Slow moving and I found it difficult connecting to any of the characters. The synopsis is really good but unfortunately The Stepmother doesn’t deliver.

Kate is married to Michael ... and not happily. She's suffered a series of miscarriages and Michael has grown quite and distant. She thinks that maybe he's having an affair. Not even the news that his young 20+ daughter will be staying with them awhile puts a smile on his face. Of course, he hasn't seen her since she was a young child.

Imogen (Immy), Michael's daughter, is beautiful and easy to like. But Imogen, like her father, has secrets ... and Kate is horrified when Imogen shares that secret and makes her swear not to tell anyone.

Kate has secrets, too. When that secret is revealed, it will most certainly be the end of her marriage. What will Michael do when he learns her secret?

I wouldn't call this a psychological thriller .. more like a family drama. Honestly, I didn't like any of the characters .. except for maybe the dog. Lies, secrets, cover-ups ... it's all here. It's fast-paced .. but not particularly suspenseful.

Many thanks to the author / Canelo / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE STEPMOTHER. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Stepmother by Ros Carne is a domestic drama that didn't quite hit the mark for me as the thriller that I had anticipated. While it is, arguably, a solid read, I just did not find myself becoming engaged enough with the overall storyline.

Kate, after suffering several miscarriages, is blindsided when her husband, Michael, reveals that he has a daughter, one he abandoned twenty years ago, and she is coming to stay. Kate is able to form a workable connection with Imogen, but is unprepared for the secrets that her stepdaughter unleashes about Michael. With secrets of her own, can Kate sustain her already unstable marriage while reconciling herself with Michael's past?

This was my first read from Ros Carne, and I am certainly open to exploring more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an ARC.

The Stepmother is the first book by Ros Carne that I have read and I really thought that it was going to be a lot different than what it was. The blurb had me really intrigued and then the prologue had me hooked. I thought that this story was going to have a lot more drama and suspense but it really didn’t.

I didn’t really enjoy any of the characters except for Timba oh man how I loved that dog. Kate and Michael were really flawed characters that totally rubbed me the wrong way. There were several events which made me have issues with Michael and Kate tried to act like she was a good person but as the story progressed you could see how awful she really was.

There were some twists and secrets that I didn’t see coming which I enjoyed. I definitely did not predict that ending whatsoever.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

This is a slow moving book and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. It was choppy throughout and I am asking myself why is it named “The Stepmother”. DNF at 75% so I gave it plenty of time to pick up speed. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kate, 36, is a sculptor and is married to Michael, 48, a lawyer. She is recovering from her third miscarriage and is concerned when the doctor mentions that Michael’s weaker sperm may be a reason for their problem.

Out walking her dog one day, Kate meets a young man who works at the local butcher. Chatting with him, she is interested in the structure of his face and asks him to model for her. Unfortunately, this leads to an affair.

Michael has been married before and is the father of Imogen, now 22. She had moved from Canada to London to take a dance course. However, she had an accident and her mother wants Michael to take her in for a time saying it’s his turn. When she arrives, she and Kate get along, but Kate sees the young woman has some problems. She gets a job at a cafe and then moves in with someone.

Kate and Michael have their ups and downs but there is more pressure between them. Kate is hiding the secret of her affair and Michael is worried about something he is keeping close to himself. Is there trouble ahead for their marriage?

Oh my. I absolutely did not like nor respect Kate. It wasn’t just her affair but her selfishness of demanding the perfect workshop for her to work in clay. That was when she felt herself. Well, I guess if we all had a huge home, housekeeper, and a husband supplying what money we want, we would certainly be content. Michael wasn’t a perfect guy either, so it’s really a good thing they didn’t have children. OK. I’m giving away too many spoilers, but these characters were awful. The poor dog nearly made me stop reading the book in disgust. I did not care for this book at all. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Stepmother is more a domestic thriller than one that pinpoints at psychological. It tells a story of Kate, a woman who is suffering after the loss of multiple babies. The miscarriages are draining her, and the only thing that really has her focus is her work, sculpting. The prologue opens with a shock – someone being lowered into a makeshift grave. It had me intrigued especially as the narrative leads you to believe that the person being put into a grave is who is deeply loved. What is the story behind it? It’s a great opener and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

I’ve been mulling over just how I would review The Stepmother. It had a great premise, and it is just the kind of book that I enjoy time and time again. The cover is instantly eye catching and I loved the premise of a stepmother meeting her husbands’ child and the secrets that would span from that thread, but it unfortunately fell slightly flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was itself was excellent and I did read the novel very quickly it was more the plot and characterization that I struggled with.

The story of The Stepmother is one about Kate and Michael. There is an obvious age gap between them, but Kate has never let that bother her. She has enjoyed being in a relationship with someone that is already established and with a good career. The obvious next step for them was to have a baby but for reasons unknown Kate and Michael have suffered miscarriages. Its obviously had an impact on their relationship but even so, Michael is a very distant and emotionally unavailable character. He is a barrister and often stays in Bristol for work, in the flat that they own.

Things start to go awry when Kate meets Steve, a butcher in town. He’s a dog lover like her. There is an instant appreciation for his looks. She’s a sculptor and has this indescribable urge to sculpt his head. She convinces him to sit for her. Then Imogen turns up, Michael’s daughter from a previous relationship. She is obviously messed up but just why is she that way? What has happened? Stepmother and stepdaughter quickly get along with each other and develop a bond, when a secret is revealed about her husband, she is left dazed and blindsided.

The Stepmother is more about the story of one woman’s actions and how that spirals into a catastrophic mess. It’s the domino effect, one she takes one course of action it affects everyone around her. I did think the synopsis was a bit misleading, the secret is a minor subplot and wasn’t really what the story was about. Its one of those stories that I wanted to love more than I did.

The title appealed to me at first so I was excited to read this book. But unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations.

Kate is a sculptor and she was having a not so happy married life with a man named Michael, who is a solicitor. So when while she was walking her dog Timba, she meets Steve and asks him to model for her. And what should have been job just turned to a steamy love affair between the two. Then Michael's daughter Immy comes to stay with them.

This was OK in the beginning but then towards the end, it got a bit boring and I simply finished the book because I have to. Was not fast paced, kind of all direct and and not much unexpected twists and turns you would normally expect from a thriller. The characters are not very likable in my opinion except for the dog.

Overall, it was not a good thriller--I think 2.5 stars would do.

This sounded like a great book,it wasn’t bad but for me didn’t have that extra something that is needed in a book market overflowing with titles like this,the writing was good and although not overly keen on the characters, more of a drama than a psychological thriller tbh

This is a mixed review, I found the story line a little slow - but it was well written and I did not guess what the outcome would be.I found the characters believable but did not feel I was that bothered about them to enjoy it more.

This book was not overly enjoyable. The synopsis sounded good, but I felt like the plot and writing didn't flow and there were pieces that just seemed to added randomly. Add that to the fact that I didn't really like any of the characters and this was one I can't recommend.

I was excited to read this book after the description. However, this book just fell apart for me. I just did not like any of the characters, and they actually annoyed me. The ending was a struggle to get to, and when I got there, it just fell flat. I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this title.

On the outside, Kate and Michael live a very pleasant and comfortable life. Michael is a barrister, which allows Kate the freedom to be a potter even though her art does not bring her enough money to support herself. They have been unable to have children, but other than that they seem to live a very pleasant life.

Then Michael says that his daughter Imogen is coming to stay with them... and from that moment on, nobody's secrets are safe...

More of a tense family drama than a domestic thriller, I felt the story took a very different path to that which I was expecting. I quite enjoyed reading it, although it was one of those frustrating ones where characters seem determined to do the wrong thing, even when there seems a much more logical course of action to resolve their situation.

With thanks to Netgalley for an advance reader copy of this novel.

Ros Carne, The Stepmother, Canelo, United Kingdom, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this copy for review.

The short prologue is gripping: two women bury a body, not in anger, but with love. The novel is then divided into three parts, two months earlier, with Kate as the main protagonist and the solution to the mystery of the body; part 2, where Michael’s story is central; and part 3, a year later, where some features of the main characters’ relationship are solved with the rules around Covid 19.

Kate and Michael are a married couple, living a well-heeled existence in their beautifully renovated farmhouse. Their world has been dislocated by several miscarriages. Adding to the stress is the arrival of Michael’s daughter from his first marriage, Immy, and the appearance in their lives of dog walker and local butcher, Steve. Michael is a lawyer, much older than Kate, and seemingly dispassionate about her emotional needs. Kate conducts art classes and sculpts, well, but without remarkable artistic merit. Initially she sees Steve as an exciting subject for sculpting. Immy is a beautiful young woman finding her emotional and financial feet. She also becomes a subject for Kate’s work.

All the characters are flawed, a cautiously kind description for Kate, Michael, and Steve whose personalities dominate the novel. I kept trying to come to grips with the depiction of Kate, who seems to have no redeeming features. She is greedy, taking what she wants with little feeling for those who might be impacted. This might be associated with the way in which she views people as possible subjects rather than beings with their own needs. Her marriage seems to be dispensable in many ways, although she is dependent on its financial benefits. She is accustomed to being considered beautiful and desirable and is surprised when thwarted in that belief. At the same time, Michael also has less obvious, but nonetheless egregious flaws. Steve’s unpleasantness is more prosaic, but he and his wife Tamsin are also negative creations.

I found it difficult to get past the unpleasant characters. However, for those who can do so, or indeed have sympathy with those with whom I have found fault, I note some positive aspects of the novel. The tension is palpable from prologue to denouement – whose body is being buried? Who, of a large cast, with various permutations, are the women involved? Is there an unlikely pairing evolving from the range of complex responses and feelings Carne sets out? The organisation of the material adds to the tension, with Kate’s and Michael’s stories of their marriage and surrounding events underscoring their different perspectives. The tidy resolution to the problems around Kate’s and Michael’s marriage and the attendant challenges it poses for secondary characters is unremarkable but satisfying. I really liked the irony in part three where Crane uses Covid rules with style.

This book was filled with dysfunctional relationships, which would be fine except for the fact that I feel like I didn’t truly to get to know the majority of the characters (aside from Kate, but I still had many questions) and couldn’t understand why they were making half the decisions that they did throughout the book.

The plot wasn’t bad, but I felt like it took until halfway in for things to get interesting. I didn’t like the situations the characters got themselves into, and as stated above couldn’t understand why they got themselves into the situation. The ending seemed abrupt and left a lot out on the table.

Thank you to Ros Carne, Canelo and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stats rounde up to 3

After a series of heartbreaking miscarriages, kate's marriage is habging on by a thread. When her husband Michael tella her he has shocking news, she thinks he's been having an affair. Instead he reveals that the daughter he abandoned twenty years ago, is comingto stay. Kate is blindsighted by the sudden arrival of Imogen mere hours later. Her stepdaughter seems wary of her own father. Kate is pleased to find herself connecting with Imogen, until one day, Imogen reveals a disturbing secret.

**TRIGGER WARNINGS** The story covers miscarriages, violence against animals and attempted suicide.

This is more a story about a dysfunctional family rather than a thriller. Each character has their own secrets. It's not long until we see Kate and MIchael's marriage start to crumble. I did not like any of he characters. There was something missing from the story, it didn't quite gel together. There were parts that were quite good but it also ended abruptly. I'm sure there will be lots of readers who will really enjoy this story, but unfortunately this story wasn't for me.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Canelo and the author #RosCarne formy ARC of #TheStepmother in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded really good and I was anxious to read it. It began choppy and I couldn’t relate to the characters. I kept waiting for something “Thrilling” to happen but it never did. This is no way a psychological thriller or even a mystery. I ended up despising all the characters and was left wondering what anything really had to do with the title. It was hard to finish but I did and I’m glad it’s over.

I read The Pupil by the same author and gave it a five star review, so I was really excited to start this one.

The description marked it out as a Psychological Thriller, however I don’t think it was – it was a story of a family, albeit somewhat dysfunctional, each with their own secrets and how those secrets would later connect them together.

I didn’t seem to gel with any of the characters, none of them seemed believable, or likeable – except for Timba the family’s lovely dog.

This isn’t what I was expecting from the book, and even from the title, I assumed there would be some drama between Kate and Immy but it wasn’t anything like that, and in fact, that part of the family bond didn’t really factor in at all.

I found the beginning and middle of the book quite a slog, however towards the end, it really seemed to gather pace, and I was romping through it even staying up until late in the night to get to the end.

Quite slow moving book about a couple. At first it seems as though they are well matched, but as the book progresses the cracks in their relationship appear. Mostly written from the point of view of Kate, there are also chapters which are written in Michael's voice. Michael's daughter, aged 22,, comes to stay having never met Kate and despite the poor relationship she seems to have with her father.
Kate is very self absorbed, Michael a mysterious older man. There is lots about their relationship and secrets , mostly Kate's which are not shared with her husband. Kate is an artist, seemingly having little grasp of money or domestic matters and rather naive in relationships. I didn't really feel drawn to any of the characters in the book. There was a build up of menace and a couple of unexpected turns in the story . I`m till wondering what happened in some aspects of the story but not to the extent that I will be thinking about the characters in the coming days.. Mixed feelings not bad but not a great read either..
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I thought that given the title of this book it would be about a wicked stepmother however it wasn't. The book was well written with a good story line which shows what can happen when people are tipped over the edge from events in life. With a few twists that I didn't forsee. I did enjoy and would recommend.