BOOKWORMS REVIEW:
Can you even imagine being faced with such a scenario? A young girl dead in front of you...and your sons guilt is the only reasonable explanation for this! Mum of teenage twins Jo gets a call from her 18 yr old son Toby to come quick..and this is what shes met with. Jo makes a call to the police and things snowball from there. She cant think her son wouldve killed the neighbours daughter? Tobys twin Alice doesnt believe he did and starts trying to figure this out. This book definitely gets you thinking,what would any of us do in this situation? A little slow in parts,but overall a great read.
Thanks to NetGalley Bookouture and Victoria Jenkins for an arc to review.
My Rating... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book delivered much more than I was expecting. I thought the story would be fairly straight forward but like a gnarled tree, this plot has many branches.
Mothers will do a lot for their children but one of the mothers in this book was repugnant. The lies she told for one of her children even after a grievous wrong was done to her other child made my jaw drop.
You think people are your friends after years of living on the same street with each other but sometimes deep secrets are harbored.

This is one of those books that is very hard to describe without throwing spoilers onto the page. Two families, close neighbors, who have lived next to each for long enough to know each other's secrets and sins, are now on the opposite sides of a young woman's death. As one mother investigates, digging to save her son, the other mother plans on her daughter's funeral. Yet, when the truth starts slowly rising to the top, will it stir the family members to seek revenge or justice?

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a warm thank you to Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For the audience, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

I was initially drawn to this book for a number of reasons. I liked that it appeared to be short. It was originally listed as having 265 pages but has been shown as 317 on Amazon. This might be due to the bonus extract for another Jenkins title.

When I read the description of the book, there was much praise offered for the twists and psychological mind games I, the reader, was to expect, and I do like a challenge. Easy reads are all well and good, but sometimes, a book that is throwing out clues, red herrings, and all but the kitchen sink command your attention and really pulls you into a book so that nothing else matters. I was yearning for that feeling and thought I would find it here. I also loved how the blurb started with a call being made where a mother is claiming that her son killed someone, but as the text continues, there appears to be an internal struggle with whether to report the son, and who has been found dead. Is the call made or not? Did the son do the unthinkable, or have the games already started? I don’t know about you, but I was already intrigued at this point and desperate for an answer. And so, I dropped everything I was doing and set about reading this novel.

The prologue is short and sweet, in the sense that it is the initial phone call we have been told about in the blurb. From chapter one, we learn that the action for this book takes place over two days, starting with a summer party that is about to start. Jo and Robbie are busying themselves getting ready for a summer party at the neighbors. Robbie is nonplussed, but Jo is concerned that their 18-year-old son, Toby, is disinterested in attending; a son that is getting ready to go off to university and just wants to enjoy his holidays before the perceived hard work starts. Still, why can’t he be more like his twin, Alice?

Chris and Eve are throwing a summer party. All the neighbors are invited. They had hoped their son, Dylan, would be in attendance but are not surprised when he fails to show up. No matter, their daughter Freya is there. However, it becomes clear during the party that there are a lot of secrets emerging. Who is hiding what from whom? And why? In this story about two close families, some people are closer than others, whilst others might not be close at all.

This story was a trip and a half. Told in alternating voices, we hear from Jo and Alice. Each character is living their own life and dealing with their own issues with some overlaps. Obviously, being of two different generations, the viewpoints are just as diverse and distinct. I enjoyed reading female leads who reported their observations and assumptions about the men in their lives.

For such a small cast of characters; two families of four, I found the relationships and dynamics between them all to be quite fascinating, especially when tragedy struck. For a book that is centered predominantly around a three-day period there is an awful lot going on. The book is definitely a page-turner, but also, Jenkins was very current in explaining some of the lies and deceit centered around marital issues and frenemies, for want of a better way to loosely say what I want to say without spoiler alerts.

Aside from Chris and Dylan Harris, the characters are well developed, and each have a distinct attitude and personality. In some ways, when their values and behavior become clear, it’s hard to imagine how the families developed the close bonds they had in the first place, which only adds to the fascination amongst the pages.

I found many of the elements of the story quite predictable, although I had not figured out the motives. Either way, I still enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for lovers of psychological thrillers. It’s a quick and easy read, possible to manage in one sitting and requires very little thinking i.e. it is not a complex, overly convoluted plot. Although concluded rather swiftly, the book ties up all the plotlines neatly to complete this standalone novel. Had it been less predictable, I probably would have rated the book a 5/5 rather than 4/5.

This book starts with a phone call no mother would want to make, “Hello? I need help. It’s my child. He’s killed someone.” Which immediately made me want to read more.

The pace at the beginning was slow, getting to know the characters before the event and after the event with the two families who were neighbours involved. A few of the characters from one family I did not like and my mind didn’t change throughout.

As the book got to around halfway it really picked up with it seemed everyone had something to hide.

I was not expecting the ending which I liked because it is no fun reading a book and knowing how it will end.

Victoria Jenkins penned a great read!

One word for this book? Yes! Read it! If your a fan of Emily Shrine. You will love this book. How far will a parent protect their child? What lengths would you go to? If your anything like this mom? Who knows.

The Mother's Phone Call by Victoria Jenkins was a quick read that will keep you entertained as you anxiously await for the drama and twists to unfold!
I enjoyed the book. It was fast paced, kept my attention, was a binge readable one sitting type book, and had a lot of wicked twists and turns to it.
I can’t wait to see what she creates next!

Jo her husband Rob and their two twins Toby and Alice lead a nice life in a wealthy neighborhood. Their neighbors across the street happen to be very close friends. These families have grown up together vacationing together, having parties and the kids act more like cousins or siblings then neighbors. But beneath the facade there are cracks that are beginning to show. Then one night Jo's perfect world starts to crumble when she receives a phone call from Toby... "Mom, I need your help. I'm across the street." As Jo bursts into the neighbor's house what she sees will haunt her forever. Her son bloodied, standing over the body of Freya their next door neighbor's daughter. Toby is speechless so Jo makes a decision that will alter the course of everyone's life. "It's my son, he's killed someone." She tells the police. What happens next will leave you wondering about the secrets that make up family and friendships. This book was a fast-paced tense thriller that I could not put down. The storyline is brilliant and engaging. I loved how Jenkins explored the topics of complex relationships and what a parent would do for their child. There were so many secrets from each of the characters that melded together perfectly to create this domestic thriller. Another successful Bookouture release.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Victoria Jenkins for this ARC. Expected publishing date is January 16th 2025.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The Mother’s Phone Call.

Jo and her family have lived next to Eve and her family for years and they are like family. One night Jo’s son calls her and says he is at the neighbors and he needs her help. When she arrives her son is next to a dead body. He will not speak and he is arrested but she will fight to prove his innocence and when the truth comes out more lives are destroyed.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the dual point of views and the storyline was okay. I predicted some of the twists that happened. Overall an okay read.

One day, Jo receives a phone call from her son, who needs her help. When she runs to him, she's shocked to find him standing over a dead body.
This domestic thriller was a bit too slow and predictable for my liking. I'm wondering how much of a thriller it really was. A drama? Yes. A thriller? Not really.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sometimes a book really resonates with a reader and for me this book did just that. Toby, 18 and a mild mannered good kid is accused of murder and I also have an 18 year old boy with a gentle nature. Toby was my son and I went through all the emotions his Mum Jo went through. At times it was a hard read but was perfectly written.
Mum Jo receives a message from Toby saying he needs her help and finding him at the side of a dead body she instinctively calls the police and tells them her son has committed a murder. Something she later comes to regret.
The book started well and drew me straight in. I found it very easy to read and it is one of those b0oks you just have to keep reading and has everything neatly tied off at the end.
have never read anything by this author before. She has written lots of books and I will happily be reading more.

This is exactly what I want from a psychological thriller! Full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed the writing style and characterisation.

This book gave me chills. Wow. The ending was amazing and as sorry as I am for Freya and her family my heart breaks for Alice and Toby. I hate those "perfect" mothers and I am so mad at one of these people I want to shove a donut in their face for days. It was crazy watching these relationships spiral out of control and that party lasted a little too long (that is why the book didn't get five stars for me).

After the 4 year party and the slow dive into the book. It gets really good. So good I couldn't put it down.

Thank you Bookuture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to thank Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

OMG!! Victoria Jenkins' The Mother’s Phone Call was like reading a manuscript for the next huge prime time soap opera to hit the big tv network! The one that everyone will be talking about at the water cooler the next day!! Ohh this one was fast paced, addicting, binge readable, and when I say drama filled oh I mean it!! If that isn’t enough then she puts more wicked curve balls into the mix to keep you on your toes. Yes, you will want to add this to your tbr list for this year.

Victoria starts off with a prologue that left me speechless! Yes, I am speechless! It is a phone call no mother in their right mind would ever want to make!!! I am not a Mom but had that been my Nephew I would not be able to hold it together! It is prologues like this that hook you into the story that make me want to read further and find out more.

My heart ached because Alice wanted so badly to get into her dream school of fashion and design and did everything in her power to make it happen. However, she sadly didn’t get accepted. In the same token I too would have been livid that Freya who had no interest whatsoever in fashion applied and got in.

Kids can be so cruel and Alice learns this lesson all too well with one scene in this book! I would have been so embarrassed and as mad as she had been!! What they did was totally uncalled for!!

What I found twisted was Freya, a teenager hitting on Alice’s Dad of all people!

The more you read this book, the twists and turns get darker until the big revelation. It is a must read for sure!

Victoria Jenkins does a great psychological thriller. The authors that have a craft for this genre are up there with some of the best. And certainly my favourite.
So when I got the opportunity to read this I was more than a little excited. And honoured to be honest as it feels like little presents to be able to read books for me. And this one aas a gift indeed.
I love the family drama aspect to these thrillers. It huts so much harder. Like you can look out on your own street and wonder?
In this one we start with a garden party. And there's a tension for the reader to pick up on already. We already have the blurb in our heads. So for me I was waiting, waiting to see just how or why we might get there.
But the party ends?... ah here we go. There's a phone call to a mother. A son covered in blood at his neighbours over the daughters dead body. And the worst possible decision for a mother or anyone who loves someone to make. And that phonecall Jo does make. Her son is arrested and what ensues is an opening of Pandora box to secrets lies and sadness along the way. We see how everyone deals with this grief and loss differently. And how their secrets dictate there next steps.
This books had me gripped. I didn't know who's side to be on. And as things became apparent those sides often faltered. But it made me think lots. What would we do in any of these character situations?
A startling but perfect read. Thankyou!

Fast paced, exciting and different than most thrillers- this story sends you on a fun reading journey to find out how and why an 18 year old kid with great manners murders someone.

I was pleasantly surprised by the entire book- pace, storyline, plot, twists, ending and all. An easy 4 star read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Right away I knew this book was going to have me hooked, the drama and intensity was so well done all the way through.

4.25 stars for me, wow i did not see the ending the twists were brilliant.

As a mother jo had the hardest decision to make if only she had thought about what she said things would have been different but all the truth and secrets came out in the end.

Wow - this was a gripping domestic thriller that reminds us we never know people as well as we think we do; even those people we consider our family and closest friends.

Jo and Rob live in an affluent neighborhood with their 18 year-old twins Alice and Toby. Across the street are their best friend's, Eve and Chris along with their two kids Dylan and Freya. The two families have enjoyed holidays, children's birthday parties, and neighborhood gatherings together for close to 20 years.

From the outside, it looks like both couples have it all - wealth, a loving marriage, and children who are capable of doing amazing things in life. But at Eve and Chris's 20th Anniversary party in the neighborhood, Alice overhears a conversation between her dad, Rob, and her best friend Freya's mom, Eve. To Alice, it sounds less than innocent and makes her wonder what's going on between her father and her best friend's mom. Debating whether or not to tell her mother, Alice decides to try to speak to her father about it first.

But then Alice finds something else in her parents'closet, solidifying her belief that something strange is happening between the two families. And when someone is found murdered, both families lies and secrets are brought to light but not before destroying everyone in the process.

This is the first book I've read by Victoria Jenkins but it certainly won't be the last! This was a solid four star read meaning I was quickly engaged and my attention rarely wavered. This book is scheduled to release January 16th and I definitely recommend checking it out!

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Jenkins, and Bookouture for providing the ARC in exchange for a candid review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC!

What a fun read this was! It’s one of those that hooks you from the prologue and just makes you want to see what’s coming next. I read this over the course of a day. Couldn’t put it down!

Jo, her husband Rob, and their twins Alice, and Toby live across the street from another family, Eve, Chris, Freya, and Dylan. The kids have pretty much grown up together. They’re all very close, but cracks are starting to show within the group. Alice overhears her father whispering with Eve at a party one night, and this sets off a chain of events that includes murder, affairs, and plenty of other twists and turns!

Definitely give this a read on a rainy day. It’ll keep your attention, and it will definitely keep you guessing!