The Stay at Home Mother by Nicole Trope
Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic drama, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 2nd January 2023
Published: 3rd January 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The Stay-at-Home Mother: A completely addictive psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists
Her chest tightens, her heart speeding up. The kitchen is chaos. She steps on something hard, and looks down. Toy dinosaurs are scattered everywhere. But her son is nowhere – her baby boy is gone.
The police arrive. She can’t look at her husband. Instead, she studies the network of lines on her shaking hands.
Then her phone beeps with a voice message. ‘Listen to it on speaker,’ says the detective.
A woman’s voice fills the air.
‘I’m assuming this is the Andrea Gately listed as a contact on the Missing Children of the World website. I’m calling to let you know that I’ve given your details to the police. Why are you using a picture of my son on a missing children’s website? Why are you using it and where did you get it?’
An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that will leave you gasping with shock and staying up way past your bedtime. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and Adele Parks.
MY THOUGHTS:
"Loving mother...Loyal friend...Liar."
Nicole Trope never fails to disappoint and though this one begins a little differently with something of a slow build, it definitely gains momentum and picks up pace as everything slots into place. I could relate to the weather and the constant autumn rain, spring rain, summer rain and back to autumn rain again as in Australia we have just endured that weather system with so much rain and constant flooding that just seems to come back again and again. But maybe this year will be different. But I digress...
Firstly, that prologue. WOW! Throwing the reader right into it that leaves our head spinning with possible scenarios...and then tapering off to where exactly? The story rewinds back some five weeks prior to the events coming to a head with Andrea having moved with her husband Terry and 3 year old son Jack into the damp ridden house that really wasn't fit for living in. But having no choice they were out of options as a kind gesture gave them a roof until they could get back on their feet. Weighed down at eight months pregnant, Andrea could think of better things to be doing rather than unpacking boxes in a house she wished she never had to move to and longed for the friends she had left behind.
Across the road, Gabby watched the new arrivals moving in and pondered what renovations they would soon be undertaking as the house was in dire need of renovating. I mean, why else did they pay such an exorbitant amount for the property if they didn't have plans for it? But that isn't her concern. What captured her attention was the little boy and the tired look on the heavily pregnant mother's face. What she needed was a friend. And Gabby decided that she would be that friend. After all, she needs one too. Dealing with all she had to deal with on a daily basis with her son Flynn that left her in tears, a friend is something she longed for to confide in. Of course, she has her Facebook mother's advice forum she runs but they aren't "real" friends, are they?
So one day Gabby crosses the road and reaches out the tired Andrea and the two women become friends. Jack loves visiting Gabby's house where there are plenty of toys and treats on offer, and he can play to his heart's content while the women talk. Gabby confides about her teenage son Flynn who is rarely home and a husband Richard who is somewhere in the US on business. Andrea doesn't reveal much but Gabby feels that she will in time.
And then Andrea begins to notice the red sedan with the mismatched door driving slowly past the house and she gets a strange feeling. Not again. Who is this person and why are they watching her? She tries to tell Terry but he dismisses it as just a tradie in the neighbourhood needing directions or her imagination. But is it her imagination or has Terry's problem reared its ugly head yet again? Gabby notices the red car parked out the front of their houses too. But she isn't sure if they are watching Andrea's house or hers. What if they are after her? Could they be?
And then when Andrea goes into labour suddenly, she is unable to contact Terry. He's not at work and not answering his mobile. Where the hell is he? But that is only the beginning of her problems when she discovers everything she thought she knew is a lie.
THE STAY AT HOME MOTHER begins as a slow build that may seem off base at first but soon the pieces of the jigsaw come together, with the pace picking up at lightning speed as the reader races through the pages to see how it all ends. There are loads of red herrings and you don't know who or what you can trust. So many questions...what to believe?
The story unfolds through Andrea and Gabby's alternating narratives respectively. And oh how I love an unreliable narrator! But can we trust both women? Andrea's "baby brain" could be playing tricks with her perception and Gabby may or may not be who she claims to be. And then there is Terry. Dodgy much? I couldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Everything that came out of his mouth was a lie, or a deflection which is still a lie anyway. Did he not value his family? His wife is ready to drop their second child, for goodness sake! And she is so obviously exhausted, that the reader can't help but question her narrative at times. But is everything as it seems?
I had so many questions right up and slowly pieced bits together in my mind - some of which were right. I figured out one of the biggest twists very early on but there were more surprises to come. But the biggest of all was that ending. Just brilliant! Did you see it coming?
I love how Trope explored a number of issues, dealing with them sensitively, which I won't list here as it could be deemed a spoiler. But as with all her books she takes topics that are relative to many and weaves her story around them while doing so with sensitivity.
This is my umpteenth book by Nicole Trope and she is one of my favourite authors. I love her style and the fact she is in Sydney too so I can relate to some of what she is writing about - places, the weather, the cost of things etc. I read this book in a day, and as with all her books, it was the perfect afternoon or bedtime read.
I would like to thank #NicoleTrope, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheStayAtHomeMother in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband.
The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.
She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.
She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.
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