mothers and other strangers by corey ann haydu

“Blessings don’t look like blessings until you look through the right lens.”

We love a messy family drama, especially one that crosses generations and inherited trauma! Everyone is gonna read this. Trust. This one is special for 3 reasons.

1. It’s solely focused on the women. BethAnn and Joni. Their daughters Sydney and Mae. Finally Sydney and Mae’s daughters in the 3rd act.
2. It is incredibly well written. The paragraphs that you’ll re-read. An adult debut, this is a skilled writer tackling deeper issues. Secrets will be uncovered, and our characters are flawed while likable and relatable. These women will sometimes make the reader angry, sometimes heartwarming, always becoming more real by the minute.
3. The nuances of characterization through scenes that are about connection and disconnection. Traditions and family values that don’t always serve us.

Here is an example;

“Whoever ordered first ordered the least caloric thing she could find, and the one who ordered next would find a way to make her dish even more spare, even less filling. Sydney found herself doing it with other people too, but they didn’t play the game like Beth Ann did. So the other woman would order a burger and Sydney would order leek soup and feel incensed.”

Relatable.

Lastly, I do love to hate on MLM culture, so we get some of that too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and company for the ARC. Book to be published March 30, 2026.