Slow burn … Sarah in an unhappy marriage and makes the odd decision to have a baby in an attempt to save it. Unfortunately, Shocker she doesn't bond with the baby, and feels even more trapped in her unhappy life. When the baby is taken, the tensions continue to rise and the twists just keep coming. Something a little sinister pops up from time to time, adding to the suspense.

𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

THIS was the book I needed to get me out of a terrible slump. Sarah Westfield is unhappily married to Nick. The problem is that Nick is perfect--he treats her well, he's caring and loving, but Sarah simply doesn't love him and realizes too late that she rebounded far too quickly and ended up settling. When he initiates a talk one day, she's sure he feels the same way and feels relief over their impending split. But she's in for the shock of her life when he says he wants to try for a baby. Shocked and confused, Sarah finds herself dumbly agreeing.

When their daughter is born, Sarah feels nothing for her. She didn't think it was possible to feel more trapped and resentful, but she does. When the couple stops at a neighborhood pub to eat, Sarah is grateful for the kind stranger who offers to walk with the baby to soothe her, who has started wailing as soon as the food arrived. But the woman doesn't return, and when Sarah becomes the subject of a police investigation, her world slowly starts to crumble around her; after all, what kind of woman wouldn't want to be a mother?

The subject matter in this book and how it was presented were both intense. I've learned with age to be careful who I vent to because sometimes, our true, authentic selves, are horribly ugly. It's as though even verbalizing some of the things I feel, even with the closest of friends, gives these awful thoughts merit. I loved how a main theme in the book is perception, and how our judgment of people is often clouded by the lens we're viewing them through. Our own guilt, shortcomings, and imperfections often cloud how we see people.

I was super surprised by how the events of the plot unfolded, and I'll definitely be reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this copy. This title published June 27, 2024.

This book was a popcorn thriller. Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, and Kiersten Modglin. I thought the story was fine and blew through it.

I struggled to warm to the main character, Sarah. She's in an unhappy marriage and makes the odd decision to have a baby in an attempt to save the marriage. Shocker then when she doesn't bond with the baby and feels even more trapped. When the baby is taken, the tensions continue to rise and the twists just keep coming. This is a real page-turner!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Valerie Keogh’s latest novel!

Sarah is unhappily married to Nick. Nick is everything her ex wasn’t, in the best ways possible. But for Sarah all the love and attention is too smouldering for her. Their marriage is on the rocks. When Nick tells Sarah they have to talk she thinks this is her wish come true, Nick will want a divorce. Wrong, Nick wants to try for a baby. Reluctantly Sarah agrees. When baby Kaya is born, Sarah struggles with motherhood and her resentment for Nick continues to grow. But then Kaya goes missing and everything Sarah has ever believed in comes crashing down.


I thought for sure ok I know what’s happening, but just when you think you know, you don’t. Plot twist! Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. Great premise but it wasn’t my favourite read. It is a slow burn that does keep you guessing.

A lot of people did enjoy this book so I do recommend picking it up and trying for yourself.


Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley. The Mother is available now.

This book is all about motherhood and marriage. It can be over the top, but I love this author writing and will continue to read everything she writes.

Another intense twisted story by Valerie Keogh. It gets you hooked from start to finish. It becomes a guessing game and an intense hunt to find baby Kaya. Just when you think you figured it out you realize how wrong you are. I really enjoyed the book and I promise this is an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of The Mother.

In The Mother, there are twists and turns, red herrings, and unreliable narrators aplenty. Valerie Keogh knows how to manipulate every single one of these so that her readers are left anxiously anticipating what unexpected surprises each page will bring next.

Sarah Westfield marries Nick on the rebound. While she did initially think he was the right man for her, she quickly realises that she’s made a big mistake. He’s lovely and attentive and he clearly adores her (maybe a bit too much?), but surely he knows that this is never going to work?

But he shocks her when he suggests that they should have a baby! And she shocks herself when she agrees – because after all, she’s not getting any younger. And maybe if they have a baby she’ll feel a bit more settled and things will all turn out to be ok. Well, let’s be serious … does that ever happen?

When baby Kaya arrives, Sarah struggles to bond with her, but Nick is immediately besotted. Sarah doesn’t understand what’s wrong with her. Yes, ok, she knows she wasn’t overly keen on becoming a mother, but she did think that once the baby was here, her motherly instincts would kick in! She suggests a family holiday to a place where she spent many holidays with her own family as a child, hoping that by recreating her own childhood memories with her new family, she can repair something that seems to be broken. But disaster strikes when baby Kaya is stolen from them … and it seems to be her fault!

Sarah has undeniably made numerous mistakes in her life. She often didn’t seem to function as a mature adult, and I needed to keep reminding myself that she was actually a GP – someone who others placed their trust in, who managed to work as a well-respected professional. As the story unfolded, I really warmed to her though – admittedly, earlier on, I wasn’t very fond of her. Nick on the other hand, I found utterly cringeworthy! I think that’s because I’m just not one of those people who likes being pawed all the time, as he does to Sarah. I felt claustrophobic and short of breath just reading about him! He’s just always in her space, and I completely understood her constant, desperate need to silently scream!! I would have wanted to scream out loud … often!

I think my favourite character was Zoe-Lee {never just ‘Zoe’), the policewoman who was assigned to the case in Devon where Sarah and Nick are on holiday, and who is then sent to London when they return home, so that she can hand the case over to her counterpart in the London office. She finds herself torn in her feelings towards Sarah, who she immediately takes a dislike to, judging her actions and comparing them to her own when it comes to her own baby. But she’s then led to question her behaviour and attitude when she weighs up how she feels about her work life compared to her home life. Keogh crafts a character going through a very real, topical issue that so many working mothers have to deal with: the struggles and the judgement, especially from other working mothers!

The pace increases with each chapter, and every few chapters there’s an anonymous voice that adds a really sinister element into the plot as things get darker and more disturbing. It all makes for an edgy, page-turning read, which I highly recommend!

Another great story from this author. Fast paced with twists galore right to the very end, I read it in record time for me. Highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review

#TheMother #NetGalley
Awesome.
Sarah Westfield is unhappily married to perfect husband Nick. Handsome, devoted and kind, he should be the ideal man for her, but Sarah knows their marriage is the biggest mistake she’s ever made…and she wants out. But then Nick offers her one last chance to make their marriage work – a baby. Sarah is horrified – a baby would tie herself to this man forever…wouldn’t it? Or could it be exactly what she needs? So Sarah agrees. A terrible mother? When the baby arrives, Sarah struggles with motherhood and her resentment towards Nick only grows. Sarah feels more trapped than ever, but she loves her precious daughter...doesn’t she? And then baby Kaya goes missing...And everything Sarah has ever believed in comes crashing down around her...
It was a fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this mystery thriller. I am a fan of Valerie Keogh and she did not disappoint in this one. This was a fast paced thriller that at first had me liking the main character and then my feelings changed and I got frustrated with her and then I went back to Team Sarah. Well done Valerie. Sarah and Nick are trying to make their marriage work and Nick comes up with the idea of trying to have baby to save them. Sarah isn't thrilled about it but she reluctantly agrees and low and behold they have a beautiful baby girl named Kaya. Sarah does not bond with Kaya at all and Nick absolutely adores their daughter. One night while the 3 of them are out at a local pub/restaurant they meet a couple ladies and end up sitting with them for dinner. When the ladies offer to watch Kaya so that Sarah and Nick can eat, Sarah has no problem agreeing to this.....then the nightmare begins. Just when you thought nothing else could possibly go wrong in this young couple's life you find out that things get even more devastating. Enjoy!!!!

Another great story from an author who is becoming one of my favourites. Twists galore right to the very end and I had no idea where the story was leading.. This is a book I highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review

“The Mother” is a gripping psychological thriller by author Valerie Keogh that deals with the intricacies of marriage and motherhood and the secrets that lie beneath what appears to be perfect lives.

Sarah Westfield is trapped in an unhappy marriage with her husband Nick, desperate for freedom yet bound by societal expectations. Nick proposes they try to have a baby as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage but Sarah is horrified by the idea but subsequently agrees and the unrest follows.

When the baby arrives Sarah’s feelings of entrapment and discontentment are increased and her struggles with motherhood are raw as she grapples with her emotions. But when baby Kaya goes missing the suspense ramps up and Sarah’s world unravels. She is forced to face her deepest fears and insecurities, as the investigation reveals shocking truths about those closest to her.

This is a well written psychological thriller full of emotion and suspense.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Boldwood Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars for this book! The author is top-tier in my opinion. I already knew I would love the book . I could not put it down! You will not regret adding this book to your TBR list.

This was a quick read, one that was thrilling yet kept me hooked. I love Valerie's writing and ability to weave together a page turner. This was full of unexpected turns and kept me guessing.

This was a quick thriller read - this follows the story of a mother trying to get her daughter back and untangling the weave of events that caused her to be taken in the first place.

Ultimately this book does not have likable characters which makes it more layered. You'll go through phases of siding with one character over another leading to a tangled web of lies with multiple guilty parties. The main goal is how far are you willing to go for love?

3.5 stars. This was an engaging, easy to read thriller. Sarah is trapped in a marriage to man she does not love with a baby she has not bonded with and then their baby is kidnapped.

None of these main characters are likable. I kept trying to like Sarah but I couldn’t get there.

The story was unbelievable at times but that’s typical of this genre.

There were twists and even though I had predicted the outcome I did enjoy watching to see how in unfolded.

If you are a lover of a good psychological thriller you should give this one a go!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can highly recommend all this author's books.........Valerie Keogh's books have all been a 5 star read and her latest book The Mother was No different. It was a superb read from start to finish. Once I opened my kindle and started to read it, I found it hard to put down and I could not turn the pages quick enough to find out what happens next - What an addictive read The Mother was. I loved it from the very first page till the last.

A great book for your relaxing day off or your holidays.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

When you think you have the book figured out, a twist comes along and blows your mind. The pacing was slow in the beginning, everyone was insufferable, and the ending seemed predictable, although it didn’t end up being so.

The pace did pick up towards the end, and the conclusion was satisfactory.

What do you do when you feel stuck in a marriage with a man you don’t love? Have a baby! That’s exactly what Sarah did, and then things took a turn.

Their baby has been taken, Sarah is acting strange, and her husband Nick is beside himself. Is she, or isn’t she, responsible for the kidnapping of their baby?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free copy of this book.