It took me a while to get into this one.....Daphne is a completely unlikable and annoying character and her mysogonystic and whiney husband is simply insufferable.

While bringing postpartum depression to light is a commendable effort....this book contains too much inaccuracy on the subject. This trend of victimizing, almost glamorizing, these women who harm children is deplorable. PPD has become the designer disorder of new Moms. Pushing these ideas and normalizing a lack of bonding with your baby is not ok....nature ensures the future of our species through procreation.....instant bonding and selfless love for our children ensures the newest and most vulnerable members of our species are nurtured and protected. Failure to bond with an infant isn't normal...in fact, its a red flag.

The plot was fairly easy to figure out....although there were enough plot twists to keep it interesting.The ending was a bit too unrealistic.

Overall....it was a decent read but the PPD angle, the unbelievability, and unrelatable characters keep it from being really good. ( )

A twisty psychological thriller that will leave you guessing all the way up until the end. Who should you trust? Who is our narrator, really? And what really happened in the past. In short (no spoilers), a woman is escaping her old life with a baby, going to take a job in a remote town as an archivist. But strange things begin to happen and you’re not sure who to trust! This was an interesting read with so many twists I thought I’d never trust anyone!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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In The Other Mother, Carol Goodman skillfully utilizes the unreliable narrator plot device which results in an engrossing, twist-filled mystery.

Daphne Marist and Laurel Hobbes meet at a support group meeting for new mothers who are struggling with postpartum disorders. Their daughters are both named Chloe and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Daphne is a former school librarian whose older husband manages a small hedge fund. Laurel is also married to a much older man but she is wealthy and attended exclusive schools in Europe. They quickly become inseparable and Laurel helps transform Daphne into her own image. Daphne eventually takes a job as an archivist for her favorite author Schuyler "Sky" Bennett and moves with Chloe to Sky's estate in the Catskills which is next to the Crantham Psychiatric Center. Daphne becomes quite curious about former mental patient Edith Sharp and she finds herself in an shocking situation that she might not be able to escape.

Despite her sympathetic plight, Daphne is not an easy character to like at first. She is a bit of a doormat and does not really stand up for herself. Peter rules the roost and she easily gives in to him. She loves Chloe but she is overwhelmed by obsessive thoughts and fears. Her friendship with Laurel is not exactly healthy since, just like her marriage, Daphne follows wherever Laurel leads.

For the first half of the novel, Daphne is an incredibly unreliable narrator whose grasp on reality seems rather tenuous. She has trouble differentiating between fact and fantasy. She is also unsure whether her memories can be trusted.

Is Daphne just using Laurel's identity to escape from Peter? Or does Daphne believe she is, in fact, Laurel? Well, that question is answered when her situation takes a shocking turn and Daphne finds herself in an increasingly precarious position. Will Daphne be able to convince anyone that she is telling the truth?

The Other Mother is an intriguing mystery where nothing or no one is quite as it first appears. Carol Goodman slowly parcels the truth through diary entries written by various characters. Although a couple of the plot twists are slightly implausible, the novel comes a stunning conclusion that is quite satisfying. ( )

I can't believe how many good reviews this book has gotten. The plot is ridiculous, and the writing is sophomoric. One of the worst books I've read in recent memory. ( )

Not my favorite book by this author, but entertaining nonetheless. An easy, nicely paced read. ( )