Book Description:
Who would you trust with your precious family?
Wanted: full-time, live-in help for expectant mother. Must be organised, friendly and willing to do anything.
Rachel is determined to be the perfect mother. She has a birth plan, with a playlist and a bag ready by the door. She’s chosen a lovely light cream paint for the nursery, and in wide-eyed, innocent Abbie she’s found the perfect person to help her with her baby.
After all, every mother needs a bit of help, don’t they?
But Rachel needs a little more than most.
She still makes sure her bedroom door is locked before she goes to sleep. She still checks the cameras that are dotted throughout the house.
Rachel trusts Abbie. Even if Abbie’s smiles don’t always reach her eyes, and the stories she tells about her past don’t always add up, it doesn’t matter.
Because Rachel knows better than to trust herself…
From the bestselling author of Her Husband’s Lover, this is a truly gripping story about how far people will go to find a family. Filled with tension and twists to keep you glued to every page, it is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Shari LaPena and The Girl on the Train.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The New Mother' by Julia Crouch.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Julia Crouch, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 12th October 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It was previously titled 'Mother's Helper'.
I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Filled with tension and twists to keep you glued to every page, it is perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Shari LaPena and The Girl on the Train.' I am a huge fan of Shari Lapena so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 49 chapters, 43 "Instagram post page" and 2 newspaper extracts. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Devon and London, England, 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Devon This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Abbie and Rachel. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'The New Mother' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Julia discusses/includes mental health and miscarriage.
It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
OMG!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!! WHAT A BOOK!!! JUST WOW, WOW, WOW!!!
What an absolutely fantastically written book with vivid descriptions that make you feel the warmth of the hot tub and leaving your heart race!!! The cover, synopsis and title suit the book perfectly!! Although 'The Mother's Helper' was also a perfect title for this book 'The New Mother' works just as well.
This may be the first book I have read by Julia but it most certainly will not be my last!!! I absolutely love how it is written with the Instagram posts in between chapters bringing realism into it. The storyline itself is scarily realistic, you just need to read the news to see how influencers get some extreme stalkers and abuse. I was completely invested in the storyline and once I picked it up I could not put it down so if you are about to read this then make sure you clear your schedules. If your not going to read it then a) why the heck not?!?! And b) definitely your loss!!! This is one of the most intense and suspense filled books I've ever read. It is absolutely filled with friendship, deception, tension, lies, suspense and a few shocks and twists thrown in!!! Being a vegan myself I enjoyed that veganism was mentioned throughout this book. A genuine page turner that will keep you flipping the pages until you reach the explosive ending!!!
Rachel and Abbie are both very realistic and strong women both with very different personalities. It was intriguing to watch how both their personalities and their relationship changed throughout the story. I wasn't a fan of Abbie from the start as I found her to be quite controlling and obsessive but I won't say anymore as I don't want to give anything away. Rachel was a typical influencer and although I don't follow any myself I really enjoyed reading her Instagram posts and seeing the difference between her online persona and her real life one.
Congratulations Julia on one heck of a page turning psychological read!!! I absolutely loved reading this book and have already added all your previous books to my wish list. I look forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely LOVE to see this turned into a movie which I can guarantee will be a sell out!! Welcome to my favourite authour club!!! Don't worry I'm not an Abbie 😉.
Overall an absolutely page turning, intense, heart racing psychological thriller that will get you addicted!!!
Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Shari Lapena, 'Gone Girl' and anyone and EVERYONE who loves a fast paced thriller.
447 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio:
Julia started off as a theatre director and playwright. While her children were growing up, she swerved into graphic design. After writing and illustrating two children’s books for an MA, she discovered that her great love was writing prose. The picture books were deemed too dark for publication, so, to save the children, she turned instead to writing for adults. Her first book, Cuckoo, was published in 2011, and she has been writing what she calls her Domestic Noir novels ever since. She also writes for TV and teaches on the Crime Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She has three grown up children and lives in Brighton with her husband and two cats, Keith and Sandra. http://juliacrouch.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/JuliaCrouchAuthor/ https://www.instagram.com/juliageek/ https://twitter.com/thatjuliacrouch
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3a8iyJ3
Apple: https://apple.co/3FlxrGk
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3laxlJn
Google: https://bit.ly/3r9quRU
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