Mother May I

A Novel

By: Joshilyn Jackson

Narrated by: Joshilyn Jackson

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Chilling, thought-provoking, and hauntingly written, Mother May I kept me on the edge of my seat with its breathless race against time." (Megan Miranda, New York Times best-selling author of The Girl from Widow Hills)

"A master of domestic suspense." (Entertainment Weekly)

The New York Times best-selling author of the critically acclaimed Never Have I Ever builds on her success with this addictive novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves - a chilling and thoughtful tale of power, privilege, lies, revenge, and the choices we make, ones that transform our lives in unforeseen ways.

Revenge doesn’t wait for permission.

Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat was warned by her single mother that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother’s fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree has all a woman could ever dream of: a loving lawyer husband, two talented young teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world. 

Until the day she awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window, an old gray-haired woman dressed all in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears. It must be a play of the early morning light or the remnant of a waking dream, Bree tells herself, shaking off the bad feeling that overcomes her.

Later that day though, she spies the old woman again, in the parking lot of her daughters’ private school...just minutes before Bree’s infant son, asleep in his car seat only a few feet away, vanishes. It happened so quickly - Bree only looked away only for a second. There is a note left in his place, warning her that she is being is being watched; if she wants her baby back, she must not call the police or deviate in any way from the instructions that will follow. 

The mysterious woman makes contact, and Bree learns she, too, is a mother. Why would another mother do this? What does she want? And why has she targeted Bree? Of course Bree will pay anything, do anything. It’s her child. 

To get her baby back, Bree must complete one small - but critical - task. It seems harmless enough, but her action comes with a devastating price, making her complicit in a tangled web of tragedy and shocking secrets that could destroy everything she loves. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will lead Bree to dangerous places, explosive confrontations, and chilling truths.

Bree will do whatever it takes to protect her family - but what if the cost tears their world apart? 

“Joshilyn Jackson does it again with this explosive, white-knuckle read about a mother who will stop at nothing to protect her family. Terrifying, timely and thought-provoking.” (Mary Kubica, New York Times best-selling author of The Other Mrs.)

©2021 Joshilyn Jackson (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

But your BABY is MISSING 🤦‍♀️

C’mon now. This book made white folks buying second-hand clothes sound ridiculously scandalous, almost as earth shattering as having your BABY TAKEN. “Poor me, I had to go to a thrift store as I child.” So did I, and so did probably 60% of the people I know. But you know what HASN’T happened to me? Having my children TAKEN.

So many creative, unique elements, yet I’m beyond annoyed with this book.

😵 Your BABY is MISSING, yet you constantly stop to reflect white privilege?

😵 Your BABY is MISSING, yet you need to check your moral compass about a male detective using possible force to capture/ question the likely female suspect?

😵 Your BABY is MISSING, yet you form a deep connection with the kidnapper over a few trips to Goodwill?

The white, male privilege theme in this book just went on and on, then on and on some more. Here’s the thing: I agree with a lot of what Jackson is saying, but authors continue to suggest that “privilege” is the rule among whites, not the exception. I believe that if you look at REAL statistics and actually take a road trip through America, you’ll see that it is the exception. I take this seriously because mainstream media and the entertainment industry are damaging, not improving, our culture to the point of no repair. People are becoming resistant to hearing about real issues because we are creating one stereotype to eliminate another.

Unfortunately, this is one more politically charged domestic “thriller” that lost its thrill in all the cultural clutter. Note to authors: if you want to use your Fiction to bring cultural and political awareness, at least do it well. You are destroying your work. Lisa Jewell is a master at doing it well.

I really enjoyed this until...

good interesting story and characters. but at the end..... Insinuating all men are potential rapists and need to be proactively coached out of raping women. seems like the whole book was just set up to portray college fraternity boys as rapists in training

Average

I’ve enjoyed other audible from this author however this one didn’t work for me. The mystery really wasn’t that difficult to figure out. I truly was waiting/ wanting a twist but it fell short. The first half was suspenseful that’s where it ended.
Another problem for me, I didn’t like any of the characters. Disappointing.....

Good story, annoying narration

The plot was gripping, but the internal dialogue was a bit overdramatic. The metaphors between the lines were spot on but they seemed a bit forced in places.

Jackson again provides entertainment

Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors, I've read every one of her books so I was looking forward to the release of this new title. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it for several reasons. 1. There was just a little too much to the story - it seems like she has a tendency to "rattle on". Towards the end I was listen at the 1.5 speed to get it done. It seemed to drag on a bit. 2. The character of Trey was rather one-dimensional, He felt more like a plot device than an actual character. 3. Marshall's musings got old. And finally 4. The ending was pretty predictable and not at all surprising. But, as I said this was an entertaining read, just not what I was hoping for.

Predictable book

I found myself wanting this book to end 2 hours before it did but I held out in hopes of a “twist”. Predicable story and outcome. Characters are typical. It wasn’t a bad story just not a consuming or gripping book by any means.

Half of a good story

The first part of this novel was the style of writing I have come to expect from this author. The resolution was weak and unsatisfying.

Unputdownable!!

I was so engrossed in this story and I couldn't put it down! I love Joshilyn Jackson's books (maybe all of them) But she just gets better and better and this may be her best yet. I highly recommend this book and her narration only makes the story better.

Not my favorite

I unfortunately did not really like this book. It was okay. 3/5. The characters really bothered me and the story dragged in the middle. I wasn’t a fan of the narration either - the voices sounded way caricatures and annoyed me.

Unspeakably bad

I bought this (unfortunately) as a "Daily Deal". Unless your whole life revolves around being a mom raising kids, there's nothing to relate to in this book. The narration is terrible, varying between saccharin and over-the-top melodramatic raving. I will never read or listen to another book by this author, even if it's free. $3.95 down the tubes. I can't even bear to listen to more than 1/3rd of this! It's *that* bad.