I really enjoyed The Secret Mother. It was one of those books I just couldn’t put down and I read it within 24 hours. It’s the first book I’ve read by Shalini Boland and it’s definitely whetted my appetite for more of her work.

The story follows Tessa Markham. She’s given birth to twins with husband Scott at her side. One child died at birth and the other a few years later. Her grief put a strain on their marriage and they separated. She lives in a world where she exists day to day: goes to work, eats and sleeps. Then one day she returns to find a small boy in her kitchen asking if she’s his mummy. What’s he doing there? Did she take him? Even after calling the police she doesn’t trust herself and finds she has to prove her innocence to everyone.

This is a pacy, gritty book and I was hooked from the first chapter. It’s well written and you feel Tessa’s angst. I can heartily recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

The secret Mother by Shalini Bolton was a excellent psychological thriller. I was hooked from the very first page until the last page. I really liked the character of Tessa and I did not want to put the book down and read it in one day. I will be looking forward to reading more books from this author. I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. Will be back with my full review.

When I saw this book on Facebook, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I love reading psychological thrillers and this one didn't disappoint.
We are thrown straight into the deep end with this book.
Tessa gets home to find a little boy sitting in her kitchen. She doesn't know where he comes from. But he asks her one very important question "Are you my mummy?"
A whole police investigation is opened to find out where this little boy came from and how he ended up in Tessa's house. Tessa is blamed for things she hasn't done and they past comes back to haunt her.
I really enjoyed this story, it pulled me in from page 1 and kept me reading until the very end.
Tessa is a really relatable character, she has had a shitty few years and life has been hard. She's just trying to get through each day.
I really liked Ben, he was a really supportive person. Something Tessa really needed.
The ending was a bit of a shock and it made me cry.
This is the first book by this author I have read and I'm off to find out what else she has to offer.

I received an ARC of this title from Bookoutre via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Markham arrives home to find a five-year-old boy, Harry, in her kitchen. A boy who greets her by asking if she’s his mother.

We soon learn Tessa and her estranged husband, Scott, once had twins, a girl who died shortly after birth, and a boy who died more recently from an illness. Following a mental and emotional break, Tessa was suspected, but not charged, with taking another woman’s child, and Scott has his doubts about how Harry came to be in Tessa’s house.

Following this experience, Tessa comes to be tried by the media, presumed guilty of child abduction, and she begins to question her own actions. A nosy neighbor who is also a reporter, and an understanding boss who may want to be more than that complicate Tessa’s life further, as she struggles to uncover the truth of how Harry came to be in her house, as well as deal with the fact that Scott is prepared to move on with his life in a direction opposite of hers.

Shalini Boland did a very good job of getting inside Tessa’s head and making her concerns come to life, while managing not to become too maudlin or overwrought. She felt real, and that was greatly appreciated.

I had the mystery solved long before Tessa did, but her superb characterization and the story’s pacing kept me involved throughout. Boland is very good at building suspense, although there were a couple of “Whatever-shall-I-do?” moments that i felt were a bit too much.

Still, the book reached a satisfying conclusion, and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author.

A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

The Secret Mother starts off with an unusual pretext - Tessa Markham comes home from work to find a little boy in her kitchen, claiming that she's his mother. From there, we go on a wild ride trying to figure out who took the boy, why, and who he really is. The Secret Mother is definitely a page turner and I blew threw it in just a couple of days because I wanted to find out the "secret" behind the secret mother. I only gave it three stars, though, because I could see many of the plot twists coming and guessed the ending well in advance. The foreshadowing was a bit too heavy and allowed me to predict many of the upcoming events. However, this was a really fun read and I enjoyed going along for the ride.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the book for review.

I absolutely loved this amazing book! So thrilling and fast paced. So many twists that I did not see coming! Love this author's writing style! Original and amazing - a truly stunning tale! One of the best psychological thrillers I have read! Cannot wait for more by this superb author!

I am a huge fan of this author and I have read all of her books. Each one better than the last ! I read this is one day.. I didn't want to put it down. As always from page one you are hooked and it just gets more suspenseful from there. The main character could have been weak and wishy washy after all she had been through but the author made her strong and empowering. Yes she may have doubted her sanity, but who could blame her ? I would recommend this book to anyone as it was fantastic.

This book was special .It was read for that purpose . The young kid called Harry stayed with Tess until he went for his father . He was only a little boy and didn’t know what to do .

Poor Tessa has enough to contend with, having lost both of her twins and her husband has left her, when a small boy turns up in her kitchen, sating an angel has brought him to her. She now has to contend with a police enquiry, doorstepping press and her estranged husband accusing her of having a breakdown. My heart went out to Tessa, trying to prove her innocence, while being disbelieved by so many, with the notable exception of her boss. This is a very good book, with believable characters, and a lead who drew me into her life and frustrations.

The Secret Mother was an absolute brilliant story, I was so hooked, loved every minute of it, I couldn't put my kindle down as I needed to know the ending, and what a Brilliant ending it was!!!

Struggled to put this book down. The storyline drew me in immediately. Such a page-turner!
I felt so much empathy for the main character - she lost both her children, seperated from her husband - who now has a young pregnant girlfriend, and she doesn't really have anyone in her life other then her boss. Couldn't even imagine going through all that she has.
Even though I guessed the ending about halfway through the book, it was still a very enjoyable fast-paced read for me. Highly recommend!

Tessa Markham comes home one evening to find a strange 5-year-old boy in her north London terraced house. Harry is sitting at the table drawing a picture of a woman and a little boy standing next to a train. "It's you and me," he says. "I drew it for you because you're my mummy."

Tessa has no children any longer -- her little boy and girl lie in the cemetery. When she calls the police, it sets off a flurry of publicity and suspicions that she has abducted the child -- become unhinged. The police return Harry to his father in Dorset, but questions remain. How had the boy come to be in Tessa's house? Tessa doubts herself -- could she have kidnapped him? Has her grief intensified since her husband, Scott, moved out and on with a new girlfriend? The press is hounding her but she finds refuge in her job at the garden centre and in her boss, Ben Moretti. No one seems to believe that Tessa is innocent and even her next door neighbor, the nosy Carly, wants a story. Tessa is determined to get her questions answered and begins to seek theh truth.

Although I knew where this was going a few chapters in, the story was fast-paced and kept my interest. Not a lot of suspense, I'd say more of a drama than a thriller. Not a fan of the love interest angle as romance isn't too high on my list of important components of any book. I did enjoy it and I'd read another by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

eat Thriller! Right away I was invested in Tessa’s story wanting to know more about what she had been doing prior to finding a boy in her kitchen and then there is that. A random boy in her kitchen calling her mom – how does that happen and was she involved. As she is prosecuted in the press and judged by her estranged husband it is hard not to build sympathy and want to know what really happened. The twist is a good one and makes for a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland

I have just finished "The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland . This book was a very fast read for me. I enjoyed the plot and I liked the way everything kept coming together in the end with a unique ending. I thought the writing had a lot of repetition going over the same points again and again. Even though the book was interesting and intriguing, I had the end figured out by the half way through. I would like to thank Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Very suspenseful! Tessa returns home from the cemetery after visiting her deceased children. In her kitchen, there is a strange boy of about 5 years old. Tessa calls her soon to be ex-husband and when he comes over he calls the police. From there on, the book is full of suspense, many twists and turns and a surprise ending. What a great book. I highly recommend this book to anyone to love a good suspenseful read.

Fast paced and twisty! I loved Boland's previous novels and this one did not disappoint!

The Secret Mother is a suspenseful novel about Tessa, a woman whose perfect life has shattered - her twin children are dead, she and her husband have separated, and when she comes home from work to find a 5-year-old boy in her kitchen, the news media immediately accuse her of abducting the child. As the media pressure becomes more and more unbearable, Tessa tries to figure out who left this child in her house, or if it really was her.
Another success by author Shalini Boland, I couldn't put the book down. Her stories have interesting plot twists, and I'm always trying to figure out what the next one will be, usually unsuccessfully. I did figure out the ending of this novel about two thirds of the way through, but not every relative plot twist. The images of the English towns she describes are beautiful and peaceful, exactly what this New York girl assumes an English town would be like. I hope she writes a sequel to find out what happens to Tessa, Ben, Scott, and Harry next.

Thanks so much to Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this book and review.

I really enjoyed this psychological drama about a grieving mother who returns home one day to find a little boy in her home, who calls her mummy. The characters are well written, there’s some good twists and overall I would recommend.

Excellent book. Main character is fabulous and you feel for her. Couldn't put it down. Needed to know how the mystery ended. Thank you NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for the privilege to read and review this book.