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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

As the friendship progresses it becomes clear that both women are concealing secrets from one another.

Throughout the story there are many twists and surprises that will catch readers off guard.

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story: Is it about things are not what they seem?

Nicole Trope: The novel is 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.

EC: How would you describe Terry?

NT: Terry is a man struggling to find his way in the world. He appears to have it all and yet, it’s not enough for him, so he finds ways to make his life exciting and interesting. He doesn’t think about his family and what he is doing to them, not until it’s too late.

EC: How would you describe Andrea?

NT: 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.

EC:  How would you describe Gabby?

NT: 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? 

EC: What role did Jack play in the story?

NT: 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.

EC: What role did Flynn play in the story?

NT: Flynn is Gabby’s son and he’s a different sort of difficult because he’s a teenage boy. 

EC: How would you compare mothering a three-year-old to mothering a teenager?

NT: 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.

EC: Do you have teenagers and did you draw upon your experience for this story?

NT: I did but they are all young adults now. 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.

EC: Do you think teenagers change their personalities?

NT: I think their brains are not fully developed and they are at the mercy of their hormones and now, they are also manipulated by social media as we all are. It’s a frightening combination.

EC: Do you think parents of teenagers have a hard time from being considered “Flynn’s mom” to back to just being “Gabby”?

NT: Yes, I think that if you, as a mother, don’t have something for yourself, life can feel very empty when your children move out and move on with their lives.

EC: What does the role of social media play in the story: are people easily influenced, is it a way for people to connect or to be taken advantage of?

NT: 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.

EC: Was gambling on sports an intricate part of the story?

NT: It’s another example of addiction. People can be addicted to all sorts of things and in this case, another addiction examined is the addiction to validation online.

EC: Did Gabby have mother issues who was unkind, abusive, made her feel worthless? 

NT: I think Gabby really struggled with feeling she had worth and I think that can be a problem for a lot of people, even those who have had the best childhoods.

EC: Next book?

NT: A Perfectly Nice Family will be published on the 6^th of March 2026. The plot has a family moving next door to the female protagonist, Stephanie. But they are not what they seem, and the teenage daughter is suspected of setting their former house on fire. Did Stephanie make a mistake in renting to this family?

THANK YOU!

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