Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel [book review]

Book: Just Like Mother

By: Anne Heltzel

Published: May 17, 2022

Publisher: Nightfire

Pages: 320

Genre: Horror/Thriller

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About Just Like Mother:

Maeve last saw her cousin years ago when she escaped the cult that they were a part of. Over the years she has worked hard to create a normal life for herself. Despite that, she still keeps everyone and everything at a distance.

When Andrea show’s back up in her life she’s happy to have the only true friend she’s ever had back in her life. The closer they start to get again the more Maeve starts to spend at Andrea’s house. She doesn’t like being at her cramped home and Andrea has done well with her life and has a huge home. The only issue is that many of Andrea’s colleagues show up at Andrea’s home and most don’t approve of Maeve’s single lifestyle. Even though this bugs her she’s not going to let it stop her from creating a relationship with Andrea.

The more Maeve spends with Andrea the more Andrea becomes attached to her in an unhealthy way. The way she acts brings up so much trauma from her past and makes her realize that there may be worse coming her way.

What I thought

Just Like Mother is another book that has been getting great reviews. This is one book this is a bit meh to me but I’m still glad that I ended up reading it. When I read this book I went into it thinking it was going to be terrifying. I don’t even know why I thought this. I guess I thought this because it was stated as horror. When I think of horror I kind of expect it to be creepy. But I think that’s because I don’t find cults all that scary. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it, real-life horror doesn’t bother me or scare me so much. I think it’s because we see so much of it on the news. It would be different if I was actually in this situation though. This is just my opinion!

With that being said I did kind of find Just Like Mother a little bit boring. There just wasn’t a lot going to keep me interested. It got a lot better towards the ending but that’s when things started to get interesting. I just wish that the book was just as fast-paced as it wound up getting.

Granted I do have to admit that the book got a lot better to me towards the send half of this book. I would hate to have to go through what the main character went through. I don’t think I would have the strength to go through what she went through. Considering what happened to her I also don’t think I would have the power to keep what she kept toward the end. That’s a vague statement I know. It’s a huge spoiler for the book and I refuse to spoil it for those of you who haven’t read it yet.

So, this is why I’m kind of iffy about the book. A good chunk was way too slow for me while the next was pretty good. A part of me doesn’t fully consider this horror though. It does have some scary aspects to it but I do feel like it’s more of a thriller than anything. If you love cults then I highly recommend this book!

With that being said I did give Just Like Mother a 3-star rating. The second half saved the book for me!

If you like this review then check out my post on Social horror books.