Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC! Overall I enjoyed Don’t Trust Mother by Carey Baldwin. The premise of the book was sound, and the description caught my attention due to the family drama angle. I liked that the book started with a twist, as it got me hooked to the plot immediately. However, the pacing in the middle of the book fell a little flat. I’m not sure if it was the author or the narrator, but multiple times I thought “wait, that was the end of the chapter??” It just seemed very suddenly cut off without a natural flow.

I did enjoy the extra POV towards the end of the book (trying not to give a spoiler here). I think this POV would have been interesting throughout the book, with the reader not knowing who the POV was from. It would have added an extra psychological twist to the story.

Most of the characters were not very likable and I did not connect with them, but I’m not particularly looking for that in a thriller. I did feel like Sandra had some nice character development by the end of the book, which was nice to see.

Overall it was a good book, just not anything that stands out. I feel that with some work and editing the author has the bones (pun intended??) to write a more thrilling mystery.

I love a good psychological thriller, and Carey Baldwin hit the mark with this one! I love that everything single character in this book was shady as hell it just added so much depth to the story. Nothing is what it seems here, and everyone is holding on to a secret of some kind. This was fast-paced, and the deception was deep and intriquid. Elise Roth's ability to switch from sweet innocent Ivy to Seriously shady Sandra and then to raucous Richard is commendable, I loved her interpretation of each individual character. The ending was jaw-dropping, and I did not see all the twists coming. If you are looking for a seriously messed up family dynamic, then this one is for you... morally grey .... more like morally black!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book starts out a little slow, but the pacing definitely picks up around the halfway mark. There were reveals throughout the story that kept me engaged and wondering who each character really was and what they were hiding. If you like a thriller with family drama and long buried secrets, this book is definitely one to check out.

Thank you to Bookoutre and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 ⭐
Twisty family drama! I guessed a couple plot twists but the big reveal at the end was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio ARC.

The premise itself is enough to hook you - 'She says you're her daughter. She's lying... right?' This question perfectly encapsulates the unsettling core of the story. Ivy lost her mom, Patsy, in a car crash, and six months later, she is struggling to get by. Her husband, Clayton, has her on a regimen of pills to help her cope daily. Ivy's father, Richard, is a very wealthy and powerful man in the community. One day, Ivy wakes up feeling better and thinking she is starting to turn a corner in her grieving when there's a knock on the door. To Ivy's surprise, there is a lady named Sandra on her doorstep claiming to be her long-lost mother. She claims that Ivy was adopted as a baby. Ivy feels like this can't be true! Is this woman really her mother? Or is something far more sinister at play?

Don’t Trust Mother is a psych thriller that grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. This was my first book by this author, and I'm planning to dive into the rest of her catalog very soon. The suspense in this book builds slowly. As the narrative unfolds, the lines between truth and manipulation blur, which made me question everything I thought I knew alongside Ivy and the other main characters. Everyone was lying to everyone, and I had no idea who to believe. The author masterfully crafts an atmosphere of suspense and paranoia, building tension with every revelation and doubt. Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed, another layer of deception was peeled back. I flew through this audio in record time because I had to know what was going to happen. Ivy was my favorite character, and I was rooting her all the way until the end. I love how determined she was to find the truth.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the early audiobook of Don't Trust Mother.

What I liked most about this novel was that I didn't immediately enjoy any of the characters, and when I started to like them, they did something horrible. I appreciated how the characters' relationships were dynamic and fluid, although some of the transitions and character choices did seem not as organic, as they were presented as twists - so I didn't see them coming at all! I wish the characters had stronger sense of "wholeness" with more than just dialogue-driven action.

I do love a good thriller with twists and turns that were absolutely not expected, and Baldwin delivered that element. The ending certainly brought together what felt like loose ends throughout the novel, making me wonder how they were going to tie together elements of the biological and adoptive mother.

I did enjoy the narrator's voice, and I felt like it fit Ivy - the novel itself was very dialogue driven, so at times it was difficult to follow the conversations. I found the narrator paused and transitioned into new topics and descriptions well, making the dialogue much more tolerable.

A narrator can enhance or distract from the story and this one distracted me. The story itself was a psychological thriller that led the reader down a twisty road of mystery. I enjoyed the twists, turns and surprises and may have enjoyed it more with a different narrator. The voices used didn’t fit the image the author created of the characters. It felt like the 1950’s.
I only took so long to read it as I was away and too busy to listen for the 5 days in between.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Carey Baldwin, and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook. This was a gripping psychological thriller, masterfully narrated by Elise Roth. Full of unexpected twists and turns, it kept me hooked from start to finish. A fantastic listen!

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, and was looking forward to all the twists and turns. But somewhere in the middle, it started to lose steam. Some plot points were predictable, while others caught me off guard. There were a few shocking twists, interesting reveals, and plenty of messy family drama to keep things moving.

It was entertaining and kept me interested, even if it didn’t completely blow me away. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was well done.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free copy!

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the Early Listening Copy of Don't Trust Mother. This is my first Carey Baldwin book and I was pleased with the writing style. Where I do love a Phycological Thriller but some of the twist were just very unbelievable and somewhat predictable. I did enjoy the way the Narrator Elise Roth and her vocal styling and able to give the shabby characters personality.

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.

Carey Baldwin is a new author to me and I mostly enjoyed this twisted tale. The premise was good and the book started well but lost it's way in the middle and there were parts which I found confusing.. There were plenty of twists; some were predictable but others caught me by surprise. I have to say that the characters were all quite unlikeable though

I enjoyed the narration by Elise Roth but would have liked a little more differentiation between the characters.

This audiobook took a little bit to snare me in but once it did, I couldn’t stop listening! This book is family drama to the highest level with twists and turns that have you questioning everything. Did I figure some of it out? Yes. That being said, there were twists that I DID NOT see coming.

My biggest gripe is that straight away, I wasn’t sure if I liked any of the characters. But as the book went on, I started to care about them more and more!

Also important to note is that I did really enjoy the narrator’s (voice actor’s?) voice and it made it overall an enjoyable listen.

This was.. okay? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best thing I've ever read either.

Honestly I didn't connect to the characters much since the beginning, I found them a bit unlikeable (even the main character, Ivy).
Some of the stuff in this book felt a bit predictable but entertained me enough.
I 𝘥𝘪𝘥 enjoy the beginning (even though it was a bit slow, I'd have to say that was my favorite part if the book) but the rest was just kind of eh to me. I was quite excited to read this one, sad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

This was an arc so thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for it

I liked the ending of this one but the rest of it was just off for me. Ivy is way too sweet and trusting, I hated Clayton immediately. "Biomom" was back and forth about caring for IVY.
The dad was suddenly speaking in second person before his big moment and that was odd.
It was all just a little off.
But the ending was perfect!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture audio and Carey Baldwin for the audio Arc of Don't Trust Mother.
Narrated by Elise Roth

This is the first book by Carey Baldwin that Ive read and the beginning started strong with Ivy trying to figure out whether the women who landed on her doorstep is her real Mother. What ensues leads to a twisty read and some unbelievable moments but overall an engaging read. Don't Trust Mother will leave you questioning who is lying, who's an unreliable narrator and who is double crossing who. The pacing of the book was medium but did feel a little juddery in the middle but picked up by the finale.

Elise Roth, which is also a new narrator for me kept the pacing and the individuality of the characters very well. I will be seeking out more from the narrator and the author.

3.5 for Storygraph. Rounded to 3 for Netgalley

Ivy has recently lost her dear mother and is struggling to come to terms, when out of nowhere, a lady called Sandra knocks on her door, telling Ivy she had been adopted and that she is her biological mother. At first, Ivy doesn’t know what to think and whether to believe this strange lady, but it seems there are many, many secrets in her family that are about to unravel…

Be prepared for web after web of mystery and lies. No character can be trusted. I had to give a good moment to take stock of all the different storylines and the turns they took, and just when I thought we were on track to land, there was more! It was like a thriller-soap opera, so if you like non-stop intrigue, drama and twists, you will enjoy this. Overall the story was startling, gratifying and just the right amount of melodramatic. 3,5 stars rounded up.

Elise Roth gave an engaging and convincing performance as the narrator. The POVs of Ivy and Sandra were clearly distinct and the accents were convincing for all the different characters.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC; all opinions are my own.

3.75 Audiobook. This was a NetGalley ARC thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio. I like this book and the narrator. I liked most of the characters and it did have a few twists. There was a big one that I saw coming so that was kinda disappointing.

Don't trust mother is a riveting psychological thriller that follows Ivy who is having a difficult time coming in terms with her mother's tragic death. Each day is a battle for her and through it all her husband, Clayton pushes her to take pills for her own good. Her father is a rich and reputed man cannot stand a tarnish on his name.

Then one day, out of the blues, a woman with same eyes and hair as Ivy informs her that she is her real mother and Patsy was just her adopted mother. Ivy has a half brother Dalton. Everything spirals out of control and Ivy unsure about it all feels the pressure of reality sinking in.

But something doesn't sit right.

The story was absolutely a page-tuner. Although there were times when story dips a little bit nonetheless it was engaging. There are several twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages till the end.

Book Review - Don’t Trust Mother by Carrie Baldwin
Narrated by Elise Roth

In Flagstaff, Arizona, Ivy and Clayton’s marriage appears okay on the outside, but something seems amiss right from the start. Why does Clayton seem so domineering and judgmental in spite of the fact that Ivy is in the midst of grieving her mother’s death following a car accident? Ivy’s bad dreams are becoming more frequent and Clayton keeps pushing the tranquilizers, but for what reason? Is there something else going on that Ivy is unaware of? ” This fast-paced right from the start as I grew increasingly intrigued as the plot slowly unfolded.

Enter Sandra Steele, a struggling single mom living in Texas. When she unexpectedly loses her job waiting tables at a country club, a plan is seemingly set in motion. Her sudden arrival at Ivy’s door in Arizona claiming to be her birth mother is just the beginning. Ivy is not adopted to her knowledge; her parents, Patsy and Richard, had always provided her with a comfortable and loving home, and have never given her any inclination that they were not her birth parents.

Just who is lying and who is telling the truth? It’s so hard to tell! The narrator, Elise Roth, did a beautiful job giving voice to both Ivy and Sandra as they struggle to navigate to the truth. There are just so many questions: Is Sandra really Ivy’s birth mother? There seem to be some holes in Sandra’s story.

There were times in which I needed to rewind the audio to listen again but after going back and replaying certain parts, I was certainly rewarded and everything seemed to fall into place. As the book neared the last few chapters, I had my theories, but the plot kept constantly changing and shifting and I ultimately did not see the many final twists coming at all!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Carey Baldwin, and Bookouture Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.