The Other Mothers

Both of this author's domestic thrillers (her debut was Greenwich Park, and Faulkner shows no sign of sophomore slump) have been chock full o' red herrings and they're so well written! In this one, freelance reporter Natasha (“Tash”) is a new mom with a finicky little boy who she can use all the help she can get from a bunch of wealthy mothers she meets at day care. Her husband Tom is a doctor, as is one of the moms, and they don't get along, for reasons that gain importance as the story progresses. Tash's insecurities about motherhood and her dismay at losing her job lead her into investigating the drowning of a young nanny, who turns out to be wrapped tightly into the mom group and their husbands. It's un-putdownable from the show more first pages, with a clever ending that forces us to decide how well we know Tash, a likable and reliable narrator - to a point. show less

If you enjoyed Katherine Faulkners previous book, Greenwich Park, then you will love this one!
For me this started off as a pretty slow burner, but now after finishing the book I can see it was building up the characters, their personalities and friendships so she could lead us all down the path of each woman, to then to turn it all on its head!
Every mum can relate to Tash’s trials as a new mum, especially the early days of playgroups when your child refuses to let you leave. And there always seems to be a little clique of mothers who seem to find newly found parenthood a breeze.
Tash envies that group of mums and their endless play dates, posh coffees, lavish brunches and their friendships and would love to be included in their little show more clique.
But beware what you wish for because as with a lot of things in life, nothing is quite as it seems.
The story flicks between Tash and Sophie, the previous live in nanny for Claire, one of the other mothers, and Sophie’s chapters are all told under the headings of how many months, weeks, days and even hours and minutes before her death.
Sophie died whilst wild swimming in the local wetlands months before Tash becomes part of the mothers group and the topic of Sophie is not up for discussion within the group.
What Tash fails to tell the other mothers is that now she has become a freelance journalist she has been digging into Sophie’s death.
As all their lives become more entangled, old and new secrets and lies start to rise to the surface, alongside plot twist after plot twist, all leading to an ending that’s as shocking as it is unexpected! show less

Such a fun twisted mystery. I thought I'd hate the drama of the other moms but I really liked the mc and I felt really bad that she was struggling to fit in. Her trying to keep up with the rich moms and buying coffee, spa treatments and clothes to fit in felt realistic and so sad.

I also really liked the nanny drama. I read with a buddy and every time we checked in, we only added names to our suspect list, didn't remove. I loved that it kept twisting and we never knew who to trust. This one was a bit lengthy but I didn't find a downtime, I just really enjoyed the story and characters.

Tash is a journalist who recently quit her job to start free-lancing. The projects aren’t exactly rolling in so when she hears about the mysterious death of an area nanny, she decides to investigate and write an article about it.

Tash puts her son in a playgroup (it seems in England playgroup is what we call preschool or mother’s day out in the US) and finds she is envious of the other mothers’ seemingly perfect, lavish lifestyles. When they invite her into their inner circle, she feels special but also like a bit of an imposter. Her husband is a doctor, so they don’t have enough money to keep up with the Jones’s as it were. (I guess in England, being a physician isn’t a high paying career like it is here!) As Tash gets show more further into her investigation of the nanny’s death, she starts to wonder if the women in her playgroup know something they aren’t telling her.

The Other Mothers was so good! I had high hopes going in because the description gave Stepford Wives vibes and that’s one of my favorite books. I was not disappointed! There were so many twists – this book was expertly plotted. I want to go back and read it again. I feel like I felt after I read Gone Girl – just amazed at how everything came together at the end. The Other Mothers definitely has earned a spot on my favorite thrillers list! Now I must read Katherine Faulkner’s other book Greenwich Park. If it’s even half as good as The Other Mothers, it’ll be great! show less

Suspenseful with a twist that wasn't what I thought it would be, but some of the characters seemed superfluous and their motives undefined.

This starts with freelance journalist Tash being interviewed at a police station and then goes back in time to explain how she got there. That in turn involves going back further in time with chapters from the perspective of Sophie, whose death intrigues Tash. Sophie's death was assumed to be an accident, but Tash (and Sophie's mother) think it was murder.

This is fairly slow to come together, although after I while I realized the Sophie chapters were keeping pace with the things Tash was uncovering. I enjoyed it, although there are a lot of books like it around at the moment. It works if you accept that a woman might be friends with people she doesn't like and be married to some one she can suddenly conceive of having murdered a young show more woman. It kept me guessing and kept me reading, but I doubt I will remember it for long. show less

Keep you friends close and your enemies closer.

Tash is a mom to an adorable 3 year old who is having a hard time leaving her for school. She sees a posh mom group with their perfect appearances and well adjusted children and envies them. They eventually bring her into their fold. Secrets are as bold as the coffee they share and Tash soon learns the price is high to be friends with this group. She is trying to make a go as a freelance journalist but finds herself looking into the murder of a local nanny. She is caught up in a web of lies. Be careful what you wish for.

There are so many twists and turns that you might just get whiplash. A definite slow burn for me, especially at the beginning. Once I carved out time to read it moved show more faster. Characters were self centered, entitled and I found it difficult to relate to. Dads behaving badly and moms not wanting to let go of their posh lifestyle. I can understand Tash’s want/need to fit in and her concern for her son, but not at the cost of her family. Far fetched, definitely but it’s like watching your favorite guilty pleasure, you just can’t look away. The ending was somewhat of a letdown. Dual time line and story line which made the story move faster. I had a hard time remembering the backstory of the characters/couples, and I’m not sure why. I will definitely read this author again and plan to go back and read her first book. I did enjoy her writing style. This author knows how to spin a story. I recommend this book if you love twists and turns, this story will definitely keep you guessing! I love the cover art, it really captures to feel of the book.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion. show less