Full of suspense and mystery. Really liked the different points of view including having the kids. Somewhat predictable but still had some good revelations. Took away stars because some parts were very repetitive and didn't actually add to the story. I think they were trying to convey a feeling, but it just made it a little boring. Either way, would recommend as a quick, interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley.

This one had me guessing. Lou offers to bring other kids in the neighborhood home from school, then one day she doesn’t show up with them. Everyone is frantic with where she is, what happened and eventually they wonder why. With multiple narrators, this one is a complex layered story that just keeps exposing one secret after another. While I was never sure I liked any of the mothers, I was hooked and needed to know what happened to the kids. And with the storm of the century getting ready to blow in, the intensity is off the charts.

I was able to both listen and read this one and Jasmine Blackborow does a terrific job narrating the story. She draws you in and along with the plot, keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Allison, Fiona and Jasmine all live in the same neighborhood and their kids attend the same school. When fellow mom and friend Lou picks up all the kids one afternoon but fails to return them home panic sets in amongst the moms. A large winter storm is brewing and while they are afraid Lou and the kids will be stuck out in it they are comforted with the fact that responsible wonderful Lou is with them. That is until they start receiving threatening text messages from one of the kids phone, "tell the truth and the kids will be returned". Each mom is hiding secrets but it may be a bigger long ago secret that could ruin them all.

This is a decent domestic thriller with a good set up: one mom kidnaps the other's kids in an attempt to get them to reveal a devastating secret from their past. I had some issues with the plot that I didn't get past. The "twist" I saw coming very early on, I don't understand what Lou's initial plan was since she seemed ill-prepared, why she waited so long to execute this plan and non of the women are likeable. The story is told from multiple POVs including each of the moms and one of the kidnapped daughters which I enjoyed. Overall this is just an ok thriller with a lackluster ending.
I had the audio version read by Jasmine Blackborow who did a good job keeping up the suspense.

This was a fast paced , well plotted thriller. I loved the characters and could identify with all of them. I loved that all of them had great areas and loved how they tried to overcome it. The suspense and the narration from different viewpoints along different timelines was also well executed. It was kind of predictable, but I hadn’t seen the main twist coming. It was a great audiobook for my commute and I enjoyed it so much. The narrator was spot on and she brought all the characters to life. Great job

This book is a great psychological thriller with a few surprises as one might expect. However, personally I found some aspects a bit irritating. The main one being that the abducted children cannot be found despite the fact that they are pretty young and presumably could only walk a given distance and yet the searchers have to give up looking for them. Highly unlikely in reality! A storm yes, but children come first. Apart from this the parents reactions seem pretty unrealistic despite their trust of the 'child minder'. An enjoyable read but not one to return to.

From the first page this story was intriguing, tense and well written. An interesting thing about this story was that it was told by multiple POV.

As a mother I felt for the three mothers in this story who are experiencing their most terrible nightmare. There is one big question that keeps you wanting to read more, what is the link between this mothers?
During the story you get the know the characters and the secrets they are hiding but the reason that the children are missing is because a very different secret and a very unexpected twist!

I listened to this book as an audiobook and the narration was just spot on and made story even better.

Thank you @netgalley and @Leah Mercer for this oppurtionity to read this book as an ARC review, I gave my honest opinion.

The Mother Next Door was my second read from Leah Mercer. I have to say I enjoyed this one much more than my first and am looking forward to whatever else she writes in the future. This domestic thriller was truly gripping and the major twist really surprised me and broke my heart. It's not often thrillers tug on my heart strings but this one really did. Leah Mercer takes a familiar trope of a betrayal from childhood festering for years and years until the scorned women finally snaps and take revenge against those who have wronged her and breaths fresh life into it. I loved how the characters were introduced one by one and given context and some development before the major drama was introduced. This made it easy to keep track of the cast of characters and how they were inter-related. I loved that each mom had a distinct personality and voice too. I was fully absorbed in this story until the end and really enjoyed this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, what a stressful read! I loved this book and was utterly enthralled by the tale. The twist is a little obvious, but didn't take away from the rest. This is one of those books where you just want to shout at the protagonists because they are so dense. I loved it. Now I need to see what else Leah Mercer has written ... or wait for the next book

This was a story full of twists and turns that literally kept me running to listen listen to more and try to figure it all out. There are multiple POVs going on throughout the book with 3 mothers - Fiona, Alison, and Jasmine all linked to Lou and Fiona's daughter, Tabitha, has her POV too. Lou and the women's children seem to have suddenly disappeared after school pick-up and the story moves from there. There are secrets galore and I did not figure it all out until it came together at the end. Take a chance - this is a great read and I am looking forward to more of Leah Mercer's books.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. #TheMotherNextDoor #NetGalley #Bookouture, #LeahMercer

This one kept me guessing! It’s about a group of mothers. One day, one of the mothers disappears with all of their children. In their frantic search to find their kids, old secrets begin to surface. What is really going on? This is their trusted friend!

This is my 1st title from this author and I would be interested to read more.
I found this an enjoyable listen, although there were times I was frustrated due to inconsistencies within the story. Such as at one point one of the characters is running through the wood and comes to a road. It is mentioned that it’s not the motorway but a small road, shortly later she climbs in a passing car and they’re speeding off down the motorway!! Later on it’s mentioned that the car was found on a quiet road the other side of the motorway! There were a couple of other small inconsistencies similar to this, but this could be due to the fact I was reading an ARC so hopefully they will be ironed out in finalising and publishing.
I guessed the conclusion as I was listening but that didn’t really ruin the story for me as I love to try to see if my theories fit and it’s good when they do.
I found some of the characters slightly annoying, but very well written and I could see how they are very like real people and situations.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this title

4 STARS
Colleen Chi-Girl's Reviews
The Mother Next Door by Leah Mercer (Goodreads Author); Mar 16, 2023
Bookshelves: 2023, audio, contemporary, crime-mysteries, england-uk, netgalley, women-centered

Publisher's blurb: "I glance over at Lou’s house (female friend) as I pull into my drive, surprised that it is still in darkness. Lou and the kids should have been home from school long ago. Lou is the most dependable friend. Our children are at the same school. As a storm rages outside and local news reports tell everyone to stay indoors, a feeling of deep dread starts to swell. The police have found Lou’s car, with my children’s schoolbags still inside along with Lou’s phone. And then I get Lou’s message and I know that if I want to see my children again, I need to tell the truth to everyone I love."

This was such an interesting novel with multiple viewpoints based on the 4 mothers: Fiona, Allison, Jasmine and of course, the she-devil: Lou. Along w/the 3 mothers, there are also some fathers, minimally involved, who are unknowingly subjected to the horrific kidnapping of their children and all the fear and tension this brings to them individually and as couples. This suspenseful novel is exciting, disturbing, and compelling, with many twists and turns. Oftentimes, it's just unputdownable. Imagine yourself in this situation and your viewpoints and concerns go out the window and to extremes. It's very clever in the way of a psychological thriller. The author, Leah Mercer is a very accomplished writer and this should appeal to those of us who worry about our children's safety, and to those of you who....KEEP SECRETS.....you know who you are....lol. Have fun with this one!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author Leah Mercer, a Canadian author, and the publisher: Bookouture for this 2023 production.

,The twist at the end of this book! Wow!
A great read, so suspenseful, the whole time I was on the edge of my seat wondering where it was headed!
Loved that we got to see multiple perspectives, knew what was going on with all of the sides of the story.
And just when I thought I had it figured out...boom! Blew my mind!
Such a good book, read it so quick because I was so invested...I had to see what was going to happen!

This was my first by Leah Mercer and it won't be my last. The audio was great once you were able to get all the characters straight. This drama in this book kept you reading and wanting to know what happened, but the twists were predictable and underwhelming. At times it felt very similar to another book I've read. If you're new to thrillers, this would be perfect for you!

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC.

Fiona, Alison and Jasmine all went to school together although they were not friends. Years later, their children attend the same school. Lou is a friend, another parents they are all friends with. They all trust Lou and she often picks the children up from school and watches them. She also seems to be someone different when she is with each of the women. Does anyone really know the read Lou. One night she picks the children up from school, but it is 6:30 and they are not home yet. The parents are worried and call the police, but they don't seem too concerned. With a storm raging outside, where are the children, where is Lou?

The Mother Next Door is told from multiple points of view. We have Fiona, the mother to twins, Tabitha & Tim, Alison a woman who owns the local gym and is the mother of Gabby, who is bullied at school by Juniper, and Jasmine, an alcoholic, mother to Juniper and bully herself while at school. One of the children, Tabitha, also shared her POV while being held captive which added to the danger and suspense. All these women had secrets, and I really didn't like any of them. There are flashbacks to an incident when the mothers were young which is probably the reason the children have been taken, but who is behind the kidnapping. With health issues for one of the children, a raging storm, and a crazy kidnapper, I was worried about what would happen. It was tense at times and had me on the edge of my seat. Once the mothers know what Lou wants, they need to make a decision: Tell their secret or try and rescue the children on their own. This was a fast paced thriller that had me listening when I could and flipping pages the rest of the time. The narration by Jasmine Blackborow was okay. The only time her voice really changed were the chapters by Tabitha, but she did add expression and emotion to the story. I recommend this one in either format, but for me, the audiobook made it more tense.

This was such a fast paced, tense and suspenseful book, with dual POV's and multiple storylines unfolding simultaneously keeping me on the edge of my seat till the very end. I loved how as the storm got worse more secrets unfolded which upped all of the tension and I also loved the duality between the characters, everyone was unique. I also found this different from usual thrillers because we actual got to see into the children's mind and what was happening with them instead of guessing what the victims are feeling and going through. Overall I though this was a really good, unique thriller and I would highly reccomend.

Listened to this one on audio. Found the narrator easy to listen to - something which can make or break an audio book.
A group of friends, a long buried secret and some drastic actions make for an intriguing read which kept me gripped from the start. Lots of twists along the way and the storm added to drama of it all.
Liked the way the story unfolded as the storm got worse - and bit by bit the secret was revealed.
Felt sorry for the children who were used to punish their mothers but the over riding feeling when I finished the book was who can you trust???

Thank you #NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you Leah Mercer for writing #TheMotherNextDoor.

This audiobook was an absolute delight. As a listener, I appreciate a British narrator, and this audiobook did not disappoint. Recently, I have stopped reading many thrillers due to their predictable nature, so I decided to explore other genres. Luckily, I came across this audiobook, which was fast-paced and full of excitement from start to finish. The use of multiple points of view added to the intrigue. I rarely come across books with children's perspectives, so this was a refreshing change. I enjoyed witnessing the story unfold through their eyes. As a mother myself, I could relate to most of the mothers in the book, especially when they discovered their children were missing. The thought of losing a child is heart-wrenching, and I can only imagine the pain they experienced. Overall, this audiobook was a roller-coaster ride of emotions, and I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a great audiobook! The narrator was excellent and who doesn't enjoy a British accent.

I was enthralled in the storyline from the beginning. Leah Mercer did an awesome job about bringing in lose ends and wrapping them up in a way that it explains and justifies Lou's actions.

I'm definitely recommending it to my friends

Thanks Leah Mercer, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this audiobook!

Tense and fast-paced, if a little predictable. I enjoyed this one, even though I figured out the major plot-twist pretty early on. The narrator did an excellent job with the audio version.