The Mother Next Door

by Tara Laskowski

[Quirky Cat]

The Mother Next Door is the latest thriller that I dove into, written by Tara Laskowski. If you're looking for a novel to keep you busy on a fine fall evening, this one might be worth checking out – especially if you're looking for some thrills and chills.

With Halloween right around the corner, one neighborhood is going all out in preparations. Or, more accurately, four influential moms are pushing the rest of the neighborhood to do so. This group of moms is known as the Ivy Five, and they have been missing a fifth member for far too long.

Until now. Only will the Ivy Five get what they want? Or will their dark secrets be put out on display, alongside all of the Halloween decor and party prep? Either way, one this is certain: the Ivy Five is going to change after this Halloween.

"Ladies and gentlemen, skulls and boys: by the time our Halloween block party is over tonight, one of us will be dead..."

Who doesn't love a good, seasonally appropriate read? Personally, once the leaves start changing colors, I can't get enough spook in my life. I want to read it all, from thrillers to horror and everything in between. So when I saw that The Mother Next Door was set during Halloween, I just knew I had to read it.

If you love a book with secrets on top of secrets, you'll probably enjoy The Mother Next Door. There is so much to unravel as far as that is concerned! It took me a while to finally sort out all of the secrets, which allowed me to guess who the killer was.

Unfortunately, I'll confess that I didn't really care for any of the characters in this book. Arguably, that was the point. I never expected to like them, even from the description. But I'll admit that it made it harder to care about the situations they were in. Or even to care about their secrets, to a certain extent.

Overall, I would say that The Mother Next Door is a perfect book for a quick autumn read. It'll keep you captivated for a night but won't distract you from all of the festivities happening around you.

Thanks to Graydon House and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks