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Love, Mom
A best-selling author. A mother. A murderer…
Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase.
When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?
The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,
From #1 fan. XOXO
Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:
Want to know a secret?
Love, Mom.
What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.
But then comes the second letter.
And the third...
Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.
Quickly, she realizes that her mother's path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.
Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.
Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder…
Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase.
When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?
The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,
From #1 fan. XOXO
Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:
Want to know a secret?
Love, Mom.
What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.
But then comes the second letter.
And the third...
Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.
Quickly, she realizes that her mother's path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.
Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.
Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder…
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2024
20797 people are currently reading
119515 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,257 reviews
February 12, 2025
A mother dies and her daughter starts getting mysterious letters written by her mother that seem to point to her mother doing crazy things. Seems interesting in theory, but I just did not like it. It was something about the writing style that felt very bland to me.
I read this because I saw several awesome reviews about the twists in this book, but I did not find them exciting like others did. I think this might have been a me problem, but this book was not for me.
I read this because I saw several awesome reviews about the twists in this book, but I did not find them exciting like others did. I think this might have been a me problem, but this book was not for me.
December 12, 2024
This is one of the BEST psychological thrillers I've read. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground when an unfathomable twist came in the second part. I highly recommend that all thriller fans read this immediately!
February 15, 2025
Booktok did me so dirty. Everyone saying how amazing it is 🙄. IT. WAS. NOT. AMAZING. 👏🏽
March 4, 2025
4⭐️
Now that I read this, I can see why it's so highly rated. This was so incredibly fun! I really needed a twisty, suspenseful thriller and this delivered.
I really enjoyed the characters and their story, especially since they had more depth and personality compared to some others I have read. The FMC isn't one of the naive and stupid main characters and I found her to be more down to earth and relatable. I know this wasn't anywhere near a romance, but I enjoyed the relationship and friendship between the FMC and her best friend who plays a major role in this.
Right off the bat, this book throws you into the plot. I really found this to be pretty unique among thrillers. I will say that the one thing I didn't like very much is that the twists and turns were sooo predictable. I think they were very cliche and had their good and bad moments. However, I was completely invested the whole time and I was able to read this in a couple of days. I was on the edge of my seat and just had to know what was going to happen next. The ending wasn't very shocking, but I did like the way it wrapped up.
Overall, I was definitely not disappointed by this and actually ended up having a great time. It was fun, it was engaging, it had solid suspense. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for thriller that delves into family affairs and a background of a meaningful story. It had very wholesome moments, however this could be very heavy for people that are more sensitive to harsh topics. There were not blatant scenes of it, but sexual assault and rape were mentioned and a big plot to the story. If you decide to give it a try, I think you'll enjoy it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember when I said I was only going to read one book at a time? Well I lied and want to read this too 😌
Now that I read this, I can see why it's so highly rated. This was so incredibly fun! I really needed a twisty, suspenseful thriller and this delivered.
I really enjoyed the characters and their story, especially since they had more depth and personality compared to some others I have read. The FMC isn't one of the naive and stupid main characters and I found her to be more down to earth and relatable. I know this wasn't anywhere near a romance, but I enjoyed the relationship and friendship between the FMC and her best friend who plays a major role in this.
Right off the bat, this book throws you into the plot. I really found this to be pretty unique among thrillers. I will say that the one thing I didn't like very much is that the twists and turns were sooo predictable. I think they were very cliche and had their good and bad moments. However, I was completely invested the whole time and I was able to read this in a couple of days. I was on the edge of my seat and just had to know what was going to happen next. The ending wasn't very shocking, but I did like the way it wrapped up.
Overall, I was definitely not disappointed by this and actually ended up having a great time. It was fun, it was engaging, it had solid suspense. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for thriller that delves into family affairs and a background of a meaningful story. It had very wholesome moments, however this could be very heavy for people that are more sensitive to harsh topics. There were not blatant scenes of it, but sexual assault and rape were mentioned and a big plot to the story. If you decide to give it a try, I think you'll enjoy it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember when I said I was only going to read one book at a time? Well I lied and want to read this too 😌
April 29, 2025
Very entertaining and I adored the main character
January 19, 2025
This book was eh… the ending felt rushed and the whole book was just bleh
December 3, 2024
Wow another 5 star read for me! The twist in the middle of the book had me 😳😳 and it’s been a while since I read a book where everything is explained at the end and you aren’t left on a cliffhanger. Absolutely one of my top fav books!
January 18, 2025
The beginning of the book is freaking slow!!! It is also repetitive…Mackenzie we know your family life sucked!! Are you going to bring it up every damn chapter??? 🤦🏻♀️
Wasn’t a big fan of the back and forth conversation with Mackenzie and EJ…I felt a lot of it was boring and pointless.
I ended up not finishing the book! The style of writing bugged me and I was bored! 🤷🏻♀️
Wasn’t a big fan of the back and forth conversation with Mackenzie and EJ…I felt a lot of it was boring and pointless.
I ended up not finishing the book! The style of writing bugged me and I was bored! 🤷🏻♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2025
Either I did not read the same book as all of you leaving 4-5 star reviews, or y’all are great friends with the writer and are hyping her way up (which I do respect tbh)
But my goodness, that GR rating was misleading. This book does not have 4-5 star writing. Was it originally published in another language and poorly translated? Because the dialogue was so cringey and unnatural. It was difficult to get through.
Not to mention sentences like:
“The doctor says I am a perfect mother.” To a 22 year old student who hasn’t even given birth yet lmao. No doctor would say this to ANYONE
And then, “we need baby supplies.” Granted, this came from the dumbest male in the book, but puh LEEZ
But my goodness, that GR rating was misleading. This book does not have 4-5 star writing. Was it originally published in another language and poorly translated? Because the dialogue was so cringey and unnatural. It was difficult to get through.
Not to mention sentences like:
“The doctor says I am a perfect mother.” To a 22 year old student who hasn’t even given birth yet lmao. No doctor would say this to ANYONE
And then, “we need baby supplies.” Granted, this came from the dumbest male in the book, but puh LEEZ
February 8, 2025
DNF. Poor writing and sooooo slow.
April 20, 2025
This was SO good. The twists just kept coming and I didn't predict a single one of them.🤯 I gasped so many times reading this ‼️
This book has everything I love:
-short chapters with cliffhangers
-thrilling plot twists
-different POVs
-fast paced
I really enjoyed the fact that we got various POVs that explain the characters motives and inner thoughts. If you love Freida's books, then I highly recommend this as your next read (the FMC is actually smart in this book 🙂↕️)
✩⁗₊✩☽⋆ ⋆☾✩⁗₊✩
This book has everything I love:
-short chapters with cliffhangers
-thrilling plot twists
-different POVs
-fast paced
I really enjoyed the fact that we got various POVs that explain the characters motives and inner thoughts. If you love Freida's books, then I highly recommend this as your next read (the FMC is actually smart in this book 🙂↕️)
✩⁗₊✩☽⋆ ⋆☾✩⁗₊✩
June 3, 2025
hmmm somewhere between 3.5 and 3.75 stars
This was a a fun and twisty ride. The first 65-70% had me in an absolute chokehold but the final 30% kinda fizzled out for me. Maybe it's a me problem, but I was expecting more of a shocking ending or twist? Maybe I've read so many thriller/mysteries that I need a lot to shock me😅 This was still a very addictive and fun read though!!
This was a a fun and twisty ride. The first 65-70% had me in an absolute chokehold but the final 30% kinda fizzled out for me. Maybe it's a me problem, but I was expecting more of a shocking ending or twist? Maybe I've read so many thriller/mysteries that I need a lot to shock me😅 This was still a very addictive and fun read though!!
March 12, 2025
Wow, this book was such an easy, fast read—and I couldn’t put it down! The story completely hooked me, and there was a plot twist that I did not see coming. It had my emotions all over the place in the best way. I loved how everything made sense by the end—no loose ends, just a super satisfying finish.
It honestly felt like watching a really good thriller movie where every scene matters. This is hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve read so far!
It honestly felt like watching a really good thriller movie where every scene matters. This is hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve read so far!
January 27, 2025
Really did not like this one. Not sure if there were editing issues, but I noticed a LOT of repetitiveness. Example: on a single page, it was mentioned three times that Kenzie lives in a small studio downtown. Vaguely (and frequently) refers to “her university” - ground the story, name the university! The characters were at once flat and overly-complicated, plot was meandering and there were odd sentence fragments that made dialogue stilted. Learning important plot points by eavesdropping happened TWICE in the first 50 pages!
And…what kid doesn’t recognize their mom’s handwriting? You’ve seen it on permission slips, notes, birthday cards, forms for 20+ years, ffs. Not a fan.
And…what kid doesn’t recognize their mom’s handwriting? You’ve seen it on permission slips, notes, birthday cards, forms for 20+ years, ffs. Not a fan.
Currently reading
June 4, 2025maybe a good thriller is what i really need 🤷🏽♀️
January 23, 2025
4.5 stars - on Kindle Unlimited
January 27, 2025
1.5 stars- booktok you did me so dirty
June 25, 2025
This novel was great! The storyline had clever plotting and psychological tension. It is a fast paced read, having the flaws of the characters as the main focus. It is mysterious, eerie, emotional and sad. It contains a strong villain, with the characters being very multilayered. The characters felt believable, as it contained both unlikable and likable characters in it. This is easy to read, descriptive, straightforward and beautifully written. The twists in this story really kept me on edge! This book is both exciting and addictive!
“Love, Mom” is a psychological thriller that centers around Mackenzie Casper. Mackenzie’s mother passes away not long after Mackenzie starts getting these mysterious letters. Mackenzie’s mom was a renowned author and got into a serious accident, which is what caused her death. Soon after her mom passed away, she starts receiving letters that are signed with “Love, Mom.” As the story unfolds, Mackenzie figures out that these letters are really from her mom’s diary! Mackenzie ends up digging up past secrets and things get twisty! Overall, I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars!
I think fans of Freida McFadden and John Marrs would really enjoy reading this book! The content warnings include death, rape, death of a parent, fire injury, pregnancy, sexual assault and murder.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Iliana Xander and Poisoned Pen Press for this electronic arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The NEW arc of this book is expected to be published on September 2, 2025!
“Love, Mom” is a psychological thriller that centers around Mackenzie Casper. Mackenzie’s mother passes away not long after Mackenzie starts getting these mysterious letters. Mackenzie’s mom was a renowned author and got into a serious accident, which is what caused her death. Soon after her mom passed away, she starts receiving letters that are signed with “Love, Mom.” As the story unfolds, Mackenzie figures out that these letters are really from her mom’s diary! Mackenzie ends up digging up past secrets and things get twisty! Overall, I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars!
I think fans of Freida McFadden and John Marrs would really enjoy reading this book! The content warnings include death, rape, death of a parent, fire injury, pregnancy, sexual assault and murder.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Iliana Xander and Poisoned Pen Press for this electronic arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The NEW arc of this book is expected to be published on September 2, 2025!
May 9, 2025
I picked up Love, Mom through my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and while I’m relieved I didn’t pay for it outright, I still regret the four hours I spent reading it.
The novel centers on Mackenzie Casper, a brilliant student best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase. When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and investigators are asking: Was that really an accident? The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie receives a mysterious envelope containing pages from her mother’s diary, leading her to uncover shocking family secrets. 
Unfortunately, the execution falls flat. The writing felt amateurish, as if it came straight out of a high school journal, lacking the polish and depth I’d expect even from a debut novel.
The childbirth scene, in particular, was absurdly implausible and downright stomach-turning. It felt as though the author assumed readers were completely uneducated about the topic, and the result was both frustrating and laughable.
I’m baffled by the glowing reviews for this book and can’t help but question if some of them are genuine. While I understand every book has its audience, I cannot in good faith recommend this one. If I hadn’t been determined to finish, this would have been a DNF for me.
The novel centers on Mackenzie Casper, a brilliant student best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase. When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and investigators are asking: Was that really an accident? The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie receives a mysterious envelope containing pages from her mother’s diary, leading her to uncover shocking family secrets. 
Unfortunately, the execution falls flat. The writing felt amateurish, as if it came straight out of a high school journal, lacking the polish and depth I’d expect even from a debut novel.
The childbirth scene, in particular, was absurdly implausible and downright stomach-turning. It felt as though the author assumed readers were completely uneducated about the topic, and the result was both frustrating and laughable.
I’m baffled by the glowing reviews for this book and can’t help but question if some of them are genuine. While I understand every book has its audience, I cannot in good faith recommend this one. If I hadn’t been determined to finish, this would have been a DNF for me.
March 18, 2025
3.5* first read of Iliana Xander. I devoured this book in under 24 hours. The first half had me gripped at every word, the second fell a bit short. I didn’t see the twist at the end (either of them), but also found them so extremely far fetched🥹, I just couldn’t get on board.
The writing was VERY well done, I found the character buildup was on point. I’d recommend for a quick easy read!
The writing was VERY well done, I found the character buildup was on point. I’d recommend for a quick easy read!
April 24, 2025
I have seen so many rave reviews about this one I just had to read it. Overall I enjoyed it. It was a popcorn thriller, easy to read, fast paced, and gave me major Freida vibes.
I expected the twist to be a bit more twistier than it was but still was content with it overall.
A best selling author, wife, and mother mysteriously dies and everyone's worlds are completely turned upside down. After her death her daughter receives anonymous letters from someone claiming that her mother is not the woman she has always believed she was. The letters keep coming and letter by letter another dark and sinister secret comes to life. Could this best selling thriller author be writing more fact than fiction? Questions are raised when the anonymous letter sender lets her daughter know that her mother was in fact a murderer.
I expected the twist to be a bit more twistier than it was but still was content with it overall.
A best selling author, wife, and mother mysteriously dies and everyone's worlds are completely turned upside down. After her death her daughter receives anonymous letters from someone claiming that her mother is not the woman she has always believed she was. The letters keep coming and letter by letter another dark and sinister secret comes to life. Could this best selling thriller author be writing more fact than fiction? Questions are raised when the anonymous letter sender lets her daughter know that her mother was in fact a murderer.
March 24, 2025
Solid thriller! I liked the FMC, plot twists, and letter aspect. Also thrillers about authors get me every time.
May 21, 2025
This book deserves to be talked about more, because, woah. I was hooked from page one, and I had to force myself to put it down last night. This book is very Freida-esque with short chapters, twisted, bingeable - it’s perfect to get you out of a slump!
I loved Kenzie I thought she was a great FMC, I loved the characters we met along the way and I absolutely LOVED how it ended. This is available on KU and I highly recommend you all picking it up immediately!
I loved Kenzie I thought she was a great FMC, I loved the characters we met along the way and I absolutely LOVED how it ended. This is available on KU and I highly recommend you all picking it up immediately!
March 1, 2025
3.5 stars. This was such a fun one!!! Super easy to get into, and the short chapters with cliffhangers at the end of each one made the book super unputdownable. This read very similarly to a Freida McFadden book! The first plot twist definitely shocked me but I found the plot twists afterwards to feel like a slight reach. I also think this could’ve been a bit shorter. I still had a lot of fun with it though and could see a lot of people loving this one!!
February 9, 2025
Okay, I never force anyone, but you gotta read this one! It totally kept me hooked the whole time. I was never bored, not even a little! Seriously, I couldn't put it down! Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger! Plus, the plot twists were insane!
May 3, 2025
3⭐️ it was good ending felt really rushed tho
May 1, 2025
⚠️Review⚠️
4.75🌟
📖Book: 29/78
📚 Title:
Love, Mom
✍️Author:
Iliana Xander
📄Pages: 348
💫Genre:
Fiction•Psychological Thriller
•⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒
📝Synopsis 📝
Mackenzie just lost her mother, a best selling author of dark twisted thrillers. Only thing is the question was it an accident becsuse on the day of the funeral she receives an envelope with pages of her mother’s diary. Mackenzie is left to investigate what really happened and unravels many lies about her family.
💭My Thoughts 💭
This was a good read and maybe one of the top thrillers I’ve read so far this year. Only thing was a plot hole…..the villains son, like why even mention it and leave us hanging🥴 My
Favorite was definitely the plot twist which was great, and the story
development had me turning pages to see what was next. I also appreciated that they didn’t make her out to be naive. Oh and the fact that this didn’t end in a cliffhanger is deeply appreciated.
⚠️Trigger Warnings⚠️
-Death
-Sexual Assult
4.75🌟
📖Book: 29/78
📚 Title:
Love, Mom
✍️Author:
Iliana Xander
📄Pages: 348
💫Genre:
Fiction•Psychological Thriller
•⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒⿒
📝Synopsis 📝
Mackenzie just lost her mother, a best selling author of dark twisted thrillers. Only thing is the question was it an accident becsuse on the day of the funeral she receives an envelope with pages of her mother’s diary. Mackenzie is left to investigate what really happened and unravels many lies about her family.
💭My Thoughts 💭
This was a good read and maybe one of the top thrillers I’ve read so far this year. Only thing was a plot hole…..the villains son, like why even mention it and leave us hanging🥴 My
Favorite was definitely the plot twist which was great, and the story
development had me turning pages to see what was next. I also appreciated that they didn’t make her out to be naive. Oh and the fact that this didn’t end in a cliffhanger is deeply appreciated.
⚠️Trigger Warnings⚠️
-Death
-Sexual Assult
April 6, 2025
Karma always comes 🙈
Started off a little so but this book ended good.
Started off a little so but this book ended good.
February 4, 2025
Omg. I just stayed up till 1:30 a.m. to finish what I believe is the best psychological thriller I’ve read so far. Ever. This book was so good. And the bonus twists at the end…just wow. It did have a bit of a slow start, but stuck with it!
March 18, 2025
read quickly and liked the chapter length but was kinda underwhelming
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