“Proving Stephen King isn’t the only author who can make a scenic small town in Maine feel menacing, Jenny Milchman’s The Second Mother is a haunting thriller.”—POPSUGAR Opportunity: Teacher needed in one-room schoolhouse on remote island in Maine. Find the freedom in a fresh start.Julie Weathers isn’t sure if she’s running away or starting over, but moving to a remote island off the coast of … Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life. The sun-washed, sea-stormed speck of land seems welcoming, the lobster plentiful, and the community close and tightly knit. She finds friends in her nearest neighbor and Callum, a man who appears to be using the island for the same thing as she: escape.But as Julie takes on the challenge of teaching the island’s children, she comes to suspect that she may have traded one place shrouded in trouble for another, and she begins to wonder if the greatest danger on Mercy Island is its lost location far out to sea, or the people who live there.
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This book drew me in and held me delightfully-captive from beginning to end. The palpable tension held me in thrall. The plot kept me guessing. The characters were very realistic and identifiable. And, every setting was described in such a way as to make me feel like I was an actual bystander in that scene. Once I started reading this story, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Rich in atmosphere, expertly plotted, and populated by characters that live and breathe, THE SECOND MOTHER is as much a portrait of survival and redemption as it is a harrowing deep dive into the secrets and troubles of an isolated island in Maine. Jenny Milchman writes with insight and compassion, creating a vivid sense of place, and masterfully ratcheting up the tension page by gripping page.
Another terrific book by Jenny Milchman! In The Second Mother, Milchman manages to mesmerize readers with her spot-on prose and atmospheric setting. Protagonist Julie Weathers learns a new meaning of escape after shifting her life to a remote island where dark secrets and danger loom beneath the surface. This book will unsettle you and will refuse to let you put it down. Thank you to @Sourcebooks for a review copy, the opinions are my own.
THE SECOND MOTHER by Jenny Milchman is a tense, riveting story about a women who flees to a remote island off the coast of Maine to escape a tragic past. Starkly beautiful, the island holds the hope of a new life and a new love but school teacher Julie Weathers finds herself facing dangers she never imagined.
Told with Milchman’s stunning prose, THE SECOND MOTHER is a gripping tale of obsession, secrets held close and the dark side of island life. Harrowing and addictive, I dare you to put this book down once you’ve started.
The story of Julie Weathers is one of a slow burn to an “ah-ha” reveal. Julie has left behind her grief over losing her infant daughter and her betrayal by her husband who then asks for a divorce. In her attempt to start over again, Julie answers an ad for a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse on a remote island in Maine. At the island, Julie befriends Ellie who tells her a lot of island secrets as she drinks wine excessively. Julie attempts to befriend the dowager “queen” of the island, grandmother Hempstead, but seems to make an enemy of her from the beginning. Therein lies part of the mystery. Why is this leader on the island so unfriendly, in fact actually menacing at times? Julie also tries to help teen-ager Peter, a young man who is precociously intelligent but who keeps showing up unexpectedly wherever Julie is, scaring her and creeping out me. Then there is Callum, a man who handily does repairs at Julie’s new house and who also seems to be using the island for escape. His backstory is a big part of the draw to reading and finishing the book. The plot is so-so, but the characterization is excellent, with characters who are deep and realistically portrayed. I enjoyed reading the book, especially the fact that it made me think back on it after I read it and realize how deep it really was.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Opportunity: Teacher needed in one-room schoolhouse on remote island in Maine. Find the freedom in a fresh start. Julie Weathers isn’t sure if she’s running away or starting over, but moving to a remote island off the coast of Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life.
I can’t think of another writer who uses the setting of a story and the natural environment better than Jenny Milchman. In her latest novel, the setting shifts from an Adirondack Mountain town to a small island off the coast of Maine, where the isolation, fog, winds, and encroaching seas lend the story just as much suspense as the desolate winters in her previous works. As a result, the tension remains high throughout this fast-paced novel featuring another strong female protagonist facing down local injustice. While I would have like to see a few side characters developed a bit more and some of the imagery in this novel didn’t quite land for me, The Second Mother is a thrilling suspense story with a heroine readers will love pulling for.
Thanks to BookTrib, Loves To Read (FB group) for this book.
What a tangled web we weave. So much going on and it was such fast reading that I probably could have finished it even sooner without all the distractions I put myself into.
Life in a small island is not an easy one especially when a family owns and runs and rules it. The grandmother made sure of it too. I liked the life of this small island in Maine with it’s one room schoolhouse and all grades into one class. Julie moved from another small town in NY to this one trying to get away from her past life. What she didn’t know is what she was getting into that’s for sure and I had no idea what was coming towards me either.
The Second Mother
By Jenny Milchman
Julie Weathers answers the call for a one room schoolhouse on a remote island. Sounds perfect if you are trying to run away from something and have a fresh start. As the story reveals itself, you find more compelling reasons about the characters in the story who for their own reasons are trying to escape their lives too.
This is a wonderful claustrophobic mystery story about an island off the coast of Maine where a teacher trying to escape her past and longs for a new start, finds more than what she bargains for in this small town intriguing story. This is a story that covers dealing with loss and suffering, and the difficulty navigating and moving forward from pain and hurt.
I enjoyed this read a lot for the characters and how the story focuses on a mother’s grief and loss.
This book really kept me reading…the setting was so far removed from my daily life that I enjoyed every minute of the descriptions, and I had absolutely no idea how it was going to end.
A Page Turner!
“The Second Mother” by Jenny Milchman is a fantastic read! It kept me up late, eager to see how its struggling protagonist would save herself and a young boy from the vicious forces out to destroy them. Great characters, and a setting (small island off the Maine coast) so chillingly and well described, it’s like a character in itself. Milchman gets inside her characters’ heads and describes their emotions in fresh ways. I also loved the elements of horror in this tale. Fans of psychological thrillers will love this book. Like Milchman’s earlier award-winning work, it’s a stunner.
The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman
This is a gothic tale set on an isolated island where island justice is served up by the matriarch. The sea is as stormy as the people who reside on the island. Outsiders are tolerated as tourists who contribute to the local economy in the summer season. When Julie takes a job as the island’s only teacher in a one room school house, she thinks this is the escape she needs after the death of her baby and the pending divorce from her husband. But, be wary. The matriarch has done her homework. She knows your deepest secrets. She knows what makes everyone tick. She is not one to be trifled with, lest you forget your place in the hierarchy.
This is a great psychological story. It is as dark and foreboding as the clouds that accompany the storms. This is a new author to me, but I will definitely be reading more of her books. Pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.
This book started out slowly. I mean very slowly. I mean so slowly I almost dnf’d it. I pushed through it though, and in the end it was pretty decent.
The setting is interesting and it’s very atmospheric. There’s also a solid creep factor. As I mentioned the pacing was an issue for me for about the first third of the book, but if you persevere you’ll find a fairly entertaining read.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for and advanced copy.
I liked this story a lot. It was suspenseful without being terrifying and there were some unexpected twists that kept it interesting until the very end.
4.5 stars
This book was the first I’ve read from this author and it was amazing!
The pacing was perfection and the characters well written. The plot was just amazing…chef’s kiss to the author for creating this wonderful thriller!
A small remote island in Maine, a grief stricken recovering alcoholic mother who is trying to start anew, a giant of a dog and a evil domineering matriarch make this story exciting and tense. Add in a lying new friend and sexy lobster-man and you have a story that you can not put down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fast paced thrillers with a lot of emotion!
I can’t wait to read more of Jenny’s work!
WOW! Ms.Milchman is a new author to me and my she did not disappoint in this novel that’s for sure! This is truly a haunting and twisted read that will pull you in and not let you out! The main character’s story is extremely realistic, gritty yet touching on painful and heartbreaking subjects while the story leads to a shocking ending! This book left me hungover- in the best way! A must read thriller you definitely will not forget!
This is a fantastic book! Jenny Milchman had my attention from page one. The first day, I read over 300 pages, and then of course, I had to return to reality and work, so that slowed down my progress. The writing is very fluid and engrossing, I literally did not want to put it down!
Julie Weathers is a grieving mother. Her marriage is falling apart at the seams. And, just when she begins to feel that all hope is lost to her…she comes across a posting for a teaching position on a remote island in Maine. Is it too good to be true?
Leaving behind her broken life, Julie and her beloved dog, Depot, head to a new life on Mercy Island. She is given a house and a fair salary, so truly, what more could she ask for. Determined to move forward, Julie also decides it’s time to pour the scotch down the drain.
Julie quickly makes friends with Ellie, and begins to feel affection towards a local lobster man named Callum, and for the first time maybe ever, she is finding peace. But, not all is what it seems on Mercy Island, and as Julie struggles to figure out the ins and outs of Mercy Island, she also finds out that it’s not safe to poke around in the lives of Mercy Island, regardless of her intentions.
Mrs. Hempstead knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting what is hers….which happens to be everything and everyone on the island. Julie’s dream come true might actually be a nightmare. The consequences of crossing the Hempsteads are costly….
I now want EVERY book by Jenny Milchman.
Wow, just wow! This book secures Milchman’s position as a top-notch writer of deeply-meaningful fiction.
You can smell the salt air and brine of the surf pounding on the shore, as the protagonist, Julie Mason, starts a new life on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Intrigue and romance follow Julie as she uncovers a long kept secret while overcoming her own tragedy. Read my full review at Booktrib.com.
https://booktrib.com/2020/08/18/want-ad-lures-grieving-mom-to-island-of-intrigue-in-the-second-mother/
My Review of
THE SECOND MOTHER
By Jenny Milchman
Published by Bookmarked
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Beautifully descriptive writing that is world building and adds a lot to the imagination. But yet it lacks the storyline it claims to have as a Psychological Thriller; as I did not feel it falling into that genre at all. It was a rather slow burn for me and about halfway through, I gave up hopes that a change was coming that would break up the plot and regain my interest. I fought through until the end. Too many repetitive instances throughout the story that were unnecessary and became truly boring. There were parts that were promising and made it worth the read, it dealt with some difficult subjects that people may be able to relate to.
Julie Weathers suffers an incredible loss that has lead her marriage to the brink of destruction and has her finding solace more often than not in the bottom of a bottle of scotch.
Looking to start anew, she applies and lands a job on a remote island off the coast of Maine. She becomes a schoolteacher for a one room schoolhouse that teaches all grade levels. She sees that there is a powerful family, that is very odd, that owns most of the island and she teaches their son, the troubled kid who does some shocking things that you can’t even imagine. But why is he acting out? What role does his family have that has made him this way; if at all?
Then there is her new friendship with Ellie and love interest with Callum…all these relationships make up their own individual storylines but then interweave into one final plot. Some things are just not what you were expecting.