This book is very creepy and also claustrophobic
It made me feel so uncomfortable
The ending was phenomenal

Wow, what an amazing creepy read, I absolutely loved this book, I read it within a day as I literally couldn't out my kindle down!!

This book blew me away. I was really pleasantly surprised by this one, as I was not expecting to love it!

Mirabelle was an excellent narrator. I adored her perspective, the fear, anxiety and frenzy she felt at times was palpable. I really felt her emotions and the unpredictability of Mother was clear throughout.

I loved the references to other books - A Little Princess was one of my favourites growing up and having these books feature throughout was excellent.

I’ve already recommended this to other people and I’m gutted it to me so long to read it!

What a fab read! Thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful, dark and thrilling book. Had me hooked from the first page and I couldn't put it down.

Highly recommended and definitely deserves the 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley.

Wow talk about creepy thrillers! This was a harrowing read. It starts sweetly with a young girl being tended to by her doting mother, and then it takes a sinister turn when you don't know who to believe anymore. The mother and her beliefs, the girl or the replacement doll. I can't wait for another read by this author. Highly recommended.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVE books with bat-sh*t crazy women and boy oh boy Mother Loves Me has one completely mad, bad and bonkers bat-sh*t crazy character.

Meet MOTHER – every morning she puts her daughter Mirabelle in a pretty frilly dolls dress, covers her face in make-up and turns her from a 13 year old girl to a living doll.

Mirabelle knows that Mother loves her but as she grows up and is no longer the cute little girl Mother starts to lose interest and on her 13th birthday Mother brings home a new sister. 5 year old Clarabelle who Mother has rescued from her bad father – except Clarabelle doesn’t seem too happy about being rescued!

Soon Mirabelle begins to question everything she has been told and starts to look for answers about Mother’s behaviour and whether anything she’s been told is true.

This is one CREEPY and GRIPPING story that I couldn’t put down. If you like psychological thrillers that are dark then you will definitely LOVE this book.

Exciting read. A book that keeps you on the edge of the chair. Waiting to see what’s coming next. It had me hooked right from the beginning. Thrilling is an understatement. Your wishing the book away to see what happens next. Very well written.

One little girl.
Mirabelle’s mother loves her. She’s her ‘little doll’. Mother dresses her, paints her face, and plaits her hair. But as Mirabelle grows, the dresses no longer fit quite as well, the face paint no longer looks quite so pretty. And Mother isn’t happy.
Two little girls.
On Mirabelle’s 13th birthday, Mother arrives home with a present – a new sister, 5-year-old Clarabelle, who Mother has rescued from the outside world.
But Mother only needs one.
As it dawns on Mirabelle that there is a new ‘little doll’ in her house, she also realises that her life isn’t what she thought it was. And that dolls often end up on the scrap heap…

Thank you to the publisher and the tour organiser for inviting me to be part of this tour.

This book seriously. Wow, it was seriously creepy.
I have seen so many good reviews for this book and I did go into this book wondering if it was over hyped. The short answer is no. The author and the book deserve all the hype that they are getting.
The book grabbed my attention from the first chapters. To say I was sat on the edge of my seat reading this was an understatement. Without spoiling the book, I had so much hope when Patrick turned up and then to have it all taken away.
I did guess the twist at the end, but I equally couldn’t believe it.
To be in this author’s mind!
I cant wait to read The Cult in October.
Anyone who loves a psychological thriller, this is a book for you.

Mother Loves Me’ or so Mirabelle thinks. She’s Mother’s ‘Little Doll’ to be dressed up and made to look pretty every day despite being trapped within her cottage and never seeing the light of day.

Mother brings home 5 year old Clarabelle on her 13th birthday and things change very quickly leaving Mirabelle concerned that she’s being replaced and soon discovering things that she wished she hadn’t...


I was gripped by this book from the very start and found it difficult to put down. There’s constant action throughout this twisted tale and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Oh my giddy aunt!! What a book! I have just put this down and my heart is still pounding out of my chest. I was starting to think thrillers didn't do it for me so much any more, but this one certainly hit the mark. Creepy, at times downright terrifying. Gripped from the very first page. Fantastic!

What a creepy, tense and gripping debut book. Totally unpredictable, with scenes of abuse, both mentally and physically, which are quite disturbing and which makes difficult reading at times. Saying that it’s a book that will have you hooked and you will not be able to put it down. The story is told from the perspective of Mirabelle, a thirteen year old girl who, we discover, was kidnapped as a three year old and kept captive by her ‘mother’ who abuses her and dresses her like a doll. One day her mother turns up with a five year old girl, who she calls Clarabelle and says she is her new doll and Mirabelle’s new sister who she has rescued her from abusive parents. Mirabelle becomes suspicious so she starts to plot their escape as she fears for her life as mother only wants one doll. I think this is one of the creepiest books I have read, a haunting and horrific read with so many twists and turns. I can’t wait for the next book from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a really solid debut thriller, with a good dose of horror meandering through the narrative. I really enjoyed reading this and was kept in the edge of my seat, unable to guess how things would progress.

The setting is vividly described and I felt transported to the world Davies created. There’s some genuinely unsettling moments and Mother is a truly scary character!

A very well paced, twisted tale - Davies is an author to watch out for.

A gripping read! Highly recommend for fans of Shari Lapena and other authors of mystery/crime/thriller. An absolute must read

This book started off so well and dragged me into it's creepy home with Mother and Mirabelle, and the later addition of Clarabelle. The atmosphere, tension and unpleasantness of their lifestyle came through the book perfectly and I was well and truly hooked.

However, halfway through the book it stopped being thrilling and started being unrealistic and unbelievable, and I struggled to connect with what was happening. It made me annoyed that it started so well, and then crossed a line into ridiculous. The ending was rushed and silly too.

2.5* for the first half of the book, nothing for the second half, sorry.

Mirabelle is not like other children. She’s dressed and made up to look like a doll - and must do as Mother says as Mother knows best... or does she??

Now that wasn’t what I was expecting!

Mother loves me is like watching a horror movie where the baddie just doesn’t give up.

Set in the late 70’s I loved the description of the psychedelic clothes and wallpaper and could imagine how difficult it was for Mirabelle to do anything without the mod cons we are used to today - even the fact there was no phone!

It kept me guessing all the way though as I was never quite sure what was going to happen or what the outcome would be.

It was quite dramatic in places with the added bit of gore and horror too.

A really chilling tale any an excellent debut by Abby Davies. I really hope she’s got more novels in her as I loved this one and can’t wait for her next.

This is a creepy read. I found it a slow starter but once I was in I was hooked. This is a well written debut novel and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT HAVE I JUST READ ? I am going to be having proper nightmares for sure. What a thriller, what a book!

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥. 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 ‘𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥’. 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲

I could not put this down. It was fast-paced, creepy and I just needed to know what was going to happen next !

Mother. My god - what a character. Mother Gothel meets Mary Shaw. Terrifying. Psychotic. But brilliant. And Mirabelle - I was rooting for her from page 1.

The authors writing style was so engaging, the attention to detail was brilliant and the plot was so original, twisted and terrifying. She lured you into a false sense of security and then WHAM. This book gave me goosebumps. Amazing.

A must read.

Thank you to Abby Davies, Harper Collins and Netgalley for my copy of this little gem

Dark and twisty thriller with a shockingly unusual storyline. Part thriller. Part horror. Scary stuff.

I requested this book after hearing so many recommendations for it. When I first started to read I was unsure but after a few chapters I was sucked in. What a gripping creepy story it turned out to be, and brilliant for a debut novel. It would make a great film. Highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Oh wow!!! What a book. Couldn’t put it down.

When Mirabelle celebrates her 13th birthday mother brings her a present another little girl called Clarabella who is only 5. Clarabella tells Mirabelle that her real name is Emma and she wants her mummy. This sparks thoughts in Mirabelle that mother is telling them both lies and goes snooping to find evidence that proves mother is not her mom. She makes a plan for her and Clarabella escape. Can they escape without getting caught.