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whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I was given a copy to review for a
book tour. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #TheOtherMother
#MirandaRijks #ZoolooBookTours #BookTourReview #Thriller #ZooLoo #BookReview
#gifted #ad
The Other Mother was a fast paced read with numerous twists and turns leading to a rather shocking reveal at the end. If you want to know just what it is you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out because as always, no spoilers!
When Jane, an agony aunt and psychologist, is asked by her friend to pick up their four-year-old daughter Florrie for a dentist appointment she couldn’t imagine the nightmare that is about to unfold. Someone pretending to be Jane has already come to collect Florrie and now she is missing. Things only get worse as Jane begins to receive agony letters that reveal intimate details of her life. She cannot help but wonder if these are connected to the missing child? If it wasn’t possible to get worse Jane then finds incriminating evidence in her own home. Slowly Jane’s life begins to unravel around her and she is left questioning everyone around her including her own family. The final straw is when a shocking secret is revealed that threatens to break up her family and shatters her entire world.
I have to say this thriller kept me hooked with several twists and changes along the way. Despite not particularly gelling with Jane, or Naomi (Florrie’s mother), the storyline and other characters were enough to keep me hooked. What I did like about Jane though was how realistic she was as a character. She is rather proactive and while everything around her is falling apart she does try to keep going and focused.
The story itself is tightly woven and being told from multiple points of view I felt helped keep me engaged and I particularly enjoyed getting to see other characters reaction to what is going on around them. What I did enjoy though and what shocked me the most was the twist at the end. I had not even considered it at all so it made a nice, although sinister, twist. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre and will be looking into other works by the author.
book tour. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #TheOtherMother
#MirandaRijks #ZoolooBookTours #BookTourReview #Thriller #ZooLoo #BookReview
#gifted #ad
The Other Mother was a fast paced read with numerous twists and turns leading to a rather shocking reveal at the end. If you want to know just what it is you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out because as always, no spoilers!
When Jane, an agony aunt and psychologist, is asked by her friend to pick up their four-year-old daughter Florrie for a dentist appointment she couldn’t imagine the nightmare that is about to unfold. Someone pretending to be Jane has already come to collect Florrie and now she is missing. Things only get worse as Jane begins to receive agony letters that reveal intimate details of her life. She cannot help but wonder if these are connected to the missing child? If it wasn’t possible to get worse Jane then finds incriminating evidence in her own home. Slowly Jane’s life begins to unravel around her and she is left questioning everyone around her including her own family. The final straw is when a shocking secret is revealed that threatens to break up her family and shatters her entire world.
I have to say this thriller kept me hooked with several twists and changes along the way. Despite not particularly gelling with Jane, or Naomi (Florrie’s mother), the storyline and other characters were enough to keep me hooked. What I did like about Jane though was how realistic she was as a character. She is rather proactive and while everything around her is falling apart she does try to keep going and focused.
The story itself is tightly woven and being told from multiple points of view I felt helped keep me engaged and I particularly enjoyed getting to see other characters reaction to what is going on around them. What I did enjoy though and what shocked me the most was the twist at the end. I had not even considered it at all so it made a nice, although sinister, twist. I would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre and will be looking into other works by the author.
judithdcollins's review
4.0
The queen of psychological thrillers, Miranda Rijks, returns following, The Concierge (5 stars) with her latest twisty domestic suspense, THE OTHER MOTHER. A child goes missing, and this group of friends—all suspects and connected in this riveting cat-and-mouse game.
Dark and twisty, blended with dark humor, white-knuckle tension, and MR's signature jaw-dropping surprises.
One of my favorite psychological thriller authors—every book is highly creative and twisty. I drop everything when I see a Miranda Rijks thriller coming out.
OK, let's talk about these CHARACTERS:
The star of the show and heroine is Jane Wildman. A therapist and a secret (Dear Aurora Rae), Dear Agony Aunt advice columnist. A wife and mother of two teens.
Poor Jane! She is NOT, unfortunately, surrounded by people who care or support her. If she calls these friends, I would hate to have enemies.
~Her teenage daughter, Elsa, 17 yrs old (total brat)—is mean to her mother —evil and manipulative.
~Her teenage son, Alex, 15 (almost 16 yrs old) is not the warmest, influenced by his friend, Hari.
~Her husband, Robert, was unfaithful (she learns).
~Her clients are NOT nice or loyal.
~Her Agony Aunt letters are from people with hidden agendas.
~Her friends: Nala, Amir, and Cameron. Horrible!
She needs to start over fresh!
Jane Wildman is an Agony Aunt (for those in US, we call Dear Abby; whereas British, Agony Aunt). No one knows her identity except for her editor and a select few. Jane is also a psychologist.
Some letters are old fashioned, handwritten, sent via snail mail, some typed, and others emailed. Normally it takes her less than ten minutes to pen a response. (However, in the book, we see letters but no responses). This would have been fun to see.
Jane has three close friends: again, if you call them so.
~Nala (physiotherapy practice)
~Amira (does not work). Gives Jane's teenage son alcohol.
~Carmen (mobile beautician) nail and beauty treatments.
They became friends seven years earlier when they took rooms in the commercial building in Horsham set up for independent professionals running health and wellness businesses. Amir's son Hari is best friends with Jane's son, Alex.
Her friend, Nala, is married to Lorenzo with a daughter, Florrie (four-year-old), and another baby on the way. Nala is a physiotherapist and a little younger than Jane. Florrie attends Bluebell Primary School in West Sussex.
Nala is stuck at a training seminar and calls Jane to see if she can pick up Florrie from school and meet her at the dentist. However, upon arrival at the school, she is told she was picked up by another woman named Jane. What the heck is going on?
Four-year-old Florrie Moretti is officially MISSING. Something is terribly wrong. She does not have her favorite toy, Elo, a saggy, worn elephant.
What occurs next is an investigation—a kidnapping. DS Grainger and Det Constable Krish Chandra are on the case. But no demand for money comes. What is the motive? The security cam image looks like a woman, but very blurry, so difficult to identify.
Lorenzo, Nala's husband, travels and has a bad temper. We later find out their marriage is not so great. But Nala's little girl is missing, and she is pregnant, so she sticks it out with him.
We hear from POVS: Jane, Nala, and Carmen. We also get a few letters to Dear Aurora Rae, with possibly fake names. Are they connected?
Secrets of the past are slowly unraveled. One of Florrie's little socks shows up at Jane's house in the laundry. Jane starts suspecting everyone. Is there a pedophile among them? All the families are connected in mysterious ways.
In the meantime, Jane's life is slowly UNRAVELING due to the fact she was the one who was supposed to pick up Florrie, and now her husband, Robert is a suspect. A media frenzy. Something in Jane's past with a patient (a baby abduction) comes to the surface and is used against her.
A journalist wants her to tell her story, then gaslights her. Her clients turn on her, her so-called friends, her daughter, and now her business and reputation.
Someone is taking out credit cards and an apartment in her name. Who has stolen her identity or is trying to set her up for kidnapping and possibly murder? Her life is crumbling before her eyes. She has been betrayed.
What about poor little Florrie? Will she make it out alive?
Jane dives deeper to find the kidnapper because she feels little Florrie is in grave danger. The closer she gets, she is in danger. The letters to Dear Aurora Rae become more sinister. Her clients are getting creepy.
The truth is slowly unraveled about Florrie's bio father. Then we hear from little Florrie, which is heartbreaking, left alone all day locked away by a psycho. I loved her.
Drum roll: It is not until we get to the 50% into the last POV that your JAW begins to DROP. Fast and furious, things get complex and very INTERESTING, keeping you glued to the pages to the conclusion. This is where the book SHINES! This person is a psychopath hiding in plain sight and has Florrie's future in her hands.
WOW! As usual, yet another wicked evil twist (diary) is thought-provoking at the very end. I call this the second psychopath.
THE OTHER MOTHER is an addictively suspenseful and tautly written domestic thriller that reveals how nothing is as it seems, even in a perfect family.
Rijks is a pro at twists and turns, but these characters are NOT likable. The only ones which you have sympathy for are Jane and little Florrie.
A propulsive journey through a winding maze of secrets and lies. A shocking look at how even the most innocuous secrets between happy couples and beloved friends— in tightly knit neighborhoods— can sometimes turn so unexpectedly and terrifyingly deadly.
COVER AND TITLE: I know the author has little say-so regarding covers and titles; however, I feel this cover image and the title do not fit the book.
I would have LOVED the book to be titled "Dear Aurora Rae" with mysterious letters on the cover. I can envision it. As a publisher for many years, "covers matter. It would have set the book apart from all the other thrillers about "mothers."
If you have not read Miranda Rijks, she has a vast backlist, and you cannot go wrong with any of them.
Thanks to #InkubatorBooks via #NetGalley for an ARC for review purposes.
Also, check out my #AuthorElevatorSeries with Miranda, THE CONCIERGE, if you missed it, where we go behind the book and the author. So much FUN!
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: April 19, 2023
April 2023 Must-Read Books
Dark and twisty, blended with dark humor, white-knuckle tension, and MR's signature jaw-dropping surprises.
One of my favorite psychological thriller authors—every book is highly creative and twisty. I drop everything when I see a Miranda Rijks thriller coming out.
OK, let's talk about these CHARACTERS:
The star of the show and heroine is Jane Wildman. A therapist and a secret (Dear Aurora Rae), Dear Agony Aunt advice columnist. A wife and mother of two teens.
Poor Jane! She is NOT, unfortunately, surrounded by people who care or support her. If she calls these friends, I would hate to have enemies.
~Her teenage daughter, Elsa, 17 yrs old (total brat)—is mean to her mother —evil and manipulative.
~Her teenage son, Alex, 15 (almost 16 yrs old) is not the warmest, influenced by his friend, Hari.
~Her husband, Robert, was unfaithful (she learns).
~Her clients are NOT nice or loyal.
~Her Agony Aunt letters are from people with hidden agendas.
~Her friends: Nala, Amir, and Cameron. Horrible!
She needs to start over fresh!
Jane Wildman is an Agony Aunt (for those in US, we call Dear Abby; whereas British, Agony Aunt). No one knows her identity except for her editor and a select few. Jane is also a psychologist.
Some letters are old fashioned, handwritten, sent via snail mail, some typed, and others emailed. Normally it takes her less than ten minutes to pen a response. (However, in the book, we see letters but no responses). This would have been fun to see.
Jane has three close friends: again, if you call them so.
~Nala (physiotherapy practice)
~Amira (does not work). Gives Jane's teenage son alcohol.
~Carmen (mobile beautician) nail and beauty treatments.
They became friends seven years earlier when they took rooms in the commercial building in Horsham set up for independent professionals running health and wellness businesses. Amir's son Hari is best friends with Jane's son, Alex.
Her friend, Nala, is married to Lorenzo with a daughter, Florrie (four-year-old), and another baby on the way. Nala is a physiotherapist and a little younger than Jane. Florrie attends Bluebell Primary School in West Sussex.
Nala is stuck at a training seminar and calls Jane to see if she can pick up Florrie from school and meet her at the dentist. However, upon arrival at the school, she is told she was picked up by another woman named Jane. What the heck is going on?
Four-year-old Florrie Moretti is officially MISSING. Something is terribly wrong. She does not have her favorite toy, Elo, a saggy, worn elephant.
What occurs next is an investigation—a kidnapping. DS Grainger and Det Constable Krish Chandra are on the case. But no demand for money comes. What is the motive? The security cam image looks like a woman, but very blurry, so difficult to identify.
Lorenzo, Nala's husband, travels and has a bad temper. We later find out their marriage is not so great. But Nala's little girl is missing, and she is pregnant, so she sticks it out with him.
We hear from POVS: Jane, Nala, and Carmen. We also get a few letters to Dear Aurora Rae, with possibly fake names. Are they connected?
Secrets of the past are slowly unraveled. One of Florrie's little socks shows up at Jane's house in the laundry. Jane starts suspecting everyone. Is there a pedophile among them? All the families are connected in mysterious ways.
In the meantime, Jane's life is slowly UNRAVELING due to the fact she was the one who was supposed to pick up Florrie, and now her husband, Robert is a suspect. A media frenzy. Something in Jane's past with a patient (a baby abduction) comes to the surface and is used against her.
A journalist wants her to tell her story, then gaslights her. Her clients turn on her, her so-called friends, her daughter, and now her business and reputation.
Someone is taking out credit cards and an apartment in her name. Who has stolen her identity or is trying to set her up for kidnapping and possibly murder? Her life is crumbling before her eyes. She has been betrayed.
What about poor little Florrie? Will she make it out alive?
Jane dives deeper to find the kidnapper because she feels little Florrie is in grave danger. The closer she gets, she is in danger. The letters to Dear Aurora Rae become more sinister. Her clients are getting creepy.
The truth is slowly unraveled about Florrie's bio father. Then we hear from little Florrie, which is heartbreaking, left alone all day locked away by a psycho. I loved her.
Drum roll: It is not until we get to the 50% into the last POV that your JAW begins to DROP. Fast and furious, things get complex and very INTERESTING, keeping you glued to the pages to the conclusion. This is where the book SHINES! This person is a psychopath hiding in plain sight and has Florrie's future in her hands.
WOW! As usual, yet another wicked evil twist (diary) is thought-provoking at the very end. I call this the second psychopath.
THE OTHER MOTHER is an addictively suspenseful and tautly written domestic thriller that reveals how nothing is as it seems, even in a perfect family.
Rijks is a pro at twists and turns, but these characters are NOT likable. The only ones which you have sympathy for are Jane and little Florrie.
A propulsive journey through a winding maze of secrets and lies. A shocking look at how even the most innocuous secrets between happy couples and beloved friends— in tightly knit neighborhoods— can sometimes turn so unexpectedly and terrifyingly deadly.
COVER AND TITLE: I know the author has little say-so regarding covers and titles; however, I feel this cover image and the title do not fit the book.
I would have LOVED the book to be titled "Dear Aurora Rae" with mysterious letters on the cover. I can envision it. As a publisher for many years, "covers matter. It would have set the book apart from all the other thrillers about "mothers."
If you have not read Miranda Rijks, she has a vast backlist, and you cannot go wrong with any of them.
Thanks to #InkubatorBooks via #NetGalley for an ARC for review purposes.
Also, check out my #AuthorElevatorSeries with Miranda, THE CONCIERGE, if you missed it, where we go behind the book and the author. So much FUN!
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: April 19, 2023
April 2023 Must-Read Books
alexandrias_library's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
magneticice's review
4.0
Thank you NetGalley for an audio version of The Other Mother by Miranda Rijks. This story is super crazy but very interesting. It has a few different povs and you start to see the lives of the people and what is going on beyond the search of the missing Florrie. Almost making it like hmmm who done it. Then even when we figure it out it counties and gets even more insane. The only character I did not like was Elsa, she was rather an annoying teenager so against her mom. But that does add to the dynamic of this story as well. So if you do enjoy suspensful stories, give this one a shot.
heatheradoresbooks's review
4.0
4⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Publication date ~ book ~ April 19, 2023, audio ~ August 10, 2023
Page Count ~ 282
Audio length ~ 8 hours 51 minutes
Narrators ~ Nicola Delgado-Sievertson, Lorna Bennett, Emma Fenney
POV ~ multiple 1st
Featuring ~ missing child, infidelity, secrets, lies
Jane is asked by Naomi to pick up her 4 year old daughter, Florrie, from school. But when Jane finally gets there it turns out that someone else has already picked her up. Oh no, who impersonated Jane and why did the school allow a stranger to pick her up.
I do like me a missing child plot that gets my mama heart racing. Luckily we do get the POV of Carmen, the kidnapper, which lets us know that Florrie is unharmed.
I do feel like Naomi was not as frantic as I felt she should have been, and I could do without the infidelity, but without it we wouldn't have had the unreliable characters that gave us some twists and made for a fast paced, suspenseful read. I wasn't overly in love with the last little bit, though.
I was lucky enough to have an ebook and an audio copy.
Narration notes:
So happy there were 3!!! They all did a great job.
*Thanks to [a:Miranda Rijks|4218817|Miranda Rijks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1681315459p2/4218817.jpg], Inkubator Books, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Publication date ~ book ~ April 19, 2023, audio ~ August 10, 2023
Page Count ~ 282
Audio length ~ 8 hours 51 minutes
Narrators ~ Nicola Delgado-Sievertson, Lorna Bennett, Emma Fenney
POV ~ multiple 1st
Featuring ~ missing child, infidelity, secrets, lies
Jane is asked by Naomi to pick up her 4 year old daughter, Florrie, from school. But when Jane finally gets there it turns out that someone else has already picked her up. Oh no, who impersonated Jane and why did the school allow a stranger to pick her up.
I do like me a missing child plot that gets my mama heart racing. Luckily we do get the POV of Carmen, the kidnapper, which lets us know that Florrie is unharmed.
I do feel like Naomi was not as frantic as I felt she should have been, and I could do without the infidelity, but without it we wouldn't have had the unreliable characters that gave us some twists and made for a fast paced, suspenseful read. I wasn't overly in love with the last little bit, though.
I was lucky enough to have an ebook and an audio copy.
Narration notes:
So happy there were 3!!! They all did a great job.
*Thanks to [a:Miranda Rijks|4218817|Miranda Rijks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1681315459p2/4218817.jpg], Inkubator Books, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
juliedew's review
3.0
Naomi asks her friend, Jane, to pick up her young daughter from school last minute. Jane arrives to find someone pretending to be her has already picked Florrie up. The Other Mother follows the stories of Jane, Naomi, and their families as they race to find Florrie and uncover lots of family secrets.
This was a quick listen, but not the most thrilling book. I found parts of it hard to believe, like how the school would let Florrie go off without checking the ID of the person picking her up, and the storyline of the person who kidnapped her was a little out-there. The daughter’s diary entry at the end tied up some loose ends but seemed kind of random and I wish that her anger towards her mother had been explained more in the book.
The book had different voice actors for each POV, which I love in audiobooks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This was a quick listen, but not the most thrilling book. I found parts of it hard to believe, like how the school would let Florrie go off without checking the ID of the person picking her up, and the storyline of the person who kidnapped her was a little out-there. The daughter’s diary entry at the end tied up some loose ends but seemed kind of random and I wish that her anger towards her mother had been explained more in the book.
The book had different voice actors for each POV, which I love in audiobooks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
sacredhearthbookreviews's review
4.0
I loved The Other Mother! It's a great mystery.
Jane is meant to pick up her friend's daughter Florrie from school one day, but she arrives late only to find that the little girl has already been picked up by another Jane. Was it a mix up by her mum, or is little Florrie missing? There's so many twists and turns. Different suspects pop up and you're left questioning what's going to happen next.
The end was very unexpected. You'll never suspect the true culprit!
Thank you for the audio ARC!
Jane is meant to pick up her friend's daughter Florrie from school one day, but she arrives late only to find that the little girl has already been picked up by another Jane. Was it a mix up by her mum, or is little Florrie missing? There's so many twists and turns. Different suspects pop up and you're left questioning what's going to happen next.
The end was very unexpected. You'll never suspect the true culprit!
Thank you for the audio ARC!