Scan barcode
toni_mcgovern's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
judithdcollins's review
5.0
The queen of revenge plots, Emily Shiner (favorite author), returns following The Wife in the Photo and The Hotel with her sixteenth novel, THE BETTER MOTHER. Unsettling and darkly sublime, the author deftly explores twisted family dynamics and devastating secrets in suburbia.
Zoe (stay-at-home mom), Ethan (Dr.) Steele and their preschool daughter, Anna, are happy and a seemingly perfect family. What could go wrong? Then, her husband gets a late-night phone call. Wrong number, he says.
Then, a thirteen-year-old boy, Micah, shows up at their door. He says he is Ethan's son. He looks like him. He informs them his biological mother, Rita, is a drug addict and has gone missing. Zoe is compassionate and invites him into their home.
He soon begins to call her mom and constantly looks at her; she finds photos of herself on his computer before he moves into their home. Was he stalking her? Will she be a better mother than the one he has now?
Strange things begin happening, and she is not sure she likes him spending so much time with Anna.
Then, on the news, his mother, Rita, is found dead. Is Micah a killer? Who has she invited into their home? She finds clues. Ethan says they do not know what terrible things he has lived through.
Ethan can protect Micah, but the only one Zoe is protecting is Anna. She must get Micah out of their house and prove he killed Rita, his biological mother.
However, nothing is as it appears. What happened to Rita, and who is the murderer? Is Micah innocent? Will he be her savior or her killer?
Shiner keeps the reader in suspense throughout with a final jaw-dropping twist with an exploration of nature vs. nurture. A domestic suspense that peels back the veneer of suburban perfection to expose the decay beneath.
THE BETTER MOTHER entertains and chills! This twisty, addictively thrilling domestic suspense novel about a perfect family’s perfect façade will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending. I highly recommend Emily Shiner's books!
Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: Oct 22, 2023
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter
Zoe (stay-at-home mom), Ethan (Dr.) Steele and their preschool daughter, Anna, are happy and a seemingly perfect family. What could go wrong? Then, her husband gets a late-night phone call. Wrong number, he says.
Then, a thirteen-year-old boy, Micah, shows up at their door. He says he is Ethan's son. He looks like him. He informs them his biological mother, Rita, is a drug addict and has gone missing. Zoe is compassionate and invites him into their home.
He soon begins to call her mom and constantly looks at her; she finds photos of herself on his computer before he moves into their home. Was he stalking her? Will she be a better mother than the one he has now?
Strange things begin happening, and she is not sure she likes him spending so much time with Anna.
Then, on the news, his mother, Rita, is found dead. Is Micah a killer? Who has she invited into their home? She finds clues. Ethan says they do not know what terrible things he has lived through.
Ethan can protect Micah, but the only one Zoe is protecting is Anna. She must get Micah out of their house and prove he killed Rita, his biological mother.
However, nothing is as it appears. What happened to Rita, and who is the murderer? Is Micah innocent? Will he be her savior or her killer?
Shiner keeps the reader in suspense throughout with a final jaw-dropping twist with an exploration of nature vs. nurture. A domestic suspense that peels back the veneer of suburban perfection to expose the decay beneath.
THE BETTER MOTHER entertains and chills! This twisty, addictively thrilling domestic suspense novel about a perfect family’s perfect façade will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending. I highly recommend Emily Shiner's books!
Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: Oct 22, 2023
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter
jkjoy_books's review
4.0
Zoe, driven by her desire to be compassionate and caring, made a selfless decision to welcome her husband’s long-lost son into their home despite him being a stranger. Little did she know that this act of kindness would soon spiral into a web of danger and uncertainty. When the son’s mother is tragically found dead, Zoe’s worst fears come crashing down upon her as she questions whether she has unknowingly invited a murderer into her sanctuary. The unsettling discovery of the son’s involvement in peculiar and disturbing activities only fuels Zoe’s growing suspicion, leaving her torn between her commitment to her family and the possibility that she may have made an irreparable mistake.
As I delved into the pages of this book, I found myself helplessly ensnared in its gripping narrative. The words possess an irresistible allure, compelling me to devour every spare moment with this mesmerizing story. However, being an ardent lover of suspenseful thrillers, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment in the predictability that permeated the plot.
While the book undeniably provided an enjoyable and entertaining read, I yearned for a conclusion that would have caught me off guard. This twist would have defied all expectations and left me breathless with astonishment. Despite this minor setback, the book’s undeniable allure and captivating storytelling held me captive until the last page.
Thank you to Zoé from ZooLoo’s Book Tours and Inkubator Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
As I delved into the pages of this book, I found myself helplessly ensnared in its gripping narrative. The words possess an irresistible allure, compelling me to devour every spare moment with this mesmerizing story. However, being an ardent lover of suspenseful thrillers, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment in the predictability that permeated the plot.
While the book undeniably provided an enjoyable and entertaining read, I yearned for a conclusion that would have caught me off guard. This twist would have defied all expectations and left me breathless with astonishment. Despite this minor setback, the book’s undeniable allure and captivating storytelling held me captive until the last page.
Thank you to Zoé from ZooLoo’s Book Tours and Inkubator Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
nikkilynn89's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hannahmaybookreviews's review
5.0
Title: The Better Mother
Author: Emily Shiner
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Pages: 243
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Book Blurb:
Zoe just wanted to help. Now she may have a killer in her home.
Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help. Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.
But there’s something off about Micah. He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong. So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible…
Review:
Thank you to Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours for my spot on the tour!
This book sounded absolutely brilliant when I received the tour invite, and after devouring The Promise by the same author, I couldn’t wait to dig in to this, it is safe to say I had high expectations and wow… Emily Shiner really didn’t disappoint.
I loved how we were thrown into the story straight away, everything seemed to kick off and it felt like I was right in the middle of it. I instantly had a bad feeling about Ethan, the husband, as he seemed too perfect? I was excited to see if anything would come of this!
As for Micah, I had such a rollercoaster ride with this character! At times I felt sorry for him, that I’d give him a hug myself, but then he also unsettled me, especially how he seemed to ‘settle’ in too quickly. Then I was cheering for him until I hated him. Very, very cleverly plotted by the author.
I devoured this in one sitting, the chapters weren’t overly long which made it easy to keep saying to myself just one more. The story was also told from the perspective of Zoe and Micah and I really enjoyed being in both their heads, especially Michah’s as he did have me feeling very unnerved at times.
I was hooked throughout, I could really feel the atmosphere and I was practically on the edge of my seat waiting for a climax, and I must say, I didn’t see that one coming at all, despite any suspicions I had on and off throughout. As for the ending, let’s just say, I put the book down still feeling unsettled, so kudos to Emily for this!
Another fantastic book, by a fantastic author!
Author: Emily Shiner
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Pages: 243
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Book Blurb:
Zoe just wanted to help. Now she may have a killer in her home.
Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help. Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.
But there’s something off about Micah. He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong. So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible…
Review:
Thank you to Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours for my spot on the tour!
This book sounded absolutely brilliant when I received the tour invite, and after devouring The Promise by the same author, I couldn’t wait to dig in to this, it is safe to say I had high expectations and wow… Emily Shiner really didn’t disappoint.
I loved how we were thrown into the story straight away, everything seemed to kick off and it felt like I was right in the middle of it. I instantly had a bad feeling about Ethan, the husband, as he seemed too perfect? I was excited to see if anything would come of this!
As for Micah, I had such a rollercoaster ride with this character! At times I felt sorry for him, that I’d give him a hug myself, but then he also unsettled me, especially how he seemed to ‘settle’ in too quickly. Then I was cheering for him until I hated him. Very, very cleverly plotted by the author.
I devoured this in one sitting, the chapters weren’t overly long which made it easy to keep saying to myself just one more. The story was also told from the perspective of Zoe and Micah and I really enjoyed being in both their heads, especially Michah’s as he did have me feeling very unnerved at times.
I was hooked throughout, I could really feel the atmosphere and I was practically on the edge of my seat waiting for a climax, and I must say, I didn’t see that one coming at all, despite any suspicions I had on and off throughout. As for the ending, let’s just say, I put the book down still feeling unsettled, so kudos to Emily for this!
Another fantastic book, by a fantastic author!
zooloo1983's review
5.0
This was an intense game of cat and mouse! Zoe is adjusting to a new life when the son of her husband turns up one night. She welcomes him into the family, and all seems rosy…until it’s not!
As ever with a book by Shiner, you can’t put it down! Well, struggle too! I managed to read it in the car on my travels, intrigued to see where and how dark her mind would go! Cleverly done with alternating chapters, and a lot of misdirection, leading to a chilling epilogue!
Ethan grated on me, and was very much an absent father, happy for Zoe to take the lead on everything and condensing her when he could!!! I loved Anna! I mean you can’t help but not! Micah, well you can make your own decision about him! And my namesake, well of course I rooted for her.
I am mesmerised by Emily! She is power-housing her way through the writing. I have another 2 books to read of hers! The best thing, well the writing is always engaging, the story is fresh and there is no repetitiveness. The stories just keep my attention and play on your mind completely! But this is every time!!!!
Amazing!
As ever with a book by Shiner, you can’t put it down! Well, struggle too! I managed to read it in the car on my travels, intrigued to see where and how dark her mind would go! Cleverly done with alternating chapters, and a lot of misdirection, leading to a chilling epilogue!
Ethan grated on me, and was very much an absent father, happy for Zoe to take the lead on everything and condensing her when he could!!! I loved Anna! I mean you can’t help but not! Micah, well you can make your own decision about him! And my namesake, well of course I rooted for her.
I am mesmerised by Emily! She is power-housing her way through the writing. I have another 2 books to read of hers! The best thing, well the writing is always engaging, the story is fresh and there is no repetitiveness. The stories just keep my attention and play on your mind completely! But this is every time!!!!
Amazing!
justxis's review
4.0
You will love “The Better Mother” if you are a fan of creepy child characters!
The book starts with a night call that Zoe’s husband, Ethan, gets in the middle of the night. Nothing unusual, he is a doctor and works a lot. But soon after that call the young boy comes to their house claiming he is Ethan’s son.
They both realize the boy, Micah, is not lying — his appearance speaks for him. No doubt he is Ethan’s son.
The story is simple: Micah’s mother got pregnant at a young age, never told Ethan about the baby, and raised him herself. She is troubled, doing drugs, and always disappears for days. Now she has disappeared again.
So Zoe not only invites Micah to stay for a while but soon decides to be a better mother for him. And Micah is really happy about it, he is willing to have a good family so bad. But he is creepy, and day by day Zoe feels more weird and suspicious about his behavior. Also, she has a young daughter who become close to her new brother really soon. Zoe thinks she made a mistake inviting Micah to their house and starts to dig deeper.
The book is such a page-turner! Chapters are short and you can’t just put it down. The more creepier it gets the more you start to doubt everything is happening.
I started it with the thought “Just a couple of chapters” and soon realized it was the middle of the night and I was already halfway through it. So fast-paced and soooo good!
Was thinking about the main twist before it was revealed but it seemed just not true! Turned out I was right but still, it felt so unexpected. And in the end, another twist came, I was so horrified!
The only thing I didn’t like it’s the description of the book that reveals what happened to Micah’s mother. It's kinda of a twist (not a hard-guessed but still a twist) that came out only after almost 60% of the book. Think it’s ruined the suspense a little bit.
But still definitely will recommend "The Better Mother" to all domestic thriller lovers.
Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts with a night call that Zoe’s husband, Ethan, gets in the middle of the night. Nothing unusual, he is a doctor and works a lot. But soon after that call the young boy comes to their house claiming he is Ethan’s son.
They both realize the boy, Micah, is not lying — his appearance speaks for him. No doubt he is Ethan’s son.
The story is simple: Micah’s mother got pregnant at a young age, never told Ethan about the baby, and raised him herself. She is troubled, doing drugs, and always disappears for days. Now she has disappeared again.
So Zoe not only invites Micah to stay for a while but soon decides to be a better mother for him. And Micah is really happy about it, he is willing to have a good family so bad. But he is creepy, and day by day Zoe feels more weird and suspicious about his behavior. Also, she has a young daughter who become close to her new brother really soon. Zoe thinks she made a mistake inviting Micah to their house and starts to dig deeper.
The book is such a page-turner! Chapters are short and you can’t just put it down. The more creepier it gets the more you start to doubt everything is happening.
I started it with the thought “Just a couple of chapters” and soon realized it was the middle of the night and I was already halfway through it. So fast-paced and soooo good!
Was thinking about the main twist before it was revealed but it seemed just not true! Turned out I was right but still, it felt so unexpected. And in the end, another twist came, I was so horrified!
The only thing I didn’t like it’s the description of the book that reveals what happened to Micah’s mother. It's kinda of a twist (not a hard-guessed but still a twist) that came out only after almost 60% of the book. Think it’s ruined the suspense a little bit.
But still definitely will recommend "The Better Mother" to all domestic thriller lovers.
Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
kaz_loves_books's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Here’s my review of The Better Mother :
An easy book to get into and a psychological book which I really enjoyed reading. The plot was a brilliant one and really well written. Emily has put a lot of thought into this plot and it grabs at the heartstrings but it really makes you turn the pages as you want to find out what happened. I was like that today. One night while Zoe and Ethan are having supper the doorbell goes and when they answer the door, there stands Micah, a young teenage lad, the spitting image of his dad but in scruffy clothes and a little bit dirty. He explains his circumstances, that his mum has gone missing and she hasn’t come home yet, possibly been gone a week and he has no food to eat. Zoe feels sorry for him so lets him come in and offers him something to eat. Ethan swears to Zoe later that he knew nothing about Micah but she says now that he knows, he needs to stand by him and they will support him. She takes him shopping the next day for clothes and he starts calling her mom which is a surprise for her but she lets it go and he starts calling Ethan, dad. He loves Anna, his young sister and says that is what he always wanted. Zoe is starting to get a bit suspicious, there is something about Micah, she can’t put her finger on it but he is telling lies. He doesn’t live where he says he did and why would he lie about that? What is going on?
This is a brilliant psychological book written by Emily Shiner. The tension grips you the further you get into the book. It's told by Zoe and Micah, each chapter named so you know whose chapter you are reading.
Blurb :
You let him in your house. Now how are you going to stay safe?
Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help.
Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.
But there’s something off about Micah.
He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong.
So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible…
He might already be in her home.
The Better Mother– the stunning psychological thriller from the best-selling author of Her Husband’s Secret.