Tantrum

What a strange book - and what a good read. Good to the last bite. Small but powerful. Just dive in and let it take you to what is very real in some other lives or maybe your own. Like no other book you'll likely read. Bizarrely well written with well earned triumph in the end. I highly recommend it and not just for mothers. Definitely not just for moms.

What a wonderful and weird little book, presenting a unique lens on the joys and challenges of motherhood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Rachel Eve Moulton. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!Lucia didn't have a good relationship with her own mother, so she was worried and stressed throughout her first two pregnancies. But everything went well and she has two wonderful little boys. Her third pregnancy was easy and she had none of the same fears. Until she was born and she just knew her baby girl was a monster.This is a wild ride and certainly won't be for everyone. But if you love dark humor with a side of horror, this look at motherhood, mother/daughter relationships, and generational trauma just might be for you. I'm not sure I've read anything else like this before and I read a lot! It's short and unhinged in a good way, and I couldn't look away.

Well, that escalated quickly… in the best possible way.Okay, so imagine you’re exhausted, hormonal, and finally holding your newborn after what feels like a lifetime of pregnancy—only to realize your baby has a full set of teeth and the soulful gaze of a tiny demon. That’s Thea’s life now, and honestly? Mood.Tantrum is like if The Babadook and The Omen had a darkly hilarious baby, and that baby was raised by Shirley Jackson with a side of caffeine-induced delirium. Lucia isn’t just a “difficult” child—she’s a full-blown horror show in a onesie, announcing her intentions to eat her baby brother with the same casual energy as a toddler demanding chicken nuggets.🥴What I loved: the way Rachel Eve Moulton nails that bone-deep exhaustion of motherhood, then cranks it up to nightmare fuel. Thea’s creeping dread—paired with flashes of her own messed-up childhood—makes you question whether Lucia is a supernatural terror or just the manifestation of generational trauma (or both?). There’s something weirdly relatable about a mom shrugging at her monster baby’s antics because, hey, survival is messy.If you’re into horror(like me) that’s smart, savage, and a little bit unhinged (with a side of existential parenting dread), this is your next read. Just maybe don’t read it while holding a baby. Or while hungry.

Ahoy there me mateys! This book has a cool cover and a cool concept.  A mother believes her third child and only daughter might be a monster.  She's right.Unfortunately, this was not a good fit for me overall.  The book is split into three parts.  I loved part one which was more in line with the horror book I was expecting.  The writing in this section was evocative and the little girl was creepy.  I couldn't figure out if the mom was suffering from postpartum, was losing her mind due to the stress of having three children under five, or actually had a daughter who was evil.Of course, the blurb answers that question but I didn't know that when I picked it up.  Sadly, when the book moved to parts two and three, the plot and themes went in a direction I didn't like.  Again, it is well written.  I just was expecting and/or hoping for something else.  I finished this book thinking how weird it was and being slightly dissatisfied.Aye, weird but not horrific.  There was dark humor here.  I wanted more monster and less about the mother's past trauma.  I do think this could be a better read if the reader goes in with the correct expectations.  Arrr!