I liked the premise and had high hopes since I love the author but I did have a few complaints.... as well written as the characters were, they were also incredibly annoying. Who thinks a baby will save a relationship in this day and age?! And who has a baby for that reason?! It's very character based and quite a slow burn but it kept me invested throughout and was quite an easy read

I enjoyed this book with the different twists and turns - the characters were believable and the story was easy to follow and had a great ending.

This was a good book, a bit slow for my taste, but I did read it in a few hours. I did not like one character, but that's not unusual for me. The storyline was interesting, even without liking the main character. It did pick up maybe half way through, and the twists were good, I didn't see that coming, my mind had a totally different twist.
I can't wait for more from this author!
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and Valerie Keogh for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Not for me this one. I tried to read it twice..and just had to give up. Sorry. I usually enjoy books from Valerie Keogh.

As always, Valerie has given us another incredible novel. I am never disappointed and read everything she puts out immediately.

This was a quick read and definitely seemed to get quicker as the story went on. I could not put it down. There were so many unexpected twists and events, I am still in shock about some of them.

The characters were intriguing and held my attention throughout. The story itself was shocking and heart wrenching at times.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a fast paced, easy to follow thriller that you won't be able to put down.

I was quite gripped by this story - frustrated at times that the main character couldn't seem to let herself slip further into a marriage she wasn't happy in. I did want to yell at her a couple of times!

I have read two other books by this author and really enjoy the look at flawed characters and twists she brings.

This did keep me guessing and I didn't imagine the twist. I saw red flags with her friendship with Jade and thought - is it just me? Are my boundaries of what is acceptable in a friendship too high? But I was pleased to see that relationship evolve so it was clear with her!

The story overall did have me hooked - I read it in two days and thoroughly enjoyed it but did have two niggling annoyances! It would have been nice to see one lesbian character positively represented- the only one that was didn't have a happy relationship either so that irked me a little! I also found it very unnecessary to throw in a line where she decides someone in her life (trying not to leave spoilers!) Must have borderline personality disorder. A GP isn't qualified to make a diagnosis of a condition like that and it is a hugely stigmatised and contestable diagnosis. In fact it is very common to hear of a patient receiving a diagnosis in just one session, then later finding they are actually autistic. The diagnostic criteria is so broad that a wide variety of people with distress are often misdiagnosed. The character in question is not an example of those who have, very often incorrectly, been labelled with this diagnosis.

Overall I enjoyed the book and found the story engaging. I do wish the reference to a disorder that's highly stigmatised and often labelled on vulnerable people wasn't there, yet alone applied to someone abusive as people with this label are often victims of domestic abuse.

Wow! This is definitely my favorite book by Valerie Keogh! Great storyline and characters with twists that I didn’t see coming. I love her writing style and really enjoyed this one! Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Keogh and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Loved it!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this Author will always give you an addictive read with a few twists and turns. Sarah is married to Nick. but she does not love him. Nick just like to stay in where Sarah likes a social life every day, she tells herself she will end their relationship. but Nick drops a bombshell he wants s them to have a baby. . and she goes along with it. her best friend Jade is her salvation they have a daughter Kaya. Sarah is not mother material. as soon as she has to go back to work Nick wants her to stay home and he has changed Sarah decides to book a trip away for the three of them. they go to a pub the food is late and baby Kaya is tired so starts crying the women sat buy them can see Nick can't eat his food the one takes Kaya outside the other follows, but they don't bring her back they have taken her .and so it becomes a police investigation it's a very twisty good read

Sara Westfield is unhappy in her marriage
Nick is handsome ,devoted and he’s her husband
Sara has a baby with him and she got resentment from him
And then the baby goes missing
I had an ARC

While the description caught my eye, the author's writing style just wasn't for me. I also found it odd that Nick thought a baby would save their marriage and Sarah didn't even like Nick since the beginning. It was all wrong .

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a gripping read and a good storyline, but although twisty, the end leapt around a bit. I also found some of the characterisation inconsistent. However, it was an entertaining read and I would be interested to read other books by this author.

I am a fan of Valerie Keogh since the first book I've read of hers and up to now, she has never disappointed. The twists took me by surprise !! I thought I knew where it was going at one point, but boy, I was so wrong !! It absolutely loved reading this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I can honestly say this is the first book by Valerie I was able to read word for word and not lose interest. Sarah realized she married nick on the rebound and wants out of her marriage. Nick tells her a baby is exactly what they need. Sarah has a baby and realizes she doesn’t want Kaya or nick. Suddenly Kaya is kidnapped, police think Sarah is behind it, and other shocking events take place. The ending was a huge shock! Great book!

Wow another brilliant book by Valerie Keogh. I always love this authors book and this was no exception I think this may be my favourite so far. It was addictive thriller which I found difficult to put down once I started. I loved the writing style and how well developed the characters were. Once again this author has wrote a fantastic thriller. I can’t wait for the next one Highly recommended as always. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This book was addictive and thrilling, I was kept guessing the whole time and was shocked by all the brilliant twists. Loved it!

** spoiler alert ** 2.5 stars rounded down to 2. Sarah marries Nick a few months after a breakup with the love of her life. Sarah soon realizes what a horrible mistake she made. Nick is the supposedly perfect husband but is very smothering. Sarah is tired of it and cannot wait to leave him. However, Nick brings up having a baby. Sarah, for some reason, thinks this is a great idea. So they have baby Kaya. Sarah does not take well to motherhood at all. She rarely holds her baby or takes care of her except for basic needs. Nick, on the other hand, bonds instantly with this bundle of joy.

Then Kaya goes missing. Will this turn Sarah into a doting mother? Who took Kaya and why and who can be trusted?

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

So this is where I lose the plot with this book. Who literally cannot stand their husband and says oh a baby would be a great idea? What the heck is wrong with Nick? He knows Sarah can't stand him. And let's get into how Kaya disappeared. Nick and Sarah were out for dinner, but Kaya was crying. Oh my word. A 3 month old baby crying. Either order take out or get off your duff and take the baby outside. But NOOOOOOO. Sarah decides to let the lady sitting next to her take Kaya outside. She lets a total stranger take her 3 month old out of the restaurant. I wouldn't let my 19 year old go outside a restaurant with someone we just met.

I literally could not stand the characters before that happened, but after that, I just totally lost it for any of them. Sneaky plot or no, it didn't matter to me. Yes I know this is fiction. But they all were so unlikable and by the midpoint of the book, I had guessed the ending. This book was written well but so unbelievable and just plain cringe that I couldn't even.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. I do greatly appreciate it. I would not recommend this book. I'm so sorry.

I was frankly interested in this book because I love the author. I usually tend to seek books that aren’t domestic thrillers, and I was afraid this was one of those “Mother is crazy” books. But it wasn’t like that at all. We have a doctor whom is married to someone she doesn’t love. Crazily enough, she decides having a baby to make her home life better. This is where the crazy starts! I won’t give any more details; just know that the action increases and so does the reading pace. I gave it 4 stars as a tiny bit can be a little unbelievable. But it’s all good! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Valerie Keogh, The Mother, Boldwood Books, June 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Valerie Keogh has provided readers with yet another good read, with some twists and, in my opinion more importantly, an intelligent consideration of the qualities that are believed to make the perfect husband. It is the way in which Keogh portrays this less than perfect wife, confronted with the perfect husband, that provides the tension that makes The Mother a book with which will probably resonate with readers who are mothers. After all, which of us is perfect?

The prologue introduces a murderer who contemplates the extremes of love and not loving. There is no indication of the sex of the murderer, which enhances the way in which each character is introduced and behaves throughout the narrative. Who is guilty? The perfect husband? The imperfect wife and mother? Is it one of the friends, patients, and neighbours introduced early in the novel?

Sarah is not only a mother who would prefer not to be, she also falls down as a perfect wife. She is introduced as a busy GP, tapping on her keyboard as she talks to Nick, her husband, about the party they have agreed to attend that night. Neither is keen, after all, Nick loves to be with her, rather than her friends. Early in their relationship he brings her a large bouquet after she resists going to the pub meet her friends when he persuades her that being at home with him is preferable. Nick and Sarah’s best friend, Jade, are also at odds. The phone call ends with Nick’s statement that they need to talk. At this, Sarah takes heart, maybe she and Nick feel the same about the problems in their marriage? Perhaps he will agree to a friendly parting of ways?

Sarah has been confronted with both sets of parents’ pleasure at the marriage: Nick’s are delighted and Sarah’s are relived that she is settling down with a “good Man”. However, even this early in the marriage she now she usually stops on the way home for a drink. It is as well that she does – Nick is not about to agree with her that their marriage is a failure.

The narrative is hugely evocative of the way in which pregnancy, birth and motherhood impacts on Sarah. Her struggles are an important part of the way in which she is viewed, and Nick’s loving and caring attitude is a strong contrast. Sarah is not wholly a cold character, her attitude towards her patients is exemplary. She also has a strong friendship with Jade. Her attitude towards Nick is modified by her recognition that he is a good man, taking the blame for her lack of mothering skills and feelings, and preparedness to change when she is confronted with one outcome of her lack of affection for her child.

The twists that ensue are relatively satisfying, and the outcome a recognition of both Sarah and Nick’s virtues and faults. These keep the tension as do those of the characters who appear to be relatively peripheral to the marriage and Sarah and Nick’s parenthood. Keogh’s explanations that are an integral part of her work, are for me, rather overdone. However, they provide a useful part of the narrative in tying up the ends. On the positive side, any questions are and answered and ends tied up neatly, rendering the narrative thoroughly satisfying.

A great thriller packed to the brim with secrets and lies!
Baby Kaya is abducted, with police suspicion on the mother and the mother suspecting her closest friend
there are huge shocks to come.
Such an entertaining read which I could not tear myself away from, the mark of an brilliant writer.

A great thriller filled with secrets, lies and deceit. Though Valerie Keogh really cannot disappoint her readers, this one was exceptionally good.

When baby Kaya is abducted, the police suspect the mother, the mother suspects her best friend, the best friend suspects the mother, and Kaya’s father is completely shattered after the abduction. The bombshells just keep coming in this one.

I was kept entertained for a solid day and couldn’t put it down until I was done. I can easily recommend this book to thriller readers and give it a solid 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced reader copy.