Mother of All Secrets
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-02 21:22:03
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kathleen M. Willett
- ISBN：B09HQQYRWN
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Summary
Her freedom， her sanity， her life。 How much will a young mother sacrifice to protect her secrets？
Sleep deprived and overwhelmed， first-time mom Jenn is struggling to adapt to her new role。 Frustrated with her loving but preoccupied husband and still grieving the death of her own mother， she feels isolated and depressed。 It’s only when she joins a new-moms’ group that she starts to think she’s finally getting back on track。
Until Isabel， the group’s leader， suddenly disappears。
Now Jenn’s baby isn’t the only reason she can’t sleep。 Consumed with worry over Isabel， Jenn is teetering on the edge of obsession。 Concern turns to paranoia when Jenn finds clues that force her to look at herself， her marriage， and the women in her support group， who have more in common than Jenn realized。 Much more。
Saving Isabel means unearthing secrets that were supposed to stay buried forever， and Jenn has to decide what she’s willing to risk to help a woman she barely knows。 With each revelation， she gets closer to a slow-burning act of retribution that could easily and irrevocably draw her into the flames。
Sleep deprived and overwhelmed， first-time mom Jenn is struggling to adapt to her new role。 Frustrated with her loving but preoccupied husband and still grieving the death of her own mother， she feels isolated and depressed。 It’s only when she joins a new-moms’ group that she starts to think she’s finally getting back on track。
Until Isabel， the group’s leader， suddenly disappears。
Now Jenn’s baby isn’t the only reason she can’t sleep。 Consumed with worry over Isabel， Jenn is teetering on the edge of obsession。 Concern turns to paranoia when Jenn finds clues that force her to look at herself， her marriage， and the women in her support group， who have more in common than Jenn realized。 Much more。
Saving Isabel means unearthing secrets that were supposed to stay buried forever， and Jenn has to decide what she’s willing to risk to help a woman she barely knows。 With each revelation， she gets closer to a slow-burning act of retribution that could easily and irrevocably draw her into the flames。
Reviews
Lisa Wetzel
，
Kathleen M。 Willett’s debut novel Mother of All Secrets is an engrossing novel。 This book started out a little slow for me then exploded into a book I could not put down。 Ms。 Willett has a well thought out plot with well developed characters。 A young new mother， overwhelmed and sleep deprived finds a support group turn friends that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride。 This is a thrilling book with mystery， murder， secrets and twist and turns。 The friendships and loyalty come throug Kathleen M。 Willett’s debut novel Mother of All Secrets is an engrossing novel。 This book started out a little slow for me then exploded into a book I could not put down。 Ms。 Willett has a well thought out plot with well developed characters。 A young new mother， overwhelmed and sleep deprived finds a support group turn friends that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride。 This is a thrilling book with mystery， murder， secrets and twist and turns。 The friendships and loyalty come through along with an unexpected secret that they all have in common and how they deal with it。 I very much could relate to this story and highly recommend it。 I am looking forward to future books by this gifted author。 Thank you Kathleen M。 Willett and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review。#motherofallsecrets #kathleenmwillett #arc#lakeunionpublishing 。。。more
Pat
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This book was a miss for me。 Told from Jenn’s POV it starts off with Jenn struggling with new motherhood。 It tells of her sleeplessness， inability to manage household chores and an inability to soothe her crying baby。 Then it tells us about her sleeplessness， inability to manage household chores and soothe her crying baby…。you get the drift。 Her mother died when sh was 6 months pregnant which partly explains her depression but many of us have been there ourselves。 I had my children in a relative This book was a miss for me。 Told from Jenn’s POV it starts off with Jenn struggling with new motherhood。 It tells of her sleeplessness， inability to manage household chores and an inability to soothe her crying baby。 Then it tells us about her sleeplessness， inability to manage household chores and soothe her crying baby…。you get the drift。 Her mother died when sh was 6 months pregnant which partly explains her depression but many of us have been there ourselves。 I had my children in a relatively new city with no family support too。Things improve a lot when she joins a mothers group。 The infants are all just a few months old and the five mothers enjoy their weekly get togethers。 While things improved for Jenn， they did not improve for me。 The first half of the book was very slow and repetitive。 Then， at last some actIon， one of the mothers， Isabel， disappears。 She misses one of their meetings and does not answer her phone。 Jenn and Kira stop by her house but learn nothing。 Husband， Connor， seems very uninterested and Isabel’s mother， who seems like a really good sort is staying there to look after the baby。Jenn， however， becomes obsessed with Isabel’s disappearance and gets herself in a quite a state about it。 By the way， this part is still very tedious。 After nearly a week with still no sign of Isabel one of the other mother’s suggests they spend a child free couple of nights in the Hamptons。 A friend has offered her the use of a luxury home。 The break will do them all good。And that’s where I guess the plot finally got more interesting but also pretty silly。 And I can’t even tell you why。 But I found it just totally implausible。 Maybe the first part of plan A may be something you would do。 But what ended up happening， I guess this is supposed to be the twist。 Of course you wouldn’t guess it because no one with half a brain cell would do this。 There was much eye rolling I can tell you。 Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly。 。。。more
Betty
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This a was an enjoyable read which brought back many memories of having a newborn baby in the house。 Yea， I remember the exhaustion， the screams， the lack of sleep， yet sweetened by the love for the baby。 Our main character joins a new mother’s group and is envious of how well put together they are。 Then one mother disappears。 Great suspense。 Unusual plot; the author Willett put a lot of thought into her book。
Christina Faris
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New mom Jenn is feeling sleep-deprived and overwhelmed。 Since her mother passed away recently， she feels particularly alone in her role as a new mother。 She joins a local moms’ group and meets Vanessa， Selena， Kira and Isabel。 After months of weekly meetings， Isabel goes missing。 Now Jenn is not only adjusting to motherhood， but scared for her friend。 As she digs deeper into the mystery of Isabel’s disappearance， it seems as though these women all have more in common than they realized。I loved t New mom Jenn is feeling sleep-deprived and overwhelmed。 Since her mother passed away recently， she feels particularly alone in her role as a new mother。 She joins a local moms’ group and meets Vanessa， Selena， Kira and Isabel。 After months of weekly meetings， Isabel goes missing。 Now Jenn is not only adjusting to motherhood， but scared for her friend。 As she digs deeper into the mystery of Isabel’s disappearance， it seems as though these women all have more in common than they realized。I loved this book！！ Luckily my toddler napped so I could finish it because I could not put it down。 As a mother of two， I related to Jenn’s early motherhood days very well。 The exhaustion， the foggy brain， isolation， second-guessing yourself but loving this little being more than you ever imagined you could love someone…it’s just early motherhood in a nutshell。 The author did a phenomenal job of capturing that season in life。 Besides that， there was also a mystery weaved into this story as to how these ladies all came together。 Without giving too much away， there were some twists I didn’t see coming that were just great。 I was highly impressed that this was the author’s debut novel！！Thank you to Kathleen Willet for the ARC 🙂 “Mother of All Secrets” comes our June 28th。This review will be posted to my Instagram blog （@books_by_the_bottle） shortly！ 。。。more
Claire Wilson
，
My “babies” are 3。5 and 1。5 now but man those descriptions of the newborn stage still hit hard。 This was compulsively readable and I had a really hard time putting it down。 This gave me Happy and You Know It （Laura Hankins） vibes but I enjoyed it way more because the narrator/MC was actually a new mom。 The descriptions of the catastrophizing and the dichotomy between exhaustion/depression and pure love for your baby but also feeling like you don’t deserve that unconditional love and also feeling My “babies” are 3。5 and 1。5 now but man those descriptions of the newborn stage still hit hard。 This was compulsively readable and I had a really hard time putting it down。 This gave me Happy and You Know It （Laura Hankins） vibes but I enjoyed it way more because the narrator/MC was actually a new mom。 The descriptions of the catastrophizing and the dichotomy between exhaustion/depression and pure love for your baby but also feeling like you don’t deserve that unconditional love and also feeling so alone but desperately wanting to make mom friends were all just so spot on and well done。 Seasoned thriller fans will probably see the twists coming （I guessed some but definitely not all） but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story。 This was a GREAT debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author！ Big thanks to Kathleen （and the Peloton Moms Book Club） for the ARC。 。。。more
Sharon
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This is an excellent debut novel and certainly， if you're a young mother， I'd imagine you can really relate to the lead character who is really going through it with her newborn。Jenn is a sleep deprived new mother who joins a group of similar women and then， one disappears。What follows is definitely a focus on the trials and tribulations of young mum's - so， for those not， it can be slow and repetitive。 However， stick with it， as there are twists and turns to come and it's all nicely rounded up This is an excellent debut novel and certainly， if you're a young mother， I'd imagine you can really relate to the lead character who is really going through it with her newborn。Jenn is a sleep deprived new mother who joins a group of similar women and then， one disappears。What follows is definitely a focus on the trials and tribulations of young mum's - so， for those not， it can be slow and repetitive。 However， stick with it， as there are twists and turns to come and it's all nicely rounded up at the end。Overall， a decent drama / thriller and I'm grateful to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to preview。 。。。more
Jessica
，
A great read！ This book was awesome and extremely relatable to all moms！ The plot twists kept surprising me and I didn’t want it to end！
Jessica
，
I was instantly sucked into this book。 New mom Jenn has a tough time adjusting to her newborn and life after baby。 She's in a mom's group with Kira， Isabel， Vanessa， and Selena。 Their weekly meetings are a good way to meet people but it seems pretty superficial。 After Isabel goes missing， Jenn gets crazily obsessed with finding out what happened to her。 When we learn more about the group members， including Jenn， we realize that they are all tied together in an unexpected way and it's not by acci I was instantly sucked into this book。 New mom Jenn has a tough time adjusting to her newborn and life after baby。 She's in a mom's group with Kira， Isabel， Vanessa， and Selena。 Their weekly meetings are a good way to meet people but it seems pretty superficial。 After Isabel goes missing， Jenn gets crazily obsessed with finding out what happened to her。 When we learn more about the group members， including Jenn， we realize that they are all tied together in an unexpected way and it's not by accident that they ended up in the same mom's group。 When we learn more about the group members， including Jenn， we realize that they are all tied together in an unexpected way and it's not by accident that they ended up in the same mom's group。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Amanda’s_Good_Books
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Mother of All SecretsBy Kathleen M WillettRelease date 08/01/2022From the book :Sleep-deprived and overwhelmed， first-time mom Jenn is struggling to adapt to her new role。 Frustrated with her loving but preoccupied husband and still grieving the death of her own mother， she feels isolated and depressed。 It’s only when she joins a new moms’ group that she starts to think she’s finally getting back on track。Until Isabel， the group’s leader， suddenly disappears。My Review4 🌟🌟🌟🌟S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉ for th Mother of All SecretsBy Kathleen M WillettRelease date 08/01/2022From the book :Sleep-deprived and overwhelmed， first-time mom Jenn is struggling to adapt to her new role。 Frustrated with her loving but preoccupied husband and still grieving the death of her own mother， she feels isolated and depressed。 It’s only when she joins a new moms’ group that she starts to think she’s finally getting back on track。Until Isabel， the group’s leader， suddenly disappears。My Review4 🌟🌟🌟🌟S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉ for this debut author。 I read this book easily in one sitting。 Jenn is a struggling mother， and she indeed shows an honest reflection of what I am sure all first-time moms feel and go through。 （My hats off to all the mamas out there， truly🫶🏻）Isabel goes missing， and Jenn can’t let it go。 She is on a mission to find out what happened to her。 And boy does she。 Finding out how all these women in the mommies group connect is jaw-dropping。 Add this book to your tbr asap#bookstagram #bookish #instabooks #ilovebooks #readinglist #bookblog #readmore #reads #booknerdigan #readingaddict #avidreader #newread #readallthebooks #booksarelife #bibliophile #bookwormlife #bookrecommendation #bookstagrammers #booknerdigan #arcbooks #lakeunionpublishing#netgalley #netgalleyreader#kathleenmwillett#motherofallsecrets 。。。more
Helen Bleckley
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Wow。 Aside from the actual plot， which had me hooked from the beginning until the end， the descriptions of early motherhood here made me feel like I identified *so* closely with the narrator。 There were some trigger moments in the story， but really… wow。 Will definitely be recommending this to others。
Sophie
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I absolutely LOVED this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to read。 As a mom of a little one myself， I am so exhausted -- yet I could not put this book down every night。 I was amazed at how quickly I read it… it was such a page turner and I always wanted to see what happened next！ I cannot wait for her next book to come out！
Danielle B
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Jenn is a first time mother and feeling exhausted and overwhelmed。 This compounded by the recent death of her mother is making her situation lonely and very difficult。 When Jenn decides to join a new-mom’s group she starts to get the support she needs and things start improving， until disaster strikes！ The leader of the group， Isabelle， goes missing！I was really excited to read MOTHER OF ALL SECRETS。 The description just sounded so good。 I can say I was not disappointed， this was a great book。 T Jenn is a first time mother and feeling exhausted and overwhelmed。 This compounded by the recent death of her mother is making her situation lonely and very difficult。 When Jenn decides to join a new-mom’s group she starts to get the support she needs and things start improving， until disaster strikes！ The leader of the group， Isabelle， goes missing！I was really excited to read MOTHER OF ALL SECRETS。 The description just sounded so good。 I can say I was not disappointed， this was a great book。 The story and writing from debut author Kathleen M。 Willet was outstanding！ I am very excited to see what she will come up with next。 Many thanks to Kathleen M。 Willet for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog （@coffee。break。book。reviews） in the near future。 。。。more
Kelly • Kell of a Read
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3。5 （rounded up！） ⭐️ Mother of All Secrets is the debut novel from Kathleen M。 Willett about five new moms living in Manhattan。 The title， the cover， and the premise all had me excited to jump in！ I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and felt like Jenn's struggles were palpable。 She's exhausted and lonely; she spends her days dealing with a difficult newborn， a loving but slightly useless husband， the grief of recently losing her mother， and she's harboring a lot of secrets。 I think Wille 3。5 （rounded up！） ⭐️ Mother of All Secrets is the debut novel from Kathleen M。 Willett about five new moms living in Manhattan。 The title， the cover， and the premise all had me excited to jump in！ I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and felt like Jenn's struggles were palpable。 She's exhausted and lonely; she spends her days dealing with a difficult newborn， a loving but slightly useless husband， the grief of recently losing her mother， and she's harboring a lot of secrets。 I think Willett did a great job of portraying the challenges that many women face during the postpartum period （but don't always talk about！）。 Jenn spends her limited free time scrolling through social media and is bombarded with those "grass is greener" feelings。 Every other mom seems to be thriving whereas Jenn can barely unload the dishwasher。 By about 20% in， I started to get a little bored of the repetition， counting down the hours until it was acceptable to open a bottle of wine， and Jenn's inner monologue about how difficult things were。 That's not to say she's wrong- her life is incredibly difficult！ I just wish she would have even considered getting professional help （nothing like an armchair diagnosis！）。 At one point， Jenn's husband wakes her up after she's fallen asleep standing over the baby's crib which is terrifying and he points out that she took a walk outside late one night that she doesn't remember taking。 She’s clearly overwhelmed， likely depressed， and a lot of problematic thoughts and feelings are quickly dismissed throughout the book。Jenn may not get professional help but she does join a weekly support group alongside four other new moms in her neighborhood。 Things are going pretty well until one of the moms goes missing。 Naturally， Jenn decides she's the ideal candidate to solve the crime！ I will add that one of my favorite parts of the book was when a mom from the group calls Jenn out pretty directly about her privilege and her misguided beliefs。 It was a conversation I don't see often enough in thrillers。 What follows is a pretty twisty chain of events but the twists and turns don't really happen until the last 25% of the book。 I can honestly say I had no idea what was going to happen or who was connected and why。 I think a lot of readers will enjoy Mother of All Secrets， but just keep in mind that it is definitely a slow burn。 I also felt like things wrapped up a little too nicely for my tastes。 Overall， a really fun read and I look forward to seeing what Willett whips up next！I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book， all opinions are my own。 Thank you to NetGalley and Kathleen Willett for allowing me to be an early reader 。。。more
Karleen
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Mother of All Secrets shows us just how far a woman will go for her friends and how far a mother will go for her children。 This book is a quick， enjoyable read。 I like the way the author introduces and develops each of the women in the story。 The story is told from the perspective of main character Jenn， as she develops individual friendships with the women in her new moms' group。 So， it's almost like the reader is getting to know these women along with her。 But do you ever really know anyone？ T Mother of All Secrets shows us just how far a woman will go for her friends and how far a mother will go for her children。 This book is a quick， enjoyable read。 I like the way the author introduces and develops each of the women in the story。 The story is told from the perspective of main character Jenn， as she develops individual friendships with the women in her new moms' group。 So， it's almost like the reader is getting to know these women along with her。 But do you ever really know anyone？ Through most of the book， I honestly thought I knew where the plot was going， but by the end， I was pleasantly surprised by the twist。 Mother of All Secrets is relatable for all mothers， especially new moms， even if you're not quite living in an Upper West Side apartment。 I will definitely be recommending this book to others and will look for more by this author。 。。。more
Romney
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Thoroughly enjoyed this story！ The main character， Jenn， felt so relatable in her postpartum state。 Her curious mind led me down rabbit holes of what-ifs that kept me interested and guessing。My one complaint is the husband， Tim。 He was the perfect husband， maybe too perfect。 I felt his role in the story was not to add to the plot， but to be a babysitter so Jenn could be out doing her thing。Overall an amazingly well-written first novel。 I’ll be looking for futures。
Lesley
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This story is told from the point of view of Jenn， a new mother struggling to cope with the demands of her young baby。 Her life is further unsettled by the disappearance of another woman from the mother and baby group Jenn has been attending with her daughter。I loved the idea of the main characters being women on maternity leave coping with young babies 24/7， rather than women "married to the job" or women with older， more independent children who give them a minute to themselves！ After the init This story is told from the point of view of Jenn， a new mother struggling to cope with the demands of her young baby。 Her life is further unsettled by the disappearance of another woman from the mother and baby group Jenn has been attending with her daughter。I loved the idea of the main characters being women on maternity leave coping with young babies 24/7， rather than women "married to the job" or women with older， more independent children who give them a minute to themselves！ After the initial disappearance， the action stalled for a long time， while we seemed to go round in circles。 Important issues， such as race and post-partum depression were touched on， but never revisited， which I was disappointed about。The pace did pick up in the final third， with a few twists and turns， although the final actions of one of the characters at the eleventh hour was a bit of a step too far for me。Nevertheless， this was a solid read which stood out from others in the genre。 I'll certainly look out for future books from the author。Thanks to Netgalley。co。uk， the author and the publisher for the eARC of this book。 。。。more
Jennifer Epling
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Thank you to Netgalley and Kathleen M。 Willett for my advanced copy in return for an honest review！Mother of All Secrets is one of the best， page turning thrillers I have read so far this year。 It was a page turner， and I didn’t want to put it down。 It starts out slow， but I like how she builds the characters， and introduces us to the mom group， and how they interact with one another。 I love how she included the letters from Jen to her new baby， and the text messages and comments about the disap Thank you to Netgalley and Kathleen M。 Willett for my advanced copy in return for an honest review！Mother of All Secrets is one of the best， page turning thrillers I have read so far this year。 It was a page turner， and I didn’t want to put it down。 It starts out slow， but I like how she builds the characters， and introduces us to the mom group， and how they interact with one another。 I love how she included the letters from Jen to her new baby， and the text messages and comments about the disappearance adds such depth to the story。 It's something you don't see a lot of in thrillers。 I loved it。 I like how it made me guess who was writing the letters as there was no name， just signed mom。 I think we all have an idea on who they are from but the suspense in that area is great。 I always hate when I can see twists and turns coming from a mile away。 This didn’t happen in this book。 I was always shocked。 I always come up with theories in my head， and after each theory I came up with， I turned the page and whoops， I was wrong。 And I love that feeling。 I was engaged the entire time， and wanted to know "who dun it"Would definitely recommend this thriller for anyone who wants to stay confused and wrong up until the last page。10/10 would recommend to anyone 。。。more
The Read Receipt
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★★★★★Mother of All Secrets by Kathleen M。 WillettNew mother Jenn is struggling with motherhood。 She loves her daughter Clara fiercely， but raising a child is not all picturesque Central Park stroller walks and pretty lattes - sleepless nights and postpartum depression cloud her days。 It’s not until Jenn joins an Upper West Side moms group that she starts to feel a bit more normal。 Being able to share their struggles in motherhood slowly bonds this group of women together， until one woman goes mi ★★★★★Mother of All Secrets by Kathleen M。 WillettNew mother Jenn is struggling with motherhood。 She loves her daughter Clara fiercely， but raising a child is not all picturesque Central Park stroller walks and pretty lattes - sleepless nights and postpartum depression cloud her days。 It’s not until Jenn joins an Upper West Side moms group that she starts to feel a bit more normal。 Being able to share their struggles in motherhood slowly bonds this group of women together， until one woman goes missing， and the group starts to realize they don’t know each other as well as they thought。I cannot recommend this novel enough to anyone who enjoys a thriller。 I loved reading this NYC-based story; it kept me guessing at every chapter， and I was continuously wrong in my theories （which is a good thing！）。 Kathleen is an extremely talented writer， and I cannot wait to see this book take the world by storm after it’s release。 For fans of The Girl on the Train - I predict Mother of All Secrets to be the biggest thriller to come out Summer 2022。Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Honeydukesbooks
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Holy COW this book was awesome！ So awesome that I finished it in one sitting。 It kept me hooked from the beginning and the plot twists were BRILLIANT！
Jessica
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Great first novel！ I really enjoyed the style of writing。 It reads a lot like a conversation， and the way I chat with friends。 Mother of All Secrets dives right into the struggles of being a mother， exhaustion and friendship。 Being a mother is incredibly rewarding， but can also make you feel alone and overwhelmed。 Kathleen M。 Willet exposes motherhood for what it can truly be。 First time mom Jenn loves her baby girl more than anything， but suffers from extreme fatigue when her baby won’t ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Great first novel！ I really enjoyed the style of writing。 It reads a lot like a conversation， and the way I chat with friends。 Mother of All Secrets dives right into the struggles of being a mother， exhaustion and friendship。 Being a mother is incredibly rewarding， but can also make you feel alone and overwhelmed。 Kathleen M。 Willet exposes motherhood for what it can truly be。 First time mom Jenn loves her baby girl more than anything， but suffers from extreme fatigue when her baby won’t sleep。 Jenn joins a group of likeminded moms and quickly develops new friendships。 But when one of the moms in her group suddenly goes missing， Jenn is forced to reevaluate her relationship with some of the women in the moms group。 Mother of All Secrets is a page turning novel about how people are not always as they seem。 。。。more
Sonali Roy
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Before I start my review I would like to thank the author for an ARC via NetGalley。 Something that appeals to my getting free stuff and sale thing。 This is part of the deal that NetGalley provides for us parched readers。 :-）The book may be a regular in the genre but what sets this apart is its dealing with postpartum depression。 I have yet to come across a book which so seamlessly binds this very real aspect of mothers with a thriller。 This was quite an eye-opener。 Mental health issues， real wor Before I start my review I would like to thank the author for an ARC via NetGalley。 Something that appeals to my getting free stuff and sale thing。 This is part of the deal that NetGalley provides for us parched readers。 :-）The book may be a regular in the genre but what sets this apart is its dealing with postpartum depression。 I have yet to come across a book which so seamlessly binds this very real aspect of mothers with a thriller。 This was quite an eye-opener。 Mental health issues， real world crime， young mothers， what a roller-coaster。 My suggestion is this is a very good book and please try this。 。。。more
Amanda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received a free e copy of this novel from NetGalley。Overall， a quick reading， engaging popcorn thriller that tried to reach for loftier goals and almost makes it but not quite。 It combines two trends I’ve been seeing a lot lately。 The first is the obvious one— lady-centered thriller about a missing woman with a surprise twist or two。 That’s what you expect going into this genre， to the point where there being a twist isn’t really a surprise anymore， it’s an expected and necessary feature for t I received a free e copy of this novel from NetGalley。Overall， a quick reading， engaging popcorn thriller that tried to reach for loftier goals and almost makes it but not quite。 It combines two trends I’ve been seeing a lot lately。 The first is the obvious one— lady-centered thriller about a missing woman with a surprise twist or two。 That’s what you expect going into this genre， to the point where there being a twist isn’t really a surprise anymore， it’s an expected and necessary feature for the genre to work。 The second， though， I’ve been seeing across genres， from literary fiction to horror/fantasy to memoir to advice— and that’s the terrifying difficulty of the postpartum/newborn period。 That combination is one of the things that makes this book fall a little bit short of being awesome— the postpartum stuff is relatable and serious， but the way it’s handled feels overall a little bit flat。 It doesn’t have the raw pain and anger that you see in the other books that handle this topic— though that’s certainly not a universal experience！ But it seems like one of the takeaways is supposed to be that the lead is having a very hard time and it just seems… like an average time， honestly？ The uselessness of men is handled， and the resentment， but not as well as I feel it should have been given the early stress on it。 Like， the lead talks a bit about intrusive thoughts but then is ready to go in an overnight？？？ And the realities of pumping during that overnight aren’t even addressed。 Also， the lead clearly had an alcohol problem that appears to exist only for a convenient two plot points， but her daily drinking never manages to leave her with hangovers or impact her parenting abilities which… as a mom to an almost three year old just seems ridiculous。 I’m practically a tee totaler now because parenting with a hangover sounds like my personal hell。 Small small bit that talks about race relations and black motherhood， but then is conveniently never mentioned again。 Sure， it underscores how clueless our lead is but damn， it made me want to see more of Selena and less of the lead。 Rape and it’s consequences is another aspect of the book that is important， and which clearly drives the lead’s actions， but which isn’t really fully examined。 But all that leads us to the fact that the second big twist （yes， there are two！） is just utterly batshit off the walls。 Because it gives us a victim-blaming murderess with just… an utterly ridiculous mindset and personality， who is worthy of a damn academy award。This book wanted to be both a literally commentary on postpartum struggles and rape culture， AND a popcorn thriller。 Instead of doing an amazing job at either， too much was stuffed into a small space。 It was fun， I don’t regret reading it， I’d absolutely consider the author again， but at the end of the day it left me dissatisfied。 。。。more
Morgan Martin
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Jenn is a sleep-deprived new mom who is trying to adjust to the trials of motherhood。 She joins a support group with other new moms， but shortly after， the group leader disappears。 Jenn becomes obsessed with trying to solve the disappearance while attempting to keep secrets of her own。 Jenn's point of view truly captures the exhaustion and isolation of being a new mom。 The moms group on Facebook also made me giggle…they really are all the same aren’t they？ While I loved the first half of the boo Jenn is a sleep-deprived new mom who is trying to adjust to the trials of motherhood。 She joins a support group with other new moms， but shortly after， the group leader disappears。 Jenn becomes obsessed with trying to solve the disappearance while attempting to keep secrets of her own。 Jenn's point of view truly captures the exhaustion and isolation of being a new mom。 The moms group on Facebook also made me giggle…they really are all the same aren’t they？ While I loved the first half of the book， the second half felt a little wordy and slow。 The characters had deep explanations of all of their actions， and that took away a little bit of the suspense。 Overall， I enjoyed this read and felt it was engaging。 I’m really excited to read more from this author！ I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley。 。。。more
Jennifer Newell
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This is a story about new mothers and a group of women who get together to gain support。 Jenn is a new mom with a recent loss of her mom and her husband is not as involved as she needs。 When one of the women in the group goes missing it adds more stress to the group of women。 Is there more to the story？ The big mystery is how the missing woman not front page news？This is an interesting story with an unexpected turn or two before you get to the end。 Thank you netgalley for complimentary copy。
Jessica M
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Brilliant first novel！ I was hooked and couldn’t put it down。 As someone close to the postpartum experience， the characters rang true and important aspects of this experience are well-highlighted。 I found the plot gripping- I didn’t want to get through it as quickly as I did。 Look forward to reading the next one！
Amy
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This is a must read for summer 2022！ Could not put the book down - from the very start I was hooked！ The suspense leading up to the climax was so exciting and intense。 Laugh out loud moments throughout but the book also does a great job in exploring important topics （early motherhood， marriage， race） in a relatable way。 Can’t wait to see what else Willett has in store for us！
Marianne Burke
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About 3。5。 A little unbelievable but I was carried along with the story。
Thomas Hughes
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Mother of All Secrets is a fantastic thriller that I would recommend to any fans of the genre。 The synopsis is quite simple - a fatigued new Mom named Jenn tries to branch out socially by making new friends in her New York City neighborhood by joining a “New Moms” group on Facebook。 What follows involves a neighborhood disappearance， old secrets， and tested allegiances。 Unlike many books in this genre， we actually get to spend time in Jenn’s mind through a mix of empathetic and often funny and s Mother of All Secrets is a fantastic thriller that I would recommend to any fans of the genre。 The synopsis is quite simple - a fatigued new Mom named Jenn tries to branch out socially by making new friends in her New York City neighborhood by joining a “New Moms” group on Facebook。 What follows involves a neighborhood disappearance， old secrets， and tested allegiances。 Unlike many books in this genre， we actually get to spend time in Jenn’s mind through a mix of empathetic and often funny and sarcastic first person narration。 The plot moves as quick as Jenn’s handling of her surroundings， and does not hurry to its conclusion。 The other characters are similarly fleshed out and described so vividly you can see them walking down the street。 These characters feel like real people， and are not simply stereotypes or “filler” characters。 There are no cheap cliffhangers。 Before anything significant happens， the characters are interesting。 Once the plot really gets going - it’s difficult to put down。 。。。more
MITCHELL
，
Wow - watch out for those UWS moms！ I liked this book a lot。 As a New Yorker， I really enjoyed the UWS setting。 The characters felt like people I know。 I also appreciated that the book shined a light on some issues that new mothers deal with， but rarely get spoken about。 Very eye opening to read as a husband and father。 No spoilers， but this book has some great twists and turns and I'd highly recommend it。 I couldn't believe where the characters ended up。 I usually read books fairly slowly， but Wow - watch out for those UWS moms！ I liked this book a lot。 As a New Yorker， I really enjoyed the UWS setting。 The characters felt like people I know。 I also appreciated that the book shined a light on some issues that new mothers deal with， but rarely get spoken about。 Very eye opening to read as a husband and father。 No spoilers， but this book has some great twists and turns and I'd highly recommend it。 I couldn't believe where the characters ended up。 I usually read books fairly slowly， but I couldn't put this one down and finished it in a few days。 Can't wait for her next book！ 。。。more
Carolyn
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I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down。 The author's description of new motherhood is so spot on - from Jenn's love for her newborn daughter， Clara， to her feelings of self-doubt and frustration， to her strength in navigating her new role， to the sheer exhaustion of it all - I felt like the author was writing my own inner monologue。 The characters were well developed in their own right， each with a compelling storyline and unique perspective， and also through their newly formed fr I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down。 The author's description of new motherhood is so spot on - from Jenn's love for her newborn daughter， Clara， to her feelings of self-doubt and frustration， to her strength in navigating her new role， to the sheer exhaustion of it all - I felt like the author was writing my own inner monologue。 The characters were well developed in their own right， each with a compelling storyline and unique perspective， and also through their newly formed friendships within the same Upper West Side Mom's group。 The author artfully intertwines themes of friendship and sacrifice which illustrate how the bonds of motherhood unite generations， and does so in a way that feels natural and completely relatable。 The book presented plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end， while exploring important topics such as postpartum depression and violence in a diligent and thoughtful way。 This book had it all - moments where I laughed aloud at the uncanny descriptions of motherhood and marriage， to feeling characters' pain， to shock and awe， and the warm delight of revenge。 I thoroughly enjoyed the book from the special characters， to the themes， to the plot twists start to finish。 I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to read more from this author in the future。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mother of All Secrets
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mother of All Secrets&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mother of All Secrets&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0