Horror

Just Like Mother

Just Like Mother

  • Downloads：8737
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-05 06:51:54
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Anne Heltzel
  • ISBN：1250787513
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A girl would be such a blessing。。。

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in。 For the past two decades， Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City， where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance。

When Andrea suddenly reappears， Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had。 Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment。 Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle。 After all， Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory。

The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world， the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury。 But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…

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Reviews

Renee M。 P。 T。 Kray ，

DNF

Damarareads ，

it was alright

Theresa ，

3。5 stars

Jennifer Smith ，

Chilling。 Hits close to reality， which makes it even more disturbing。 Many of the things said about women & motherhood by characters in the book are things I've heard people say in real life。 This one will stick with me。 Chilling。 Hits close to reality， which makes it even more disturbing。 Many of the things said about women & motherhood by characters in the book are things I've heard people say in real life。 This one will stick with me。 。。。more

M ，

rosemary's baby but instead of satanists it's techie terf cultists rosemary's baby but instead of satanists it's techie terf cultists 。。。more

Alexa-Rae ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Serious spoilers！！！！！ Is it horrific？ Yes。 Is it well written？ Yes。 Am I disturbed by it？ Yes。 Read if you can stomach child endangerment， death of a child， misandry， rape， loss of bodily autonomy， and and overall sensation of being incredibly vulnerable while reading， especially if you are a trauma survivor or a mother/parent。 Also I’m sick to death of the ‘mother turns into a psychotic killer after her baby dies’ trope and how insensitive the author seemed about grief。 Would I recommend this b Serious spoilers！！！！！ Is it horrific？ Yes。 Is it well written？ Yes。 Am I disturbed by it？ Yes。 Read if you can stomach child endangerment， death of a child， misandry， rape， loss of bodily autonomy， and and overall sensation of being incredibly vulnerable while reading， especially if you are a trauma survivor or a mother/parent。 Also I’m sick to death of the ‘mother turns into a psychotic killer after her baby dies’ trope and how insensitive the author seemed about grief。 Would I recommend this book？ No。 I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget Boy and what happened to him。 I basically read the book in a day， wanting to know what happened to him。 Let’s just say my inner mama bear was traumatized。 The entire book had me on edge with terror for all the children in it; I’ll give the author kudos for that。 I never learned Henry’s fate。 Also I just wanted to shake adult Maeve because she was so idiotic at times， yet I still felt for her。 This novel felt like b horror movie in how it was so relentless， tearing apart anything innocent and helpless just for shock value without digging deeper。 Yet， the author attempted peppering social commentary around the end of the book in a week attempt to give it deeper substance。 And to top it all off the ending was predictable in its hopelessness， feeling like rosemary’s baby and the stepford wives。 。。。more

Mrs。 DL ，

3。5 stars rounded down！I don´t even know what to think。 I guess I have my own issues with motherhood， and I can say I´ve been in both sides of the Maeve/Emily spectrum， if that makes any sense。 Now I will never forget the discourse when I hear the word Mother， so thanks for that。 It was a tad slow， but it still kept me entertained。 And yeah， it was as messed up as I thought it would be， but （view spoiler）[I wanted to know so much more about the Mother Collective！ Maybe it´s the true crime fanati 3。5 stars rounded down！I don´t even know what to think。 I guess I have my own issues with motherhood， and I can say I´ve been in both sides of the Maeve/Emily spectrum， if that makes any sense。 Now I will never forget the discourse when I hear the word Mother， so thanks for that。 It was a tad slow， but it still kept me entertained。 And yeah， it was as messed up as I thought it would be， but （view spoiler）[I wanted to know so much more about the Mother Collective！ Maybe it´s the true crime fanatic inside me， but I wanted to unravel all the nitty-gritty and beyond。 And I wanted to hug Maeve。 Oh my god， Maeve。 （hide spoiler）]Cult stories always get under my skin。 。。。more

Db Cooper ，

This was a weird book to read after the Roe vs Wade stuff。 Made me uncomfortable at times。 Interesting story line， if somewhat predictable; kinda reminds me of The Stepford Wives and Handmaiden's Tale。 This was a weird book to read after the Roe vs Wade stuff。 Made me uncomfortable at times。 Interesting story line， if somewhat predictable; kinda reminds me of The Stepford Wives and Handmaiden's Tale。 。。。more

Casey ，

This sounded right up my alley， and it was okayyy， but pretty predictable， and cringey。。 and I felt like there was a lot left unexplained？

Michelle Cohn ，

Well， I figured it out about 1/4 through but it still was good。 Just wish Maeve wasn't so dumb。 🤣 Well， I figured it out about 1/4 through but it still was good。 Just wish Maeve wasn't so dumb。 🤣 。。。more

Kaela Duncan ，

I predicted every plot twist in this book， but it still felt really impactful with the current political climate。 🙃

Terri ，

The ultra creepy cover draws you in and the wild ride of a story keeps you reading 。 After many years Maeve reconnects with her identical cousin Andrea 。They share a terrible past after growing up in a cult 。 Maeve runs into a bit if bad luck concerning her job and boyfriend and moves in with Andrea a successful business woman that manufactures life like babies。 Creepy and twisty ， this is an excellent tale

Jennie Magalona ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I've never heard of an attending physician wheeling in the instruments for surgery 😂 Also， why did the obstetrician administer the epidural？ Where was the anesthesiologist for that？ Don't even get me started on the twist。 Who would actually believe that the positive pregnancy test was the result of the same night "Tyler" （or should I say， rather obviously， Rob） raped her？ Of course it had to be from her earlier expeditions。 Then there's the amount of smut。。。 If I wanted to read smut， I would hav I've never heard of an attending physician wheeling in the instruments for surgery 😂 Also， why did the obstetrician administer the epidural？ Where was the anesthesiologist for that？ Don't even get me started on the twist。 Who would actually believe that the positive pregnancy test was the result of the same night "Tyler" （or should I say， rather obviously， Rob） raped her？ Of course it had to be from her earlier expeditions。 Then there's the amount of smut。。。 If I wanted to read smut， I would have read something from the genre。 Everything was just so ridiculous。 No offense， but this just had to be the worst book I've ever read。 。。。more

Chad ，

Cults， creepy dolls， snappy chapters and a scarred main characters adds up to a recipe for success。 Had a hard time putting this one down。

Lisa ，

I couldn’t plow through this book fast enough。 Outstanding tension， diabolical characters… even though there are predictable elements， it’s a fantastic read。 This would make for a fascinating limited TV series。

Bronwen DiSalvia ，

This book was amazing！ Just Like Mother follows the story of two cousins， who were raised in a cult and ultimately separated once it unraveled。 After finding each other in adulthood， what seemed like a perfect reunion quickly turns into something much more sinister。 There is so much to love about this book！ It was well-paced， the character development was excellent， there were several twists， and such an ominous ending。 I was hooked from the moment I started reading。 I would highly recommend thi This book was amazing！ Just Like Mother follows the story of two cousins， who were raised in a cult and ultimately separated once it unraveled。 After finding each other in adulthood， what seemed like a perfect reunion quickly turns into something much more sinister。 There is so much to love about this book！ It was well-paced， the character development was excellent， there were several twists， and such an ominous ending。 I was hooked from the moment I started reading。 I would highly recommend this book， especially if you like cult stories！ It will keep you on the edge of your seat。 。。。more

Tori ，

Probably shouldn't have read this during the turmoil that is the reduction in my bodily autonomy。 Very intense and creepy; I couldn't put it down。 Loved the twists and turns all the way until the end。 Probably shouldn't have read this during the turmoil that is the reduction in my bodily autonomy。 Very intense and creepy; I couldn't put it down。 Loved the twists and turns all the way until the end。 。。。more

Erica ，

maeve， get a clue girl

Jay Madeleine ，

3。5 stars， I felt like I needed more shock and twist for me to give it an four stars。 It’s was a interesting read， but like I said I didn’t felt like I was on the edge of my seat。 I really like how it question motherhood and basically a woman right to choose if she wants to be a mother！ Considering where we （woman and people） are with Supreme Court UNJUSTLY decision to band abortion this cult feels like it right up there with the wacko and dictator of womanhood。 It was definitely an important re 3。5 stars， I felt like I needed more shock and twist for me to give it an four stars。 It’s was a interesting read， but like I said I didn’t felt like I was on the edge of my seat。 I really like how it question motherhood and basically a woman right to choose if she wants to be a mother！ Considering where we （woman and people） are with Supreme Court UNJUSTLY decision to band abortion this cult feels like it right up there with the wacko and dictator of womanhood。 It was definitely an important read。 Not everyone wants child， and that is something we should respect and not shame！ 。。。more

Shelby ，

Creepy and culty vibes galore that had me saying "What the f-" quite a bit。 As unsettling as it was sometimes， it was in a good way and it worked。You can't help but be a little frustrated with Maeve for not picking up on even the most subtle of red flags， but I think it's done well enough that I didn't want to quit the book。There were a few things that didn't get tied up or we didn't get clarification on/ get a strong enough hint of an answer for me to give it a 5， but definitely a strong 4。 Creepy and culty vibes galore that had me saying "What the f-" quite a bit。 As unsettling as it was sometimes， it was in a good way and it worked。You can't help but be a little frustrated with Maeve for not picking up on even the most subtle of red flags， but I think it's done well enough that I didn't want to quit the book。There were a few things that didn't get tied up or we didn't get clarification on/ get a strong enough hint of an answer for me to give it a 5， but definitely a strong 4。 。。。more

Liz （Quirky Cat） ，

tJust Like Mother， by Anne Heltzel， is one part thriller and one-part horror。 In other words， it's the perfect combination of the two for readers that love a bit of thrill and chills！ So obviously， I had to read it。tMaeve's cousin managed to do the impossible: she ran away from the cult that raised her。 Andrea cut herself off from nearly everything， and everyone – Maeve included- to protect herself。 Or rather， that used to be the case。tNow Andrea is welcoming Maeve back into her life。 Rather tha tJust Like Mother， by Anne Heltzel， is one part thriller and one-part horror。 In other words， it's the perfect combination of the two for readers that love a bit of thrill and chills！ So obviously， I had to read it。tMaeve's cousin managed to do the impossible: she ran away from the cult that raised her。 Andrea cut herself off from nearly everything， and everyone – Maeve included- to protect herself。 Or rather， that used to be the case。tNow Andrea is welcoming Maeve back into her life。 Rather than finding this suspicious， Maeve jumps at the chance to have her best friend and cousin back in her life。 Things quickly begin to take a strange turn， forcing Maeve to confront the ghosts of her past。tTo say that Just Like Mother is a lot would be an understatement。 This is not a book for everyone， as it has A LOT of trigger warnings （Warnings include: rape， child abuse， drugging， attempted suicide， forced impregnation， infant death， and infertility）。tI know that horror novels aren't always bright and sunny – they're meant to have a darker side。 Still， there were times that Just Like Mother felt like too much to me。 Perhaps that is human， and thus Anne Heltzel did a fantastic job portraying this side of things？ It's hard to say。tWhat I can say is that the writing is solid。 Heltzel does a fantastic job of building suspense， creating a situation that feels subtly off right from the start。 With each scene， it became clearer that something was wrong。 Why it was wrong took more work to suss out。tThanks to Nightfire and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks 。。。more

clancy ，

4。5 stars。 Truly a wild ride。 I predicted a little bit of it， but wow what a story！

Maria ，

Creepy and the dolls？ Beyond disturbing。 Definitely a wild ride with this book。 I felt so frustrated with Maeve for not seeing past the BS but then even I was shocked when I realized what had just happened before it was said it the book， I literally found myself gasping and spooked which is rare。 I do wish that we would’ve had more background from the cult since it was larger and richer than it appeared to be from the beginning of the book。 Also I need Andreas POV - her wicked twisted cult like Creepy and the dolls？ Beyond disturbing。 Definitely a wild ride with this book。 I felt so frustrated with Maeve for not seeing past the BS but then even I was shocked when I realized what had just happened before it was said it the book， I literally found myself gasping and spooked which is rare。 I do wish that we would’ve had more background from the cult since it was larger and richer than it appeared to be from the beginning of the book。 Also I need Andreas POV - her wicked twisted cult like mind of hers。 🫠 。。。more

Rachel V。 Poling ，

wow。 wow。 wow。 🔥👍♥️

Mariam ，

2。5？ rounded to 3？ yeah maybe。This book was fine objectively speaking。 This was my first "cultish" book and I honestly don't know how I feel about it？i think cult-themed books are not for meIt was slow-paced which is understandable considering it would take time for a certain character to break down our protagonist's walls and get her vulnerable enough to try and brainwash her I guess so it makes sense that that would take time to build up but I just， idk like maybe it wasn't clever enough？or el 2。5？ rounded to 3？ yeah maybe。This book was fine objectively speaking。 This was my first "cultish" book and I honestly don't know how I feel about it？i think cult-themed books are not for meIt was slow-paced which is understandable considering it would take time for a certain character to break down our protagonist's walls and get her vulnerable enough to try and brainwash her I guess so it makes sense that that would take time to build up but I just， idk like maybe it wasn't clever enough？or elaborate enough for me to get roped into？It wasn't horrifying either， it was just plainly disgusting and sad just purely sad。 Like it never got better for Maeve and that was so depressing。 We never really get a clear or a satisfactory ending for her character and I don't mean a happy ending per se just a reasonable or a bit of a realistic one maybe？The whole book revolves around 'motherhood' yet I don't really think I've gotten any profound outlook on motherhood from it。 it's just a cult-centered book around motherhood and that's it。 I feel like it raised some questions or rather made some comments here and there about motherhood but I don't feel like they were explored in a flashed-out manner or even discussed at all。 Like the comments would be made or they would be a part of some 'rules' set by the cult and that's it。 I didn't really find Andrea that terrifying/interesting of a character either like she was sick in the head and all but her motives weren't that convincing and the plotline was sadly a bit predictable。 However， I think this book was just not for me honestly。 I don't think there's something inherently wrong with it objectively speaking I just think it's me。 I'm glad I gave it a go though even though I didn't have the best time reading it， but at least I now know what to avoid and the fact that I'm not really into cultish-themed books as much as I thought I would be。 。。。more

Erin ，

Terrifying， especially （a） as someone who has never particularly wanted kids and （b） in this political climate。

Ashley Fratangelo ，

So not the book for me。 Feel flat， uninteresting overall。

Sara ，

Whew。 Took me a while to decompress after that ending。 🤯 This book threw me for a lot of loops。 It certain was a story of horror in an atypical sense。 It was incredibly fast paced for me and I couldn't put the book down。Read this for a cult themed book readalong which is how I discovered the novel and I am happy I picked this one up！ Whew。 Took me a while to decompress after that ending。 🤯 This book threw me for a lot of loops。 It certain was a story of horror in an atypical sense。 It was incredibly fast paced for me and I couldn't put the book down。Read this for a cult themed book readalong which is how I discovered the novel and I am happy I picked this one up！ 。。。more

Melody ，

Well， this was sure timely and creepy！

Beth ，

So good and creepy。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Just Like Mother

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Just Like Mother&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Just Like Mother&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0