The Setup: Grief Shrouded in Secrets
Love, Mom begins with a great hook. Mackenzie, the child of bestselling thriller writer Elizabeth Casper, is trying to cope with the unexpected loss of her mother. The initial appearance is that it was an accident, but Mackenzie's mourning goes haywire when cryptic letters begin appearing, all signed "Love, Mom."
These are not goodbye letters. They're secret filled letters revealing information about Elizabeth's life, information that's so bad it undermines every expectation Mackenzie had. Who was her mom, really? Was she killed by accident? And who is sending these letters for Mackenzie to discover?
The book surely deserves credit for being both a speed-read quick and emotionally charged. From the very first page, the mystery is palpable. There is gothic atmosphere, familial drama, and a lot of saucy turns that keep you turning the pages. The chapters are short and most of them end in cliffhangers to make readers feel "Just one more Chapter". The book's first half reads so compulsively that I devoured it in maybe two sittings. If you're a fan of thrillers that plunge you into the deep end immediately, you'll likely devour how quickly this one gets going.
But so much as I was addicted initially, cracks began to appear the further I went.
Image generated using AI
The Good Stuff: What Worked for Me
Okay, let's discuss the positives first because there are actually some good things about this book.
The letters from Elizabeth's perspective. These were the most innovative aspect of the book. They provided Elizabeth with a voice even after she died, and quite frankly, they were haunting, heartbreaking, and genius all at the same time. If the entire book had gone more in this direction, it could have been a 4- or 5-star read for me.
Multiple POVs in subsequent sections. Parts II and III branch out into various perspectives, which made the mystery bigger. It provided tension and enabled me to learn more about the complicated web around Mackenzie's mom.
Image generated using AI
Family drama done right. At its core, this book isn’t just a thriller. It’s a story about mothers and daughters, about grief, and about how family secrets shape identity. Watching Mackenzie struggle to step out of her mother’s shadow felt very real.
Unputdownable moments. In the second half, in particular, the pace accelerates. I devoured those chapters because I wanted to know what next was happening, even though the logic did not always make sense.
Themes that linger. In addition to the suspense, the novel delves into nuanced themes such as truth versus appearances, success at what cost, and how loss can distort relationships. It is popcorn theater with some substance added in.
So yes, Love, Mom isn't so bad. Actually, it was fun enough that I'd still tell people to read it if they're in the mood for a messy, binge-worthy thriller with family drama at its core. But honestly, there's a reason I only gave it 3 stars.
Image generated using AI
The Not-So-Great: Where the Book Stumbles
Okay, let's talk where the book falls apart. For all its fun factor, 'Love, Mom' has some significant flaws.
Firstly, the writing. The writing is extremely simple, bordering on robotic at times. That's not necessarily terrible (some thrillers do well on plain, no-frills prose), but in this case, it felt stagnant. The dialogue was the most jarring. Mackenzie's exchanges with her best friend EJ sounded at times like they were ripped from TikTok. His lines didn't ring true for how a human would actually speak.
The novel is supposed to be set in the U.S. Northeast and flashback to the 90s, but there was nothing to indicate that. No cultural hints, no sense of place. Even Mackenzie's university is unnamed. Why not create an imaginary college? The lack of grounding made the world feel thin, almost unfinished.
Image generated using AI
Strange word usages – One character at some point uses "shagging" to imply hooking up. Which. sorry, but no American 20-something just casually uses that term unless they're British or faking it. Little things like that caused the dialogue to ring false.
The novel attempts to shock you, but in all honesty, I saw all the reveals coming. Well to be fair, I predicted the main twist maybe 2 paragraphs before it was revealed, so I dont know if that counts but it definitely took away the jaw-drop moment from me. It throws its biggest twist at the 50% point and then takes forever to reach the next 150 pages. Rather than shocking me, the conclusion felt like it was in slow-motion revealing something I already knew.
Dumb choices by characters. I don't expect the thriller protagonist to be Sherlock Holmes, but gosh. Nearly every character in this book makes infuriatingly dumb choices. It became difficult to take them seriously.
Lastly, as I mentioned before, the novel could have been a novella. The second half of the book drags things out without providing sufficient new surprises. At the end, I was eye-rolling at how "obvious" the big twist was.
So yeah, while it was enjoyable in the moment, the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny. If you begin tugging on the threads, the entire sweater falls apart.
Image generated using AI
Final Thoughts: Guilty Pleasure Fun but Flawed
At the end of it all, 'Love, Mom' is a "popcorn thriller." It's quick, it's salacious, and it's compulsively readable when you're reading it. I ripped through the pages, remained interested in Mackenzie's sorrow and her awful relationships, and even had shivers over those icky letters.
But once I was done, I couldn't help but notice the flaws: the simple writing, the absence of setting, the predictable plot turns, and the occasionally cringe-worthy dialogue. It's the sort of book you find yourself reading in the moment but won't probably recall a month from now.
So why 3 stars? Because it's squarely in the middle: not great, not awful, just…fine. It kept me entertained, but didn't blow me away. It's ideal for when you're in the mood for something fast-moving and dramatic with minimal thinking.
Would I recommend it? Yes—if you enjoy family dramas in thriller wrapping and are willing to accept predictable twists. Would I re-read it? Unlikely. But I would definitely read more from Iliana Xander, because the potential is certainly there.