Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The New Mother in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook for my own collection.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: May 30, 2023
Summary:
A relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling story — a fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia.
Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It’s hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it’s murder.
Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.
Enter Paul, the neighbor.
Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.
But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?
My thoughts:
Last year I read Nora Murphy’s debut thriller, The Favor, and I very much enjoyed it, so of course I was thrilled to receive a copy of her latest book. I liked this newest one, though I do think labeling it a thriller might be a bit of a stretch.
This book tackles new motherhood, and while I am not a mother myself, I could definitely appreciate the stress and mental anguish that comes with postpartum depression. I’ve read many books that delve into this and I feel that the author really nailed how debilitating this can be and how it can lead to stress in a marriage. In reading the author’s note, you will find out why she wanted to write this book and why so much of the book centers around the mother and how she is handling motherhood.
That being said, I do think the thriller aspect – the murder and why it happened – did suffer a bit. I feel that it almost felt like an afterthought – that some parts were added just so that it could be classified as a thriller and other parts were completely rushed. I would have loved more development in this area – it is a thriller and you know I love my thrillers, but I also think that this book could have worked without having a murder and probably been just as good if not better. But that’s just my two cents.
I still enjoyed the writing, though, and I am looking forward to more from this author. I think she is a very talented writer and I will be eager to see what she gives us next.
