The Homemaker by Shari J. Ryan
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Domestic drama, Suspense
Read: 8th July 2023
Published: 12th June 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
I pull back the blanket to take another peek at my beautiful baby boy. My heart flatlines. He isn’t there. “Where is he?” I cry, my whole body trembling. But my husband just shakes his head. “Darling… we don’t have a baby.”
What is he talking about? Stumbling to my feet, I look frantically at the highchair, the playmat in the corner, the sofa. I need to find my little boy.
Limbs like ice, I rush toward the stairs, shouting my son’s name. But my husband grabs my arms and gently reminds me there is no baby here.
I can’t listen. I don’t understand how our child isn’t in our home. I don’t know who could have taken him. I just know I have to find him.
Climbing the stairs two at a time, my hand is already stretching toward the nursery door, but my husband overtakes, blocking my way.
He forces me to face him. I think I can hear the baby mobile over the crib. I can practically smell the newborn smell. But my husband sighs and shakes his head.
He says it again, firmly this time, as a tear tracks down my cheek: “We don’t have a baby.”
I blink rapidly, my breathing ragged. I think he expects me to agree. But I know that my son is real. I can feel his weight in my arms. And I will stop at nothing to get him back…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will have your heart racing. Prepare yourself for jaw-dropping, mind-blowing twists! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
MY THOUGHTS:
Devoted wife..loving mother...trusted neighbour...liar...
My first read by Shari Ryan and wow...I'm impressed. Her name is synonymous with historical fiction centring on the Holocaust so when I saw she had a psychological thriller, one that whetted my appetite, I just knew I had to read it. And I was not disappointed.
What begins as an emotionally-charged tale of Jenna, a woman suffering from post natal psychosis after the birth of her son, readers are thrown headlong into a tumultuous situation and a neighbourhood where the neighbours know a little bit more than maybe they should. Jenna's heartbreak was raw and no one felt it more keenly than she. But how did she end up here? And why?
Jenna and Oliver have moved into the house of their dreams on Sapphire Drive after a private exchange with the previous owner rushed through the sale. They cannot believe their luck. A house in the much sought after neighbourhood they could only dream of living in...up till now. But their house has come with a history they know nothing of. And then Jenna finds a bouquet of flowers in the fridge with a sympathy card attached that stops her in her tracks. How could she find out more about the previous owners without seeming too obvious?
Not long after the new residents moves in, neighbours Ginger and Peyton are quick to introduce themselves and seemingly vy for Jenna's attention. Ginger is an empty nester after the last of her four boys has moved out of home while Peyton is thrilled that someone closer to her age has moved into the street. Jenna and Peyton hit it off immediately with the younger woman confiding in her a secret from her past and how it has affected her. Ginger watches the pair with growing interest whilst hiding her own pain.
Now that they have bought their dream home, what comes next is family and Oliver, a physics professor who is ten years older than his wife, is keen to start as soon as possible. But Jenna is a child-law attorney and wants to focus a little more on her career hoping she'll make partner before upping roots for motherhood.
Until Jenna unexpectedly falls pregnant. And she doesn't realise how much she wants this until now. Oliver is of course delighted and after discussing options, the couple decide on a home birth with a midwife recommended to them by Peyton, despite her mother's advice to the contrary. The pregnancy progresses well and without any cause for concern. Mother and baby are doing well. Until they're not. After a long labour, Jenna gives birth to her baby boy. So what went wrong?
Immediately following the birth, Jenna finds herself understandably exhausted. Only this fatigue doesn't go away. With every passing day, she grow more and more tired and she knows her baby needs her and how can she care for him if she is always sleeping? Surely he must be hungry by now. She asks Oliver to pass her the baby to feed and catches the pain in his eyes. What's wrong? Where's her baby? "There is no baby" Oliver tells her. NO! He's here, she knows he is. She birthed him. She held him. She looked into his beautiful eyes as he blinked at her. He's real. He's definitely real. So where is he?
Struggling to stay awake even for a minute, Jenna fights to uncover the truth. But Oliver, worried for her health and sanity, checks her into a psychiatric centre for treatment. There, Jenna continues to demand to see her baby. And it is there she is hit with the shocking truth. And her whole world shatters.
Oh. My. Gosh. This domestic-slash-psychological thriller is packed full of secrets, lies and deception of a whole other level. Hard to believe that this is a thriller debut for this author. The story was so addictive and filled with all the hallmarks of a stellar thriller - complex characters, unreliable narrators, secrets and lies and everything in between. Added to that it also addressed issues such as mental health, post natal depression and psychosis, pregnancy loss, sexual assault, drugs and coercive control. Added to that, we have neighbourhood friendships that border on toxic and the appalling behaviour of family. I'm sorry, but nothing excuses the way Ginger's four sons treated her or behaved.
The story unfolds through the recent past and the present timelines via narratives from Jenna and Ginger. It is clear from the outset that Ginger has her own issues but her story had me just as intrigued as to its outcome and how it related to the main one involving Jenna. But the author cleverly weaves each thread from each of the characters together to form a bigger clearer tapestry. It wasn't long before I figured out what was actually going on and I was eager to find out if I was right...as indeed I was. But guessing the outcome never ruins the story for me, as the thrill is in the ride and what a ride we are given!
My one complaint seems to be the consensus of many other readers - what was the author trying to say with that ending? I re-read it several times and I still can't quite figure it out. I'm all for a twist in the tail but at least make it a tad clearer because that final line is rather confusing.
Nevertheless, THE HOMEMAKER is a stunning addition to the domestic suspense genre and one I'm sure most of this fanbase would devour as I did. It has all the hallmarks and everything you could want in a thriller.
I would like to thank #ShariJRyan, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHomemaker in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since.
With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon's Top 100, Barnes & Noble's Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and they have two wonderful little boys.
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