I am so happy and proud to say that I received this book from NetGalley. As an ARC reader, I am given the honor of reading books before they are published to create a review of the book gifted. Victoria Jenkins is a new author to me. I have never read any of her books and I am so sorry that I haven’t until now! She is a phenomenal writer. Oh my goodness, reading this book gave me such goosebumps. I wasn’t sure how I would’ve reacted as a mother either if my son were in the same predicament. Would I have used the right words when I called the police? Would I have made it worse for my son by speaking into the phone? Those questions and so many more were floating through my head as I was enthralled by this novel. This book was fantastically written, and I was hooked from the very beginning – meaning the front cover! I was intrigued with the characters and couldn’t put the book down because of the well-written story line. Victoria is such a dynamic author that she easily kept the story interesting without adding unnecessary plot points. It was a great read from start to finish! An easy recommendation from me to you…you will love this new thriller from Victoria Jenkins!

You never know how much a phone call can change your life. When Jo’s son calls her with an emergency, she’s there for him but she can only do so much.

As the truth comes out, the reader is taken on a twisty ride that kept my attention through the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Jenkins, and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts with a mother getting a phonecall from their child saying “Hello, I need help….. I killed someone”
Jo, Rob, live with their twins 18-year-old twins, Toby and Alice. Across the road is Eve, Chris, and their grown children, Dylan and Freya. The families have known each other for years and the kids have grown up together, and on the surface their lives are a bit too good to be true.
At a specific party you start to see the fractures in the relationships between the parents and children.

not long after the party Jo gets a call from her son, who she thought was at home. He tells her to come over to Freya’s house as somethings happened. Jo quickly runs over, and sees Freya dead on the floor with Toby standing over her, covered in blood and upset. Jo makes the difficult choice to call the police, which results in toby being arrested.

You get to see each characters version of the truth and quickly realise nothing is as it seems.

Thank you to Bookouture, Victoria Jenkins and NetGalley for the ARC

When Jo receives a distressing phone call from her son asking for her help, Jo runs to him and is shocked to find him standing over a dead body. She instantly thinks the worst and must do what she feels is right, call the police and report what she has discovered.

This is a great thriller about family dynamics and emotional relationships between friends. It seems that nothing is as it seems. Jo must battle with her decision to turn her son in while her family struggles to help him.

I enjoyed this book but found it quite predictable at times and quite slow. It’s more about relationships than it is a thriller. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookature for the eARC.

Jo, Rob, and their 18-year-old twins, Toby and Alice, live across the street from Eve, Chris, and their adult children, Dylan and Freya. The two families have been friends for years, watching their kids grow up together and always being there for each other. This book starts with Eve, the “my life is perfect…on Instagram” type of mom, holding a summer party. Jo can sometimes feel dowdy and mundane next to Eve, so she didn’t really want to go, but the kids are about to leave for university and this was the last chance to have everyone together.

At the party, the reader starts to see fissures in the relationships between these people. Toby didn’t want to talk to anyone. Alice is annoyed with Freya. Eve and Chris are on edge because their house had recently been broken into. Toby and Freya got into an argument. Chris gets too drunk and gives Jo an awkward hug. And Alice overhears part of a conversation between her father and Eve that just didn’t sound right…

Some after the party, we get to the what the synopsis tells us, and what made me want to read this. One night, Jo gets a call from her son, who she thought was in his room. He tells her to come across the street to Freya’s house, because something awful has happened. Jo runs over, walks in, and sees Freya dead on the floor with Toby standing over her, bloodied and crying. Then she makes one of the hardest decisions a parent could make: she calls the police, and tells them what her son has done. He’s swiftly arrested, and needless to say, the two families are definitely not friends anymore.

The rest of the book is spoiler stuff, but it goes through what both families face after this incident. All of them are dealing with the death differently, but it’s Alice who believes her twin brother is not capable of killing anyone. As she keeps digging, she finds out more and more secrets, and this story gets pretty juicy. The ending was slightly sad, but perfectly written. Overall, this is a really good story! Four stars.

(Thank you to Bookouture, Victoria Jenkins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 16, 2025.)

Thank you to net gallery and the author for this arc copy of this book. This book had me completely hooked from page 1. It’s definitely in the top 10 books I have read this year. I was so interested in the plot and characters and I really enjoyed the various twists this book has. I haven’t read a book by Victoria Jenkins before but I will be looking into their other books. I read this in a couple of hours. As it that fast paced and gripping. It’s such a great family drama which held my interest throughout. Such a great book xxx

This book had me completely hooked from page 1. It’s definitely one of my favourite reads this year. I was engrossed in the plot and characters and really enjoyed the various twists. I’ve always liked Victoria Jenkins other books, however this is probably my favourite so far.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! There's so much going on with both families. I loved that I never guessed the killer or knew how the story was going to end. Very good book! I will be checking out more of her books.

I just adored The Mother's Phone Call!

When Toby Harris, an 18-year-old boy, calls his mother, Jo, with the words every parent dreads-"I need help. I killed someone"-everything unravels. Toby is found standing over the body of Freya, their neighbor's daughter, and all evidence points to him as the killer.

The story is narrated in various POVs, and you never know who's telling the truth and who isn't.

This is a domestic thriller done right: fast-paced, suspenseful, and layered with characters you'll love to hate.

This book had me completely hooked from the very first page! Do not start reading this until you’ve set aside some serious reading time because once you start, you won’t be able to put it down! Plot twist after plot twist! A brilliant psychological thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

Jo and her family have a nice life, living on an affluent street, with their close friends as neighbours. One day she receives a call from her son asking for her help, everything points to him having killed someone. Will Jo manage to protect her son?

This is my first book by this author and I wanted to read it as the storyline sounded intriguing. After finishing, it proved itself to be an engaging domestic thriller. I enjoyed that important topics were explored as the story focuses a lot on complex relationships and the lengths parents are prepared to go. I also enjoyed discovering the character’s secrets, there were lots of layers to slowly peel away.

Although this was a good story overall, I did find it slow moving at times. I found that I lacked major suspense and was fairly predictable. Saying that, it is definitely a thought provoking, solid thriller, which I can see a lot of people really enjoying. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

When a mother looks into the eyes of their child, no matter how old, they realize that that child is expecting their trust. In this book with several characters having their own POV‘s, we soon learn that Freya has been killed and Toby has been charged with her murder.

After a devastating phone call to his mother, all evidence points to Toby as the killer, but the two families were closer than close and had been for years. How could one Toby have killed Freya? Meanwhile, Alice, Toby’s twin sister, is certain that her brother could not have killed Freya. She will go to any lengths to prove that her brother did not commit this heinous crime.

Both of these families seem to have had good live, good homes and good families. They have been neighbors forever. But now, rocked by a murder of one of their teens, their strong friendship rapidly deteriorates.

Victoria Jenkins once again dazzles readers with a stellar read. From the very first page, the palpable tension, woven with family loyalties, secrets, and lies, creates an engaging and captivating narrative that keeps readers spellbound until the very end.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

THE MOTHER'S PHONE CALL by Victoria Jenkins.
Release date set for the 16th of January 2025.
WOW WHAT A PROLOGUE THAT WAS!!!!!
Gripping straight off the bat.
My first time reading this author and i'll read her work again.
This book is a tense read and it has a massive twist i didn't see coming at all.
Really good psychological thriller

DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!!…
Victoria is an amazing author!

A thrilling ride of a read! The Mother's Phone Call is a tense and compulsive read with so many secrets that are metered out until the final conclusion which is another big twist. Very well done and an exciting read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Title: The Mother’s Phone Call
Author: Victoria Jenkins
Genre: Psychological/Thriller
Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date: January 16, 2025
My Rating: 4.4 Stars
Pages: 265

Story starts when Eve and Chris Harris are hosting a neighborhood party to celebrate their 20th Anniversary.
Jo and Eve have been best friends since Jo and Rob Clarke moved into the house across the street. Jo and Rob have two children a son Toby now eighteen and a daughter Alice. Eve and Chris also have two children a daughter Freida and son Dylan. Their children are friends and are also at the party. However after the party Freya is found dead and Toby is found standing over her, in shock. It appears Toby killed her.

Story certainly kept me curious and turning pages.
Whodunit was a surprise.
I am sure this story is going to make interesting book club discussions.

The Mother’s Phone Call Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early e-Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 16, 2025.

I read this in a couple of hours on part of my commute I just couldn't put it down, I was gripped. Fast paced and full of tension i was on the edge of my seat for most of the book

This is a solid domestic thriller that I read in a day, it's THAT good! Just what would you do if your son claimed to have killed someone? All is not what it seems in this novel and its fill of secrets and lies. The twists are good and grab you when you don't expect it!

Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Mother’s Phone Call is domestic drama slash thriller with a fair amount of tension and suspense.
Every parents worst nightmare is getting a call from their child saying “Hello, I need help….. I killed someone”
Two close knit families who live opposite each other clash as a tragedy makes for family vs family.
Jo gets a distressing phone call from her son, Toby.
Did Toby kill the neighbours daughter, Freya from across the street…..
The evidence points in his direction but it soon becomes apparent that all is not what it seems….
Is Toby guilty?
Who is lying?
And who is telling the truth….
With secrets and lies in abundance, an engaging plot and a list of scheming suspects, this story evolves sharply.
Layers of deceit and toxic characters which makes for a very creative tale.
An enjoyable read from this favoured author.

This is a dramatic read and one that makes you wonder what, as a mother, you would do in the same situation..

Tom is suspected stabbing his neighbour and his mother has a dilemma.

This is a wow wow wow book and I loved it. It is tense, filled with suspense with many shocks..

It had me gripped and I loved it.