The Demise of the Soccer Moms

by Cathryn Grant

This book was re-published by Inkubator Books with the title: The Good Mother

Haunted by fear after witnessing a brutal attack on her mother and the disintegration of her parents' marriage, Amy Lewis is determined to protect her own marriage from even the hint of a threat. Her fears for herself and her twin daughters are enflamed when a woman in her neighborhood is murdered.

Charlotte Whittington simply wants a safe neighborhood for her daughter and a second chance to follow her dream of expressing her artistic vision through photography. She quickly realizes that she's forgotten how stifling suburbia can be.

Friendship means more than anything to Rachel Matthews, but when her close-knit group of soccer moms starts to unravel, Rachel is forced to choose between the man she loves and her best friend.

In a world where suburban women, tormented by obsessive fears for their children, are on a collision course, not all of them will survive.

Suburban Noir -- where the mundane is menacing.

Genres: Mystery

378 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2010

About the author

Cathryn is the author of over forty novels. She writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and the ALEXANDRA MALLORY series which features a sociopath you can’t help but love. Readers say they're “absolutely addicted” to the series.

The things that cause torment in real life—obsession and revenge, guilt and envy and longing—are endlessly fascinating in fiction and she never grows tired of writing stories about characters struggling to overcome the worst.

Cathryn also writes ghost stories because who knows what lies beyond our senses—The Haunted Ship Trilogy and the Madison Keith series of novellas.

When she’s not writing, she’s usually reading, walking on the beach, or playing golf, going way out of her way to avoid hitting her ball in the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California Coast with her husband and her cat, Cleopatra.

You can get in touch with her by email, find her social media links, or sign up for her monthly newsletter at cathryngrant.com/contact. As a thank you for signing up, you’ll receive a free short story about Alexandra Mallory.

Reviews

[Brenda]

Amy was only a child when she witnessed the unthinkable. The rape of her mother, her father saying she deserved it, then her mother's suicide some time later left Amy with traumatic memories. Amy as an adult was happily married with twin girls, Amanda and Alice. The girls played soccer together, along with other friends from school and Amy and the other mums were close friends. But when single mother, Charlotte arrived at the school with her daughter, Amy changed. Charlotte's confidence, her casual dress sense - all brought the past back to Amy. As she unravelled, horrible things began to happen...

The Demise of the Soccer Moms by Cathryn Grant was unfortunately not for me. I couldn't like Amy, although I should have felt sympathy for her. The other women were superficial, and had no substance. I worked out what was going to happen at the end as well. An unsatisfying read for me :(

[belva hullp]

88. The Demise Of The Soccer Moms by Cathryn Grant; (4*);
kindle; Kindle Library; NOIR; (Suburban); (JULY, 2018)

These soccer moms, I'm tellin' ya!

When Amy was a little girl her mom was raped in their living room. Amy saw it happen and she knew the man. But she was too terrified to do or say anything. For the rest of her life she remembers how her father 'did not' handle it at all. He blamed his wife. If her mom hadn't invited a stranger in or dressed like a slut, it never would have occurred. Afterward her mom stopped caring about her appearance, taking care of herself, her children her husband and her life. Eventually she took her own life.
When Amy grew up she decided to create a perfect life for her own family. She became one of a group of devoted soccer moms in their pleasant suburb.
When Charlotte, a photographer and mom moves back to town, things change quickly. The soccer moms: Amy, Rachel, Jane and Kit, are not pleased with anything about the newcomer and her daughter.
Soon Amy's life begins to fall apart and she draws all of the other moms into the disaster of her life. Then bad things begin to happen to all of the moms.
While not great literature, I do enjoy Grant's writing. I find her characters and her plots, while not believable, a great deal of fun to spend a couple of hours with.

[Suzanne Conboy-Hill]

I read this a good while ago but since I'm dreadful at reviews and I did actually do one for this book for my blog, here it is:

Cathryn Grant’s Demise of the Soccer Moms had been flagged on twitter for a short while, discussed by writer blog-buddies, and finally let loose as a kindle download just a few weeks ago. I bought it, more out of a sense of comradeship than anything else. After all, I don’t play soccer (or football, for that matter), and over here we have Mums, not Moms, so what common interest could this possibly tap?

Let me tell you what that was. Demise of the Soccer Moms has an intricate and tightly written plot centred on three main characters; women whose daughters play for the school soccer team. Each of them has baggage that underpins their actions so that, bizarre and irrational as they increasingly become, there is no point reached of inconsistent absurdity. They do what they do because they are what they are.

I wanted to slap them. To tell them to wake up and join the real world. To stop fawning over their ridiculous obsessions. To be sensible, for goodness sake! But I never wanted to put the book down because they were unbelievable. I am a psychologist; believe me, they are believable. Although possibly not in Sussex where the concealed hand gun would more likely be a large jar of face cream.

If I have a criticism, it is that the voices of the three women are, at times, a little too similar so that I sometimes became slightly disoriented. That said, the use of internal dialogue is very effective in exposing the mental machinations of characters whose heads are full of the complex and unspoken issues that drive them. Their ironic loneliness in the context of a desperate need for connectedness is starkly drawn by this technique so that, infuriated or not, I felt sorry for all of them in the end.

Most telling is that I would like a sequel.

Cathryn writes suburban noir material and hangs out at Suburban Noir where you can also see the wonderful cover of Demise and pick up links to outlets

[Sabrina Ogden]

"With her shoulders pressed against the wall, she could still see a sliver of the living room. The man rolled off her mother's body and yanked her hair, snapping her head sideways. He whispered in her ear. Then he smacked her face with the back of his hand."

The Demise of the Soccer Moms centers around Amy Lewis, a woman who becomes outwardly perfect and inwardly a disaster after she witnesses her mother's brutal rape as a child. The tragic event left Amy's mother depressed and withdrawn when her father insisted that Amy's mother was a victim because she didn't try hard enough to fight back. When Amy's mother becomes withdrawn and eventually commits suicide, Amy becomes determined to make a perfect life for her own family. She's married the perfect husband, lives in the perfect neighborhood and is raising two perfect twin daughters that love to play soccer.

Life in perfect suburbia starts to head south when a series of rapes in the area leave Amy feeling anxious and overly paranoid. This, after all, is a woman that has a secret she has never told her friends. And if you think the big secret has to do with her mother's rape, you'd be mistaken. The secret that lies beneath the surface is so disturbing and shocking there were times that Amy's behavior made me want to reach into the pages of the book and strangle her, if only to save the rest of the characters that I had grown to love.

If the rapes weren't enough to throw a dent into Amy's perfect world, add to the mix, Charlotte Whittington, the 'braless' single mother that has the audacity to allow her daughter (that has never played soccer) to join the soccer team. Due to Amy's learned opinions from her father, she immediately passes judgment on Charlotte and enlists the aid of her insecure and loving BFF, Rachel Matthews, to help take Charlotte down.

Charlotte, having moved to Sunnyvale to escape her own past and make a new life for her daughter, finds herself being stalked and physically threatened by a soccer mom that everyone knows has issues, but for some reason isn't concerned about getting her help. From damaged photographs to dead birds being left on her porch, Charlotte is left to fight a battle of psychological wits with a woman that lost her stability many years before Charlotte came to town.

I probably sound extremely cold and heartless for not having sympathy for Amy and her past, especially with the sympathy dripping from the opening pages. Well, too bad! Look, I get that not everyone deals with tragedy and hardships the same, but I will never agree with using your past to make excuses for your conduct now or in the future. Amy Lewis struck a nerve with me like no other character I have ever read about. I'm angry with her. I was angry with her when her true secret was revealed and everything she did after that made my anger multiply. The ending of this book killed me.

But... all of this is a good thing. I like reading books and developing relationships with characters that make me think. The Demise Of The Soccer Moms is Cathryn Grant's first novel and her characters are well developed and the storyline is amazingly full of tension from the very first page. On the surface you may think that a book about soccer moms can't be suspenseful or entertaining, but you'd be wrong. My only disappointment is that I don't know of anyone else that has read this yet. I want to sit around the table and vent my frustrations about the women of Sunnyvale just like I do with my girlfriends when a new Black Dagger Brotherhood novel comes out.

I want to talk! Scream! Cry!

[Jane]

Where I got the book: won a free copy from the author's blog.

The Demise of the Soccer Moms is Cathryn Grant's debut novel. Amy, Jane, Kit and Rachel have been friends forever. Their kids have grown up together, and their lives revolve around soccer and suburbia. But the suburbs aren't as safe as they should be--there's a rapist and murderer on the loose. And then Charlotte shows up: spiky hair, no bra, Doc Martens and a very big camera.

This is a story that starts out feeling very mundane and then quickly turns dark. Amy's and Rachel's insecurities have formed a bond between them, but when Amy's fears of the twin threats of sex and violence begins to pervade their world, the reader is never allowed to recover a sense of normality. I felt as if the characters were all walking along the edge of an abyss, and yet all of them were instantly recognizable types of Suburban Woman, complete with their different insecurities and their ways of coping with the boredom of their lives. The neighborhood is in California, but it could easily have been my own; any affluent suburb in America, in fact.

I found it to be a compelling read, and stayed up late to finish it (always a good sign). Grant is an indie author, so there were some places where I detected technical weaknesses that the rigors of traditional publishing might have corrected (if she'd been lucky enough to get a good editor, which is not always the case). Still, they were comparatively minor and I have to give props to Grant for her professionalism and attention to detail. I have seen far worse products come out of traditional publishing houses.

Grant calls her style of writing Suburban Noir, and I would recommend it to all who enjoy a good psychological thriller made more menacing by its everyday setting. Grant avoids overblown descriptions of gore, leaving much to the reader's imagination, and the story's all the better for it. I look forward to Grant's next book.

[Dorte]

This American suspense novel is the writer´s first novel.

“After a moment of silence, a thud shook the walls of the living room and the hallway outside Amy´s bedroom. Her mother yelped. Amy rolled onto her back. The walls shivered again. There was a thick, damp sound like the pounding of her mother´s meat tenderizer on a piece of beef.”

When Amy Lewis was a little girl, her mother was raped in their own living room. She was too terrified to do anything, but for the rest of her life she remembers her father´s verdict: if her mother hadn´t invited a stranger in or ´dressed like a slut´, nothing would ever have happened to her.

Afterwards Amy´s mother stops caring about clothes, make-up, food – even her two daughters. So when Amy grews up, she decides to create a perfect life for her own girls. She becomes one of the group of devout soccer moms in their pleasant Sunnyvale suburb.

When Charlotte, a budding photographer and the mother of Meadow, enters the scene, things change very quickly, however. “She wore a gauze skirt paired with Doc Marten boots that made her look like a hybrid of Tinker Bell and a thug.”

The outrageous newcomer who doesn´t even wear a bra sticks out a mile, and the soccer moms Amy, Rachel, Jane and Kit are less than pleased with this inchworm in their paradise.

When it comes to plot, it is difficult to say if the story is mainly about crimes against women, or about the long-term consequences of these. No matter what, I rushed through the book in a few hours. As I had expected, the suburban environment was well drawn, and I was intrigued by the small group of female characters, especially Amy and Charlotte who appear to be opposites.

Strongly recommended!

[Owen]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose in my review that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

It's not often I get to read a book that simply reaffirms my rampant misogyny.

Just kidding, but this book is a massive (and probably untended) delight. I'm a huge fan of dystopian fantasy/sci-fi, where authors create this beautiful and terrible world and run you through it. This is essentially the same only it takes place almost entirely in a rich upper class community.

Its the tired cliche of "sexy single mother moves in and other women fear her", but well compensated by the fact that one of the 'soccer moms' is completely crazy and unravels like a ball of twine throughout the novel. Also the "sexy mother" is too busy trying to make sure her daughter can enjoy their new home to steal anyone else's menfolk. That doesn't stop the locals from conspiring against her and assuming she's just biding her time.

I will say that the author spends little attention in creating a rich world, but as exposed to the media zeitgeist of 'suburbia' as anyone in America is, I've already crafted the environment in my head. This book is straight to the point, and the plot advances at a rapid pace, enough so that I read the entire book in one sitting.

I would recommend to anyone who likes watching 'perfect' societies fall apart and burst into flames, or reading about how the "sexy mother" constantly wears tight t-shirts with no bra (it is her only outfit choice apparently), or seeing how the common apprehensions and fears these people have sound ludicrous when taken in any other context (Rich white people have it tough).

[Jovana Shirley]

Amy’s life is forever changed when she witnesses her mother being raped. As a frightened child, she never admits to what she saw and believes her father when he convinces everyone that her mother deserved it.

Fast forward to adulthood—where we meet a group of soccer moms living in the suburbs. Their relationships are easy going and superficial, until Amy’s perfect life is disrupted. A serial rapist is on the loose. A single mother, Charlotte, and strange daughter move into town. Charlotte is not like Amy and her flawless friends, and Amy is determined to do anything to regain their comfortable, safe community. Testing the boundaries of loyalty and friendship, Amy coerces her best friend, Rachel, to help destroy Charlotte . With a single act of vandalism, the women’s relationships begin to unravel.

The Demise of the Soccer Moms is narrated through the minds of Amy, Charlotte, and Rachel. Each chapter reveals their self-esteem issues, the need for safety and security, and the distorted realities in which each lives.

Author Cathryn Grant explores a mother’s fears and the instinctual need to protect her children. Her unique narrative style provides a promising start, and the suspense finally builds toward the end.

The Demise of the Soccer Moms is a chilling portrayal of the imperfect world of motherhood in suburbia.

[Terri]

The Demise of The Soccer Moms by Cathryn Grant is a glimpse into an intense side of what it's like to live and raise your family in the suburbs. The main character, Amy, is haunted by her past. As a child she witnessed the brutal rape of her mother. Now that Amy is the mother of twin daughters, she is determined to keep her family safe when a string of rapes start happening in her own neighborhood. Amy has a group of friends that remind you of what it's like to have a clique in high school. And when the new mom Charlotte comes onto the scene, there is no way this pack of middle-aged mean girls will let her slide with her city fashions and artistic endeavors.

This is the kind of book that keeps you interested in the characters and what will happen to them not because you sympathize with them, but you desperately hope that they get what's coming to them in the end. The book is packed full of suspense and twists in the story that you won't see coming. Overall, anyone that enjoys a good mystery or look a suburban life will love this book.

*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads

[Christi Craig]

"...[A]ll the beautiful yards and parks make it look so peaceful and quiet. That can make you feel safe and it's not always safe." ~The Demise of the Soccer Moms

Cathryn Grant writes Suburban Noir, and in her debut novel she successfully reveals the dark side of Suburbia, the illusions of perfection, the insecurities, the vague - or not so vague - threats.

In The Demise of the Soccer Moms, Grant introduces us to a group of women bonded by a sport that is sometimes more about fitting in than it is about becoming an athlete -- at least for Amy, Charlotte, and Rachel (Grant's main characters). Suburban culture offers an easy life as long as everyone follows the norms. In Grant's novel, we see what happens when the newcomer, Charlotte, refuses to follow suit. In a story full of tension - so much so that I wasn't sure which Soccer mom would unravel first - Grant shows us how easily the picture perfect world of Suburbia can fall apart, and how quickly danger ensues.

This is a wonderful first novel from Cathryn Grant, and I can't wait to read her next one!

[golightly23]

I received a complimentary copy of The Demise of the Soccer Moms from BookRooster.com in exchange for a written review.

In the beginning, the book was a real bore. It just didn't make sense and it seemed pointless to be writing a book about a bunch of petty self-centered women with self-esteem issues. On top of a storyline that seemed to be going nowhere, I found the editing bad at times. Further, parts were so overly descriptive that it began to irritate me. It was quite annoying and I had to set it aside for a few weeks.

As it is hard for me not to finish a book, I had to resume it. Midway through the book my interested was piqued. Amy's psychosis became apparent and intriguing. However, that was short lived. As a whole, the book was poorly written. It lacked flow, interest and became too predictable. There wasn't a shock factor, everything just kind of happened the way I expected.

Overall, the book seemed amateurish and lacked a good wow factor. I was never engrossed with the story nor the characters.

[Kelly]

I tried, I really tried, to read and enjoy this book. Instead I had to force myself to actually finish it.

Amy witnesses a horrific crime as a young child, and had kept that secret all her life. As a result of her internalization her entire life is consumed with what is perfect, what is "right", and what the neighbors think. Her carefully structured world falls apart when Charlotte, a single mom with artistic flair and a unique sense of style, moves to Amy's idyllic neighborhood. What follows is a sad tale into Amy's spiral of mental instability and illness.

Honestly? I found this to be completely predictable and utterly boring. From the first chapter is was clear what was going is happen and the paths the characters would take. It was quite difficult to finish, and three best part is that I can now get rid of it.

[Linda Lewis]

Cathryn Grant’s debut novel works on many levels. If you want suspense, it’s in there. For me, it built until I had to fight to keep from looking ahead for relief. Yet, the author’s story-telling skill made me slow down to savor the reading experience. If you want a look at the possible effects of trauma and emotional abuse of a child, you’ll find that too. If you’re looking for a glimpse into the dark side of suburban life, she serves that up well.

Amy, Rachel, and Charlotte, Grant’s three main characters, are fully-fleshed and memorable. Over, under, around, and through she employs her well-developed use of language to lift this work above the genre level.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

[Natasha Alexander]

I just finished Cathryn Grant’s debut novel, The Demise of the Soccer Moms, and found it a thoroughly engaging read.

Grant draws some interesting characterizations among the suburban moms who people her story. Her most compelling is a chilling depiction of Amy, a woman whose mental health spirals downward with increasingly disastrous consequences.

The threads of parental competition, anxiety and wanting the best for your kids, while drawn with an intentionally heavy hand, will resonate with other suburban soccer moms while we simultaneously nod with recognition and thank our lucky stars that we don’t live in Grant’s suburban noir nightmare.

(Or do we?)

[Jennifer McFadden]

'The Demise of the Soccer Moms' is a wonderful debut novel by Cathryn Grant. I read it all day yesterday and could not go to bed until I knew how it ended! The story was packed with suspense and had a perfect pace. The description of this pristine neighborhood was wonderfully done through the characters' actions and thoughts, without slowing down the story. The main characters' personalities felt genuine throughout the book.

Amy's character had a realistic viewpoint and behavior of an unstable woman, and how her friends treated her. When I read the beginning of the book, I wasn't surprised with Amy's reactions to the arrival of Charlotte, but it's sad that no one knew how to help her.

[Heather Adkins]

Whew. This book was full of women with ISSUES.

Grant gets 5 stars for her writing--such beautiful imagery and amazing details, that is what goes into a great work of art. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because of my conflicted feelings over the characters.

I wanted to wrap my hands around Rachel's neck and end her pathetic, clingy existence. I wanted to do the same thing, only more torturous to Amy for being so mentally unstable and self-centered. And I wanted to put Charlotte in my pocket and keep her safe.

Hell, it probably does deserve 5 stars simply because this book evoked so many emotions in me. I'm borderline. Let's go with 4.5.

[Marsha]

I received a copy of this book to review from BookRooster.com. I had a hard time getting into this book. It seemed more a book about a bunch of whiny women. And then it picked up steam. Amy really headed off the rails. I was confused at how her "friends" could ignore what was happening to her. If I had a friend that acted that erratic, I would have brought it to someone's attention! The author made a point of telling us numerous times about what had happened to Amy when she was young. I am not 100 percent sure that is the reason she turned out the way she did.

[Shelli Howells]

Cathryn is such a talented author! I thought this book was good with flashes of brilliance. Cathryn has a way of getting under the skin of her characters, revealing more than most people would be comfortable with. The characters are authentic and reflective of real people. The opening scene is haunting and hooks you immediately. I enjoyed the psychological ride along with her characters. An excellent debut, and I'm looking forward to reading her next novel.

[S]

I hate when books lie to me.

“A psychological thriller with a shocking twist”.

REALLY? The Good Mother is a drama story about a bunch of crazy snobby women and their obsession with their kids playing soccer, it’s long, it’s boring, the ending is predictable and IT’S NOT A THRILLER!

The only thing I like about this book is the cover.

Please do not read this book, I can promise you it’s not worth your time.

[Amber Moore]

This book was great! It certainly makes you take a whole other look at scocer moms and wonder what is going on with them. Crazy pranks, and you were intrigued the whole book. It was amazingly written and yet in parts it was so true to life! I enjoyed every second of this book and will be referring to my friends.

[Ronda]

Goodreads Giveaway! Definitely worth reading!

[Rachelle]

ThIs book would get 3 1/2 stars if I was able to give it that.