Mothered
Ratings13
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings13
Average rating3.3
From the USA Today bestselling author of the international sensation Baby Teeth comes a claustrophobic psychological thriller about one woman’s nightmarish spiral while quarantined with her mother.
Grace isn’t exactly thrilled when her newly widowed mother, Jackie, asks to move in with her. They’ve never had a great relationship, and Grace likes her space—especially now that she’s stuck at home during a pandemic. Then again, she needs help with the mortgage after losing her job. And maybe it’ll be a chance for them to bond—or at least give each other a hand.
But living with Mother isn’t for everyone. Good intentions turn bad soon after Jackie moves in. Old wounds fester; new ones open. Grace starts having nightmares about her disabled twin sister, who died when they were kids. And Jackie discovers that Grace secretly catfishes people online—a hobby Jackie thinks is unforgivable.
When Jackie makes an earth-shattering accusation against her, Grace sees it as an act of revenge, and it sends her spiraling into a sleep-deprived madness. As the walls close in, the ghosts of Grace’s past collide with a new but familiar threat: Mom.
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Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This started promising and had an enjoyable main character. The story went on for a bit longer than I thought necessary and there were no real answers to the questions.
I got misery (Stephen King) vibes to begin with and maybe I self consciously put it on that pedestal. I would have liked more from the story as it felt as though there was something missing throughout.
I put off reading this for longer than I should because I remember having a hard time getting through Zoje Stage's other book, Baby Teeth. But, as soon as I started this, I couldn't stop! I love a slow decent to madness and Zoje did it so well. I was constantly trying to guess what was going on and I was always surprised when I was wrong. I didn't love that the main character never knew what was real and what wasn't but the author did it so well that I was confused too. I regret waiting so long to read this and it has made me excited to go back and read the other books she published.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.
This was my first Zoje Stage book and I think I will read from her again. I was really invested in the first half of this book like fully immersed. I enjoyed the flashbacks we got of Grace's childhood and seeing her relationship with her mom and sister. But after the halfway mark the book dragged for me. I found myself getting bored and I didn't care about what was happening. The ending was good but nothing spectacular to me. I was a little bit let down be the twist, I wanted something more interesting. I did enjoy the epilogue at the end which is something I don't see a lot in mystery/thrillers. Overall it was a fine read nothing amazing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
