelatable. The story felt like one lie after another without enough payoff or depth to keep me hooked. Overall, it just didn't live up to the tension and suspense I was hoping for. If you like thrillers with intense character drama and a slow burn, maybe give it a try. But for me, it was a bit of a slog.

Audio version of this book 📕- A little unsure about this one 🤔 the storyline was not what I was expecting but it was a bit of a slow burner. I couldn’t warm to the main character either as she was a bit of a weak character.

The narrator overall was ok, though differentiating the characters a little bit more would’ve made it a little better .

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook.
Too many details.
Very unlikable main character. In fact, all of them were.
Unrealistic and sophomoric writing.
The narrator had no emotion. It simply sounded like she was reading a book.

I loved the twists and turns of this book.


It’s definitely a book where it makes you question everyone. You can never know who people truly are… even if they are “family”. This was wildly amazing!

Thank you @netgalley for access to another great book. I really enjoyed this audiobook from @authorcareybaldwin Lots of twists, just how I like them! It kept me on my toes and the characters were genuinely likeable. A must for fans of psychological thrillers and writers like @lisajewelluk & @alicewriterland

3.5/5 stars, rounded up

i had a good time! the twists and turns get a little wild at times but I was always excited to read "just one more chapter".

some of the characters had unbelievable moments (both as in compared to reality and as in Ivy please you cannot believe this dude-- these were mostly as set ups for twists) and I didn't like how even the main character treated the idea of therapy. god forbid a girl get some help after her mom dies! some themes also seemed like they got harped on too many times; if I had to hear about how the MCs would do ANYTHING for family one more time I was gonna lose it

despite some personal writing nitpicks, I really am glad I took a chance on a quick fun read that had me truly wondering "whodunnit"

This was a bizarre book that I actually ended up liking. Ok feel like secrets were revealed a bit too soon but it kind of all fell together the further you got into it. Good narration and multiple points of view. It was not too hard to follow and a creative approach.

The end saves the book! But only mildly.
Audiobook narration was great. Narrator, Elise Roth, is clear and makes listening easy and enjoyable.
With that said Don’t Trust Mother was a slow and drawn out story. Characters are unlikable and unbelievable. Would have made a good short story.
The writing being easy to follow and the solid narration I was able to make it to the end. The ending helped the whole but not enough.

Release: July 22, 2025
Author: Carey Baldwin
Publisher: Bookoture Audio

Rating: 3.25 ★ 

Still grieving the recent death of her mother, the narrator is blindsided when a woman named Sandra shows up at her door claiming to be her biological mother. They share eerily similar features—same eyes, same hair—and Sandra insists she was adopted. This revelation shakes her to her core. Could everything she believed about her family be a lie?
The confusion grows as she recalls her mother’s last phone call, one filled with urgency and fear. They had planned to meet that evening, but her mother never showed. Now, she’s left alone and unsure of what to believe. As unsettling incidents begin to unfold and paranoia creeps in, she starts to question everyone around her—especially Sandra.
Determined to uncover the truth, she follows Sandra in secret, only to feel like someone might be watching her instead. With her sense of reality unraveling, she’s forced to confront one terrifying question: Is her life built on lies—and is she in danger because of it?
Don’t Trust Mother grabs your attention from the very first page with a chilling premise—a grieving woman, a stranger at the door, and a life-shattering claim. Carey Baldwin delivers a psychological thriller that’s packed with secrets, suspicions, and twists that just keep coming. There’s no shortage of drama here, and the plot is fast-paced enough that I finished it in a day.
There are definitely some jaw-dropping moments—I mean twists that genuinely made me stop and go, “Wait, what?!” Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story yanked the rug out from under me. The final twist was wild—unexpected, and in some ways a little over the top—but undeniably entertaining.
That said, the book isn’t without its flaws. The main character, Ivy, didn’t always click with me. She was a little too perfect in everyone’s eyes, which made her harder to relate to. And while the story moves quickly, some of the POV shifts felt abrupt or confusing, and parts of the plot required a big suspension of disbelief. I also would’ve preferred more voice variation in the audiobook narration, especially with such a large cast of characters.
If you’re into twisty, bingeable thrillers that feel like a Lifetime movie in the best (and occasionally cheesiest) way, this one delivers. It's not the most realistic story, but it is addictive and perfect for when you want a dramatic, fast-paced mystery that doesn’t let up. Think comfort thriller, with a slightly unhinged edge.

Favorite quote: 
When the woman at my door tells me I was adopted, that she’s my birth mother, I go cold all over. Was the woman who raised me lying all this time? I’m left shaken. I loved my mother so much. But then I think of the last phone call I had with her. I could hear in her voice that something was wrong..

Ivy is a sweet and naive young woman who lost her mother several months ago but has trouble letting go. Her husband and father are tiptoeing around her, treating her as if she was going to break at any moment. And that is when the fun begins, with a strange woman showing up on their doorstep claiming to be her real mother. A snowball rushing down a mountain to create an avalanche of craziness and wild times! It was fun to listen to as everything unraveled, from questions about her mother's accidental death, to the truth of Ivy being adopted but still not as it seems with Sandra and her father and husband and others are hiding their own secrets. Poor Ivy, sweet and hoping for the best in people but still doing her own investigations. This story has dead bodies, possible "accidents" that might be real threats, secrets, gaslighting, many twists, each crazier than the last till the very end with a big reveal that I did not expect but I loved how Ivy rose to the challenge (which I enjoyed because I felt sorry for her naivete) proving she belongs in the family. :)

The narrator, Elise Roth, did a wonderful job with this wild ride of a thriller and brought the characters nicely to life, even the nasty ones, though no one is perfect and this book proved that humans are complicated with good bits and bad and though they might try to protect their family, sometimes it all goes sideways.

*ARC review*

This was an intriguing and dramatic book that kept me interested until the end. It was an easy read and I liked all of the twists and turns. Complicated family dynamics, secrets and lies…this book has something for all thriller lovers!

I had the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Don't Trust Mother by Carey Baldwin, thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio. This psychological thriller pulled me in right away with its layered storytelling and chilling tension.

The novel follows a daughter whose life is upended when her biological mother unexpectedly reappears after the death of her adoptive mother. From there, the story unfolds with secrets, deception, and emotional struggles that keep you guessing. It’s a story within a story, giving the listener just enough information to feel involved while still keeping plenty of twists and turns hidden until the right moment.

This was a quick listen that kept me fully engaged, with great pacing and a jaw-dropping twist that tied everything together. If you enjoy psychological thrillers where you're given part of the truth and have to piece together the rest, this book is definitely for you. A gripping and satisfying read.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an eaudio ALC.

I think this was my first book by the author, but I have read several by Bookouture (they do all seem to be very similar). I'm not sure how to review this book without giving away details, as there are lots of twists that are also spoilers. The family drama, dynamics and lies in this story are non stop, and with varying POV's, it can be tough to keep all of the lies and story lines straight. I didn't really like any of the characters, they all felt silly and weak. The ending was rather far fetched. This is not a cozy mystery, but hardly is a suspense or thriller since it is so slow going.

I have to add, I really dislike the characters that are too perfect and everyone just falls at their feet, and I felt that was the case here.

2.5 stars, rounded down.