This was a pretty intense read, but I loved it. I listened on audio and had a hard time stopping it when I went to bed or really any other time. This is my first Joshilyn Jackson, but I'm hooked, especially if she sets everything in Atlanta!

  R E V I E W 

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson

 S U M M A R Y 

Bree Cabbat grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, with a mother who jumped at shadows, but she's always tried to live the brave life. So far, it has handed her everything she could possibly want - a handsome, rich husband; two beautiful daughters; a new, bouncing surprise of a baby boy. But what starts out as a bad dream (a witch in her window) turns into a kidnapping. But the witch doesn't want money - she wants Bree to drug her husband's law partner. But everything is not what it seems, even her husband, and the more she tries to get back her baby, the more things spiral into a very dark place. 

 C H A R A C T E R S 

Bree is very relatable and it's really interesting, especially all her thought processes about being an actor, sometimes even in her day to day life. I think we can all relate to this. I also really love Marshall and his POV. He's such a wholesome sort of guy and I can definitely crush on that. I feel like everyone is very real and fleshed out, even when we don't see them much. I also think that her husband is very much relevant in this age of #metoo and questioning who it is that does some things. 

 P L O T 

I felt like it was pretty fast paced. Not entirely predictable but also not entirely unpredictable, I felt like it had some very relevant commentary without it coming across as too strong. The ending might have been too convenient and yet I really rather liked how it wrapped up, because another way would have been so much more difficult to stomach after everything that went on. 

 N A R R A T I O N 

Joshilyn Jackson narrates her own work, which sometimes I'm skeptical about, but she is an amazing narrator and I really enjoyed it. 

 O V E R A L L 

A fast-paced, domestic sort of thriller that I really enjoyed. I think anyone who likes that kind of read will enjoy this book. It was especially nice to have realistic characters whom I actually liked, especially after my last read had some very unlikeable characters. It would make a really good movie.

A solid thriller with an excellent audio narration by the author, Joshilyn Jackson. I tend to enjoy when authors narrate their own books because they truly understand their character's personality and intentions and are able to effectively convey that in the narration. Joshilyn Jackson absolutely revealed each of her character's personalities through her stellar narration. I was very quickly able to become invested in the story and I found myself very reluctant to pause the audiobook for the various annoying interruptions life throws at one when in the middle of a great book. 

The story centers around Bree Cabbat - mother, wife, former drama major who channels her acting skills to pull her through difficult situations. She finds herself in many such difficult situations when her infant son is kidnapped by what she first believed was a witch lurking around her home but later found out was a very sick elderly woman. The old woman wants Bree to perform a task for her before she will return her baby. When talking with the woman, Bree discovers that she is also a mother who is desperately trying to protect her child. Bree finds herself baring her true self and hoping the connection will be enough to keep her baby safe.  But once she performs the task, things quickly go from bad to worse and Bree finds herself in a somehow even more desperate situation. 

I've read Joshilyn Jackson before and have always enjoyed her books, this one is a bit darker than I was expecting it to be! This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. In her writing and in her narration, she definitely captured the desperation of a mother willing to go to any lengths to save her child. She also created a villain that I felt some degree of compassion for.  I always enjoy thrillers that almost make you root for the villain in some small way. I wasn't necessarily rooting for the woman who took Bree's baby, but I did feel empathy for her. The ending was a bit unexpected. I believed that the story had come to a logical and satisfying conclusion and was surprised that there was still 2 hours left on the audio. The twist at the end was a bit startling but ultimately I still really enjoyed the story. 

Mother May I is an intense story about a mother, Bree, and the lengths she will go to in order to get her son back. The book starts with Bree seeing a witch in her window and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to think 🤷🏻‍♀️ She sees this witch a second time and suddenly her baby is missing! Bree is convinced the witch lady has kidnapped her baby and that’s confirmed when she receives a note instructing her to return home and not call the police or her husband.

I thought the first half of the book flowed really well and I could not wait to see what hoops Bree would have to jump through next. However, I do think the second half dragged just a little bit. The story definitely held my attention and had me second guessing Bree’s decisions to blindly follow her baby’s kidnapper, but who wouldn’t? I needed to know why this woman took the baby and what her grand scheme was. It was definitely fun trying to figure it out! I did not see the final twist coming and that always bodes well for my overall opinion 👍🏼

The audiobook was narrated by Joshilyn Jackson herself and I always love when an author narrates their own book. It just adds something extra to the story through their inflection and pacing. I really enjoyed the audio and the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for my advanced listening copy.  All opinions are my own.  

TW: kidnapping, rape, murder, gun violence