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Almost Mother: A Psychological Thriller Romance
Lila Hastings is barely holding it together. Since her husband Elijah vanished without a trace, she’s been raising their two kids on her own on tiny Whisper Island. Lila is running on fumes and failing at everything—or at least that’s what it feels like.
Then she wakes one morning to find her one-year-old daughter’s crib empty.
In little Mallory’s place is a phone with a message from a mysterious group called The Village.
Motherhood is a privilege.
The rules are simple. Complete a series of tasks to prove her worth as a mother. Keep her routine. Tell no one—or she’ll never see her daughter again. If she completes the tasks, her daughter will be returned.
But Lila isn’t the only mother being tested. Across the island, another woman receives the same devastating ultimatum—different child, different tasks. Same impossible choice.
Someone has decided these mothers must prove they are worthy—or lose everything.
Then she wakes one morning to find her one-year-old daughter’s crib empty.
In little Mallory’s place is a phone with a message from a mysterious group called The Village.
Motherhood is a privilege.
The rules are simple. Complete a series of tasks to prove her worth as a mother. Keep her routine. Tell no one—or she’ll never see her daughter again. If she completes the tasks, her daughter will be returned.
But Lila isn’t the only mother being tested. Across the island, another woman receives the same devastating ultimatum—different child, different tasks. Same impossible choice.
Someone has decided these mothers must prove they are worthy—or lose everything.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 2, 2026
So, I read this in 1 day!
The commute to work, 30 minute lunch, and commute home. So I read on in like 3.5 hours!
Let me explain something this was a super fast read but super painful as a mother because I already have fear installed into myself kidnapping!!!
Definitely makes you think twice about losing your shit on kids!
Holy hell!
The commute to work, 30 minute lunch, and commute home. So I read on in like 3.5 hours!
Let me explain something this was a super fast read but super painful as a mother because I already have fear installed into myself kidnapping!!!
Definitely makes you think twice about losing your shit on kids!
Holy hell!
July 3, 2026
Lila has been raising her two children on her own since her husband disappeared. She feels like she's failing at everything and is struggling to make sure her family has enough to take care of their needs, especially with her young daughter sick and inconsolable. One morning, she wakes up to find her daughter gone from her crib. Instead, she finds a red phone that tells her that motherhood is a privilege and that she will be given five tasks that she must complete in order to get her daughter back. There's another woman who is also being given tasks to prove her worth as a mother and also been shown footage of the children.
This is the fourth book in the series and so far I've only read two. They can be read as stand-alones as they take place on the same island but there isn't a lot of character overlap where it feels important to read them in order. I will; however, be reading the two that I've missed. The story is told from the POV of Lila and Meredith (the other mother). The women have to keep their normal routines and not tell anyone what is going on or they will lose their children - in Lila's case, both of her children. This is a book that felt impossible to put down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Each night, I fell asleep while reading and had to force myself to put it down. Then when I finished, I was so hyped up that I couldn't go to sleep. There are a lot of unexpected twists and turns and it was easy to empathize with Lila, even without being a mother. This is my favorite type of psychological thriller - unpredictable yet believable.
Thanks to Mira Shaw for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is the fourth book in the series and so far I've only read two. They can be read as stand-alones as they take place on the same island but there isn't a lot of character overlap where it feels important to read them in order. I will; however, be reading the two that I've missed. The story is told from the POV of Lila and Meredith (the other mother). The women have to keep their normal routines and not tell anyone what is going on or they will lose their children - in Lila's case, both of her children. This is a book that felt impossible to put down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Each night, I fell asleep while reading and had to force myself to put it down. Then when I finished, I was so hyped up that I couldn't go to sleep. There are a lot of unexpected twists and turns and it was easy to empathize with Lila, even without being a mother. This is my favorite type of psychological thriller - unpredictable yet believable.
Thanks to Mira Shaw for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Almost Mother was one of those books that had me saying, "Just one more chapter," until suddenly I was at the end and I'm so excited I received this from the author to read and review.
The premise alone is enough to pull you in—a mother wakes up to find her baby missing and is forced into a twisted game to prove she's worthy of getting her daughter back. From there, the tension never really lets up. Every new task had me wondering what I would do in Lila's position, and that psychological push-and-pull kept me completely invested. So invested I finished this one in 2 sittings!
What I enjoyed most was that this wasn't just about trying to figure out who was behind this, but also about motherhood, fear, sacrifice, guilt, and just how far someone would go for the people they love. Lila felt like a believable, emotionally layered character, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. I am pretty sure those of us that are mothers find ourselves in the slumps and beat down like Lila was throughout our motherhood journeys.
The pacing was fantastic, the twists kept coming, and even when I thought I had things figured out, the story still managed to surprise me.
If you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers with emotional depth, high stakes, and plenty of suspense, I highly recommend this one. Easily a 5-star read for me and highly recommend!
Almost Mother was one of those books that had me saying, "Just one more chapter," until suddenly I was at the end and I'm so excited I received this from the author to read and review.
The premise alone is enough to pull you in—a mother wakes up to find her baby missing and is forced into a twisted game to prove she's worthy of getting her daughter back. From there, the tension never really lets up. Every new task had me wondering what I would do in Lila's position, and that psychological push-and-pull kept me completely invested. So invested I finished this one in 2 sittings!
What I enjoyed most was that this wasn't just about trying to figure out who was behind this, but also about motherhood, fear, sacrifice, guilt, and just how far someone would go for the people they love. Lila felt like a believable, emotionally layered character, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. I am pretty sure those of us that are mothers find ourselves in the slumps and beat down like Lila was throughout our motherhood journeys.
The pacing was fantastic, the twists kept coming, and even when I thought I had things figured out, the story still managed to surprise me.
If you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers with emotional depth, high stakes, and plenty of suspense, I highly recommend this one. Easily a 5-star read for me and highly recommend!
July 5, 2026
"Almost Mother" by Mira Shaw and K.S. Reid is the fourth book in "The Final Chapter Book Club" series. This is a tense and emotional story about surviving motherhood. The plot slowly builds up until it hooks you with its twists and turns, leading to a chilling ending. Each book reveals the secrets of a different member of The Final Chapter Book Club.
Since Lila's husband disappeared, she's been trying to raise her two children on her own, always struggling to make sure her family has what they need, are loved, and happy. But then someone kidnapped her daughter from her crib, leaving a message telling her that motherhood is a privilege - nd Lila's not the only mother. Unknown to each other, these two mothers are forced to do nightmarish tasks to prove they're worthy of being mothers. If they don't do the tasks, they'll never see their child again.
This story is chilling from beginning to end; it's hard to put down even for a few minutes. The characters aren't perfect; like real people, they have flaws, but you'll still want to be friends with them.
The idea that strangers would do such horrible things to families and kids is how nightmares are made. I received an advanced copy of this book from the author, and the above is my voluntary and honest review.
Since Lila's husband disappeared, she's been trying to raise her two children on her own, always struggling to make sure her family has what they need, are loved, and happy. But then someone kidnapped her daughter from her crib, leaving a message telling her that motherhood is a privilege - nd Lila's not the only mother. Unknown to each other, these two mothers are forced to do nightmarish tasks to prove they're worthy of being mothers. If they don't do the tasks, they'll never see their child again.
This story is chilling from beginning to end; it's hard to put down even for a few minutes. The characters aren't perfect; like real people, they have flaws, but you'll still want to be friends with them.
The idea that strangers would do such horrible things to families and kids is how nightmares are made. I received an advanced copy of this book from the author, and the above is my voluntary and honest review.
Review of advance copy
I was fortunate to get an ARC of Almost Mother and holy cow what a rollercoaster of a ride!!!
When a single mother’s daughter goes missing what would she do to get her back. What would you do? Can Motherhood be a privilege?
This story grabs you from the first page and you cannot put it down. Great character development, short manageable chapters and a wonderful plot. Just when you catch your breath your heart starts racing again. Seriously woke up at 6:00 am on a Sunday to start reading it again as I foolishly started reading before going to sleep.
Almost Mother is the 4th book set on Whisper Island in The Final Chapter Book Club series. While it’s not necessary to read the three previous books you would be doing yourself a disservice not to. Almost Gone, Almost a Stranger and Almost Found were all incredible reads!!
Thank you @AuthorMiraShaw you hit it out of the park with this one!!
When a single mother’s daughter goes missing what would she do to get her back. What would you do? Can Motherhood be a privilege?
This story grabs you from the first page and you cannot put it down. Great character development, short manageable chapters and a wonderful plot. Just when you catch your breath your heart starts racing again. Seriously woke up at 6:00 am on a Sunday to start reading it again as I foolishly started reading before going to sleep.
Almost Mother is the 4th book set on Whisper Island in The Final Chapter Book Club series. While it’s not necessary to read the three previous books you would be doing yourself a disservice not to. Almost Gone, Almost a Stranger and Almost Found were all incredible reads!!
Thank you @AuthorMiraShaw you hit it out of the park with this one!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have enjoyed this series so much and have been honored to be on the street team! This is the 4th of the series and let me tell you, I was on the edge of my seat! Don't start this book late at night! This book is not, "oh just one more chapter" kind of books! I couldn't put it down! I didn't want to, could not stop reading to find out what happens to Lila and her daughter. The twists keeps coming! Just when I thought I had it figured out and I could slow my heart down, BAM! Another twist! Highly recommend if you love psychological thrillers and twists! Thank you so much to @authormirashaw for my early copy, I highly enjoyed reading this entire series so much!
July 1, 2026
I received this is an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
This book really got to me as I am a mother (and grandmother) and have seen myself rare up like a lioness to protect my child in a precarious situation. In this case, a mother is trying to hold everything together for herself and her two children when her baby girl is kidnapped while the mother is sleeping. The mother is then told she has to prove she is worthy to be a mother and is tasked with unthinkable things to do. This story just grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the end. It has a twist towards the end that takes the reader by surprise, but, as always, Ms. Stone comes through with a great ending.
This book really got to me as I am a mother (and grandmother) and have seen myself rare up like a lioness to protect my child in a precarious situation. In this case, a mother is trying to hold everything together for herself and her two children when her baby girl is kidnapped while the mother is sleeping. The mother is then told she has to prove she is worthy to be a mother and is tasked with unthinkable things to do. This story just grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the end. It has a twist towards the end that takes the reader by surprise, but, as always, Ms. Stone comes through with a great ending.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was given an ARC from the author, for my honest opinion, and boy am I glad to be on this ride with her. With this fourth installment of the series, I was hooked from page one. It's full of all the suspense and intrigue you want in a great read. There are two great stories happening at the same time that will keep you wondering how the heck everything will ever come together. Was really surprised a couple of times, which in my book only happens in the best of books😁 Definitely my favorites so far in the series.
Review of advance copy received from Author
.Lila is a young, single mother with two kids trying to make ends meet while dealing with a very sick child. After dropping into an exhausted sleep, someone kidnaps her daughter Mallory, leaving her with cryptic messages. These messages require her to complete various “tasks” to prove she’s a fit mother in order to,get Mallory back. As she desperately tries to complete each insane she’s reminded by those who call themselves “The Village” of what will happen if she doesn’t do their bidding. A great book that has a lot,of suspense
June 29, 2026
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
LOVED this book!!
Lila is a single mom with two kids and she’s barely heading on by a thread. Then one morning her baby daughter is missing. Not just missing, but kidnapped by a crazy group of people who are forcing her to do horrible and demeaning tasks before she can get her baby back.
This is one of those books that once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I don’t know how I missed the first three books in this series, but I need to read them. If they are as good as this one, I’m in for a treat!
Many thanks to @authormirashaw for the advanced copy of this book.
LOVED this book!!
Lila is a single mom with two kids and she’s barely heading on by a thread. Then one morning her baby daughter is missing. Not just missing, but kidnapped by a crazy group of people who are forcing her to do horrible and demeaning tasks before she can get her baby back.
This is one of those books that once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I don’t know how I missed the first three books in this series, but I need to read them. If they are as good as this one, I’m in for a treat!
Many thanks to @authormirashaw for the advanced copy of this book.
July 6, 2026
I am an ARC reader and am posting y own review'
Lila Hastings is a single mother, raising her 2 children by herself after her husband disappeared with no warning or explanation. She wakes up one morning to find her daughter is missing and she is given a phone and is told she must complete 5 tasks to prove she is a good mother and to get her daughter back.
The book is full of twists and turns and there is a big surprise towards the end of the book.
Lila Hastings is a single mother, raising her 2 children by herself after her husband disappeared with no warning or explanation. She wakes up one morning to find her daughter is missing and she is given a phone and is told she must complete 5 tasks to prove she is a good mother and to get her daughter back.
The book is full of twists and turns and there is a big surprise towards the end of the book.
June 19, 2026
I was given Amost Mother as an ARC (advanced reader copy) today. I started early this morning and fished just now before midnight.
This book was SO GOOD.
Thriller. That one word is what this book is.
The suspense is suspensing. The twists and turns will get you every time you think you know.
This book was SO GOOD.
Thriller. That one word is what this book is.
The suspense is suspensing. The twists and turns will get you every time you think you know.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is another great psychological thriller from Mira Shaw. A mother is forced to prove what she would do to get her kidnapped daughter back. The people who took her daughter know every move that Lila makes. How are they doing that? Through her security cameras? Will they come for her son, too? This book was hard to put down. The twists toward the end are worth the read.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
I loved this book! Multiple times I found myself shouting “What?!?!”. There are so many twists and turns in this book. It definitely keeps you on your toes. I completely devoured the last half and did not want to put it down.
Lila is a mom forced into single motherhood when she’s abandoned one day by her husband. It’s taken her a couple years but she has started a new life and is STILL struggling every day just to tread water and maintain her mommy sanity with her two small children.
One day, in the middle of complete exhaustion, her life is completely disrupted when one of her children gets taken. Everything she knows she should do to protect her daughter she can’t without putting her daughter in more danger. She will do anything to get her sweet baby back even if it kills her.
Absolutely a must read. I’d be shocked if this didn’t get a film adaptation it’s that good.
Lila is a mom forced into single motherhood when she’s abandoned one day by her husband. It’s taken her a couple years but she has started a new life and is STILL struggling every day just to tread water and maintain her mommy sanity with her two small children.
One day, in the middle of complete exhaustion, her life is completely disrupted when one of her children gets taken. Everything she knows she should do to protect her daughter she can’t without putting her daughter in more danger. She will do anything to get her sweet baby back even if it kills her.
Absolutely a must read. I’d be shocked if this didn’t get a film adaptation it’s that good.
June 30, 2026
Received ARC
Chilling, thrilling, and downright scary!
What would you do to prove you are a good mother to get your child back? Think about that before you open this book.
Once you get past page one you will not want to put this down until you know, without a doubt, who is behind this diabolical plot.
Chilling, thrilling, and downright scary!
What would you do to prove you are a good mother to get your child back? Think about that before you open this book.
Once you get past page one you will not want to put this down until you know, without a doubt, who is behind this diabolical plot.
July 1, 2026
I was sent an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Almost Mother by Mira Shaw & K.S. Reid
4⭐️s
I went into this book a little annoyed because of the quick turn around on release date - received it a little over a week before the release date. That said it was a very quick read. I finished it in less than 24 hours.
It's a creepy, worst nightmare as a mom kind of book.
Almost Mother by Mira Shaw & K.S. Reid
4⭐️s
I went into this book a little annoyed because of the quick turn around on release date - received it a little over a week before the release date. That said it was a very quick read. I finished it in less than 24 hours.
It's a creepy, worst nightmare as a mom kind of book.
July 3, 2026
This is the fourth book in the Final Chapter Book Club series. First, Lila’s husband disappears without a trace….then her daughter disappears! She is at her wits end! This is a roller coaster ride of twists, turns, danger and suspense. I couldn’t stop reading. A wonderful and perfectly executed plot. I am voluntarily leaving this review
July 4, 2026
Fantastic book and series! Love the characters and their development. Immensely enjoy how the plot unfolds and draws you in. Constantly on the edge of my seat anticipating the character's next move of the cat and mouse game that the main character is playing with those pulling her strings. A fun and suspenseful story!
Review of advance copy
Thank you Mira Shaw for the ARC of this book. I truly appreciate it!
This was an amazing book to read. About love, loss, obsession. The lengths one mother would go through to protect her child. I highly recommend that you pick up this book!! It was a complete joy to read it.
This was an amazing book to read. About love, loss, obsession. The lengths one mother would go through to protect her child. I highly recommend that you pick up this book!! It was a complete joy to read it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Another great thriller read from Mira Shaw! Almost Mother is the fourth book in the Final Chapter Book Club series. And while the book does kind of touch on the previous books, you don’t really need to have read them to read this one, though I would highly recommend it.
Lila is a single mother, just barely getting by raising her two kids after her husband abandons them. Then, her daughter is abducted, and the kidnappers keep giving her tasks she needs to complete to prove she’s deserving of her children. If she fails, she’ll never see her daughter again. Meanwhile the tasks get more and more dangerous. How far will Lila go to make sure she see gets her daughter back?
The action and suspense in this one were good! Ooh, and that plot twist, too! Another gotcha plot twist for me. I love when that happens. Great quick thriller read, I really enjoyed it. I read this in one day!
Many thanks to @authormirashaw for the advanced copy of this book.
Lila is a single mother, just barely getting by raising her two kids after her husband abandons them. Then, her daughter is abducted, and the kidnappers keep giving her tasks she needs to complete to prove she’s deserving of her children. If she fails, she’ll never see her daughter again. Meanwhile the tasks get more and more dangerous. How far will Lila go to make sure she see gets her daughter back?
The action and suspense in this one were good! Ooh, and that plot twist, too! Another gotcha plot twist for me. I love when that happens. Great quick thriller read, I really enjoyed it. I read this in one day!
Many thanks to @authormirashaw for the advanced copy of this book.
July 7, 2026
Almost Mother: A Psychological Thriller Romance (The Final Chapter Book Club 4) By: Mira Shaw and K S Reid. Almost Mother was a story where a mother has to prove she is capable of being a mother. It was intense , emotional, heartbreaking, and so Good. Incredible read .
July 12, 2026
Almost Mother is a gripping psychological thriller with shocking twists and turns.
How far would you go to prove you're worthy of your children? What lines would you cross?
If you love fast paced psychological thrillers with plenty of unexpected surprises, this one is for you.
How far would you go to prove you're worthy of your children? What lines would you cross?
If you love fast paced psychological thrillers with plenty of unexpected surprises, this one is for you.
July 7, 2026
This was a great story about Lila about her missing child and doing everything to get her back with lots of suspense and drama . Thank you for this awesome story.
July 13, 2026
Suspense
Great keeps you in suspense, starts out how rough a single moms life can be and the actions that take place is like its happening in life. Once you start you can't quit!!
Great keeps you in suspense, starts out how rough a single moms life can be and the actions that take place is like its happening in life. Once you start you can't quit!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This starts out with vividly painted scenes of mean mom hierarchies in the pre-k room. You can easily see the perfect Lulu mom, perfect little kids mean mugging the frazzled single mom with a sick toddler barely holding it together. I immediately was rooting for the FMC, Lila.
Then it becomes a dark tense psychological ride when Lila’s little girl is kidnapped in the night and in her place is a phone. The kidnapper giving her a list of task to show she’s worthy of getting her daughter back.
I felt as frantic as Lila, reading through as fast as I could to see how it was going to unfold. The tasks each becoming more sinister. The surprises in the ending were gasp worthy!
So good, uh but the one line at the very end, dang it, a bit of a cliffhanger! Such a good read!
Then it becomes a dark tense psychological ride when Lila’s little girl is kidnapped in the night and in her place is a phone. The kidnapper giving her a list of task to show she’s worthy of getting her daughter back.
I felt as frantic as Lila, reading through as fast as I could to see how it was going to unfold. The tasks each becoming more sinister. The surprises in the ending were gasp worthy!
So good, uh but the one line at the very end, dang it, a bit of a cliffhanger! Such a good read!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews