Summary:
The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance.
When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory.
The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…
My Thoughts:
I fell in love with this book. Maeve was raised in a cult that revolved around motherhood with her cousin but was able to leave at a young age because of a police raid. She was raised by a couple who adopted her. But being raised in a cult has made her like a hermit, and she doesn't really have friends, until her cousin finds a way into her life again.
Despite being in her 30s now, Maeve is still very cautious and doesn't want to get close to anyone. I think that this makes her character very realistic. Trauma never really leaves.
Andrea, her cousin, has become a successful business woman, centering around children. She seems to have completely moved on from the trauma, but she recently suffered a loss of her own: her baby. Andrea invites Maeve to live with her for a while, and that's when things get weird. Andrea's co-workers act disgusted by the fact that Maeve does not want children, and a couple of Maeve's friends die suddenly.
It turns out that Andrea has brought back the cult and is now the leader. Since Andrea can no longer have children, and she forces Maeve to get pregnant for the sole purpose of stealing the baby. She is able to escape, but kept in protective custody. Maeve helps the police arrest Andrea, and gives her babies up for adoption. But at the end, the adoptive mother turned out to be part of the cult as well . . .
The writing is so perfect and very engaging. It's one of those books where you have to physically pry yourself away from it in order to stop reading it. I absolutely love the easter eggs throughout the novel, and the characters are extremely well developed and easy to care about, even some of the background characters. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes psychological horror.
My Rating: 5 stars
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