I read this book in one and a bit sitting, it's a stand alone thriller and very different to Caroline's crime thrillers. It is however a brilliant read even if you guess what's coming and shout at Roz not to be so gullible. You will obviously have to read to the end to find out if there's a happy conclusion for Roz. It got me all fired up in a stomach churning, nail biting sort of way but that's what thrillers are supposed to do, Caroline Mitchell, job done.

Roz, a young Irish girl from a chaotic family moved to Dublin to share a flat with her friend However, she has lost her job & discovers she is pregnant. Being a Catholic & it being before abortion was legal in Eire she looks to the internet. She wants to give this baby the best possible start. When she is paired with a gold star couple who offer her somewhere to live until the baby is born. She jumps at it, although her friend is very sceptical. When Roz arrives in New York she is stunned to find the couple are very famous actors. She has to sign non disclosure forms & settles into the luxury flat they have provided. Roz discovers that Sheridan,the wife, intends to pass this child off as her own & so that there will be no chance of anyone proving otherwise, she finds herself a virtual prisoner. As she tries to follow the schedule Sheridan lays out she begins to suspect she is in danger. Is the couple's son really 'their's' & if not what happened to HIS mother? Someone is secretly leaving her magazine that disturb her even more.

This was a gripping tale. I was scared along with Roz as to what these very mixed up people were going to do her. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This was a 3.5 star book for me.

While I enjoyed reading it, it went a bit beyond what I found believable. Also, I didn't find myself particularly vested in the characters, even Roz.

That being said, it was a good read overall and I enjoyed it, just didn't love it.

Thank you for a galley edition of this book and the opportunity to write an honest review!

The Perfect Mother is the story of two women from opposite sides of the social divide. There is Rosalind (Roz) who is Irish,had a chaotic upbringing,has recently lost her job and also discovered that she is pregnant. Then there ex child actress Sharidan, who is married to megastar Daniel and they have a young son named Leo.

Roz is determined that her baby with have a better upbringing than she did but she is penniless and can't afford to feed herself properly never mind a baby. So she joins an elite adoption service Miracle Mums and is overjoyed when she is contacted by a Diamond Couple. Very swiftly and despite the misgivings of her best friend Dympna, Roz finds herself on a all expenses paid trip to New York to meet the mystery couple who are going to adopt her baby. But not long after she arrives at their luxury apartment, Roz begins to realise that something is not right and that something dark and twisted lurks behind the glitz and glamour that the couple hide behind. Then when Roz learns about the mysterious disappearance of another young girl who knew the couple, she realises that in doing what she thought was right for her baby, she has placed both their lives in jeopardy.

the chapters of this gripping psychological thriller alternated between poor,naive Roz and unstable, control freak Sheridan. Roz had another reason for getting away from Ireland, she didn't want anyone especially Dympna finding out the identity of her baby's father. The reader is kept in the dark about his identity until towards the end of the book. It was heart warming witnessing the bond developing between Roz and her little bean as her maternal instincts kicked in and and she realised that she wanted to keep her baby. There are many people in this world who have a heightened sense of their own importance and Sheridan was definitely one of those people. She believed that just because she had money that gave her the right to use and abuse people without there being any repercussions. She was definitely not a very likeable character,neither was her husband Daniel who wasn't adverse to playing a few mind games himself. I loved Dympna, everybody needs a best friend like her, she was prepared to do anything in her power to find her best friend despite her suspicious over the identity of the father of Roz's baby.

The Perfect Mother is a very well written, intense tale of betrayal, manipulation, lies, mind games and the power of a mother's love for her child that hooks the reader in from the first page, keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages whilst suffering a very bad case of anxiety for the welfare of Roz and her unborn child. There was a mixed bag of realistic characters, some likeable, some not so likeable and some who were not who they appeared to be. A very enjoyable, intense read and very highly recommended.

I don’t know where to start with The Perfect Mother.... The twists and turns in his book will have you wondering. I had no clue how this book was to end. It kept me in suspense until the last page. The characters from Hollywood to Ireland have such depth and interest. This book will keep you turning the pages. Don’t miss out on this great book. Can’t wait for another book by #carolineMitchell #theperfectmother

I am a big fan of this authors police procedural series, so was really looking forward to this standalone thriller!

After a gripping prologue that definitely grabbed my interest, we go back a bit and meet Roz. She is living in Ireland with her best friend Dympna. She has just lost her job and has unexpectedly found herself pregnant. After her own troubled childhood that has led to be estranged from her own mother, she is determined that her child won't end up in the same boat and starts to weigh up her options. Being brought up as a catholic and with them being illegal in Ireland, she decides against getting an abortion and signs up to an elite adoption agency. She is so excited when she gets picked by an anonymous American power couple that want to fly her out to them, all expenses paid, look after her throughout her pregnancy and give her baby the childhood she could only dream of. Could it all be too good to be true?

This is a brilliant hold-your-breath, page-turner! Twists, turns, shocks and some brilliantly written characters.
I really felt for Roz, just wanting the best for her baby at whatever cost, but I loved Dympna! Everyone needs a friend like Dympna who will tell you how it is and fight for you no matter what.
A very good read!

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

Roz realizes she is pregnant after a one night stand. Knowing her mother had not been the best role model, not having much income and still needing to finish school she leans toward adoption as a way to provide her child with the perfect mother. So, she looks and finds a site that promises wealthy intelligent well off people she can meet that might be interested. After making her choice she leaves her best friend Dympna behind and heads off to New York to meet the prospective parents. Sure, some warning bells go off in her mind (big ones went off in MY mind) and she should have listened to her gut...but she didn’t. And, if she had listened and run this story would have never gotten off the ground.

With each chapter more is revealed about the powerful couple in show business and the more that I learned the more worried I became. I had a good idea what would happen and wasn’t surprised by the plotting and pace but was surprised by one twist that had me scratching my head as I had not tweaked to the fact that one person’s fantasies were as dark or darker than an other’s.

What I liked:
* Roz never gave up even when a bit of Stockholm syndrome seemed to set in she was hopeful she and her baby would get out alive...well...most of the time she was.
* The twist I did not see coming
* Dympna: Roz’s best friend who never gave up on finding her
* The creep-factor and chill the story provided – I wrote down that one person was psychotic and later thought more than one actually was.
* The way it played with my (and Roz’s) mind
* The resolution at the end

What I did not like:
* The power couple – Sheridan and Daniel
* The fact that not all of the bad guys were punished
* Seeing just how warped and cruel and sick some people can be

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, UK and Book on the Bright Side Publicity for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Rosz has to make the most difficult decision of her life, give her child to adoption or abort; she knows she can take care of her… So she decides to search for a good family to take care of her unborn baby and give her the life she can only dream of. Seems a good idea, don’t you think? The problem with the “chosen” family is that they have a secret agenda, making Rosz fear for her life and her unborn daughter. Is it worth risking her life to have “The Perfect Mother”? You’ll have to read the book to discover the truth!
Rosz is a naïve Irish girl, she wants the “perfect” mother for her daughter and when a very rich family from the US shows interests in her, she can not see all the weird things surrounding them until it’s too late. The family is damaged, deeply disturbing and with a really dangerous agenda!
Since the beginning the reader can feel that the family is not good, the alarms sound loud and clear, but at the same time you can understand how Rosz simply wants to see the good things, she wants the best for her little one and if this means that she has to be kept as a secret, be it.
I loved how Caroline Mitchell has done a great job with this story, it’s the typical movie where the spectator spends half the movie shouting at the characters to be careful while they ignore them! The only good thing is that Rosz has an ally inside her “perfect” prison, but she doesn’t know who and if they will really help her or if it’s a trap… So many characters with secrets and lies that you never know what to expect next on the following page! This is a book to remind us about the important things in life and that sometimes what we are looking is just in front of us!
I read this book in one stand, the need to know more it was more important than any other thing in my life! 😉
So, take my advice and clean your schedule for the next hours, since you’ll need them to read this book! So… ready to discover “The Perfect Mother”?

Ooooo Ms Mitchell you clever clever lady. You thoroughly deserve my first 5 star review of 2020.

Not only has this got a fascinating plot surrounding online adoption it also has the added charm of showing the A list celebrity lifestyle.

And what can I say about Sheridan and Daniel the A list couple promising Roz the best in exchange for her baby? Fruitloop is the word that springs to mind with Sheridan, but for all her complete and utter madness I still had sympathy for her and that is all down to the power of Caroline’s writing. She is just trying to hold on to her man and the life she loves, when age and younger starlets are making that difficult.

And then there is Roz, a poor upbringing, no job, down on her luck and completely naive and desperate. I was rooting for her right from the get go and her tenacity was admirable when circumstances were stacked against her.

Even if this had been a bog standard this is all it is, it still would have been a great read as the writing is that good. Then add in some nice little twists, one of which I really did not see coming at all (and has left me with a big lightbulb thought) and it gives you the 5 star read that this totally deserves.

When Roz a young catholic woman living in Ireland finds herself pregnant abortion isn’t an option that she can consider and neither is the thought of bringing a child up herself. So when Roz searches the internet for a solution she discovers a web site where couples will pay all expenses for a young expectant mother, plus a little on top, to have her baby and let them adopt it. The agency seems pretty good so she puts all her details down about who she is, with a little tweaking to make it look better.
When she is contacted by a couple who have star ratings, which means they are famous someway, she can only see the perfect life for her unborn child with them. The couple has very dodgy criteria for the expectant mother to be chosen. Well stary eyed Roz being determined to be picked makes herself fit them all but she is like a square peg in a round hole. A deal is struck and she is soon flying across the Atlantic to the USA, the mystery couple and the unknown.
The story jumps between the characters, mainly Roz and Sheridan the woman wanting Roz’s baby where I found out more about them both. Sheridan makes for some really disturbing reading while I found I just couldn’t take to Roz. I was horrified at the situation that she had become part of but that was all. There are surprises and twists to this story that I thought I had worked out but it did catch me out.
This is another direction change for this author from supernatural heart stoppers, to dark police procedural belters to this suspenseful edgy novel that had me giving advice to characters whose destinies had already been written. Caroline Mitchell is an unstoppable super talent.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

This as the first of Caroline Mitchell’s books that I have read, and it definitely won’t be the last. Brilliant book, had me gripped from the first chapter, and kept me up until I finished it! Full of chilling twists, definitely worth reading!

Soooo anyone else get Brangelina vibes from this one?

A super famous celebrity couple goes undercover to buy young, single and poor Roz's baby, bringing her over from Ireland and paying all of her expenses for 6 months before she gives birth. What could possibly be the catch?

Too much to mention without giving it away, it turns out. Sheridan is a child star turned aging actress desperate to hold on to her movie star husband, the same husband whose career has been skyrocketing while hers has been fading. Even an abusive, cold and ambitious mother could not invoke any sympathy for Sheridan. Would Roz figure a way out of her prison before her child is born into this terrible fate?

4 stars because you do pull for Roz, ridiculous as she was to get herself into this situation. Some characters get what they deserve and some do not even come near it, but some genuine surprises at the end make this one a winner.

I loved this book ! A deliciously chilling well written thriller with shocking details you won't soon forget ! ! A must read ! Thanks to Netgalley , Amazon Publishing UK and Thomas Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book ! #Netgalley #AmazonPublishingUK #ThomasMercer #ThePerfectMother

Roz is penniless and pregnant. Wanting to find the perfect parents for her daughter, while padding her pockets at the same time, Roz signs up to a website that will match women with parents prepared to pay for a child. 
Roz is contacted by a "Diamond" couple, and is whisked away to New York to live in luxury till the baby is born ... spoiler - don't move to a different Country to live with strangers.

You can tell the author Caroline Mitchell really wanted to keep you on your toes.
Everything is not as it seems in this book, in an almost comical way.

Most books in his genre end with a twist and a climax.
This book was less climax, but  lots of twists ... multiple twists, which was fine, but as I said, almost funny. 

Like if the gang from Scooby-Doo unmasked the monster revealing the High school janitor, but then took THAT mask off and it was the captain of the football team... but then THAT mask came off and it was the principal ...

that was the last half of this book.

Having read and enjoyed previous books by this author, I was looking forward to reading this new one. I thought the description sounded intriguing. Sadly, I was very disappointed. I didn't really like the characters and I found the whole story to be way too far fetched. I won't be recommending this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This was a non stop thrill ride. It had many twists that were very unpredictable. It was a fantastic read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

4.5/5 stars

I’ve read all of Caroline Mitchell’s books and this is one of my favourites. Great story, great characters and written in a way that you have to keep reading. A good thriller that was a pleasure to read.

She thought they wanted her baby. But they won’t stop there.

Roz is young, penniless and pregnant. All she wants is to be the perfect mother to her child, but the more she thinks about her own chaotic upbringing, the more certain she is that the best life for her baby is as far away as possible from her hometown in Ireland.

Determined to do the right thing, Roz joins an elite adoption service and can’t believe her luck. Within days she is jetting to New York to meet a celebrity power couple desperate for a child of their own. Sheridan and Daniel are wealthy and glamorous—everything Roz isn’t. Her baby will never go hungry, and will have every opportunity for the perfect life. But soon after Roz moves into their plush basement suite, she starts to suspect that something darker lurks beneath the glossy surface of their home.

When Roz discovers she isn’t the first person to move in with the couple, and that the previous woman has never been seen since, alarm bells start ringing. As the clock ticks down to her due date, Roz realises her unborn baby may be the only thing keeping her alive, and that despite her best intentions, she has walked them both into the perfect nightmare…

I have loved all of this author's previous books so I was excited to read this one and the blurb sounded just up my street. I was drawn in right from the prologue and knew it was going to be a good one and I wasn't wrong. The characters are believable, I detested Sheridan and Daniel from the outset but it was easy to see why Roz fell for their charming words, but beneath that charm they hid some very dark secrets, although, as naive as she is, Roz has a secret of her own and it's this secret that aids her decision to fly to America in the first place, because she knows that should she reveal all, it could have far-flung consequences on the best friendship she's ever had and she can't let that happen, but things don't go quite as she had planned and she quickly realises maybe staying at home would have been the better option. If you like a fast paced, edge of your seat, scream if you want to go faster kind of thriller that keeps you guessing at the turn of every page, then this is for you.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Caroline Mitchell for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel - I'm a fan of her police procedural based books and this was another winner! 4.5 stars!

Roz lives in Ireland with her best friend, she just lost her job, is broke and pregnant. She had a tough childhood and she wants her child to have the perfect mother. She signs on with an elite adoption agency in the US and soon a celebrity couple wants to meet her. They pay all her expenses to bring her to NYC to meet and discuss plans, without yet revealing their names. When she finds out that it is the "it" Hollywood celebrity couple, she's eager for her baby to have all the best. The couple, Sheridan & Daniel, move her into their home where Sheridan rules her every move. So much so that Roz soon feels like a prisoner in the basement suite. And that's just the beginning of her worries.

This is a well-written thriller which will keep you gripped until you find out what happens to Roz and her baby.

A young pregnant woman moves to New York to meet what she Hope's will be the perfect couple to look after her unborn baby. But it's not long before she discovers that all is not what she expected it to be. Could her life be in danger?

The story starts off as a bt of a slow burner. But the pace does pick up as the story progresses. This is a tense and suspenseful read. I really felt for Roz, a naive young girl who only wanted the best for her unborn baby. Then the way she was treated by the couple was despicable. There are plenty of twists and shocks in store for the reader.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author Caroline Mitchell for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.