A Mother Would Know

by Amber Garza

When He Came Home by Amber Garza will be available Aug 01, 2022. Preorder your copy today!

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, Adult Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2022

About the author

Amber Garza has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Coffee and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they're real people. She lives with her husband and two kids in Folsom, California, which is also home to another Amber Garza.

Reviews

[Meredith (Trying to catch up!) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted

A Mother Would Know is a twisted psychological thriller about a woman with early-onset Alzheimers. With two women found murdered in her neighborhood, she is shocked when her son is one of the main suspects.

Narrated by Valerie, with a few other voices mixed in, I found the structure MESSY. As she shares her fears regarding her memory loss, memories from the past make their way into the narrative in a nonlinear order. Included are Valerie's past as a musician and her obsession with a little girl who was murdered in the Victorian house she loves. There are multiple storylines, many of which are left unresolved.

I had a lot of issues with this book. The pacing is slow--nothing happens for the first 25%, and it is all telling. Finally, when someone dies, the plot picks up momentum but, unfortunately, suffers from too much telling and not enough showing, which is the kiss of death for me.

Another issue I have is that the police must be blind because they leave behind blatantly obvious evidence. Valerie is the one who finds the clues after breaking into two crime scenes without getting caught--did I mention she is struggling with her memory, yet she is capable of stealthily breaking into two houses and finding evidence? At one crime scene, the police didn’t even take the victim’s laptop or diaries. I was rolling my eyes nonstop during these scenes.

There are a few good things about this book: Bowie the dog being one of them. Thankfully, he doesn’t come to any harm. There are also some good twists and turns, but they are not good enough for me to recommend reading this mess.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie, a mother of two adult children, widow and former lead vocalist in a band, lives alone in her large Victorian home with her chocolate lab, Bowie. Valerie has led a busy life and is finally settling into a more quiet lifestyle.

Unfortunately, she's also noticed some disturbing changes recently with her memory. Having lost her own mother to the horrible disease of Alzheimer's, Valerie is very aware of the signs and symptoms. She is fearful she may be experiencing an early-onset of the disease.



Her daughter, Kendra, expresses concerns as well when Valerie seems to be forgetting plans they had made, like babysitting her grandson. Kendra attempts to help her mom with vitamins and diet suggestions.

She's still concerned about Valerie living on her own though, with the way things seem to be progressing. Luckily, Valerie's son, Hudson, a bit down on his luck after a recent break-up, is able to come and stay with her.



Hudson has grown distant since a traumatizing incident in high school, but Valerie loves her son very much and is anxious for a chance to reconnect with him. He's a grown man now, surely they can finally put the past behind them.

Kendra and Hudson definitely still have a contentious relationship though, so when the entire family is together things can get tense. After a time though, they all start to settle into a bit of a routine. It's nice.



That is until a young woman up the street is murdered in her home. For some reason, Valerie has images in her mind of Hudson being out on the night of the murder, seeing him come in late. Is she imagining this, or are these memories?

She starts to think Hudson is acting suspiciously. Could he have had something to do with this young woman's death? How well does she even know her son?



I found A Mother Would Know highly-entertaining and addicting, much like Garza's earlier works. I was actually late to work on the day I finished this because I needed to know the truth. I could not put it down.

Garza's writing style is very fluid and easy to get into. I found this story to be so compelling and I had a million different theories along the way. It was so much fun trying to figure it out.



The narrative is a nice blend of Valerie's present-perspective mixed with her remembrances of the past. A lot of the events in her current life make her reminisce on the past, both bad and good.

I think this made a lot of sense considering Valerie's fears regarding her memory. A lot of the time, I felt like being in her head thinking about the past was kind of like an exercise for her, trying to figure out how much she still recalled and whether or not it was true.

We also get an additional, more mysterious, perspective that helps to build the tension of the story, as well as contributing to the final reveal.



I really enjoyed Valerie as a character. I know that she may not be for everyone, but I found her to be realistic and relatable. I genuinely liked her.

Valerie was in a band, a fairly successful one, and when her kids were young, she spent a lot of her time out of the home, particularly at night performing. Therefore, her husband, was the primary caregiver for the kids.

There's a lot of unresolved issues within their family because of that and I liked learning about those things and watching them all try to navigate those sensitive waters as adults.



Additionally, I enjoyed the drama of their neighborhood. They live in a fairly high-income neighborhood, where everyone knows everyone's business and there's frequently someone watching and talking about what they see.

I am always down for neighborhood drama, so I felt like this was a fun backdrop from the story. Valerie and her family have a lot of history in this neighborhood too and definitely some enemies.



The mystery was compelling and I loved being along for the ride with Valerie. She was willing to do anything to figure out whether her son was innocent or not. The tension got pretty high, with a startling conclusion.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this one and will absolutely pick up anything else Garza writes.



Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I have enjoyed all of Garza's books so far and am super excited to see what she comes up with next!

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐
How well do you really know your children?

Valerie’s mother passed away with early onset dementia. Valerie herself is starting to have memory issues and fears she’s destined to suffer the same early demise.
After a bad break up with his girlfriend, Hudson finds himself with nowhere to go. What perfect timing! Valerie invites him to move back with her, hoping he’ll help should she fall ill.

Her daughter Kendra offers to have Valerie move in with her and her family. But Valerie is determined not to leave her beloved home. And now, with her son around she’s confident she’ll be well looked after. But will she?

There’s something else of concern. Hudson has a history in this neighborhood that no one will let him or Valerie forget!

I did enjoy the twists! (notice I said twists, as in more than one!) That’s right! There was no doubt in my junior super-sleuth mind I had it totally figured out less than half way. Surprise! I only solved a small portion of this ever weaving storyline.

My only negative is - I did struggle with the sudden shifts in POVs and timeline. No warning, it just suddenly occurs to you as you go along that things have changed. Again!
I’m hopeful the final released copy will have a bit more structure to it.

This was my first read by Amber Garza and I’m already eying her previous books to keep me busy until her next release!

A buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing MIRA for an ARC to read and review.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disjointed storytelling plus unlikable characters made for a very meh experience.

Valerie is having memory issues, and since her own mother had early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, she's pretty sure that's what is going on with her. Her adult daughter Kendra is busy with her husband, baby, and attending nursing school, so Valerie invites her adult son Hudson to live with her to help her out. He's had some problems recently so he is in need of a change of scenery. Then someone in their neighborhood is murdered, and Valerie remembers another death in the past. Could Hudson possibly be involved?

I had so many issues during my reading of this book. The storylines are scattered all over the place, and some things are brought up and then abandoned, never to be seen again. Valerie was a terrible mother when her kids were growing up, and I didn't really care one bit about her, even though she was the one we are supposed to root for. She takes risks and does things that no one would do, and then she covers things up until it's impossible for her to do so anymore.

About 80% into the book the narrative jarringly switches from Valerie's first person perspective to someone else's and it took a while to figure out who was narrating at that point. It happens a couple of other times as well. The book also goes between past and present without any sort of indication that this is happening so it's a matter of playing catch-up every time to try to get back into the flow of the story.

This could have been a decent novel if the random switches in time and narrator were fixed, but for me it was just too disjointed to get into the flow of the story and appreciate the twists as they are revealed.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked A Mother Would Know.

Valerie is distressed about her memory. Her mother had Alzheimer's and she saw what the disease did to her. She'd rather not find out. Valerie's daughter, Kendra worries about her health and living alone but Valerie doesn't want to leave her home. So instead when her son needs a place to crash, she is more than happy for him to stay with her. Yet, the neighborhood disagrees. You see, years prior the next-door neighbor's daughter's death was associated with Hudson since he was her boyfriend.

Valerie worries about Hudson. She remembers some incidents when Hudson was growing up that perturbed her and of course, she knows about Helen, the girlfriend that died. Making matters worse, two new deaths occurred in the neighborhood and they have a connection to Hudson. What is she going to do?

I listened to the audio and Vivienne Leheny helped keep things straight between the past and the present. The majority of the book is narrated by Valerie. She is an unreliable narrator due to her memory loss. I felt bad for her. She was in an impossible position. Do you believe your son is a killer or are you a terrible mother for thinking it?

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by MIRA via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Valerie Jacobs begins to have troubling problems with her memory, she recognizes the symptoms. Her own mother, after all, had suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s. And she’s not the only one to see the signs. Her daughter Kendra has noticed and is concerned about Valerie living alone in her historic Victorian home. After her pleas to move in with Kendra and her young family fall on deaf ears, Valerie agrees to ask her son Hudson to move in. But, when he arrives, her daydreams of what their reunion would be like are far from reality. Hudson instead is aloof and withdrawn as well as spending more time out with his friends than nights in with Valerie.

His reappearance in the neighborhood has not gone unnoticed, either, and he is hardly welcomed back with open arms. Especially from Leslie, the neighbor across the street. She bears a vendetta against Valerie’s son, one that she won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Over the years there has been no forgetting what she believes Hudson is guilty of and she is now far from willing to let anything go.

So, when a young woman is murdered just down the street and it is revealed that Hudson knew her, all suspicion leads to him…despite a definite lack of proof. Valerie vacillates between a certainty that this can’t possibly be a repeat of what happened in the past and wondering whether she’s living across the hall from a killer. And, as much as she doesn’t want to admit it, the questions she is asking herself all point to one thing. That she doesn’t really know who her son is anymore. Is he someone she should love. Or fear?

Interesting premise, but packed full of issues that kept me from enjoying the majority of A Mother Would Know, I found myself struggling with this one. Unfortunate, too, as it had one of the better conclusions that I’ve read in a while. All revolving around an unreliable narrator (Valerie), there is intense focus on dementia, which may make it hard to read if you have any experience with it, but it did create the perfect tapestry to weave in the ultimate twist that comes at the end…the very, very end.

From the start, the structure of the narration was a problem. Constructed out of Valerie’s present, her memories and mental imaginings, as well as some flashbacks thrown in for good measure, nothing was written in a constant manner. Heck, there were even some random chapters (which are ultimately important) that centered around some unknown individual. Altogether they made for a convoluted and hard to track plot that even made the twists (which were excellent albeit guessable) hard to see. In the end, it’s mostly down to the editing, which certainly could have been better.

It was the ending though that rescued this book in my opinion. With several stunning twists (mind you there weren’t really any to speak of until the last 75 pages), I was left flipping pages as fast as possible to see if my guesses were correct. And I was pleasantly surprised when the very end provided one surprise I definitely didn’t foresee as well as wrapping up the book pleasantly.

As I began putting together my thoughts on this book, however, I found myself going back and forth on whether I recommend reading it. A big part of that is probably because it felt as if the first two thirds and the last are from two separate books. Not the plot so much, but quality of the writing, editing, and focus. Ultimately, I definitely do recommend it, but only if you’re prepared for one doozy of a slow burn thriller told in a mildly disjointed way. Because, all said and done, I liked this book by new-to-me author, Amber Garza. So definitely give this one a shot if what I’ve said doesn’t deter you (which I hope it doesn’t). Rating of 3 stars.

Trigger warning: dementia, alcoholism, infidelity, gaslighting

**And a trigger warning side note: the dog does not get hurt (did you know there’s a website where you can search for that and other trigger warnings named, quite appropriately, Does the Dog Die?)

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I find myself encouraging authors to commit to using the K.I.S.S. approach when it comes to their storytelling . . . .



No, not that one. The Keep It Simple (for Stupids like me) method. A Mother Would Know had the page turnability factor already going for it with the dead neighbor, the secret regarding another neighborhood girl from the past, the son who potentially could be linked to both and the house on the cover . . . .



I had zero clue if the goings on were coincidental, or who really was the culprit. Buuuuuuut when you have not only the whodunit, but also the potentially early onset Alzheimer’s and all the talk about being a lead singer in a band (with bonus Ted Talky content regarding public opinion of mothers who don’t follow the June Cleaver mold annnnnnnd the husband annnnnnnnnd the former bandmate), annnnnnnnnnnnd also some other extra narrative about “Andie” thrown in (that eventually does make sense but not until nearly the end so it’s a bit jarring when it interrupts the flow of the rest of the story). Oh, and also there’s maybe a ghost child in the house. I think you might have meant to include this as well, Amber Garza . . . .



All of those additions made what could have maybe been a 4 Star read suffer a bit in the ratings department due to all the muddying of the waters. Luckily the writing was pretty straightforward and the MAIN story moved along at a pace quick enough to keep me interested despite the distractions.

[Kellie O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

How well do you really know your children? When your children argue with each other over what may seem like small things, is it sibling rivalry or something more? How far would you go to protect your children when you really know the truth about a situation but it's easier to believe that your children are telling you the truth?

These are the questions that Valerie must ask herself every day. Valerie has two adult children, Kendra and Hudson. This story takes place in a suburban California small town where everyone knows everything about each other or thinks that they do. A girl is believed to have been murdered 10 years ago and Hudson is the prime suspect, however the police rule it an accident. Which is it? Valerie is living in a beautiful Victorian house believed to be haunted. She is beginning to forget things and has days where she completely blacks out. Her Mother had the same thing and she's afraid that she inherited her forgetfulness from her Mother or could it be something else?

Her children are taking care of her and all of a sudden things start turning worse. In a matter of days two women are murdered in their homes in the same neighborhood. Both die of the same thing. Ok, what is going on here? The neighbors think that it's Hudson but is it really? There's a lot of other suspects. Hmmm.🤔

If you enjoy a good thrilling mystery with many twists and turns that keeps you turning the pages and guessing until the end, you'll enjoy this book! I really did! Just a quick note, this book was very clean until 87% through and then the bad language appeared. Thankfully it wasn't too much and I was able to finish it. It's well written and very suspenseful. It had me on the edge of my seat! Highly recommend.

Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fast paced with a ton of twists and turns. It centers of Valerie, who invites her grown son to move in with her after she starts having memory loss. Her son, Hudson, was under a cloud of suspicion years ago when his girlfriend died but Valerie was convinced of his innocence even though it cost her some friendships.

The book is told primarily from Valerie’s POV and also contains some flashbacks to an earlier time when she made decisions she now questions. The author creates some great scenarios that made me question who was really telling the truth. The book ends with a twist upon another twist, which made it a fun read.

On the other side, I couldn’t figure out the reasons why some characters made the decisions they made and wish I could’ve gotten a better look into that. Also, Valerie made monumentally stupid decisions and I had trouble suspending my disbelief that anyone would not only do these things, but not be caught doing them.

Overall, I liked the twists and turns and the fact that there were some true surprises, but struggled a bit with the motivations and some of the actions the characters performed. Worth a read but not my favorite book ever- I’d give it 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Danielle B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie is currently suffering with memory issues and asks her son, Hudson, to move back in to help her. Valerie's daughter Kendra is married and has a young son that Valerie often helps with. After Hudson moves back in, there are two deaths in the neighborhood. When he was younger he was accused of killing his former girlfriend, but was never convicted. Did Hudson commit these crimes or was it someone else? A mother would know, right??

I really enjoyed this story, the creepy house where Valerie lived and it's history. I also enjoyed how the story would detail Valerie's life in the past and present, which I thought kept the story interesting. I do recommend this book to my friends, as it is an entertaining, twisty read. This was the second novel I have read by Amber Garza and I really like her style! I will be reading more of her books in the future!

4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

I really liked the premise here, a mother wonders if her son could possibly be a killer, could you even imagine? 😮 A parent always wants to take the side of their child but what if their side is the wrong side? What if they are capable of violence? Such interesting questions and I definitely felt compassion for Valerie as she struggled with this as well as her own memory issues. I found this to be a slow burn, there ended up being some pretty decent twists but the path to get there took quite a while for me. I think the authors previous books have been more my speed, more pacey and bingeable for sure. Overall this was enjoyable enough for me just not my fave of hers.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are more connected than ever before. Many children have access to tablets and smartphones before they learn to walk and talk. This begs the question: Are we being misled by a false sense of connection to our kids? Do we really know them? Ever?

Valerie Jacobs asks herself the same questions and starts to query everything she thought she knew about her son, Hudson, when a neighbour is found dead. Could he have done it? Is her lack of parenting coming back to haunt her? You’ll love this chilling read about a mother who is forced to unravel a web of imperfect, twisted relationships within her own family in an attempt to see if A MOTHER WOULD KNOW if her son was a monster.

This is an eerie read, perfect for a spooktacular Fall evening! The setting of a haunted house in Sacramento, California, a lonely widowed mother who’s suffering quietly and alone with Alzheimer's, a dog who barks at invisible people, an insolent, moody, drifter son who suddenly returns home, and Amber Garza’s superb writing skills made this a hair raising read.

Garza explores what happens when our past comes back to revisit. She highlights sibling tension and careless parenting in conjunction with past mistakes and regrets to produce a thought-provoking thriller. Oh, the twists! I love her complex characters and her dedication to examining them; what feeds their monster within and what starves it, what haunts them and what do they haunt? She’ll have you jumpy and as you turn the last page, perhaps you’ll be like me, not so afraid of ghosts anymore…but of people!

So, did he do it? You’ll have to read to find out.

I was gifted this copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 for me… enjoyed most of it. Some of the POV shifts were odd. I both listened and read this one which may have confused me more.

An interesting story where I thought I had it figured out early… but gong… no.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. Valerie nursed her mother after she had early onset dementia, and now that she is forgetting things, she fears the worst. Her son has just broken up with his girlfriends and has nowhere to go, so Valerie invites him to move in. Not only does this help him, but gives Valerie some support as well. Her daughter is angry that he has moved in after several years of being estranged. Hudson is not happy to be there and is often gone, moody and when he is home, he stays in his room. Years earlier, his girlfriend and neighbour died in an accident, but Hudson was suspected in causing it. Since then, the girl's mother has not spoken to Valerie and several neighbours have taken sides. When a young woman in the neighbourhood is found dead in her home, Hudson becomes a suspect. Valerie tries to find evidence to support her son, but she begins to think that maybe she has been wrong thinking her son is an innocent man. Meanwhile, there seem to be questions about her health as well. What is going on in this home?

A Mother Would Know is an enjoyable thriller that has several twists and raised a lot of questions in my mind. The book is told primarily from Valerie’s POV and also contains some flashbacks to an earlier time when she made decisions she now questions. There seems to be some issues between her children when they were younger and questions about her now deceased husband. How has this come back to haunt her in the present? Amber Garza created some great scenarios that made me question who was really telling the truth. Is Valerie an unreliable narrator? As the story unfolds, I found myself nodding as with some Aha moments. One thing that had me dropping a star were some of the actions and decisions that Valerie makes. Yes, a mother will do what she needs to do to protect her children, but these things were really unbelievable. As the twists continued, I found my mind reeling and I had a hard time keeping a few things straight. I finally just sat back and let it all unwind. Overall, I enjoyed this story, but I had a few issues with it. I did a read/listen with Vivienne Leheny narrating the audiobook. I have listened to her performances before and I do enjoy her work. She gave the characters voice and added to my enjoyment of the story. If you enjoy a domestic/psychological thriller and can suspend belief, then I am confident you will enjoy this book.

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully twisty thriller that asks, "Do we ever really know our children?" When Valerie begins forgetting things, just like her mother did, her adult son moves in with her to help her out. But soon after he arrives, a young women who lives in the neighborhood is found murdered. And suspicion immediately falls on him. A slow, satisfying burn that's beguiling and utterly compelling!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

AHH! I kept thinking I had this figured out and it threw me for a loop every time! It was a really good mystery without being super stressful, which I sometimes shy away from in the cold winter months. It was a great listen for after Christmas, when I was packing up the holiday decor. It was easy to follow and twisty. Garza writes female main characters that are kind of delusional sometimes, but she really nailed this one and the cover is gorgeous.

This time you can judge a book by its cover!

[Zizi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't necessarily bad but it wasn't amazing. 3.75

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

How will your adult son coming home to live with you at your request work out?

Valerie’s husband passed away a few years ago, and she is now suffering with memory loss.

She hopes having her son with her will give her some peace of mind, but the opposite happens.

Her son Hudson isn’t the best person to have around. He has a history in the town. He was accused of murdering his girlfriend.

The murdered girl’s mother lives next door and hasn’t forgotten about Hudson especially since he was found not guilty of the crime.

What is going to happen now that Hudson is back home? 

Plenty...including one girl and then another murdered.

We keep getting a hint about something that Valerie did in the past, and she does things in the present that are a bit unbelievable.

Which character is hiding things? I was thinking all of them.

A MOTHER WOULD KNOW has no likable characters in it, and the story line is very confusing.

One minute it’s in the present day and in almost the next sentence it’s in the past, and it takes a minute to figure out where you are in time.

Even though there are some surprises and a great ending, I was a bit disappointed because the book was all over the place, and I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Garza. 3/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Burn That Becomes Twistier And With More Crossings Than A Mountain Road Between A Railroad Track And A River. Let's get the elephant out of the room up front: Through around the 2/3 or so mark of this 300+ page book - so for roughly the first couple hundred pages - this book is *slow*. So slow that it does in fact struggle to keep the attention at times. But then, Great Gatsby was *so much worse* in that regard and is regarded as one of the greatest books in American literature. This particular book will never be in *that* conversation, but like Gatsby it does have the moment where suddenly, it begins getting *so much better* and actually becomes a truly solid book by the end. Indeed, that back third - that last hundred pages or so- really is going to remind you of driving down a 2 lane mountain road between train tracks and a stream - there are so very many twists and crossings that it can get rather dizzying trying to keep track of who is crossing who and for what reason now. And yet it is this aspect of the book that is executed *so* well and almost *had* to have the slow buildup it got. Some of the stuff here is utterly horrific, others of it more simply extremely creepy, and in the end you will be left breathless. Very much recommended.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read for 2023 and it was a good one! I enjoy a thriller that keeps me guessing. I like reading a book slowly looking for clues and trying to solve the mystery before the ending is revealed. Unlike some books I have read, the clues were easy to pick up on in this story. However, the author did an excellent job of weaving these clues in without making it easy for you to guess the final outcome. As a matter of fact, I did not see the final conclusion until the last page and there was no loose ends for me.

Although I really enjoyed this thriller and will definitely read this author again, I had to go with four stars for two reasons. I have read lots of thrillers, my genre of choice, and the evidence that the MC uncovered found at crime scenes - should not have been left behind by detectives. Also, within chapters, there were too many flashbacks in the middle of what was currently happening. I would have liked to see shorter chapters - where each chapter focused on the present or a flashback, but not all of a sudden going from one to another.

Again, a good read and I do look forward to reading this author again.

[Jessica Paige (Exercise_Read_Repeat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I did not expect where this story was going at all!

Synopsis: Valerie is suffering from memory lapses and fears it's due to early-onset Alzheimers like her mother had. Needing help, she asks her son Hudson, who fled town right after high school, to help her out at home. At first, Valerie is determined to repair their relationship. However, shortly after Hudson's arrival a local woman is found murdered and she begins to question everything she knows about her son.

Overall, this was a fast-paced and twisty psychological thriller that did the unreliable narrator trope well. I liked how the author highlighted how sibling tension, careless parenting and childhood mistakes can impact the present and dived into that internal dilemma of what to do when you think someone you loved did something wrong. The one negative is that there were a ton of sudden shifts in the POVs and timelines without a font change or chapter break. This got confusing and had me rereading often. If you typically listen to audiobooks, this is one where I'd say skip the listen and read.

Pub date : 12/13

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this was nicely twisty.

While I didn’t really love our characters (or the reasons why certain things happen), I was definitely surprised by the who of this one! The author had me going in so many circles that I was completely flabbergasted by the end result!

This is a quick read that definitely kept my attention. And I’m always happy when an author does something unexpected.

Would happily read the author in the future!

• ARC via publisher

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: dementia, death of parent, child trauma, anxiety, toxic parent relationship, murder, toxic relationships, alcoholism, murder, cheating

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Valerie has been forgetting things. Her daughter worries about her being on her own in her big Victorian house—one rumored to be haunted after a tragedy decades earlier—and truth be told, she is a little lonely. With few options, she asks her adult son to move home, but it’s not quite the reunion she hoped for. Hudson is taciturn, moody and frequently gone.The neighbors already hold a grudge against Hudson, and they aren’t happy about his return. When a young woman is found murdered a block away, suspicion falls on him immediately, without a shred of evidence. While Valerie fights to defend her son, she begins to wonder who she really invited into her home.It’s a horrible thing for a mother to even think…but is it possible she’s enabled a monster? A monster she is living with, alone?
Release Date: December 13th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐⭐

What I Liked:
1. Sounded like a great thriller
2. A creepy possibly haunted house
3. The writing style was good and flowed

What I Didn't Like:
1. What happened to the haunted house vibes
2. One of the most predictable books I've read

Overall Thoughts:
I thought this book started off so good. I was invested in Valerie's life and her failing memory plus add in a haunted house - YES! Sadly what I got in return was this mediocre thriller where there was zero supernatural elements other than Valerie saying there was a ghost in the house that no one else ever saw or heard.

The author tried to do something I guess different when she had the daughter be the one that poisoned the mother I guess because she was mad at her for cheating on her father. It just felt so odd that that's how she would do it and the amount of time she waited to get revenge.

The son was also apart of it all. He killed women because he was a man that felt like all women owned him something.

Final Thoughts:
Just okay. I gave it two stars because I thought the writing really was good. The characters were all unlikable and annoying though.

Recommend For:
• Family drama stories
• Books about musicians
• Fast reads

IG | Blog

[Krista crone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slow burning psychological thriller had an incredible twisty ending. I enjoyed several of the twists and every time that I thought I had it all figured out, I got it all wrong. While overall I enjoyed this audiobook, I struggled with the shifts of timelines and POV as it was not always clear and then I was left wondering and confused.
I had high hopes for this book after reading and loving When I Was You, but this book just did not live up to my expectations.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars on Goodreads.

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mother Would Know touches upon a question I’m sure most parents have asked themselves at least once: how well do we know our children? And it does it in the form of a twisty convoluted story of family lies and tension that will have one woman doubting her own sanity.

Valerie fears the memory issues she’s been having are signs of the early onset Alzheimer that took her mother’s life. Feeling lonely, she invites her son Hudson to come stay with her but, soon after his arrival, a woman is murdered in the neighborhood. His past involvement with another death when he was a teen and the neighbors’ accusations will make Valerie wonder…could he have done it?

A Mother Would Know was a hugely entertaining read, one of those where you think you have everything figured out for you to be proven wrong a few pages later, with several shocking twists that were absolutely perfect! I’ve now read Amber Garza’s three books and she has fooled me every singe time.

The suburban setting was fantastic. The apparently peaceful neighborhood turned much darker once we learn about Valerie’s house tragic past and the murder takes place. The ghostly tales about the house gave it a nice creepy vibe, even though they ended up having not much of an impact into the story.

The reader can really feel for Valerie and her situation. It must be terrifying to realize you’re starting to lose your memories, everything that makes you who you are. If you add her flailing memory and her doubts and insecurities about her and Hudson, the neighborhood gossip and all the talk about her back about her son, and the guilt she feels about having prioritized her music career over their children needs when they were young, you have the perfect mix for her to become a pretty complex unreliable narrator.

The plot moves at a really nice pace, not allowing for a single boring moment. It deals with some other interesting topics such as sibling rivalry and regret over past mistakes, and how those could come back to haunt you years later.

All those doubtful memories and misleading led to a really enjoyable resolution in which all that double bluff will keep you on the edge of your seat, making the ending one to remember.

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kealey Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I saw Amber Garza’s name and this STUNNING cover, I knew I needed to drop everything I was doing to binge-read her latest novel.

Valerie has been forgetting things, and living in an old Victorian house with a rumored haunted past soiled with tragedy, her daughter worries about her being on her own. Feeling lonely, she asks her adult son to move home. When a local woman is found murdered, Valerie begins questioning everything she knows about Hudson.

Has Valerie enabled a monster? Is a monster now living in her home?

This book is fast-paced, and I loved the originality throughout. Garza expertly intertwines tragedy from the past and present to tell a story that I did not see coming!

What’s the meaning of an auto-buy author? For me, it means that if I know this person is coming out with a new book - and I manage to get my hands on it - I will drop just about ANYTHING to read it right then and there! Garza is just that for me, and I loved this one. This one pubs on December 13th and is going to be a perfect fall/winter read (You may want to leave on the lights).

Thank you HTP Books/MIRA and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza is a fast-paced read that virtually propelled me through the pages.

Valerie is living alone in a large Victorian home and suspects that she might be in the early stages of Alzheimer's as her memory is not what it was. When her adult son Hudson moves in with her it is a relief to have some company, though Hudson is frequently out and generally distant and moody. When a woman is found dead in the neighbourhood, coinciding with Hudson's return, Valerie wonders just how well she ever really knew her son.

This one will have you flying through the pages with its tantalizing balance of tension and twists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC.

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book built such a sense of foreboding that I really enjoyed. I didn't find it overly unpredictable although I didn't entirely work it out and I loved how it ended! I really enjoy when books surprise me!

It was a fairly quick read but sometimes I struggled to read more than a chapter or two in a sitting as it didn't always completely grab me. The writing was well done and there were plenty of breadcrumbs and red herrings to follow.

I liked that Garza tried to keep us guessing and I was never really sure who to trust. I also liked that there were multiple points of view and some various timelines which added to the suspense.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this one and I would recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝."~𝐍.𝐊. 𝐉𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧

With Alzheimer's running in her family, Valerie is concerned when her memory starts to fail her. She lives alone in a big Victorian house that she always thought was comfortably haunted by the ghost of the little girl who lived there before. The truth is, it's haunted in a different way. In another life Valerie was part of a successful band and spent many nights away from home, leaving her husband and two children to fend for themselves. After her bandmate and lover Mac died and her neighbor's teen daughter died in a suspicious accident, Valerie finds herself alienated. She is blamed for Mac's death, and her son Hudson is blamed for teen girl's death.

After sleeping on various couches and going months without a working phone, Hudson returns home to care for his fragile mother. Soon after his arrival, the still-grieving neighbor makes it clear his presence isn't wanted; then a girl with ties to Hudson is found dead. Worse still, more death will follow.

Is Valerie altering the past to make Hudson seem not responsible for all that he's being blamed for, or is the truth far worse than what she will let herself believe?

Memory is always a funny thing, especially when our children are involved. I can't say I was surprised with the direction the story took, but its execution was well done. Valerie was an easy character to sympathize with, and I thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me early access to this title that publishes December 13, 2022.

[Bee ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8⭐️; Paperback; Thriller;

“You were next to the vase.”
This line left me reeling! Silly I know, but this is the moment when everything began to fall into place.

Recently, retired rock star Val, has been having issues with her health, mainly her memory. Which prompts her adult son, Hudson, to move back in with her. However, her daughter Kendra and the neighbors aren’t too pleased with the arrangement, as Hudson was once accused of murdering the girl across the street. Kendras always known Hudson was a bad seed, but Val has never believed that narrative, a mother would know if her son was a murderer...

But things start to take a dark turn when a new neighbor is found strangled in her home.
Val’s memory is spotty, and her lapses becoming more frequent… leaving her to question what she is not remembering…

I had a pretty good grasp early on about how things would play out, but I was still in for a few surprises!

A true family thriller chalked full of sibling rivalry and childhood resentment!