This novel pleasantly surprised me! I was quite enthralled, eager to see how things would play out and I really loved how the author didn't shy away from exposing Rose as a deeply flawed character. The childhood of neglect she experienced was evident in all of her close relationships and I found the first person account to be particularly powerful in this respect, with regards to her internal dialogue during interactions with her husband. Her ability to read people and understand how to use that to her advantage was so clear in every spousal interaction - it was both fascinating and disturbing.

Wow. This was such a good book. It started off not being my usual read but I was intrigued. There were twists and turns everywhere, not all of which I saw coming. I especially liked the ending, which is what really sent this over the edge of 4 stars into 5.

Helen Monks Takhar’s latest book, Such a Good Mother, tells the story of Rose, a determined mother willing to do anything to give her son a life she never had. She jumps at the opportunity to join The Circle, an exclusive group of affluent and powerful school mums, in hopes of having the right connections to make her dreams come true. Along the way, Rose discovers more than she bargained for: a complex hierarchy of powerful women, the Queen Bee, a struggling alcoholic, a social media star and a serial cheater – and the mystery surrounding the death of one of the group members.

This thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read will keep you glued to your seat from the very first page. The suspense and dark secrets lurking in The Circle are revealed in layers, and each one has an even more shocking outcome than the last. Helen Monks Takhar captures the complexity of motherhood with beautiful prose and intense dialogue that keep you engrossed until the very end. Such a Good Mother is a masterful story about the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, and a brilliant read that you won't soon forget.

This book started off well and I enjoyed it, but then it just got a bit silly. I did finish it but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this read.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, I enjoyed the setting and the backstory. However I felt the second half became a little contrived and the twist disappointed me, but I’m not a fan of that particular trope so I think it would be a hit for many others. The writing is good and the characters are well defined if mostly unlikeable.

This book takes something so real - horrible yummy mummies - and twists it into something far more sinister. A Mam trying to do her best for her son, trying to fit in with these women, trying to improve her life, when it all goes horribly wrong. really good read, definitely recommend it.

It took me quite a while to get into this book and when I did I wasn't really enjoying it. I liked the twists and turns but this book wasn't for me.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I tried multiple times to get into it but just couldn’t. I couldn’t keep up with the characters, much less like any of them. The story just seemed to wordy for me too, which is hard to explain but I just felt like too much words, I’d find myself reading a page without talking any of words in.

Rose is not the typical mum for Woolf academy but once she is accepted into the inner circle of mums what could go wrong? Sadly this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the characters or the story and lost interest with it. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
I started this book some months ago, and have had several attempts to continue reading, but I just can't get sufficiently drawn in to continue reading.
I'm not a fan of beginnings that start with mystery and lots of questions, and I think this has caused my downfall.
I hate to admit defeat, and once I have more time to read well into the book at first sitting, I may feel differently, but at the moment, this book isn't for me.

A good read
A book which will keep you hooked
A good thriller with plenty of twist
Thanks NetGalley

After reading That Woman, I was keen to dive into this one. And I bloody enjoyed it!

Yes, it’s far fetched and definitely requires some punting of disbelief, but you know what? It’s fiction, and I’m perfectly grand with that. But as over the top as it is, it really does genuinely highlight the pressure mums are finding themselves buried under. Am I good enough? Am I sending my kid to a decent enough school? How can I ensure the best for my child? The belief that all other mums have the tidy, well put together and under control Insta life and kids, while you’re a hot mess who can’t even find the time to answer a text…The mental load of the daily grind. It all hits home!

Now, I’m not going to get up to the shenanigans that Rosie did (it was all a bit desperate housewives and I wouldn’t have the energy) but I really felt the pressure she found herself under. The characters were well written - some veeeeery unlikeable, which I always welcome. In fact, Takhar writes unlikeable women incredibly well.

I flew through this one pretty quickly and I will look forward to reading more of her books.

A very sinister and compelling read which taps into the parenting insecurities of doing your best for your child - getting them into the best school and mixing in the right circles to ensure you belong. The feeling of being inadequate and that other mothers are so much more “on it” with parenting is something many of us can relate to and this story conveys that feeling well.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

An excellent book club thriller - and a dark look at unrealistic ideas about motherhood. I really enjoyed!

I read this with a friend and we got through it so quickly, both guessing all sorts of theories. I think it's definitely one to read with a sense of disbelief and to not worry if the scenes and situations could really happen. I will definitely pick up more from this author.

This book was a good read, but I would highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings first. Well paced and structured, and was gripping.

This was a good "suspend belief" read - thoroughly enjoyed as a work of fiction. The characterisation was strong, perhaps moreso than the story itself. I felt that the story was born out of a superb idea (and there is a nod to the inspiration in the notes at the end) and could have worked brilliantly, were it not for the shortened timeline, very extreme (almost verging on chip-on-the-shoulder) stereotyping and then overly-neat tying together of all the loose ends in a hurry at the end.

Read withough worrying about whether "this could happen" or "would they really say/do that" it makes for a good story. Leave your need-to-believe at the cover, and enjoy a good story!

An intriguing read which held my interest throughout. Rose O' Connell desperately wants her Don Charlie to attend the elite Woolfe Academy , a free school which has finding raised by the Circle,, a group pf parents who have so much power over what goes on. Will Rose fit or Charlie fit in well at the school. It was an eye-opener of a read and I sincerely hope this doesn't happen in real schools.

It took me a while to get into but once I was in, I couldn't put it down, I was hooked. Really great storyline, well written characters and overall, a fab read. So glad I didn't dnf it.