This girls loves a good psychological thriller…and author, Iliana Xander, certainly delivered! I had not heard of this author before discovering this book that had me hooked from beginning to end. Of course, I had to research Iliana only to discover that there are currently two books published….I just LOVE finding a new author….don’t you? Let’s dive into Love, Mom ~ A Book Review with study questions too if you are going to read for a book club!
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CHARACTERS IN “LOVE, MOM” ~
- Mackenzie Casper – protagonist
- Elizabeth (Lizzie) Casper – author and mom to Mackenzie
- Ben Casper – wife to Elizabeth and father to Mackenzie
- Evelyn Casper – grandmother of Mackenzie
- Laima Roth – Elizabeth’s agent
- EJ – Mackenzie’s best friend
- Professor Robertson – instructor
- Tonya Shaffer – resident in group home with Elizabeth
- Monica – EJ’s ex-girlfriend
- Minna – maid to the Casper family
- Dr. Pecora – Elizabeth’s therapist
- Mrs. Cavendish – elderly lady cared for by Tonya
- Grunger – super of Elizabeth’s building in earlier years
- Dianne Jacobsen – housekeeper at group home
- Garret – Ben’s friend
- John Robertson – worked at coffee shop
- Detective Jiminez – detective
A QUICK NOTE OF DISCOVERY ~
I love to include most to all of the characters in my review in hopes that it helps you, my reader, to refer back to at any time you are in question of particular names. I feel this is helpful while reading (if there are a lot of characters) and also it serves as a great reference during book club discussions. Interestingly enough, this is the first time in doing this that as I listed all of the characters I found most of them to relate to Elizabeth Casper, instead of the protagonist. Just a thought I wanted to share.
PLOT ~
Mackenzie’s mom, Elizabeth (Lizzy), dies in a questionable accident. She struggles to understand why she can’t feel like she is adquately mounring the loss of her mother. She’s always had somewhat of a distant relationship with her…but it’s her mom…and she just died! Shouldn’t she be feeling more pain about this loss?
Not long after her death, Mackenzie starts receiving letters in an envelope labeled From #1 fan XOXO. Each is signed Love, Mom. While she (along with us readers) is very anxious to figure out who is hand delivering these letters, she is also enjoying getting to know her mom better through them. These letters are actually from her mother’s journal, many written from when her mother was pregnant with her.
As Mackenzie, alongside her friend EJ, dives further into her mother’s past, they both start realizing that Lizzy’s first #1 Best Seller Lies, Lies & Revenge is actually written about her own life. Deep family secrets emerge that Mackenzie was never aware of. Secrets starting from the group home, Keller Foster Care, and moving on through the years from there. As stated in the book, “Sometimes to understand your present, you have to look into the past.” Buckle up my friends….it’s going to be a fun ride!
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CONCLUSION ~
While there were some slow spots in this book, I very much enjoyed all of the twists and turns along the way. Just when you thought you read the last twist, along came another one. I enjoyed the relationships formed and also felt anger at the ones that were plain evil. Each person introduced had a well formed relationship to the overall story. Author, Iliana Xander, has another book, “Man of the Year,” which I am looking forward to reading as well when it comes out June 2025! You can preorder with the link below:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ~
(Warning: Spoilers in the following questions)
- Lizzy Casper, famous autor, slips and hit her head on a rock, killing her. Did you find this plausible or did you question it from the beginning?
- What are your feelings on Ben Casper, husband? Is he to be trusted?
- Someone desecrated one of Lizzy Caspers photos, was this a publicity stunt by the PR firm or is it someone that was stalking her?
- What were your first thoughts about who was hand delivering the mysterious letters?
- Did your opinion change regarding question #4 as you got deeper into the book?
- Have you “idolized” what you thought was a perfect family at any time in your life only to find out later they were very dysfunctional as the Casper family turned out to be?
- Mackenzie was brutally hurt by 3 boys. Should she retaliate? Did she retaliate?
- She receives a note saying “I know what you did to those 3 boys in the barn? How do you think you would have reacted to the letter….challenged the person regarding what they knew or try to sweep it under the rug?
- In Letter #4 it states, “Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to kill my boyfriend like I do in my books?” Did you believe or not believe she had actually performed this act when you first read it?
- Do you think a large percentage of fictional stories stem from real life events or no?
- Has there ever been a book that resonated strongly with you that you wondered if it had actually stemmed from a real life event? Which book was it?
- Did you think we would meet Tonya’s baby that was given up for adoption at any point in the book? Was there a specific character you believed might be him if you did think so?
- This story had several good twists. Which one were you most surprised by? Which one did you guess early on?
- What were your thoughts on Tonya early on in the book? Did those thoughts change after finishing?
- When Ben Casper first runs into Professor Robertson later in the book, did you suspect anything at that moment?
- An entry was written, “You know what’s worse than murder? Burying someone alive.” What are your thoughts on how this took place in Love, Mom by Iliana Xander?
- The final letter….OMG! Did you expect this? (Let me refresh your memory…”Maybe, just maybe, and please forgive me for this my beautiful girl, but maybe Ben has nothing to do with you at all. Love, Mom
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. As always, I would love for you to drop your thoughts in the comments below. A good book discussion is always enjoyed!
Happy reading my friends ~
Mimi
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Great post with good details.
But reference the story … so much of it was unrealistic. A famous author only wrote three books in 20 plus years? And with pictures everywhere no one from her past saw that it was not her? She must have gone to school with many people and schools have yearbooks! And the twenty years in hiding, no one questioned why the secrecy?