This book isn’t really a thriller. It’s a really boring family drama where you can’t invest in any of the characters. DNF.

Based on the description, I was really looking forward to this book and while I enjoyed parts of it, I found it just was flat with few emotional highs or lows. The ending was so abrupt and disappointing that it ruined the whole book for me. It felt like the author wrote herself into a hole so she just ended with that part and wrote a year later. This didn’t feel like a thriller, it wasn’t the book I was expecting and it just wasn’t for me.

This elegantly written suspense novel quickly drew me in and transported me into the lives of Kate and Michael and their dysfunctional marriage. Carne's descriptive language develops a lovely feel of the lush, rural setting and really highlights Kate's artistic sensibilities which are front and centre here. Rather than being a fast-paced. plot-driven thriller, this novel slowly and deliberately uncovers Kate's troubles, which compels the reader to keep turning the pages. Kate is an imperfect character, which makes her all the more interesting, and her impulsivity in terms of relationship choices, sets her on a destructive path. The introduction of Imogen, Michael's troubled daughter, adds an interesting dynamic to the story. A very satisfying and well-written novel.

I would not call this book a thriller at all. More like a family drama. This book is more about Kate and how what she does will have lasting impact than it is about her relationship with her stepdaughter.
This was all over the place at times with random events thrown together to make a book. I didn't care for any of the characters and only a few times did I care about what happens to them. Just not the book for me.

Thanks to netgalley and Canelo for the arc

Disturbing, sinister and unsettling in places but I’m not sure whether in a good way! There are some trigger warnings around miscarriage, DA and also violence against animals.
Parts of the story were strangely intriguing and drew me in but the overall story made me feel slightly uneasy and also a bit cheated, like there was something a bit lacking. Worth a read but I still can’t decide whether I liked it.

I really enjoyed this story but wouldn't categorize it as a thriller. It was well written and truly heartfelt at times. A great read that I would recommend.

I liked this story but I didn’t find it had any mystery which is what I was expecting. It was a slow burner and it wasn’t easy to finish. The characters were well developed, but the story just doesn’t pull you in as you expect it to. I would put this more in a drama rather than the thriller genre.

The title is a little bit of a misnomer as I was expecting a story of a wicked, murdering stepmother. Kate and Michael are having a rough time in their marriage when Michael drops a bombshell on Kate. His long lost daughter, Immy, he last saw over 20 years ago is coming to stay. Kate & Immy bond very well and share secrets. Michael is a tad jealous. This is a story of a marriage failing, death and life's drama. Well written and gripping. This is my first book by Ros Carne and look forward to her next book.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

First of all I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and Canelo Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Sorry but this book just wasn't for me, I just could not get to grips with the characters or the story line. I must admit that I think this book should not be in the thriller genre as it did not come across that way - more of a drama in my opinion.

While I found the writing good and the characters believable, I don’t feel like this truly fits into the category of thriller, and therefore it was a lot different than I had expected. It started off very strong but I didn’t enjoy most of the book, simply because it’s not what I was expecting. I think this would be better suited to the category of drama, where readers might appreciate the slow burn and non-conclusion.

I hope Ms. Carne keeps writing because she definitely has talent!

It wasn't easy getting through this slow book. It didn't seem realistic or strong..mainly the characters. There wasn't much to sink your teeth into and enjoy. Not what I was expecting.

This book was just not my 'cup of tea'. Slow burner. Unlikeable characters.I thought the premise sounded ok but in reality a slog to get to the end as a lot of it was mundane.Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I really wanted to like this story, but I struggled until the very end.

Several times I was tempted to just call it quits, I did not connect with any of the characters and I found the story lacking in several areas.

Jam packed with suspense, this book quickly reeled me in. Dinner was delayed so I could finish it! The plot is compelling and incredibly twisty...and twisted.

Sculptor Kate and barrister Michael are married and have just gone through another devastating miscarriage. After losing the baby things fall apart all around them and keep getting worse and worse until reaching a crescendo where something has got to give. This book is about choices...mostly poor...and reactions to those choices which is when true colours are revealed. And these choices affect everything and everyone around this couple. Out of nowhere Kate is told Michael's daughter from his previous marriage would be living with them. Kate understandably doesn't know what to think about this. Imogen is an interesting character as we discover. So is the story. I could clearly picture it in my mind's eye and couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Several other characters, including dogs, enter the scene as well. I couldn't relate to any of them, nor did I like any of them (except the dogs!). But I don't need to like characters to enjoy a book. Whilst I loved the tension and suspense, there are aspects which did not appeal to me as much such as some relationships and tropes. There are adult situations, some of which are disturbing. Some scenes are a bit choppy and seem extraneous.

My sincere thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this atmospheric psychological thriller!

This was a real surprise as a book. It wasn’t really a thriller and there was really no mystery. Very very odd.

This was for me quite a hard book to get into, I couldn't warm towards the characters, it was slow paced, it picked up towards the end.

This book was good but for me personally, I felt the characters hard to relate to and hard to like. The story was harsh and left me feeling like I needed to watch an episode of Modern Family to bring some light back into my life after the darkness that was told through The Stepmother. I would be interested in reading another book by Ros Carne, however this particular story wasn’t for me.

This was an ok read for me . The stepmother of the title is Kate who is married to Michael . When Immy Michael's daughter from a previous marriage comes to stay cracks appear in their marriage , Michael seemingly jealous at his wife's relationship with his daughter . Kate makes a mistake that will have far reaching consequences for all of them and will have Kate doubting everything in her life , especially her husband . This was a bit of a slow burner for me , i enjoyed it but found it quite slow at times .

Thank you NetGalley, author Ros Carne, and Canelo for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
2.5 stars
Trigger warning: talks about miscarriages, struggles with fertility, talk about past attempt to die by suicide.
Kate's marriage has fallen on hard times! Kate and her husband are struggling due to a series of miscarriages that have happened throughout their marriage. Being sad and disappointed with the most current loss, Kate is trying to find a way to save her marriage. Michael sits Kate down and shares with her some shocking news, his estranged daughter is coming to stay with them. Kate is reluctant, at first, to allow her husband's daughter to come live with them. But as Kate and Imogen become close after Imogen shares a disturbing secret, Kate feels a bond with Imogen. But Imogen is not the only one with secrets. How much sharing really going on in a marriage about the past?
This book was all over the place. The characters were not overly developed and seemed to have a hard time communicating. None of the characters were really likable! I found these characters were really out for themselves and had no use in making real relationships of any kind. Kate was the most frustrating! She seemed like she really did not know what she wanted so she tried out different things and when they did not work out, she tries to back out without really resolving anything. I found the pacing to be a little bogged down in some parts of the story. The mystery was easily solved and predictable. Overall, this book read a lot like a Lifetime movie. I would be curious to read more books by this author in the future.