*I was granted early access to an eARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: 4/5
Summary from Amazon:
"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…"
The best way to describe this book is in three words: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss. I have to say, this book provides me with exactly what I want out of a cult-themed horror book. It was overwhelmingly eerie and at times hopeless, while also gaslighting the hell out of me. Cult fiction is only really good if you felt as though you've been gaslit the moment you put it down. This book did a phenomenal job by not only being creepy, but realistically creepy. The events that occur in this book are simply terrifying, especially if you're a woman living in the twenty-first century. It's crazy how applicable this story feels given the current political climate with everything happening in the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade. It's just relatable horror. As creepy as supernatural/monster-centric horror is, it can never really compare to horror based in reality. The events in this book are realistic; it's terrifying because it's not outside the realm of possibility. While this book has nothing necessarily to do with abortion, the themes of pressure to have children, the mental and emotional toll of sexual assault, and the loss of ownership of ones' own body are pervasive and sharp. Heltzel did a great job at portraying these themes in a meaningful way. They were not only integral parts of the narrative, but they also added to the growing horrors surrounding the protagonist. Throw in some cult fanaticism and gruesome acts of violence and you've got quite the horror novel. The writing itself was descriptive and the tone appropriate given the profile of the protagonist. Now, did the author stick to the tone she had created for the protagonist throughout the entire book? Unfortunately, no. There was a large veer off-track that felt supremely out-of-character at the very end of the book; but for the most part, Maeve felt like a cohesive and supremely relatable character.
Now, my qualms aren't big, but I did have a couple of problems with the story itself. My primary problem lies in the predictability of the story. The twists were never very far "out there" in terms of shock-value. I was able to predict them all, which kind of caused any action to follow to sort of fizzle out. Trying to guess twists is a favorite pastime of mine, but this one really made it too easy. It was kind of obvious where this book was going right from the get-go. My other thing was that I wanted more background information. The bits and pieces we were thrown just didn't feel like enough. I felt like there were big gaps in Maeve's background in regard to the inner workings of the cult. Given the importance of the cult and what was to follow, it seems like the more that we could've known, the better. Half of the bits of backstory we were given focused on Maeve growing up outside of the cult and just felt a bit unnecessary. Sure, it helped us to understand her problems adapting, but understanding whole her history felt more important to me. I also feel as though there is quite a bit about Andrea that we don't know that could really help to flesh out her character. She's kind of two-dimensional in her purpose.
I really think that, when taken as a whole, Just Like Mother is a great, quick horror read. It is not only appropriate with the current political climate in America, but also it's just a compelling story. The most effective horror stories are the ones based in realism and let me tell you, if you identify as a woman, this is as horrifically real as it gets. This is the kind of book that just gaslights the hell out of you, but its better for it. Despite any shortcomings it is a great horror novel. I look forward to seeing what Anne Heltzel does next, because I have a feeling this one might be hard to follow up!
Thank you so much to TorNightfire and Netgalley for allowing me early access to this ebook. Just Like Mother by: Anne Heltzel is available everywhere books are sold as of today, May 17, 2022! If you're looking for your next great cult read that'll make you look at mommy bloggers in a whole new light, I encourage you to try this. It's quick, it's realistic, it's graphic, but most of all, it's a compelling story.
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