The Other Mother by Carol Goodman - Review and Giveaway!

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Blurb About The Book

Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author
“An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review)
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From the author of the internationally bestselling The Lake of Dead Languages comes a gripping novel about madness, motherhood, love, and trust.
When Daphne Marist and her infant daughter, Chloe, pull up the gravel drive to the home of Daphne’s new employer, it feels like they’ve entered a whole new world. Tucked in the Catskills, the stone mansion looks like something out of a fairy tale, its lush landscaping hiding the view of the mental asylum just beyond its border. Daphne secured the live-in position using an assumed name and fake credentials, telling no one that she’s on the run from a controlling husband who has threatened to take her daughter away.
Daphne’s new life is a far cry from the one she had in Westchester where, just months before, she and her husband welcomed little Chloe. From the start, Daphne tries to be a good mother, but she’s plagued by dark moods and intrusive thoughts that convince her she’s capable of harming her own daughter. When Daphne is diagnosed with Post Partum Mood Disorder, her downward spiral feels unstoppable—until she meets Laurel Hobbes.
Laurel, who also has a daughter named Chloe, is everything Daphne isn’t: charismatic, sophisticated, fearless. They immediately form an intense friendship, revealing secrets to one another they thought they’d never share. Soon, they start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike, their lives mirroring one another in strange and disturbing ways. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a very shocking price—one that will ultimately lead her to that towering mansion in the Catskills where terrifying, long-hidden truths will finally be revealed....

Review

This was a difficult book for me to review and I have struggled with the best way to present it without giving spoilers, but here is what I came up with.

Sometimes publishers will send me non-requested books that they think might interest me.  Whilst psychological thrillers are not one of my go-to genres to read, if one catches my eye (like this one did), I'll read it.  For the most part I find that often this genre, unless written outstandingly, is often better pursued in a more visual format such as TV, and I feel that this may have been the case with The Other Mother. 

The idea is quite fascinating, especially when you consider that although not based on a true story, the syndrome it deals with is real, and often not openly discussed in society.  As a mother who they expected to have post-natal depression due to pregnancy complications, I definitely felt that a lot of the comments and discussion in the book were very relatable to me. 

The story is told in 3 parts, all of which link together quite successfully, but you do need to pay attention to who is "speaking".  The journal entries were a nice touch, but could sneak up on you if you weren't paying strict attention, and that could lead to confusion as the story perspective and journal entries were not always synced, and often they provided flashback details. 

Overall it is very difficult to say whether I enjoyed the book.  The writing and idea was definitely compelling enough to keep me turning the pages to the end, but it definitely wasn't read in one sitting, which is unusual for me, and I was definitely more invested in finding out what had actually happened by a certain point versus a true connection to the characters that I was reading about despite, as previously mentioned, the comments and discussion being relatable.

I eventually decided to give this 3 stars, but I feel that my written review definitely provides a better .persepctive for judgment as opposed to just the star rating.

I am very interested in hearing thoughts from others about this, which is why I decided to do the giveaway, so that at least one Muser will be able to give me some feedback!

​Details on the giveaway below!

GIVEAWAY (Plus rules and disclaimers)!

As stated in the title, there is also a Giveaway! As discussed during Sunday's Facebook Live - I am giving away my copy that I had for review.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment ON THIS BLOG POST letting me know you would like to win it.  Other comments are also welcome but please state if you want to be in the giveaway - regular comments without this in them will be viewed as non-entries. 

1 Winner will be selected at random from the comments entering on Monday July 20th and posted here on the blog post. Winner will have 24 hours from the time I post to claim their prize or it will be considered forfeit.

Prize provided and shipped out by me. This is open internationally with the understanding that due to Covid there may be a delay on shipping depending on the regulations in place for the winners address.  Void where prohibited.  Sharing is always appreciated but is in no way required.