Love Mom is a relentless mix of secrets, lies, red herrings and a twist that will take you by surprise.

When McKenzie's Mom who is a famous author dies unexpectedly she starts receiving cryptic notes that make her question her Mom's past.

The notes are in her Mom's handwriting and ask if she wants to know a secret.

Secrets have a way of impolding and changing lives.

Who can she trust.

The rest I will leave up to the reader .

Buckle up its a wild ride that will have you binge reading in one sitting.

Enjoy the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisioned Pen for the privilege of reading and reviewing Love Mom.

This book just keeps pulling you in! The build up to the end is perfect. It’s something you don’t see coming! I would definitely read this again,

This is THE book of the Summer! Twists, turns, and an ending I did not see coming. I loved the plot and I was hooked from the very beginning. The characters were relatable and full of personality. I loved how the author wrote the book to be action packed from the beginning. That really kept me intrigued. If you like books full of family drama, crimes, suspense, and betrayal, then this is the read for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

Love, Mom is the kind of psychological thriller I absolutely love the type that got me into the genre long before every good idea that came along got copied so many times you avoided anything even sounding vaguely similar.

This one doesn't have a totally original premise but the execution is excellent, addictive, flows along like the rapids, most importantly offers up a lot of twists and turns along the way that all make logical sense within the final outcome.

I loved the characters loved the story, was never sure exactly how it would all pan out so Love, Mom worked on every level for this reader.

If I had to summarise this book in one sentence, I'd say this should be a mainstream success. Why isn’t everyone reading this book and talking about it? I'm going to recommend it all the time. Because I loved it as an avid reader who is used to reading all the time. But I also think it's perfect for those who don't read as much but are looking for a book that they won't be able to put down. It's a great choice for both groups and that's not always easy to find.
In order to be something that the masses could enjoy, a book doesn't need to be dumbed down. It can still be smart, like this one is, but have a way of telling the story that makes it easier for those not into the reading habit to consume it more easily.
It's one of my top 3 reads of the year so far. And it's been a good reading year.

So why did I like the book so much? A few reasons. The premise was already interesting and the way we start the book with part 1 throws us into the story from page 1. No fluff whatsoever. The story is pretty straightforward. This fictional author died and her daughter had a complicated relationship with her, therefore the grieving process is also challenging. Her dad seems to be looking for something and other elements tell us there are a lot of secrets our main girl Mackenzie doesn't know about. Ok, I'm in!
The structure of the story and the way the author chose to tell it work so well. Hence why I said this could be enjoyed also by those not used to reading in general or not used to reading this genre. It has its twists and we spend a good amount of time trying to work out what happened and how, but it's still easy to follow. And incredibly gratifying because everything is explained. It might sound stupid to point that out but all genres can end up overcomplicating the story and then leaving all these minor plots unresolved. It's not a big deal sometimes, but it can be frustrating. Not the case with this book. Every single thing that needs to be explained will be explained. And in a way that makes sense. That blew my mind because even some of the smallest details that one could think will break the realism of the story (not that a made up story has to be 100% realistic but there is a limit to how much we can suspend our disbelief) were explained by that piece of information that could have been just a random comment a character made. But no, it was actually what helped put the pieces together. Just so well done.

I'm not someone who cares much about the length of chapters. Short or long, it's whatever. But I know a lot of people prefer one or the other. And going back to the non readers, I feel it's more typical for someone who doesn't read often to want shorter chapters. Very long ones can feel too challenging. Or maybe even boring.
This book has pretty short chapters. And that's another reason why the story moves so quickly and so smoothly. A “just one more chapter” became four or five more chapters because it didn't take long to finish one.

As for the characters, it's hard to explain without spoilers. But I'll say every character felt very distinctive and there was more to them than what one could initially think. Mackenzie’s journey is pretty special given everything she goes through. And every time we learned more about Lizzy's books, I wanted to read them. They just sounded so good. And when a book tells you about fictional characters and their books or movies and you want to read them, you know the author did a good job making them feel like real people who created real art. Sadly, I'm not able to pick up a copy of “Lies, lies and revenge” to read.

This is a mystery/thriller, right? So what about the twists? I guessed the big one two pages before it was revealed so…at least I guessed it. And when I finished that chapter, I literally said “well that's a twist!”. Again, another element that I think so many people will enjoy. When I think about mainstream thrillers, they all have that really shocking moment that makes people gasp. And the way the story continues after the revelation made it more impactful.
What we learned happened was so heartbreaking. I've read way gorier or more graphic stories. But it's the way this was done that was impactful. And how the characters reacted to it. One of the characters got on my nerves but I also found her fascinating.
This book has characters who come from a foster home and I think the book did a great job showing that it's that very hard beginning of their lives that made them the way they are. That lack of support and the feeling of rejection, if they didn't find a family, turned them into someone they might not have been otherwise. It doesn't justify anything they did but it adds a complexity to the plot that's very welcome. Villain needs to be interesting and the ones in this story were fascinating. Even if they got on my nerves sometimes but they were supposed to. I was supposed to react that way to their awful actions and to the way they thought.

Like I said, it was very satisfying how the story wrapped up. Not just the ending, though I loved that too, but how each piece found its right place in the puzzle.
And even if it was a very minor part of the plot, I enjoyed the bit of romance that was added to it. Another element that I think non readers can appreciate and it was just very sweet.

Another absolute 5-star book that made my reading journey this year even more successful.