Hello there, my bookworms! Well, we made it to him-day and the end of the week is just there… looming. Personally, I’m a bit exhausted and about to hit the hay, but I just hit a milestone that I didn’t think would come. I’ve officially finished my second book of the year! I can’t believe January is almost over and I’m only, just now, finishing my second book. I do have two other books, and one audiobook in the works though… so.. I’m getting there. Life is just… insanity? I definitely miss the times where I could finish 15-20 books a month. That hasn’t happened in forever. I digress…

Tomorrow, I’m hopping on a plane and heading to Nashville for a long weekend to visit a friend, and I do plan to take a bookish adventure while I’m there. However, before I head out, I need to go cuckoo over my latest read. It’s from one of my favorites, Tarryn Fisher, so I was immersed from beginning to end. When real life got in the way and interrupted me, I was not a happy camper.

Anyway, her newest work is called Bad Mommy and it’s so genuinely unique and messed up, that I felt like I had to read it while looking over my shoulder. What do you do when your three main characters are a quiet observer, a psycho, and a sociopath? At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the title. I’m not a parent, nor do I think I’ll be one anytime soon, so I wondered if it was a world I’d fit into. Let me just say, don’t let the title fool you. The story is about three people, and their relationship to one another, and how their issues intertwine, and affect lives.

Fig is one determined woman. She believes the soul of the daughter she lost lives inside this little girl she… watches. She also keeps close tabs on the girl’s mother, aka, Bad Mommy. It’s when she decides to move in next door, that things kick up to the next level.

First off, Fig is obsessed with Mercy, the sweet, little girl she’s been stalking, and thinks she’s hers. Then there’s Jolene (Bad Mommy), who Fig tries to emulate in every way possible. It’s when Darius, the doting husband, comes into play, that Fig’s obsession turns into a downright mission. Cut Jolene out of the picture, and insert herself into the happy family.

The thing is, there’s more to the happy family than meets the eye. Not a single one of them is who Fig thinks they are. As I wandered through the pages narrated by both Darius and Jolene, I couldn’t help but shiver. No, I didn’t relate to a single one of these people and their hobbies, or intensities (maybe save for the writing), but damn, they were a fascinating bunch, even if I was watching a silent war being waged and was just waiting for the clash on the battlefield. It was nerve-wracking, but also, beyond worth it. It’s weird once you hit the end, but there’s a sense of satisfaction regardless of the fact that things don’t necessarily turn up rosy.

As I got to the final few chapters, I just had this gut feeling I’d just been had. I fell right into the trap Tarryn created. I had zero clue where imagination ended and reality began. It all blended and kept me thinking… and confused.

With stories such as these, I try to never take anything at face value. I’m suspicious of everything and everyone, and as this one progressed, I started to wonder about possibilities…. but I didn’t want to overthink things incase I was wrong.

I won’t go more in depth, but I will say stories like these and words like the ones Tarryn writes are utter perfection. This isn’t the first book of hers I’ve read, and again, she stuns me with her compelling plots and vivid imagery. Hers is a talent to envy, yet praise. She has been and remains one of my main inspirations for my own writing.

Another job well done, and I bow to The Queen! Bravo!

My Final Rating: five out of five stars