The Stay-At-Home-Mother
Nicole Trope
Grand Central Pub
January 2026
The Stay-At-Home-Mother by Nicole Trope delves into the joys and troubles of raising children within a psychological thriller.
“I wrote this novel about the difficulties of motherhood at all stages and the power of social media to both help and harm us. And it asks the reader to question what is true in every situation.”
The book is narrated by two women. Andrea is a stay-at-home mom of three-year-old Jack and is also nine months pregnant. Her husband, Terry has accrued a huge debt by betting on sports. Because of him, they had to sell Andrea’s dream home and have moved into an older, worn-down place that doesn’t feel like a home.
“Andrea is a young woman carrying an enormous load. She is heavily pregnant and struggling with fitting into a new neighborhood after having given up on her dream home. Life has not turned out the way she expected but she has a young child to care for and another on the way. Her money worries consume her, affecting everything she does. She really is doing her best in a difficult situation. Jack is Andrea’s little boy, and he’s a delight but he’s only three and has no idea what his mother is dealing with.”
The across the street neighbor is Gabby who is slightly older, with a teenage son and a Facebook page devoted to mothering. She has women across Australia following her parenting advice of teenagers with her son as the subject matter.
“I think when we meet Gabby, we can see she is struggling with loneliness and lack of control over her son’s life. She’s found validation online, but what is she really looking for? Flynn is Gabby’s son and he’s a different sort of difficult because he’s a teenage boy.”
Both women are drawn to each other. Gabby is lonely because her teenage son is rarely home and her husband travels across the US for work. Andrea needs some down time, so she accepts Gabby’s offer to babysit Jack.
“I wanted to explore the different stages of motherhood. When children are young and demand all your attention, it can feel overwhelming, but when they are older and need you less, that’s overwhelming in a different way. Young children can be protected but older children can’t always be looked after because they must learn to live their own lives. I know that there is a saying that little children mean little problems and big children mean bigger problems. It doesn’t seem to be the case when you are dealing with lack of sleep and privacy and time, but when they are older and you have no control over who they spend time with or what they’re doing, it’s hard in a different way. Life can feel very empty when your children move out and move on with their lives.”
As the friendship progresses it becomes clear that both women are concealing secrets from one another. “Social media has its positives. It must be wonderful, as a new mother, to be able to call on the whole world for answers if you have a question. And as children get older, it’s also wonderful to be able to find others going through the same things you are. But social media is a façade, a screen, and you never know what’s really going on in the lives of the people you are talking to.”
Throughout the story there are many twists and surprises that will catch readers off guard.
