Reviews with content warning for Death - Bad Mother

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Bad Mother by Mia Sheridan

9 reviews

brigittesreading's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Hold your breath, it’s a wild ride. I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I’ll start out by saying READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This book has some very dense situations that you move through as part of the murders perspective. At one point in time, I debated DNFing the book, it was heavy on various types of abuse and descriptions vivid. I pushed through to the second half and enjoyed the budding romance and remainder of the book. Mia really thought out the story, placed clues well, and it came together in the end. It was a rollercoaster for sure.

Content Warnings

jas_j_bookish's review

4.25

emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I enjoyed this, it felt like a criminal minds episode with all the puzzles. I will have to look more into the author for their other books.

Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, physical abuse, violence, etc.

Content Warnings

ashleyjulia's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

wellreadsyd's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really liked Bad Mother! The audiobook narrators were phenomenal, they truly brought the characters to life. This was a really suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat experience. The plot was gripping, with an intense cat-and-mouse thriller vibe that kept me hooked until the very end. I especially enjoyed the layered dynamic between the two main characters, blending unrequited romance with high-stakes tension. The ending was so satisfying—it left me wanting more from Mia Sheridan! Highly recommend!

Content Warnings

bribreez's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

5⭐️/ 1🌶️

Anything Mia Sheridan writes, you already know I’m snatching it right up! This book seemed like a different change in pace in terms of the types of stories I had before by Mia, but still very much intrigued. This story had suspense, mystery, bit of darkness, murders, a dangerous game of cat and mouse, and at the center of it all was Sienna Walker.

Going back home would seem nostalgic or even a homecoming that might be celebrated, but for Sienna it wasn’t that at all. Due to something that occurred in her line of work as a Homicide Detective in New York, Sienna was transferred to Reno, Nevada, a.k.a. being back home. Now back home, Sienna was trying to find her footing among the place that held good and bad memories of her past. Some of those memories including a once significant person, one she loved dearly, and had imagined being with forever, her first love, Gavin Decker. Sienna never imagined being back, but I guess things just happened that way. Being thrusted into work, she worked on her first case, one that seemingly resulted in a gruesome murder, but something about the way it was staged to finding a letter in the pocket of the victim already felt different to other cases Sienna had worked before.

Compared to Mia’s other books that I’ve read, this was a new kind of story that was new to me, but also had me very interested. With the whole mystery, murder, sprinkles of suspense, danger, and even the part of how the murderer was communicating through his letters was creepy but added to the story. In a way, this book kind of reminded me a little bit of some of my favorite tv crime shows where in certain episodes the level of danger was at an all time high due to the main character facing off against a highly intelligent villain. Sienna was faced against this killer who somehow was able to find out she was working the case, and from the beginning it was a game of cat and mouse between Sienna and the killer. The way the clues started having connections to Sienna and even Gavin started to give me creepy vibes, but it also meant that the killer had made the case personal. I haven’t read a lot or I think any suspenseful stories such as this one, but again, anything Mia Sheridan writes, I’m all onboard that train!

While I was so focused on the mystery and detective stuff going on with Sienna, I didn’t realize there was also a second chance romance as well?! Obviously being back home, Sienna was face to face with the one person who caused her immense pain, her first love, Gavin. Gavin and Sienna grew up together when they both lived in the trailer park, and as they got older it then progressed to a romantic relationship. Always together, it seemed like Sienna and Gavin would have lived happily ever after, until Gavin did something that utterly broke Sienna’s heart. Getting to see Gavin back in Sienna’s life was unexpected for her, but mighty intriguing and fun for me to read. Even though it had been many years since they last saw each other, there was still that lingering feeling of what Sienna and Gavin once had, as well as they couldn’t help but remember specific moments from their past together. Gavin was charming, funny, and observant that not only played well when he was a professional poker player, but also able to narrow down the exact details of how Sienna was feeling due to her facial expressions, and behavior. Gavin knew a lot about Sienna, as Sienna knew about Gavin too. With the plot being mainly focused on Sienna’s case, it was also about how in the midst of all that was happening, Sienna and Gavin were brought back together to not only work the case, but rediscover the love they once had.

The more I read, the more invested I became in trying to solve the mystery of the crimes being committed as well. The way Sienna would come across unsuspecting clues which ended up being significant was so interesting. In addition, the way the tiniest of clues such as, the items left behind in the crime scenes tied each of the things that Danny Boy wrote about in his letters. Consequently, each seemingly random item ended up being part of a bigger story that Danny boy was trying to convey in connection to his crimes. Even as the story got more in depth with the investigation, I was at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next, but also with the plot twists, and revelations being revealed had me simultaneously anxious, worried, and shocked. For sure the big reveal in the story was unexpected, but looking back at all the clues led up to the big plot twist, and oh my goodness it was a pretty good twist to the story! Definitely a great story Mia crafted from beginning to end, and the whole time I was just enjoying the ride, and of course the suspense created a much more thrilling experience for me.

Mia Sheridan can literally do no wrong. Mia has a way of creating her stories to be both unique and interesting, and this story was yet another example of that. With the clues, puzzles, mystery and suspense surrounded Sienna and Gavin as they were not only brought back together, but also had to solve the crimes that were being committed. The story really started to get even more compelling when I got to the middle and especially towards the end! I wasn’t expecting the plot twist/ big reveal, but it was goood! I had fun formulating my own theories, and who would have guessed the outcome of the story being right now hidden in somewhat of plain sight? I enjoyed reading this story, I loved the little big of second chance romance between Sienna and Gavin, and the way everything culminated into a big, explosive ending. Sienna was such a strong character and I admired both her integrity and intelligence. Gavin was so equally great, and his love for Sienna never stopped. The ending was amazing and had me both in suspense and nervous at how it was all going to end! The epilogue was sentimental in that it showed Sienna and Gavin fully together like they were always meant to be, but also showing the bit of light and love they were able to bring despite all the losses they experienced in the end. Definitely need to read more of Mia Sheridan’s romantic thrillers because now I’m hooked to read more!

Content Warnings

cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

matthaniaa's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Bad Mother follows Detective Sienna Walker, who just moved back to Reno, Nevada, after being nearly booted from the NYPD. The moment she starts at her new job, a serial killer is on the loose, leaving bodies and personal letters for the police to find. Even worse, the killer seems to have a fixation on Sienna and her ex-fiance, Gavin. As the two of them battle their unresolved feelings, they have to catch this killer before he kills again.

I enjoyed Bad Mother. Though the plot was a bit predictable, I found it to be engaging and easy to read. The story started off slow; a lot of time is given in following this case and trying to figure out what this killer is after. But once it’s figured out, we hit the ground running.

This book is more of a crime thriller with romantic elements woven in. Sienna and Gavin had great chemistry. I liked the two of them, but I was more curious about murder and mystery. Maybe a bit more of them and their backstory would’ve had me invested in the romance a little more.

The villain was complex, but his motive was nothing I haven’t seen before. His notes were chilling and provided insight into his messed up life. We get to see him grow from being a scared boy to a ruthless murderer. He loves playing cat and mouse with the detectives, and he’s always 10 steps ahead. Mia Sheridan does a great job of putting us in his mind.

Bad Mother was a fun read. Mia Sheridan is an amazing romance author, but her thriller books are just as good; her Where series is proof of that.

Content Warnings

vani_in_wonderland_'s review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A good page-turner mystery, keeps the reader on the toes. I read it in a span of a day.
The love story is where my brain failed to understand, that part felt a little rushed to me!

Content Warnings

bellebookcorner's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“That’s the thing about choices. You don’t get to live two different ones. You’re stuck with the one you pick, and trying to imagine the alternative isn’t really productive.”

Highly recommended for readers who like to read mystery thrillers about a serial killer, revenge, found family and love.

I wasn’t expecting this book to be so addicting cause I finished it in just one day!

Lots of unexpected twists and riddles throughout the story kept me interested from the beginning until the end!

It’s a very well written game of cat and mouse between the detectives and the serial killer. Every clue and riddle in this story keep me guessing and making theories, I have my suspicion at the beginning, but the big reveal and the motive from the serial killer still surprised me even though I was right about the culprit.

This story has multiple POVs, short chapters, fast-paced and also a second-chance romance of the main character, Detective Sienna.

While I love the main focus of the plot - catching the serial killer, I wish there’s more to it for the romance element.

I wish there’s more interaction between the two of them and exploration about what happen in the past and how they find their way back together. Nevertheless, I can still feel the spark between the two of them.

Overall, this book is a real page turner! It’s very enjoyable, entertaining and thrilling. I also feel satisfied with how everything gets wrap up, it’s a fitting end in my opinion.

Make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading this one, some can be quite graphic and sensitive to some readers.

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

Content Warnings

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