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Melissa receives a call saying that her daughter Casey was found confused and alone, not being able to remember anything. Casey had been away at a summer camp and her brother Dan was meant to be looking out for her. Then the situation worsens when a body is found next to where her children were staying.

I have read a few books now but this author and have enjoyed most, therefore was excited to see a new one to dive into. This ended up an interesting read with the story told in the perspectives of the three main characters, however I did find the chapters a bit choppy when it came to what timeframe it was. I think this at times made the story feel slow and uneven in its pacing.

The story explores family dynamics and studies some serious topics. I personally found the side story with Dan and his friend Byrne the most interesting part, enjoying watching this develop. Although there were a few minor surprises, there were no major twists which I was hoping for, but understand why the author decided to write it this way. Overall a solid thriller but not my favourite by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

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Timely and Terrifying

I approached this latest novel from the talented pen of SE Lynes with some trepidation, knowing that - as the mother of both a teenage son and a teenage daughter - the subject matter was going to take me down a dark path. As always with Lynes’ work, what I got was indeed a dark and twisty tale, but was also thought-provoking, sensitively explored and a deeply satisfying read.

Written from the perspective of three members of the same family, Every Mother’s Nightmare takes the reader before, after and through the events of one fateful night at a teenager summer camp. The evocative description was so deftly drawn that I was claustrophobically immersed in the festival field, adding to the tense, stomach-wrenching suspense. The characters were fully fleshed and flawed, the situation they found themselves in was terrifyingly real, and the plot was unravelled at the perfect pace.

A timely read from an author at the top of her game.

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While this is billed as a psychological thriller, I was more taken with Melissa’s (the Mother of the title) emotional ties to her children, and her relationship with her daughter, Casey, in particular. Casey is hurt during a summer camping trip, and Melissa gets the kind of call that is every mother’s nightmare.
The story is beautifully written with the deft touch I expect from a Susie Lynes book. I think I’ve read every one and can unconditionally recommend them all. Every Mother’s Nightmare is right up there. It had me reduced to tears in part, rigid with anger in others.
Lynes explores so much in this book, from familial relationships to misogyny. And while there are twists and turns aplenty, what made this book so special for me was the way the author captured that intense love between a mother and her children - that huge emotion when one of them gets hurt, and how loving mothers will go to the end of the earth to protect their children in the face of danger.

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This is my time reading this author. The book started out good in the first chapter and captured my attention, but as the book went on it felt very slow and it jumped around a lot between the characters and the time line. I enjoy multiple POV’s but some of the characters did not make sense for me. I was Interested in finding out what happened in the storyline so I did finish it and it was an ok read for me.

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Probably one of this authors slowest books but good nonetheless, told from different perspectives past and present about a protective mother, brother and sister…and a summer camp. Good read!

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I am a big fan of this authors work and, in this novel, they have done an amazing job capturing the fears and doubts that come with motherhood. It’s tense, emotional, and had me questioning what I’d do in the same situation. A little bit slow in the middle, but the ending more than made up for it. Definitely one to check out if you like your thrillers with heart.

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Susie Lynes is a go-to author for me! Every Mother's Nightmare is as it says. Every single mother dreads the day the phone rings and one of her children is in trouble. But here, the mother needs to worry about both her children and now herself! Very good read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

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Y’all. This book? Whew. It’s like getting sucker-punched while sipping iced coffee in the carpool line. S.E. Lynes doesn’t just write thrillers—she spins them tight and tense, with zero escape.

It starts on a hot summer day, when your phone buzzes with that call. The one every mother fears. From that moment, the tension clings to your skin like humidity in Mississippi.

Lynes pulls you into a world of missing memories, twisted truths, and family secrets you’ll feel in your bones. You’ll smell the woods, hear the silence that screams, and taste the panic in every lie. And the twists? Just when you think you’ve got it, she flips the whole board.

This is a “cancel your plans” kind of read—raw, gripping, and emotionally charged. So, grab your drink, crank the AC, and buckle up. This one burns slow… then hits hard.

Thanks to Bookouture for providing this advance copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review.

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I had a lot of difficulty with this book. The plot started out very slow. being American, there was a lot of British slang I didn't understand.
The part I really disliked was how the time line jumped around for most of the book. I found it confusing and a little disorienting.
The book did pick up about 50-60% through. There were a couple twists at the end that I didn't expect.
Overall, it was just alright.

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Wow this was a real page turner! Complex thriller which focuses on a family with a strong single mother and her two adult children. At a local festival the just adult children are celebrating, one working and the other developing a friendship with a new group. By the morning of the final day someone is found dead and the daughter is found in an abandoned tent with no idea how she got there.

Great plot with so many turns it was difficult to keep up! Good characters and lots you are rooting for and just as many you love to hate. Great jumps in the timeline to see the story unfold. Hugely enjoyable book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Every Mother’s Nightmare, is psychological thriller by one of my go to authors SE Lynes. A novel that deals with the fear that lives with most parents with children.

Melissa is an ordinary mother on an ordinary day, until her phone rings. The moment she sees it vibrating, she knows instinctively that her world is about to shatter. Her daughter is in the hospital, found confused, alone, and with no memory of what happened. Worse still, a body is discovered nearby, deep in the woods where her children had been staying.

From that moment, the story unfolds like a slow-motion car crash, intimate and terrifying. Melissa’s need for answers becomes an obsession, as she questions everything, why did she let her daughter go away for the weekend? Why didn’t her son protect her like he said he would? And most chilling of all, what really happened that night in the woods?

I enjoyed this novel but didn’t feel that it hit the usual high level I have come to expect. I would still rate it 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 as I still thought it was a good read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest reviw.

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Every Mother's Nightmare by S.E. Lynes

When Melissa, a single mother of two, receives a phone call from the police regarding her eighteen year old daughter, Casey, her whole world is turned upside down. Casey was in the hospital. She knew she never should have agreed to let her daughter go away for the whole summer; she had a bad feeling about it as soon as her daughter brought it up to her a few weeks earlier. As she drives to the hospital she receives a frantic message from her twenty-three year old son, Dan, asking her to please call him. What is happening to their tight-knit little family? How could things have gone so horribly wrong?

When a body is found in a wooded area close to the summer camp where Casey was working, the plot thickens and the story takes off at lightspeed from there. Dan and his friends just happened to be hanging out around the same camp. Did Casey and Dan know the victim and how? Who is responsible for the murder? Melissa struggles to get her footing as she searches for answers. She also needs to protect her children at all costs. Will her family be safe? Can they ever be happy again? This thriller hooked me right from the start as I grew increasingly intrigued as the plot unfolded.There were times in which I felt like things just weren’t adding up; there seemed to be holes in both Dan and Casey’s stories. This story is told primarily through the voices of Melissa, Casey, and Dan. The author did a beautiful job, creating believable characters that you can feel yourself rooting for, and keeping the reader guessing about what had ultimately occurred as the story unfolds.

Thank you so much to Bookouture and S.E. Lynes for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I was really excited to read this book, but it didn’t turn out to be what I expected. I don’t usually read this genre because I always end up getting bored—it just doesn’t hook or excite me, and this book was exactly that. It didn’t make me feel anything. The plot twist wasn’t very surprising, and I didn’t like the characters either.
One thing I did like, though, was the way it portrayed issues that are very relevant today.
Still, I think it’s a book I’ll forget pretty quickly.

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This is every parent’s fear, twisted into something darker. When a body is discovered and the police close in, one mother must confront a terrible question: what really happened that night and who is she protecting? Her daughter, her son… or herself?

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I enjoy reading books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This one I found to be less enjoyable for me. The storyline was good and it had depth to it but in some parts I found it dragged on and interestingly there were not really any plot twists that gave it jaw dropping moments like the authors previous writing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

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SE Lynes is an automatic read for me and I’ve read and enjoyed all of her books so far! Whilst this one is not one of my favourites, it’s for very personal reasons and I would definitely recommend it for fans old and new!
Every Mothers Nightmare is a topical and though provoking book that bravely faces the era of toxic masculinity that we find ourselves in currently. Obviously without naming names there are certain social media characters that have led to our young men worshiping a very dangerous culture and the effect this is having on our young people is becoming very obvious at quite young ages. This fictional story envelops those ideals and creates a dangerous and disturbing scenario for all involved in this storyline. As a parent you are always in fight or flight mode, on high alert for every possible threat to your child’s safety and a thought Melissa brought that off the page perfectly.
Whilst their were few surprises with the twists for me, this was a gripping and disturbing story that kept me engaged throughout and is a fabulous addition to this authors catalogue of books.

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t's the call every parent fears!

Every Mother's Nightmare is a well thought out, wonderfully written, shocking, gripping, and twist filled book which kept me turning those pages! This is the 12th book that I have read by S.E. Lynes, and she always delivers book after book!

Melissa receives the phone call that every parent dreads. Her 18-year-old Casey, is in the hospital after being found confused, bruised, and dazed at a summer camp she was attending. Why was her older brother Dan not with her? What happened? Making matters worse, a body is found in the woods! As the police begin their investigation, Melissa, her daughter, Casey, and her son, Dan will be questioned.

Whew! Just when I thought I knew where this book was going, S.E. Lynes threw in another shocking twist! This book is told in the time leading up to the assault of Casey, and during the investigation. I love how the author wove the events both before and after so effortlessly together each time providing readers with a little more information concerning the backstory and present-day events.

This book highlights a parent's desire to protect their child and how they feel powerless when they cannot, how wanting to belong may lead some down dangerous and toxic paths, and the dangers of social media. I enjoyed the mounting tension, the pacing, the characters fears/concerns/anxiety, and the way the plot unfolded.

Thought provoking, shocking, twist filled and hard to put down! I had both the book and the audiobook. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job of bringing this captivating book to life!

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This book had me hooked from page 1. I’ve read all of this authors other books, however this is probably my favourite. I really enjoyed the plot, characters and various twists. It’s more than worthy of 5 stars.

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This was a great read! There were so many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down!

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Initially promising, the narrative subsequently lost momentum. Navigational challenges were encountered during the reading experience. While not entirely unfavorable, the content failed to fully captivate. It is acknowledged that individual preferences vary, and this perspective may not reflect the experiences of all readers. Appreciation is extended to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing access to this Advance Review Copy..

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