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Monsters #6
Mothers can be Monsters
As a child, Vicky Smith suffered abuse at the hands of her father until she managed to escape. But even then, she wasn’t safe; her foster parents abused her too. Now, as an adult, she hasn’t forgotten. And when her son, Matt, reaches the same age she was when the abuse started, something in her changes. Matt becomes the object of her wrath, her frustration, and together with her eldest son, Jamie, Matt will soon learn he can do nothing right without upsetting her.
Matt is going to discover what it means to starve, to want to die rather than continue being tortured at the hands of his mother and brother.
And, unfortunately, Matt will see his wish come true…
Based on a true case.
Matt is going to discover what it means to starve, to want to die rather than continue being tortured at the hands of his mother and brother.
And, unfortunately, Matt will see his wish come true…
Based on a true case.
- GenresHorror
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2025
59 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
J. Boote
20 books187 followersJ. Boote is the alter-ego of Justin Boote, author of horror and dark fiction. J. Boote writes primarily extreme horror, not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
February 14, 2025
Reading this story was so, so hard. I felt physically sick at times picturing Matt’s torment.
Matt’s mother never wanted him, and once he turns 13, something snaps in Vicky. She’s decided it’s time to punish her son for the grievances he’s caused.
This story is very intense, horrifying, vile. It’s probably one of the worst in the “Monsters” series if you can believe it. I can’t even imagine the real life case this is based on… how someone could hurt their child in such torturous manners… it’s awful.
Keep tissues, a puke bucket, and a therapist on speed dial nearby while you read this story.
Matt’s mother never wanted him, and once he turns 13, something snaps in Vicky. She’s decided it’s time to punish her son for the grievances he’s caused.
This story is very intense, horrifying, vile. It’s probably one of the worst in the “Monsters” series if you can believe it. I can’t even imagine the real life case this is based on… how someone could hurt their child in such torturous manners… it’s awful.
Keep tissues, a puke bucket, and a therapist on speed dial nearby while you read this story.
October 7, 2025
I cannot believe these books are based off true events
February 22, 2025
Woah!!
If you are looking for books that you will without a doubt have a love-hate relationship with.... this right here... this series. I love this series, and I love how boote writes....but I loathe the characters. And even more than that... I hate that inspiration for them is drawn from real living breathing humans.
Full review to come.
If you are looking for books that you will without a doubt have a love-hate relationship with.... this right here... this series. I love this series, and I love how boote writes....but I loathe the characters. And even more than that... I hate that inspiration for them is drawn from real living breathing humans.
Full review to come.
February 27, 2025
Vicky has only known pain and suffering since she can remember. Her mother never truly loved her and once she starting blossoming into a young woman, her dad loved her a little too much. Besides torturing, beating, starving, and so much more, Vicky's dad started to also sexually abuse her. She managed to escape her awful living situation only to be put into a worse foster home.
She grew up and met her husband and started a new life. Had a perfect baby, started her perfect job, and was happy. Until she became pregnant with her 2nd son Matt. Once he became the same age she was when the abuse happened, something in Vicky snapped and she vouched to cause Matt the same pain, if not worse. Along with her son Jeremy, they inflict some of the worst pain on Matt until he can't take it anymore.
Out of all 6 books, this one was tough to read. Not because it was more explicit than the rest, this one was tamer than the rest, but the fact that it was his mother doing these things that really stroke a nerve. Matt suffers for no reason. Jeremy also gets abused in a very disturbing and different way. We see child services being extremely useless and it's overall a tough read. My heart went out to Matt throughout the whole book. I love that we see more of Northgate in this one (if you know you know) and overall, it was another great read in the series!
She grew up and met her husband and started a new life. Had a perfect baby, started her perfect job, and was happy. Until she became pregnant with her 2nd son Matt. Once he became the same age she was when the abuse happened, something in Vicky snapped and she vouched to cause Matt the same pain, if not worse. Along with her son Jeremy, they inflict some of the worst pain on Matt until he can't take it anymore.
Out of all 6 books, this one was tough to read. Not because it was more explicit than the rest, this one was tamer than the rest, but the fact that it was his mother doing these things that really stroke a nerve. Matt suffers for no reason. Jeremy also gets abused in a very disturbing and different way. We see child services being extremely useless and it's overall a tough read. My heart went out to Matt throughout the whole book. I love that we see more of Northgate in this one (if you know you know) and overall, it was another great read in the series!
May 22, 2025
Vicky was extremely abused by her father growing up. When she finally thought she escaped it, she was sent to a foster family that ending up doing the same things. A adult now, Vicky married and had two sons. When her youngest son became the same age as to when she was getting abused she started abusing him even worse. She never wanted/loved him so she never cared what happened to him. What’s even worse, is that her older son was helping her all along! This is the 6th book in the Monster series and wow when I say I was almost in tears reading this case I mean it. It is based on a true crime so be careful and if your a parent this one will be excruciating to read. Boote writes these so well and puts his own twist on them but always included the real case at the end.
March 10, 2025
This is by far possibly the worst case of the Monster Series yet. Like the previous books before this one, it was a very tough read. The fact that all of these stories are based on true events and real people is beyond heartbreaking.
Mothers Can Be Monsters follows Vicky. Vicky has been abused her entire life up until she finally is of age and leaves the home she was brought up in. Vicky starts a family of her own and favors her oldest son, Jamie. She hates her younger son, Matt and the things she does to this poor boy are absolutely atrocious. Not to mention the incestuous relationship with her oldest boy. This story made me physically ill.
J. Boote really does his research for all of these stories in the series. It takes a strong stomach to get through these and let alone write them! I can't imagine.
Book 7 is in the works and I'll be reading it as soon as its published!
Mothers Can Be Monsters follows Vicky. Vicky has been abused her entire life up until she finally is of age and leaves the home she was brought up in. Vicky starts a family of her own and favors her oldest son, Jamie. She hates her younger son, Matt and the things she does to this poor boy are absolutely atrocious. Not to mention the incestuous relationship with her oldest boy. This story made me physically ill.
J. Boote really does his research for all of these stories in the series. It takes a strong stomach to get through these and let alone write them! I can't imagine.
Book 7 is in the works and I'll be reading it as soon as its published!
August 4, 2025
6th book in and I still find them hard to rate because the contents are based on real victims & reading how closely based this one was to the real case was jarring. Is still.
J.Boote delivers these stories with grit & gore as always and I do think it respectful to talk about the real victims at the end.
J.Boote delivers these stories with grit & gore as always and I do think it respectful to talk about the real victims at the end.
January 25, 2025
Another brutal book in Boote's Monsters series.
This is the sixth book in the series and whilst they can be read in any order, it's best to read them in release order so you recognise the little Easter Eggs. That being said I am still enjoying the series a lot, if enjoying is the right word for something so brutal and depraved, made even worse knowing the book is based on real events.
This book follows energetic teenager Matt, a young lad who just wants to be happy in life. But finds that things go the other way as his mother, who was abused when young herself, decides to pass on what happened to her, and finds an ally in Matt's brother for dishing out the abuse.
As I've mentioned before, knowing this is all based on real events makes it a much harder read, that the appalling events have happened to a poor victim. J. Boote does a great job and making you feel sorry for Matt whilst hating his mother and brother and bringing it all to life.
If you've read the series, or enjoy horror which is on the extreme side of things then this is a book (and series) for you.
This is the sixth book in the series and whilst they can be read in any order, it's best to read them in release order so you recognise the little Easter Eggs. That being said I am still enjoying the series a lot, if enjoying is the right word for something so brutal and depraved, made even worse knowing the book is based on real events.
This book follows energetic teenager Matt, a young lad who just wants to be happy in life. But finds that things go the other way as his mother, who was abused when young herself, decides to pass on what happened to her, and finds an ally in Matt's brother for dishing out the abuse.
As I've mentioned before, knowing this is all based on real events makes it a much harder read, that the appalling events have happened to a poor victim. J. Boote does a great job and making you feel sorry for Matt whilst hating his mother and brother and bringing it all to life.
If you've read the series, or enjoy horror which is on the extreme side of things then this is a book (and series) for you.
April 13, 2025
This is Book 6 in this series by J. Boote, and I have read and loved every single one of them. They have fast become one of my favourite extreme horror series. After every book you're left wondering just where the hell the author is going to go next, he can't possibly have any more horrors left up his sleeve right? Well, unfortunately, the true horrors here are that these books are based on reality! So yeah, there is so much more out there that can be used, and will be used, for more books in this series.
Justin puts an incredible amount of research into these books, making them all the more chilling and emotional. The stark realities within these pages, although embellished slightly for the readers “enjoyment”, will shock, horrify, make you squirm, and surprisingly maybe, break your heart! They make for uncomfortable reads, and show humanity at its lowest, most vile level! This is fiction, and it's extremely intense, but remember it's also based on true events.
Boote’s narrative and content strike fear into you as you read, sending shivers of horror through you, and in equal measure, the emotions are hit hard too. Also, I normally regret eating while reading extreme/splatterpunk, due to the often stomach churning content, but this time I felt so fucking guilty!!
These are extremely powerful, hard hitting books, this one in particular involves negligence,
the most horrific abuse, trauma, and unforgiving, unapologetic, and merciless vengeance.
It also covers humiliation, heartbreaking desperation, fear, and the huge strain on social workers/social care meaning a lot of cases like this go unnoticed. It really makes you think and you'll find yourself thinking about it far into the future. I still think about some of the earlier books every so often!
Unrelenting, obsessive torture and abuse alongside the delusional belief that the punishments dished out are wholly justified, is jaw dropping, literally, shocking and horrifying, especially when the abused becomes the abuser, praying on those weaker than them.
Like mother, like son...
A mothers love, passionate, protective, and brutal as fuck!
And a son, living the only way he knows how….
Justin puts an incredible amount of research into these books, making them all the more chilling and emotional. The stark realities within these pages, although embellished slightly for the readers “enjoyment”, will shock, horrify, make you squirm, and surprisingly maybe, break your heart! They make for uncomfortable reads, and show humanity at its lowest, most vile level! This is fiction, and it's extremely intense, but remember it's also based on true events.
Boote’s narrative and content strike fear into you as you read, sending shivers of horror through you, and in equal measure, the emotions are hit hard too. Also, I normally regret eating while reading extreme/splatterpunk, due to the often stomach churning content, but this time I felt so fucking guilty!!
These are extremely powerful, hard hitting books, this one in particular involves negligence,
the most horrific abuse, trauma, and unforgiving, unapologetic, and merciless vengeance.
It also covers humiliation, heartbreaking desperation, fear, and the huge strain on social workers/social care meaning a lot of cases like this go unnoticed. It really makes you think and you'll find yourself thinking about it far into the future. I still think about some of the earlier books every so often!
Unrelenting, obsessive torture and abuse alongside the delusional belief that the punishments dished out are wholly justified, is jaw dropping, literally, shocking and horrifying, especially when the abused becomes the abuser, praying on those weaker than them.
Like mother, like son...
A mothers love, passionate, protective, and brutal as fuck!
And a son, living the only way he knows how….
February 9, 2025
J. Boote's sixth entry in his Monsters series really messed me up. I knew what I was getting into, and, having read all of the previous books, I was prepared for some hardcore scenes of torture, brutality, and violence. What got me this time was neither the fact that the story is based on a real case of a mother torturing her young son for months, nor the gruesome descriptions of monsters simply being what they're supposed to be. What overwhelmed me were the extraordinarily painful scenes of those close saves which led nowhere: those absolutely harrowing and heart-breaking story parts, few and far between, when a teacher, a social worker or a police detective come THAT close to saving the poor boy, THAT close to discovering he's the victim of terrible abuse, and, well, guess what happens! The social worker is overtaxed, the teacher hits a wall because of the mother, the detective is bound by law - and nothing happens. This should not be considered a spoiler, since such things actually happen. How can God take it (if He exists), how can so much injustice be tolerated? Boote works such scens into the plot everytime, but especially in this volume, he handles them with uncanny subtlety - I felt I was there, they actually made my blood boil, my head ache, and they will mess you up too! I consider "Mothers Can Be Monsters" his most emotionally impactful entry in the series, and he promises the next one is gonna be even worse. Oh ye gods! Of course, I'll be there!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2025
I have never hated characters as much as some of the characters in this book. I don’t remember a time when a book has left me so seething and angry. This story is heartbreaking, the betrayal poor Matt must have felt, and the hopelessness at his situation. Justin makes you feel things for each and every character he creates, and his stories are going to touch you in some way, guaranteed. Thank you for the ARC, as always I appreciate it and you have no idea how much I am looking for to book #7!
🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀
🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀
February 12, 2025
Absolutely brutal, horrific and painful to watch unfold. Though definetly filled with plenty nasty, this one lies more on the psychological part.
This is seriously one of the best series I have ever read.
This is seriously one of the best series I have ever read.
February 22, 2025
this book was gross, frustrating, sad, horrifying … & absolutely a 5 star read for me. monsters are real & J Boote reminds us of that with the fact that this is based on a true story. this one will stick with me for awhile 🫣
January 28, 2026
This was rough
February 15, 2025
5/5 🍒
Matt never had a chance. His mother hated him from the moment she fell pregnant. She “put up” with him until he turned 13 and then had enough. She didn’t care about his diagnosis or if he couldn’t help how he acted or how he was a bit clumsy.
All Vickey cared about was the fact that he ruined everything for her. She was supposed to have one child and be done. So of course instead of maybe finding a family member to take him or just giving him up she keeps her baby and despises every moment of it.
She grew up getting abused her entire life and turns around to deal the same hand to her son. The cycle didn’t stop with Vicky. Once torturing the prisoners at the insane asylum she works at doesn’t work anymore to satisfy her hunger for violence. She turns her attention to her son Matt. Will he survive her wrath or will he succumb to death with arms wide open.
This book made me tear up and hug my daughter a little tighter tonight. Justin wrote this book to where it highlighted the abuse that poor Matt (Timothy) went through. Everything I read made my stomach turn. I could never imagine doing this to a child let alone my own child.
Reading this book and knowing a real child went through this makes me so fucking sad. I want to cry, scream and puke. How in the world do mothers in the real world hate their own children so much they’re willing to starve and abuse them. Or “love” them so much they become obsessed with them and SA them.
This book will pull you onto a rollercoaster of emotions. This book is not good for anyone who can’t handle graphic abuse. But I do think an important lesson in this book was brushed on. Too many children aren’t saved in the way they should be because overworked tired CPS workers miss certain signs of abuse and close the case because the paperwork is looming. I hope one day there is a way to change this. Red tape should not cost children their lives.
Matt never had a chance. His mother hated him from the moment she fell pregnant. She “put up” with him until he turned 13 and then had enough. She didn’t care about his diagnosis or if he couldn’t help how he acted or how he was a bit clumsy.
All Vickey cared about was the fact that he ruined everything for her. She was supposed to have one child and be done. So of course instead of maybe finding a family member to take him or just giving him up she keeps her baby and despises every moment of it.
She grew up getting abused her entire life and turns around to deal the same hand to her son. The cycle didn’t stop with Vicky. Once torturing the prisoners at the insane asylum she works at doesn’t work anymore to satisfy her hunger for violence. She turns her attention to her son Matt. Will he survive her wrath or will he succumb to death with arms wide open.
This book made me tear up and hug my daughter a little tighter tonight. Justin wrote this book to where it highlighted the abuse that poor Matt (Timothy) went through. Everything I read made my stomach turn. I could never imagine doing this to a child let alone my own child.
Reading this book and knowing a real child went through this makes me so fucking sad. I want to cry, scream and puke. How in the world do mothers in the real world hate their own children so much they’re willing to starve and abuse them. Or “love” them so much they become obsessed with them and SA them.
This book will pull you onto a rollercoaster of emotions. This book is not good for anyone who can’t handle graphic abuse. But I do think an important lesson in this book was brushed on. Too many children aren’t saved in the way they should be because overworked tired CPS workers miss certain signs of abuse and close the case because the paperwork is looming. I hope one day there is a way to change this. Red tape should not cost children their lives.
January 26, 2025
“Mothers Can Be Monsters” is book 6 in the Monsters series by J. Boote. It was a tougher read than most due to Matt, 13 years old, suffering such abuse, inhumanity, and depravity by the hands of his own mother, who had also been abused as a child. A parent should be the most trusted person in a child’s life…unfortunately, that is not always the case. Children are often afraid of the monsters under their bed. Sadly, Matt’s monster was the person he should’ve been able to trust the most! The abuse got worse as the book went on, with Matt no longer praying to be rescued but for death.
Justin thoroughly does his research and bases these books on real life crimes. It’s unthinkable that evil humans, such as Matt’s mom, exist in the world. But they do!!
Thank you to Justin for another great one! I love how he referenced characters from his prior Monster books in this one! This book will be available on Amazon February 21st (preorder today).
Justin thoroughly does his research and bases these books on real life crimes. It’s unthinkable that evil humans, such as Matt’s mom, exist in the world. But they do!!
Thank you to Justin for another great one! I love how he referenced characters from his prior Monster books in this one! This book will be available on Amazon February 21st (preorder today).
March 9, 2025
I have loved every book in this series, and this one is no exception, but these are a hard read, and being based on true life cases makes the story hit harder!
January 28, 2025
After reading this book, I was quite pensive. A mother is someone that a child should be able to trust, count on, love unconditionally and protect. Vicky is the last person I would let take care of a plant let alone a child. She had no empathy towards anyone not even the child who she deemed ‘worthy’ of her love. The levels of depravity Vicky and Jamie had reached made the prisoners of Northgate look like angels. Even they did not deserve the attention given to them by Vicky. Just because Vicky had a horrible childhood gives her no excuse to do what she did. She had a choice and was unable or unwilling to be a different person. Knowing this novel was based on true facts only makes what Vicky did even more deplorable. The author pointed out several times how ‘overworked’ and ‘understaffed’ Child Protective Services are but that does not excuse what happened to Matt or the multiple children that have ‘slipped’ through the cracks. As a former foster parent, I only know how broken the system truly is. It is a disgrace at how children, already beaten down physically and or mentally, can end up in a grave without justice.
January 22, 2025
In the sixth installment of the Monsters series, we meet Vicky Smith, who has a child who as a child suffered terrible abuse by her father. She later became a mother to two children. The first son she loved with all of her heart, the second son she wished was never born. Matt, the youngest was born with a disability and was hyperactive with ADHD. Vicky had no patience for him and no matter how well behaved he was and no matter how much he tried she could never love him.
Vicky worked at an institution for the criminally insane. It was there that she not only took out her rage, but also fulfilled her fantasies. When her needs were not being met to their fullest, she decided to use Matt to satisfy her needs.
Even though Vicky suffered horrific abuse as a child, she never received proper treatment or therapy. The abuse would just continue through her. Her husband, CPS and Matt's teacher tried to intervene to no avail. Unfortunately Matt didn't have a chance due to a system that lacked funding and staffing. Like so many others this poor child was born to a mother who was truly a monster. Based on a true story.
Vicky worked at an institution for the criminally insane. It was there that she not only took out her rage, but also fulfilled her fantasies. When her needs were not being met to their fullest, she decided to use Matt to satisfy her needs.
Even though Vicky suffered horrific abuse as a child, she never received proper treatment or therapy. The abuse would just continue through her. Her husband, CPS and Matt's teacher tried to intervene to no avail. Unfortunately Matt didn't have a chance due to a system that lacked funding and staffing. Like so many others this poor child was born to a mother who was truly a monster. Based on a true story.
January 24, 2025
Holy F***.
Can I start this by saying I'm used to monsters. I've worked as a nurse for 22 years. Half of that was in a high secure hospital and currently I work at the magistrates and crown court.
But NOTHING prepared me for this.
I honestly feel like I need therapy after this series. You think you've read the worst, but they just continue to get worse and worse.
Justin's research is second to none. The work that goes into this series is top notch. But constantly swilling around in this darkness must take its toll.
I won't go into it too much as I don't want to give spoilers. But this one, I can't even feel pity for the horrors that the titular character goes through prior to her becoming the monster.
I thought that loneliness is a monster was relentless horror and misery. This one is even more devoid of hope.
The writing is fantastic, the descriptions are visceral. You can smell that room.
All in all another fucking incredible read in this fictional retelling of real life monsters.
I'm not sure what comes next but you can bet your ass I'm there for it!
Thank you for allowing me onto your ARC team. I shall await the next installment!
Can I start this by saying I'm used to monsters. I've worked as a nurse for 22 years. Half of that was in a high secure hospital and currently I work at the magistrates and crown court.
But NOTHING prepared me for this.
I honestly feel like I need therapy after this series. You think you've read the worst, but they just continue to get worse and worse.
Justin's research is second to none. The work that goes into this series is top notch. But constantly swilling around in this darkness must take its toll.
I won't go into it too much as I don't want to give spoilers. But this one, I can't even feel pity for the horrors that the titular character goes through prior to her becoming the monster.
I thought that loneliness is a monster was relentless horror and misery. This one is even more devoid of hope.
The writing is fantastic, the descriptions are visceral. You can smell that room.
All in all another fucking incredible read in this fictional retelling of real life monsters.
I'm not sure what comes next but you can bet your ass I'm there for it!
Thank you for allowing me onto your ARC team. I shall await the next installment!
March 9, 2025
J. Boote knocks it out of the park again with the sixth installment of the Monsters series! History repeats itself when Vicky Smith, abused as a child, snaps after her second born son Matt's thirteenth birthday. Vicky had always resented the hyperactive boy, but starts lashing out at him with the help of her first born and favorite, Jamie. Things spiral out of control.
Matt reminded me of my son a bit, so I really felt his pain as he was being abused and neglected. The book started out a little mild, but it really got more graphic and intense in the second half. I do love how the author throws in little easter eggs from the previous books. I would recommend reading them in order for this reason. I am definitely looking forward to book 7!
Matt reminded me of my son a bit, so I really felt his pain as he was being abused and neglected. The book started out a little mild, but it really got more graphic and intense in the second half. I do love how the author throws in little easter eggs from the previous books. I would recommend reading them in order for this reason. I am definitely looking forward to book 7!
January 19, 2025
I forget how amazing this series is. I started reading and felt like I got to chapter four without even taking a breath.
It sounds like an awful cliche but it does seem so much worse when it’s a mother doing these things. This one was tough going but only took me a day or two to finish.
Again I know it was based off a real story but some of the things that were done were inventive for want of a better word. For example the disgusting stuff done with the mace. I had to look away and flinch like you do when watching a real gory movie.
The description of the starvation from the victims point of view alone made me physically hurt. I still don’t know why I enjoy reading stuff like this but this series is always the one to push my boundaries and I love it!
I hope they never stop!
It sounds like an awful cliche but it does seem so much worse when it’s a mother doing these things. This one was tough going but only took me a day or two to finish.
Again I know it was based off a real story but some of the things that were done were inventive for want of a better word. For example the disgusting stuff done with the mace. I had to look away and flinch like you do when watching a real gory movie.
The description of the starvation from the victims point of view alone made me physically hurt. I still don’t know why I enjoy reading stuff like this but this series is always the one to push my boundaries and I love it!
I hope they never stop!
February 21, 2025
Intense read
February 22, 2025
"There were indeed monsters everywhere." This was horrifying but told in the best (and most disgusting) way. J. Boote never disappoints 👏🏼
January 23, 2025
Justin Boote! Damn! This was a hard book to read. My heart broke for Matt. Knowing this is based on a true story and everything that happened to Matt happened for real! This bitch! She deserves so much more than life in prison. If you hate kids so much, why have them?! This poor boy! I love the monster series, but hate them at the same time! Justin writes the books so well and the descriptions are so vivid, and I hate it! Only because it’s a true story. I cried pretty much reading the whole book. This system is fucked and we need to do better.
January 21, 2025
****SPOILERS****
Oh my god! This book was fantastic! I’ve been waiting patiently for this book to come out and when I found out Justin’s laptop had broke, potentially losing ALL work he’d done on this book… I almost cried! Thank goodness, it was fixable!
This book kept me hooked from the very beginning! This one, as are all the other in this series, is based on a true story and Justin gives us the details of said story at the end. I learned there was really only a couple of parts he tweaked but the rest of it truly happened. And it made the story that much more horrendous!
In this story, we have a few different POVs. Matt, the son, Vicky, the mother, Jeffrey, the father, Deborah, the detective, and Theresa, Matt’s school teacher.
We start with learned about Vicky’s abuse as a child. Her father sexually and physically abusing her after her mother runs off. After so much, Vicky finally gathers the courage to ask for help. But her troubles didn’t stop there. They continued with her foster parents. Later learning, she eventually ran away with a boyfriend. But he abused her as well. All this built a steel armor around her. She’d go to the bar and pick the least likely man who’d give her any trouble when she would throw verbal assaults at them. A weak and cowardly man. She’d went through a couple, running them all off. Till she meets Jeffrey.
Jeffrey came from a not so great upbringing as well. He assumes the physical and verbal assaults thrown his way from Vicky are part of her coping with her upbringing. Trying to prove she is not a vulnerable little girl anymore. He hopes one day, she’ll change. Realizing she doesn’t have to be that way, because Jeffrey loves her with all his heart.
Vicky shortly become pregnant after meeting Jeffrey. She gives birth to a boy, Jamie. He is Vicky’s world. She plans to give him all the love and attention she never got as a child herself. All is well. Everyone’s happy.
That is till 5 years later. When she unexpectedly falls pregnant again. Ruining her plans. She asks Jeffrey about an abortion. He refuses, saying he’ll leave her if she does. Vicky is forced to go through with the pregnancy. Which is where her resentment begins for both Jeffrey and her unborn child.
She gives birth to a little boy, Matt. Although she tried to love him, she found that she just couldn’t. She found Matt to be a burden that interfered in her perfect life. As Matt grows older, he shows behavioral issues. Constantly 100mph, clumsy, breaking things, yelling and screaming.
Vicky soon can’t take it anymore, finding herself a job at the Northgate penitentiary for the country’s most criminally insane. She takes the night shifts. Where it’s quiet, the guards are more laid back, and her superiors aren’t there. All part of her plan.
She’s a nurse at Northgate, who administers the last of the nights meds to the prisoners on the first floor. The ones who are less likely to be combative. When she makes visits, she’ll turn her phone to record, put the inmate through torture, and carry on her business. Later using those recordings when she’s banging Jeffrey to get off. Sick, I know!
The torture starts with Matt when Vicky has her last straw after Matt breaks a PS4 his father got him not even 10 minutes after having it out of the box.
His punishment starts out light. No food. But when later, she hears Jeffrey and Matt in Matt’s room talking, she stops to listen. Jeffreys consoling Matt, telling him it’s ok, he knows it was an accident. That he would try to get it repaired and if not, he’d try to get a second hand PS4. And if Vicky was to ask, they’d tell her they just had it repaired. This.. sets Vicky OFF. She thinks they think she’s stupid, trying to plot behind her back. She’ll show them.
Jeffrey comes down the stairs a bit later. Vicky and him have words before Vicky dishes out a brutal punishment. I thought he was going to die, but nevertheless, he still made it. He was forced to sleep out in the shed that night.
After that though, the punishments Matt receives start to become more harsh. However, he’s gone to school hungry looking very malnourished. After 2 days in a row the teacher, Theresa, catches him stealing food out of the garbage, she tries to get it out of him what’s happening at him. He relents.
There’s shares her concerns with the principal, opting to call social services. However, that visit didn’t provide anything worthy of further investigation. Once Vicky finds this out, she pulls Matt out from school. Which only raises Theresa’s suspicions that much more.
With him being home all the time now, and after a stunt he pulled trying to sneak some food from the fridge one night, there’s now locks on the cabinets and fridge as well as cameras set up everywhere, connected to Vicky’s phone so she can see everything. Matt has no escape.
Jeffrey starts to feel helpless and as everyone goes to sleep for the night, he decides to sneak some food to Matt. Nothing happens, he’s surprised. Till he’s awoken from his sleep from a “toe punt” and Jamie and Vicky standing over him. They haul him outside where they dish out yet another punishment I thought would kill him, but it does not.
All while lil Matt continues to starve and is put through physically demanding torture. Like running up and down the stairs for HOURS at a time.
Theresa has contacted the detective, Deborah. She has enlisted her on a trip to the smiths house. She doesn’t find any cause for further investigation, however, feels something is definitely going on.
During all of this, Vicky has started to have a sexual relationship with Jamie. Disgusting. After the first night they dishes out a punishment to Jeffrey, she had said to Jamie they’d sleep together in the same bed. She wanted to sleep by a real man from now on. And one night, something clicked in Vicky’s head and she wanted to bang her son.
One morning, Jeffrey decides he’s going to confront the two. Has he heard them the night before in his bedroom on HIS bed, his son having sex with his wife. Well.. that confrontation didn’t go well. He died. Then they mad Matt bury his father.
With Jeffrey gone, Vicky and Jamie were now able to do whatever they wanted to with Matt. So, the punishments got more harsh for him. It’s truly sad what they did to them. And me being a mother myself, how a mother could do that to her own son is beyond me.
As Deborah is getting more and more suspicious, doing some investigating of her own on her own time, Theresa feels things aren’t going quickly enough. Matt could be dead by now. She plans to sneak into their house at night.
She’s able to sneak in, finding Matt in a utility closet, emaciated, on a blue tarp, covered in piss and shit, as well as Matt covered in it, with a soiled nappy and a pile of soiled nappies to the side that have flies and maggots all over it. She is completely horrified at what they have done to this poor boy. She snaps a photo, but as she’s calling the police, she gets a blow to the head, sending her phone flying. Jamie has caught her. He’s instructed to leave her there with Matt in the closet till she gets home.
Well, when she gets home, things aren’t pretty. Theresa dies a horrible and painful death. Her punishment for “interfering” and trying to stick the police on them. Matt telling them he’s too tired, they bury her in the back with Jeffrey.
Deborah is 100% certain things are not right at that house, especially after learning Theresa can’t be found, her phone is off and she hasn’t shown up to work. While she’s trying to get her ducks in a row to get in that house, everything comes to a head.
Vicky is at work, it’s a night she wants to take her shit out on an inmate. An inmate she’s been waiting a longggg time to get her hands on. CLIVE! (I love how Justin has interwoven these books with the characters). She enters the room, has everything set up, is straddling Clive when an orderly walks in. BUSTED.
Meanwhile at home, Jamie notices there’s no noises coming from the closet. He goes to check and becomes frantic, realizing Matt has succumbed to his torment. He calls Vicky, Vicky says to wait for her at home. When she arrives they concoct a plan. Saying he fell from the stairs and hit his head because he was so dizzy from the “diet” Matt wanted to be on. They call 999.
As soon as Deborah gets the call, she knows exactly what happened. She arrives at the scene and discovers the horror in the house. Meanwhile, Vicky’s crying crocodile tears and Jamie’s staring at Vicky as if he’s in shock and looking to her for guidance. Everything is then discovered.
Then Justin goes on to tell us about the case that inspired the story.
This book was so damn good! It kept me glued to it. I read it in a day! While the abuse wasn’t necessarily being hit and beat on, it’s still an awful awful way to die. And my heart hurts so much for that boy.
All in all, was a great book for the series and I’m so excited for book #7!!
Also, thanks to Justin for sending me an ARC ecopy!! I’m so thankful for it!!!
Oh my god! This book was fantastic! I’ve been waiting patiently for this book to come out and when I found out Justin’s laptop had broke, potentially losing ALL work he’d done on this book… I almost cried! Thank goodness, it was fixable!
This book kept me hooked from the very beginning! This one, as are all the other in this series, is based on a true story and Justin gives us the details of said story at the end. I learned there was really only a couple of parts he tweaked but the rest of it truly happened. And it made the story that much more horrendous!
In this story, we have a few different POVs. Matt, the son, Vicky, the mother, Jeffrey, the father, Deborah, the detective, and Theresa, Matt’s school teacher.
We start with learned about Vicky’s abuse as a child. Her father sexually and physically abusing her after her mother runs off. After so much, Vicky finally gathers the courage to ask for help. But her troubles didn’t stop there. They continued with her foster parents. Later learning, she eventually ran away with a boyfriend. But he abused her as well. All this built a steel armor around her. She’d go to the bar and pick the least likely man who’d give her any trouble when she would throw verbal assaults at them. A weak and cowardly man. She’d went through a couple, running them all off. Till she meets Jeffrey.
Jeffrey came from a not so great upbringing as well. He assumes the physical and verbal assaults thrown his way from Vicky are part of her coping with her upbringing. Trying to prove she is not a vulnerable little girl anymore. He hopes one day, she’ll change. Realizing she doesn’t have to be that way, because Jeffrey loves her with all his heart.
Vicky shortly become pregnant after meeting Jeffrey. She gives birth to a boy, Jamie. He is Vicky’s world. She plans to give him all the love and attention she never got as a child herself. All is well. Everyone’s happy.
That is till 5 years later. When she unexpectedly falls pregnant again. Ruining her plans. She asks Jeffrey about an abortion. He refuses, saying he’ll leave her if she does. Vicky is forced to go through with the pregnancy. Which is where her resentment begins for both Jeffrey and her unborn child.
She gives birth to a little boy, Matt. Although she tried to love him, she found that she just couldn’t. She found Matt to be a burden that interfered in her perfect life. As Matt grows older, he shows behavioral issues. Constantly 100mph, clumsy, breaking things, yelling and screaming.
Vicky soon can’t take it anymore, finding herself a job at the Northgate penitentiary for the country’s most criminally insane. She takes the night shifts. Where it’s quiet, the guards are more laid back, and her superiors aren’t there. All part of her plan.
She’s a nurse at Northgate, who administers the last of the nights meds to the prisoners on the first floor. The ones who are less likely to be combative. When she makes visits, she’ll turn her phone to record, put the inmate through torture, and carry on her business. Later using those recordings when she’s banging Jeffrey to get off. Sick, I know!
The torture starts with Matt when Vicky has her last straw after Matt breaks a PS4 his father got him not even 10 minutes after having it out of the box.
His punishment starts out light. No food. But when later, she hears Jeffrey and Matt in Matt’s room talking, she stops to listen. Jeffreys consoling Matt, telling him it’s ok, he knows it was an accident. That he would try to get it repaired and if not, he’d try to get a second hand PS4. And if Vicky was to ask, they’d tell her they just had it repaired. This.. sets Vicky OFF. She thinks they think she’s stupid, trying to plot behind her back. She’ll show them.
Jeffrey comes down the stairs a bit later. Vicky and him have words before Vicky dishes out a brutal punishment. I thought he was going to die, but nevertheless, he still made it. He was forced to sleep out in the shed that night.
After that though, the punishments Matt receives start to become more harsh. However, he’s gone to school hungry looking very malnourished. After 2 days in a row the teacher, Theresa, catches him stealing food out of the garbage, she tries to get it out of him what’s happening at him. He relents.
There’s shares her concerns with the principal, opting to call social services. However, that visit didn’t provide anything worthy of further investigation. Once Vicky finds this out, she pulls Matt out from school. Which only raises Theresa’s suspicions that much more.
With him being home all the time now, and after a stunt he pulled trying to sneak some food from the fridge one night, there’s now locks on the cabinets and fridge as well as cameras set up everywhere, connected to Vicky’s phone so she can see everything. Matt has no escape.
Jeffrey starts to feel helpless and as everyone goes to sleep for the night, he decides to sneak some food to Matt. Nothing happens, he’s surprised. Till he’s awoken from his sleep from a “toe punt” and Jamie and Vicky standing over him. They haul him outside where they dish out yet another punishment I thought would kill him, but it does not.
All while lil Matt continues to starve and is put through physically demanding torture. Like running up and down the stairs for HOURS at a time.
Theresa has contacted the detective, Deborah. She has enlisted her on a trip to the smiths house. She doesn’t find any cause for further investigation, however, feels something is definitely going on.
During all of this, Vicky has started to have a sexual relationship with Jamie. Disgusting. After the first night they dishes out a punishment to Jeffrey, she had said to Jamie they’d sleep together in the same bed. She wanted to sleep by a real man from now on. And one night, something clicked in Vicky’s head and she wanted to bang her son.
One morning, Jeffrey decides he’s going to confront the two. Has he heard them the night before in his bedroom on HIS bed, his son having sex with his wife. Well.. that confrontation didn’t go well. He died. Then they mad Matt bury his father.
With Jeffrey gone, Vicky and Jamie were now able to do whatever they wanted to with Matt. So, the punishments got more harsh for him. It’s truly sad what they did to them. And me being a mother myself, how a mother could do that to her own son is beyond me.
As Deborah is getting more and more suspicious, doing some investigating of her own on her own time, Theresa feels things aren’t going quickly enough. Matt could be dead by now. She plans to sneak into their house at night.
She’s able to sneak in, finding Matt in a utility closet, emaciated, on a blue tarp, covered in piss and shit, as well as Matt covered in it, with a soiled nappy and a pile of soiled nappies to the side that have flies and maggots all over it. She is completely horrified at what they have done to this poor boy. She snaps a photo, but as she’s calling the police, she gets a blow to the head, sending her phone flying. Jamie has caught her. He’s instructed to leave her there with Matt in the closet till she gets home.
Well, when she gets home, things aren’t pretty. Theresa dies a horrible and painful death. Her punishment for “interfering” and trying to stick the police on them. Matt telling them he’s too tired, they bury her in the back with Jeffrey.
Deborah is 100% certain things are not right at that house, especially after learning Theresa can’t be found, her phone is off and she hasn’t shown up to work. While she’s trying to get her ducks in a row to get in that house, everything comes to a head.
Vicky is at work, it’s a night she wants to take her shit out on an inmate. An inmate she’s been waiting a longggg time to get her hands on. CLIVE! (I love how Justin has interwoven these books with the characters). She enters the room, has everything set up, is straddling Clive when an orderly walks in. BUSTED.
Meanwhile at home, Jamie notices there’s no noises coming from the closet. He goes to check and becomes frantic, realizing Matt has succumbed to his torment. He calls Vicky, Vicky says to wait for her at home. When she arrives they concoct a plan. Saying he fell from the stairs and hit his head because he was so dizzy from the “diet” Matt wanted to be on. They call 999.
As soon as Deborah gets the call, she knows exactly what happened. She arrives at the scene and discovers the horror in the house. Meanwhile, Vicky’s crying crocodile tears and Jamie’s staring at Vicky as if he’s in shock and looking to her for guidance. Everything is then discovered.
Then Justin goes on to tell us about the case that inspired the story.
This book was so damn good! It kept me glued to it. I read it in a day! While the abuse wasn’t necessarily being hit and beat on, it’s still an awful awful way to die. And my heart hurts so much for that boy.
All in all, was a great book for the series and I’m so excited for book #7!!
Also, thanks to Justin for sending me an ARC ecopy!! I’m so thankful for it!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2025
Mothers can be Monsters… the latest “Monsters” book by J. Boote…..
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since the first book “we are all Monsters” I have been addicted to this series!
Master story teller, Justin, or J Boote does it again with the latest amazing book .
What makes these stories so disturbing is that they are all based on true cases and he really does his research into the minds of those who were involved and is able to conjure the disturbing situations that they must have faced .
Mothers can be Monsters introduces us to Vicky. As a child she was ignored by her mother and then abandoned by her to face horrible abuse from her father. When rescued from him she is put into foster care and the abuse continued.
Vicky soon learns to prey on weak men who she can control so that she will never be a victim again.
She meets and marries a man who accepts her dominance and together have a son and life actually looks normal for Vicky for once, until she fails pregnant again. She only wants the one child, he is perfect and has shown Vicky real love. She wants an abortion but her normally timid husband, Jeffrey puts his foot down and refuses to let her get rid of his child.
This is the beginning of the end for Vicky as her second son is born with some behaviour problems and hyperactivity.
Vicky comes to despise her second son and her husband and she also starts to worship her first born son in ways that end up being acts of incest.
Together mother and son go on a rampage of torture and torment that leads to Murder.
A teacher at the local school has noticed the changes to the young boy, she is concerned.
Is it enough to save a young boy from being tortured and starved to death? Will she save him in time? Not if Vicky has anything to do with it!
Another brilliant instalment of the Monsters series I loved it 🥰 it was heartbreaking, exciting and extreme. My favourite 😻
5 melted eyeballs out of 5 from me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since the first book “we are all Monsters” I have been addicted to this series!
Master story teller, Justin, or J Boote does it again with the latest amazing book .
What makes these stories so disturbing is that they are all based on true cases and he really does his research into the minds of those who were involved and is able to conjure the disturbing situations that they must have faced .
Mothers can be Monsters introduces us to Vicky. As a child she was ignored by her mother and then abandoned by her to face horrible abuse from her father. When rescued from him she is put into foster care and the abuse continued.
Vicky soon learns to prey on weak men who she can control so that she will never be a victim again.
She meets and marries a man who accepts her dominance and together have a son and life actually looks normal for Vicky for once, until she fails pregnant again. She only wants the one child, he is perfect and has shown Vicky real love. She wants an abortion but her normally timid husband, Jeffrey puts his foot down and refuses to let her get rid of his child.
This is the beginning of the end for Vicky as her second son is born with some behaviour problems and hyperactivity.
Vicky comes to despise her second son and her husband and she also starts to worship her first born son in ways that end up being acts of incest.
Together mother and son go on a rampage of torture and torment that leads to Murder.
A teacher at the local school has noticed the changes to the young boy, she is concerned.
Is it enough to save a young boy from being tortured and starved to death? Will she save him in time? Not if Vicky has anything to do with it!
Another brilliant instalment of the Monsters series I loved it 🥰 it was heartbreaking, exciting and extreme. My favourite 😻
5 melted eyeballs out of 5 from me.
January 21, 2025
𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒆. 𝑯𝒆'𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉.
I am a firm believer that we shouldn't shy away from things just because they're difficult or uncomfortable. I know that many will read the description of this book and say this series is "too much" but will happily settle down in front of the television and watch hours of true crime documentaries.
Each book in the Monsters series is taken from a real case, all I had never heard of. The lengths that humans will go to in order to hurt each other is truly staggering, and that's why this series is important.
Vicky Smith suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her father, only to be removed from his care to face even worse horrors. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and when she becomes a mother to two boys, she decides she only ever wanted one, her oldest. Her youngest, Matt, is aware of his mother's feelings and tries his best to be obedient. But he has no way of knowing he can never be good enough, and his mother has already determined his fate.
You will hate Vicky, and even though she was a victim herself, I struggled to find a shred of empathy for her. The CPS workers juggling unmanageable caseloads and the teacher who noticed something wrong but no one would listen to their fears--they're not just characters in a book. There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that cannot and will not protect children. To learn more about the woman this book is based on, do a deep dive on Shanda Vander Ark, who was just sentenced last year for the death of her son Timothy. The judge who presided over her case said he didn’t want to take away Timothy’s dignity by showing photos of his emaciated frame. Instead, he displayed a photo of Timothy looking happy.
Thank you so much to the author for having me on his ARC team. This title is expected to publish February 21, 2025.
I am a firm believer that we shouldn't shy away from things just because they're difficult or uncomfortable. I know that many will read the description of this book and say this series is "too much" but will happily settle down in front of the television and watch hours of true crime documentaries.
Each book in the Monsters series is taken from a real case, all I had never heard of. The lengths that humans will go to in order to hurt each other is truly staggering, and that's why this series is important.
Vicky Smith suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her father, only to be removed from his care to face even worse horrors. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and when she becomes a mother to two boys, she decides she only ever wanted one, her oldest. Her youngest, Matt, is aware of his mother's feelings and tries his best to be obedient. But he has no way of knowing he can never be good enough, and his mother has already determined his fate.
You will hate Vicky, and even though she was a victim herself, I struggled to find a shred of empathy for her. The CPS workers juggling unmanageable caseloads and the teacher who noticed something wrong but no one would listen to their fears--they're not just characters in a book. There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that cannot and will not protect children. To learn more about the woman this book is based on, do a deep dive on Shanda Vander Ark, who was just sentenced last year for the death of her son Timothy. The judge who presided over her case said he didn’t want to take away Timothy’s dignity by showing photos of his emaciated frame. Instead, he displayed a photo of Timothy looking happy.
Thank you so much to the author for having me on his ARC team. This title is expected to publish February 21, 2025.
January 28, 2025
**Possible Spoilers**
Book 6 in the Monster Series by Justin Boote
Not every woman can be a good mother. Many parents struggle daily with trying to be the best parent possible to their children. Wanting the best for them. Giving them what they could never have. Not Vicky. That struggle never was something Vicky dealt with. Vicky was severely and abhorrently abused and mistreated as a young child by the hands of her depraved father. The trauma she suffered at his hands changed her, and not for the better. When Vicky had her own family, husband Jeffery, kids, Jaime and Matt, it wasn’t long until she harbored ill feelings towards her youngest. She adored her oldest and wished he were an only child. Jeffery, her husband, was weak and pathetic. Her youngest, Matt was a problem since birth, and unfortunately for him was just turning the same age as when her past abuse had started. Vicky had began acting on her sick fantasies, with the inmates at her job. Soon after, she began atrocities to her young son. Poor Matt just wanted to be loved. Children don’t deserve parents like Vicky or Jeffery. Matt suffered so horribly at her hands. No human….no child should have to go through anything like that. The fact that this is based off of a true case is absolutely horrendous. I highly recommend this amazing book. Very well written. The author pulls you into the story so well, that you can almost feel what they are going through. Extremely well done. This is book 6 in the Monster series, by Justin Boote. I strongly recommend you read all of the books in the series. All stand-alones, but some characters are mentioned from previous books. Pre-order or get yours February 21st!
Book 6 in the Monster Series by Justin Boote
Not every woman can be a good mother. Many parents struggle daily with trying to be the best parent possible to their children. Wanting the best for them. Giving them what they could never have. Not Vicky. That struggle never was something Vicky dealt with. Vicky was severely and abhorrently abused and mistreated as a young child by the hands of her depraved father. The trauma she suffered at his hands changed her, and not for the better. When Vicky had her own family, husband Jeffery, kids, Jaime and Matt, it wasn’t long until she harbored ill feelings towards her youngest. She adored her oldest and wished he were an only child. Jeffery, her husband, was weak and pathetic. Her youngest, Matt was a problem since birth, and unfortunately for him was just turning the same age as when her past abuse had started. Vicky had began acting on her sick fantasies, with the inmates at her job. Soon after, she began atrocities to her young son. Poor Matt just wanted to be loved. Children don’t deserve parents like Vicky or Jeffery. Matt suffered so horribly at her hands. No human….no child should have to go through anything like that. The fact that this is based off of a true case is absolutely horrendous. I highly recommend this amazing book. Very well written. The author pulls you into the story so well, that you can almost feel what they are going through. Extremely well done. This is book 6 in the Monster series, by Justin Boote. I strongly recommend you read all of the books in the series. All stand-alones, but some characters are mentioned from previous books. Pre-order or get yours February 21st!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2025
I have never done this before, but I am reviewing and recommending "Mothers Can be Monsters" although I haven't finished it. Vicky is as girl who has been emotionally neglected, and sexually abused. Even in the foster system she experiences the same thing. She marries Jeffrey, a sensitive man who caters to her every whim, letting her bully him into submission. Also in the picture are her sons, Jamie and Matt. Jamie is the apple of Vicky's eyes - but Matt gets nothing but hatred and disdain. Vicky, along with her eldest son, start a campaign of torture, starvation, and extreme physical abuse. When she does feed him, it's often laced with horrible tasting, red hot pepper-like ingredients. She is also a nurse who works at a mental institution, often taking out her anger against the male patients she tortures. However, I must admit, after about two-thirds of the book, I had to stop reading it. The book wasn't bad in plot, pacing or characterization, but it was too intense, and too shocking for me - even thought I have worked in the public school system and as a Paramedic who witnessed real-life monstrosities and abuse. Boote's deft prose is so stark, graphic, and dark that I could not venture into such a dark tunnel. Torture and abuse are simply not my cup of tea. I give it a good rating because of Boote's talent. I will warn readers that this is intense and visceral - so if that's what you like you should enjoy this. Readers who prefer such fiction will be all in for this one. Yet, be careful if you're squeamish, wimpy horror fan like myself.
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