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namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
Rachel, a popular Instagram influencer, is pregnant and looking for a mother's helper. In comes Abbie who seems to be perfectly qualified and a big fan of Rachel’s. Soon Abbie moves in and makes herself indispensable, but it’s obvious that both women have secrets, one of which can prove to be fatal.
The New Mother by Julia Crouch is a domestic psychological thriller .A well written plot with some unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending made it a highly entertaining read.
I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
The New Mother by Julia Crouch is a domestic psychological thriller .A well written plot with some unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending made it a highly entertaining read.
I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
nicjohnston's review against another edition
3.0
I first came across Julia Crouch as a debut author on the New Blood Panel, with her debut book, at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. I was therefore thrilled to get an audio ARC of Mother’s Helper.
Rachel is a social media influencer with the apparently perfect life that goes with the photos and hashtags. Abbie is a huge fan and is over the moon when she is hired to help Rachel with the impending arrival of her baby. However, soon the facade starts to crack and the relationship between Rachel and Abbie darkens, taking on lots of twists and turns.
I enjoyed Mother’s Helper, notably the clever use of different POV. I did however struggle to connect meaningfully to any of the characters and thought the story got a little busy. The plot was pacey, particularly towards the end and I devoured the audiobook very quickly.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the audio ARC.
Rachel is a social media influencer with the apparently perfect life that goes with the photos and hashtags. Abbie is a huge fan and is over the moon when she is hired to help Rachel with the impending arrival of her baby. However, soon the facade starts to crack and the relationship between Rachel and Abbie darkens, taking on lots of twists and turns.
I enjoyed Mother’s Helper, notably the clever use of different POV. I did however struggle to connect meaningfully to any of the characters and thought the story got a little busy. The plot was pacey, particularly towards the end and I devoured the audiobook very quickly.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the audio ARC.
meganlee3001's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this! I love thrillers with a social media element and this book in particular does it really well.
There's so much going on in this book and you never really know who's to be trusted.
The characters were so well written, they were well defined and all added to the story.
Listening to the audiobook, I felt sometimes the accents were a little inconsistent but it didn't stop me enjoying it. If you're going to pick up this book, I highly suggest the audiobook.
This book is definitely going to have a lot of hype around it when it comes out on the 12th of October.
I gave it 4 stars⭐
bookonthebrightside30's review against another edition
3.0
In The New Mother by Julia Crouch we meet Rachel and Abby. Rachel is a social media influencer who makes her living by posting about products and services she tries and endorses. However, her life is nothing like what is on the posts. In order to appease her followers, she must maintain a “perfect” online persona. In an attempt to gain a new set of followers, Rachel decides to hire a mother’s helper and document the journey. She hires Abby who is already familiar with her from following her and has changed many areas of her life according to the advice Rachel gives on her platform. As Abby gets intertwined in Rachel’s life, she realizes that it’s all a front and her idol is not all she seems. The twists in this novel kept me interested as well as a view into the life of an influencer which may not be as glamorous as it seems. There were some parts that moved too slow for me and a couple twists that seemed a bit of a stretch. Overall, it was a good read for anyone that likes psychological/domestic thrillers. The narration of the audio book was excellent and added to the feel of the story. One thing I’d like to note is that I noticed the title change and I thought the first title The Mother’s Helper was more fitting.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
notwithoutmybook's review against another edition
4.0
Although there is a hint of a Single White Female/Hand That Rocked the Cradle feel to this book, it's completely entertaining in it's own right...there are some serious edge of seat, whaaaaat the heck is she doing?! moments that me hovering over the pause button but needing to know what happens even more. The New Mother does not hold back from either uncomfortable scenes, or the unflattering light it portrays social media users and it's influencers...I will never look at a mummy blogger in the same way again and I am still torn between whether or not I actually liked any of the characters in this book - they are all flawed, they all have dark secrets, they are all human. Would I read more books by Julia Crouch? Definitely. Kirsty Dillon's narration was excellent, she did the accents and voices so well and really brought out the claustrophobic feel of this book.
narin_dhillon's review
4.0
Firstly, thank you Netgalley & Bookoture for giving me an arc of this amazing book to read.
This book was amazing. i went into this book not knowing what it was about and im so happy that i enjoyed thi.
This was a really quick read for me. also probably because i could not put this down. it was so addictive.
I really love books with short chapters and this was def it. amazing..
i enjoy reading about morally grey characters and this book had 2.. TWO.. ah such fun.
Honestly, through out, i was having trouble figuring put who i was more afraid of. Abs? RR? Such a rushhhhh...
the hidden messages in this book really gave me goosebumps. Social media is honestly terrifying. nothins is ever as it seems.
And those Instagram post before every chapter???? i def loved that. Yall ever realised how from millions of likes, RR slowly only received barely a few thousand likes towards the end.
oh, so gooood.. tq tq tq for this book. i had so much fun reading this one.
This book was amazing. i went into this book not knowing what it was about and im so happy that i enjoyed thi.
This was a really quick read for me. also probably because i could not put this down. it was so addictive.
I really love books with short chapters and this was def it. amazing..
i enjoy reading about morally grey characters and this book had 2.. TWO.. ah such fun.
Honestly, through out, i was having trouble figuring put who i was more afraid of. Abs? RR? Such a rushhhhh...
the hidden messages in this book really gave me goosebumps. Social media is honestly terrifying. nothins is ever as it seems.
And those Instagram post before every chapter???? i def loved that. Yall ever realised how from millions of likes, RR slowly only received barely a few thousand likes towards the end.
oh, so gooood.. tq tq tq for this book. i had so much fun reading this one.
nik530's review
4.0
I loved this! It was a little gory at parts but it was so suspenseful and exciting. Definitely recommend and would love to read more by this author!
almond_cheese's review
4.0
Full of twists and unexpected turns, Mother’s Helper was, tbh, better than I expected. (I listened to the audiobook, I feel I should mention!) Rachel Rodriguez, or RR, is an influencer on Instagram and expecting her first child. She and her team bring on a Mother’s Helper to support her during pregnancy and after the birth. Abby, RR’s “biggest fan,” is hired for the position and moves onto Rachel’s estate.
Right off the bat, something is off. The book is told from varying perspectives, which I don’t always enjoy but found natural in this case. Abby definitely has some secrets, and the reader has a growing sense that she may have ulterior motives for becoming close to Rachel. But Rachel has some secrets as well. Every time I thought I knew how the story was going to unfold, I was surprised by what actually happened. From the beginning, I had an idea of what I thought the major twists would be, and I was WRONG! Love it!! Love that I was surprised and things were so unexpected!
I thought this book was going to fit a mold (pop culture, light read, easy to deduce what happens next) and I found myself realizing that i didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t predictable as I had assumed. Some elements of the story were very realistic, while other elements and events seemed less so. There were a good amount of characters to keep track of, which worked to add to the surprise count when they popped up unexpectedly. I did enjoy the flashbacks to previous Instagram posts from Rachel and Abby’s back story was quite interesting.
Overall I would say this was a good read and worth investing the time in. The author seems to have a sense of humor so that shines through as well. I would definitely read more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Right off the bat, something is off. The book is told from varying perspectives, which I don’t always enjoy but found natural in this case. Abby definitely has some secrets, and the reader has a growing sense that she may have ulterior motives for becoming close to Rachel. But Rachel has some secrets as well. Every time I thought I knew how the story was going to unfold, I was surprised by what actually happened. From the beginning, I had an idea of what I thought the major twists would be, and I was WRONG! Love it!! Love that I was surprised and things were so unexpected!
I thought this book was going to fit a mold (pop culture, light read, easy to deduce what happens next) and I found myself realizing that i didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t predictable as I had assumed. Some elements of the story were very realistic, while other elements and events seemed less so. There were a good amount of characters to keep track of, which worked to add to the surprise count when they popped up unexpectedly. I did enjoy the flashbacks to previous Instagram posts from Rachel and Abby’s back story was quite interesting.
Overall I would say this was a good read and worth investing the time in. The author seems to have a sense of humor so that shines through as well. I would definitely read more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
noveldeelights's review
3.0
I seem to have developed a love hate relationship with psychological thrillers the last year or so. What was once one of my favourite genres now tends to leave me rolling my eyes a lot and annoyed because come on, even a blind person saw that twist coming a mile away.
So I wasn’t entirely sure about reading The New Mum but I really enjoyed Julia Crouch’s last book, Her Husband’s Wife, which had been a while ago and so I decided to give this one a go.
Rachel and Abby are two quite unlikeable characters, not that that ever need be an issue. Rachel is an influencer, as fake as they come. Abby isn’t who she says she is either. Both could present a danger to someone as they both seem to have their own set of issues.
If you read a lot in this genre, the twists won’t really surprise you. They won’t keep you from pretty much exactly being able to predict how this will end. Unfortunately for me, that did take away a whole lot of the tension a psychological thriller tends to provide and in the end I just found myself getting more and more annoyed by the actions of these characters.
I guess you could say I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. Just landed somewhere in the middle and now I should really just take a really long break from this genre.
So I wasn’t entirely sure about reading The New Mum but I really enjoyed Julia Crouch’s last book, Her Husband’s Wife, which had been a while ago and so I decided to give this one a go.
Rachel and Abby are two quite unlikeable characters, not that that ever need be an issue. Rachel is an influencer, as fake as they come. Abby isn’t who she says she is either. Both could present a danger to someone as they both seem to have their own set of issues.
If you read a lot in this genre, the twists won’t really surprise you. They won’t keep you from pretty much exactly being able to predict how this will end. Unfortunately for me, that did take away a whole lot of the tension a psychological thriller tends to provide and in the end I just found myself getting more and more annoyed by the actions of these characters.
I guess you could say I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. Just landed somewhere in the middle and now I should really just take a really long break from this genre.
i_dont_read_blurbs's review
3.0
3.5 rounded to 3 stars
Social media storylines really pull me in. So, when I saw this one about a pregnant influencer that is looking for a nanny, I needed it. The beginning hooked me, then it slowed down for quite a bit, then it picked up again. If it weren't for that pretty big lull where not much happened, I probably would have rounded up. I did enjoy the narration of the two different characters.
Social media storylines really pull me in. So, when I saw this one about a pregnant influencer that is looking for a nanny, I needed it. The beginning hooked me, then it slowed down for quite a bit, then it picked up again. If it weren't for that pretty big lull where not much happened, I probably would have rounded up. I did enjoy the narration of the two different characters.