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.

Victoria Jenkins, The Mother's Phone Call, Bookouture, January 2025.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

The Mother's Phone Call: A Familiar Domestic Thriller
Lies, deceit, adultery, murder. Victoria Jenkins’ The Mother’s Phone Call is a classic domestic thriller that delivers a predictable yet suspenseful read. While the novel boasts a cast of intriguing characters, the rapid introduction of many within the first chapter can be slightly overwhelming.

This was my first read of Victoria Jenkins so, I had no preconceived expectations. The plot, though familiar, is well-paced and keeps the reader engaged. However, the lack of surprising twists, especially in the latter half, may disappoint those seeking a truly shocking revelation. Despite this, the book's exploration of complex family dynamics and the psychological impact of betrayal is compelling.

For fans of domestic thrillers who enjoy a straightforward plot and well-developed characters, The Mother’s Phone Call is a solid choice.

Victoria Jenkins, The Mother's Phone Call, Bookouture, January 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

One of my problems with coming to grips with this book was being unable to see the young people, Alice, Toby, and Freya as normally functioning 18-year-olds. They all came across as 14- or 15-year-olds, living lives dependent on their parents’ emotional support in an exceedingly small world. That this world was to be shattered gave Victoria Jenkins an opportunity to depict them maturing as young adults. However, they remain essentially unchanged, and Jo, Alice and Toby’s mother, continues to see herself as the necessary recipient of her twins’ confidences and guardian of their behaviour. She has also made herself the person who has assumed the right to judge Toby’s actions that precipitate the phone call. A phone call that makes an accusation that is not easy to undo.

As the truth, or each character’s version of the truth emerge, and suspicions escalate, what has seemed to be an almost ideal life of wealth in a salubrious suburban cul-de-sac, is destroyed. It is not only Toby who is to be judged, his family become a focus of police, neighbour, and social media attention. None of this is kind or forgiving. None of it looks further than the superficial, perhaps reflecting the lives that have been challenged by the phone call and its aftermath. For these lives are without ballast, and always have been. The most superficial character of all, Eve, Jo’s neighbour, and friend from when they moved into houses opposite each other is crucial in the unfolding of events. The women’s husbands, Rob and Chris, and Freya’s older brother, Dylan also have a role to play in the twists and turns of this psychological thriller.

For me, The Mother’s Phone Call was a disappointment. The characters have little to redeem them. Their ultimate responses to resolution of the crime seemed to throw an unrealistic cover over the other problems that were exposed. Most importantly, the moral dilemmas faced by Jo and Eve in the decisions they made about their sons would have been a really absorbing debate, but this was given little attention. I was left feeling that this novel provided an interesting enough beach read but wanted more.

An excellent family drama which held my interest throughout.

Lots of lies, twists and turns throughout this story makes it a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Gripping the phone, my hands tremble with fear. I look at my son and wonder how my darling blue-eyed boy could have done this. But as my eyes focus down on the body, I know what I must do. I know it will destroy our lives forever. 'Hello? I need help. It’s my child. He’s killed someone.! Good book! This book had great suspense, murder, mystery, intriguing, heartbreaking, and some wild twists! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!