Mother's Day: Discover a mother like no other in this compulsive, page-turning thriller

by Abigail Burdess

384 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2024

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fucking bonkers all round!? 🫠

I don’t really know what to say about this book. The premise was intriguing but the plot was all over the place, the writing was confusing and most of the scenes were downright dismal.

I truly do see great potential in the author’s writing style, but this one was just weirddddd 😭

[Katie Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ngl was fucking weird in parts 😂 but it was alright

[Hannah Kennedy]

Very strange story. Doesn’t read well until the final third which it then gets going but is still rather far fetched and disturbing. Not written well in the beginning, sentence structure is off. Worst book I have ever read

[Laura Hawkridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, took a while to get into a get to grips with the characters. Anna is an amazing character. Loved Layla and Hebe's characters also. So many branches of this book and story. Would definitely recommend.

[Alina Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t understand how the reviews on the back of the book state compelling and utterly compelling dark and funny absolute corker so dark and so shockingly fabulously funny astonishingly good.
Personally it took ages to get into the book and then it just became more and more fucked up and messed up it was pointless read.

[Dylan Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book in a bookstore in Copenhagen, since I needed a book for the flight home and the reviews were intriguing. This book might not be for everyone, but I thought it was a wild but fun but also intense ride! The characters all seem obtuse and off at first, though slowly reveal themselves as the plot runs along. The idea behind the book itself is compellling: a pregnant woman decides to find her birth mother, who's both rich and seemingly protective and kind to her. But then, as the story goes along and that same mother attempts to take over the main character's life, the story goes darker and darker. Like many good villains, the mother (Marlene) is complicated. Her viciousness stems from a fear of men and the patriarchy, and yet she doesn't offer either of her daughters much choice, either, beyond her own delusions and approaches to the world. As the story moves along, the plot ramps increasingly up and the stakes get increasingly high, and yet the novel doesn't bring more people in: while some characters have ideas to help Anna escape Marlene, she ultimately has to give birth and save herself on her own, and when she's helped, it's from her best friend and not a lover. Marlene is, as the reviewers who compelled me to get the book suggest, an extremely unique, memorable, and terrifying character, someone who is equal parts friendly, helpful, and kind and menacing, scheming, and horrific. The book pushes the idea of motherhood and pregnancy to the max, showing the absolute worst-case scenario to someone (and really, all the people in Anna's life) trying to support a pregnant woman, and show the resilience that can prevail nonetheless, not because Anna is pregnant or a woman, but because she wants to survive and gain control over her own life rather than give it up to others.

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I got sent this from a publisher to try it out. I had no idea what it was about, but I started it with an open mind. I have to admit that I started out not enjoying it because it didn't feel like a thriller. I had no idea where it was going. Plus, all the characters felt very one-dimensional and I didn't like them at all. The mother was horrendous and I had a hard time believing why the daughter would even want to meet her and have a relationship with her.

It wasn't until 3/4 of the way through the book that it started getting interesting and the thriller element started. But it got very graphic very fast, which felt rather jarring. I just kept thinking why the hell is she allowing this to happen to her. It didn't feel believable. However, that being said, the thriller part was very good and entertaining. Albeit creepy and graphic. Expect serious descriptions about birth and the harsh realities of it, which was done very well.

The ending was satisfying, but to be honest, I wasn't hugely sold on the whole plot. It took too long to get going and even though the thriller bit was good, I wouldn't recommend this is to hard-core thriller lovers unless you enjoy a mega slow burn that feels more like a family drama than anything.

[Selene Edwards]

Imagine you’re looking forward to a book and you start it, it seems odd, but you keep going, but it just gets more strange as it goes on. There is no ending that pulls it altogether with a clever twist or a synchronicity of the strands of the story concluding in unison, instead there is a poor plot line, undeveloped characters that are unrealistic to say the least and unconvincing and a regrettable read, as a summary, doesn’t portray how awful this book is. It is as if the author brainstormed a number of fictional story ideas and rather than pick, plan and write, she has thrown all the stories into one book. It is disturbing in places, it covers some sensitive topics and is verging on offensive in the exploration of some traumatic experiences.

What this book needed was an editor, or better still an outright rejection by the publisher.

Even the acknowledgments are odd, perhaps supposedly funny, but instead it reads as, just in case you didn’t know who my husband is, I’ll name drop him.


Don’t buy it, don’t read it. Just don’t.

There are so many wonderful books out there - this is not one of them.

[Vix Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild ride. Starts off very slowly. Then sped up a little so I did get confused over who was who because there is a lot of characters but then 3rd part of the book it all fell into place. The final part where it gets gripping really got good. I’m glad I hung on in there.

[jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

a twisted book that had me intrigued from start to finish with the insane twists and story telling. can be quite overbearing at parts and you can feel your stomach twist with unease alongside the plot.

[Louise Munden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very confusing novel which turned out to be about coercive control and the impact on the lives that follow. It didn’t resolve all the mysteries it revealed, which undermined the stylistic choices of the writing, but it was gripping once the characters and relationships started to develop.

[Esther Bultitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Laura Hargreaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelled to write a review, this was a wild ride! Could not put this book down. Many twists and curveballs. I loved the writing. So cleverly executed. Dark and funny - oh yes!

[Jane Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally weird.