Just Like Mother

This was the perfect book to read while under the weather and quarantining while I waited for my PCR test results. It's simple and predictable enough to be easy on a foggy brain, but leaves enough enticing breadcrumbs that I wanted to follow to the end.

That said, I'm a little annoyed this is shelved as Horror. It's much more like a culty take on The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window than proper horror or Gothic fiction.

I feel this could have used some more ambiguity, and I would have appreciated a more empowering ending for our hero. But I was game for the ride. Whenever the main plot seemed a little too blatant or the workings of the cult strained my suspension of disbelief, I'd get a glimpse of Maeve's childhood that propelled me forward.

There's good character development, a compelling parallel to real life political horrors, and a creepy mansion in the mountains. It was a fun, quick read!