I found The Perfect Mother to be interesting and the major twist at the end was surprising. Mel's poor decisions were frustrating but ultimately saved her. The book was hard to put down and I finished it in one day. I highly recommend this book!

Another corker of a book from Claire Allen - who is one of the best pshycological thriller writers out there. A perfect mother is a tale of regret and tragedy and will have you gripped on every page. My only negative would be the rushed ending. Highly recommend

This was a strong psychological thriller novel, it had that element that I was looking for and thought had that tension that I was looking for. It was everything that I was hoping for and thought it was a scary concept. I thought Claire Allan wrote this perfectly and left me wanting more.

This story is told from the perspective of Mel, a doula who has dedicated her life to helping women through childbirth. Until something terrible happens to Alice, one of her clients. Alice blames Mel, and is adamant to seek revenge.

I found this book to be very suspenseful, and also very atmospheric. The northern Irish countryside setting definitely worked well for this physiological masterpiece!

The storyline opened exceptionally well and gripped me immediately. If you’ve read my reviews before you know I love this! And of course, there was a twist which absolutely floored me.

I will say though, proceed with caution. This book deals with the subject of baby and pregnancy loss which may be too heavy for some. Having experienced loss in this way, I admit I found the story very difficult at times. The main character is pregnant and due to her mistrust of those around her she became more and more isolated at this time, which I found particularly difficult to read.
But I have to say that the author dealt with the subject matter very delicately.

Having read some of Claire’s books before I was so happy to have been approved for this ARC and it was just as good as I knew it would be.

I ended up DNFing. I really tried to get through the first bit, but I didn’t have high hopes that it would keep me engaged. I got bored quickly. I will say that I do love the cover of this book. It drew me in quickly and could tell it was a thriller that I might enjoy

Title: The Perfect Mother
Author: Claire Allan
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Domestic noir
Pub Date: February 5, 2025
My Rating: 3.3 Stars
Pages: 291

Story is set in Northern Ireland, Mel a Doula and Hypno-birthing coach is happiest when she can help women become mothers. She connected with soon to be mother Alice Monroe as she passionate about motherhood as Mel.

However when something goes wrong –, Alice, is very vocal in blaming Mel for the death of her baby Jacob.
Alice rants led to negative social media abusive for Mel.
Mel did her best as her goal was to help women become mothers.

Story got my attention immediately. I feared knowing what really happened.
~ Was it as bad as everyone expected or was it something that couldn’t be helped? T
Story slowed down and I caught up in wondering what was going on.
I liked Mel but was sadden she wasn’t getting the support she deserved.

I was expecting a thriller- but this was an emotional story more drama than mysterious.
It did keep me interested.
I was hoping for author’s notes as I curious the motivation for this story. I did view Ms. Allan’s web site and it mentioned she switched genres to domestic noir ~
~Domestic noir is a subgenre of crime fiction that explores the dark side of relationships in the home and workplace. It's known for its
relatable characters, twisty plots, and themes of betrayal, jealousy, and secret. ~

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 5, 2025.

Mel is a doula who assists with births, a big change from her previous career as a primary school teacher. That is until one of the births goes terribly wrong. Mel doesn’t believe her actions caused this, but the baby’s mother doesn’t agree. Mel is hounded by the mother of the baby, who’s vengeful comments go viral on social media.

A pregnant Mel can’t take any more and with her family, they move hundreds of miles away to another part of the country, to a remote house which needs total renovation. But somebody knows where she has moved to and she continues to receive threats, har
ming her mentally and physically. Mel does all she can to keep her family safe, but the threats escalate to a level that outs her in grave danger.
A good psychological thriller which built up in intensity the more I read. I thought it was really gripping but the ending felt rushed and a little weak and could have been better.

Woooooahhhhhh talk about a nail biter!!! This book was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! Starts out strong, has you doubting yourself alot, wrong about everything, and then boom, the ending. This book was a Rollercoaster I couldn't put down. I don't want to give spoilers but the Mc is pregnant and literally everyone is acting like because she's pregnant and things are going on, that it's basically her hormones and that shit really does happen to pregnant women! If she would have just been listened to, things could have been much different. It's not often that I buy physical books of titles I've read on my kindle, this is definitely an exception! Loved it.

Loved Loved LOVED this book. Can not wait to buy the physical copy for my bookshelf. Read it in 1 sitdown. Captivating, kept me interested.

The Perfect Mother starts out strong, but then quickly loses momentum and never really gains it back. The ending is okay though. All of the characters are not interesting or likeable, especially the main character. She is a frustrating person to focus the attention on. I think opening the book with the event that went wrong would have set a different, better tone for the rest of the storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley, Claire Allan, and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of The Perfect Mother in the return of an honest review.

Amazing thriller for moms,

This had me shiver my spine but damn it was amazing!

Definitely recommend on your TBR

Wow what a book this was it had me on a rollercoaster of emotions I loved everything about it. The writing was perfect and the sensitive subject was written with such depth that I felt like I knew how the character were feeling.

Mel has had such a tough year she has moved to a knew area with her husband and young daughter she is heavily pregnant but she needed to get away from the area she was in due to the past. With the move Mel is struggling with anxiety and being heavily pregnant she is getting stressed about her past. When she gets a a card in to her knew address Mel realises that you can’t run and hide from your past. The tension throughout this kept me on edge I didn’t know how it was going to end and wow what a ending it was.

I really enjoyed this it definitely had me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this great book.

3.5 🌟

Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book! spoilers ahead!

The premise of this book was so interesting and it didn’t let down! I really enjoyed it, it was very much a mind fuck of not knowing what was really going on, especially when it seemed like Ed was manipulating her and it did seem like he could’ve done something like that. The thought of what happens at the end is absolutely terrifying.

I feel this does show how sometimes pregnant women are treated like they are just being hysterical when they aren’t, because if Ed had believed her then maybe they wouldn’t have had the tension that they did. And Shiela was very obviously trying to fuck with her too, just constantly acting like she was doing nothing when she was very much over stepping so I’m glad to see she actually was involved.

A couple of things I didn’t like about the book - HOW did Mel not even think of Thomas?! By the time the first thing happened I even thought it would be Thomas 😂. Also the ending was very quick, and what happened after Thomas & Shiela took the baby was just told very quickly so I would’ve liked it if it was unravelled a bit more in real time.

Overall a very enjoyable crime book that did somewhat keep me guessing about what was really going on. Didn’t give it higher stars just because it’s not one I would reread.

I would say that this was 3.75⭐️ for me.

It was more of a slow burn. Faster pacing at the beginning and, of course, at the end, but middle is calmer, keeping this slower, smoother pacing, although my mind drifted few times away from the story cause it got too slow or a little repetitive.

Characters were well written altogether (some more, some less but as the story goes on we see more of a glimpse of who they are).

It was an easy read with a few surprises. I lacked a little more explanation about the tragedy that was a catalisator to all of this story but overall it was ok.

I would recommend this for people who are more interested in domestic thrillers and paranoias and have nothing against slow burns.

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

2.5 ⭐️ - not the most memorable psychological thriller, but loved the ending! I wish the beginning was a bit of a faster burn, but definitely a quick read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan is a fantastic, fast-paced read that masterfully explores themes of paranoia, deception, and trust.

At its heart, the story focuses on Mel—her complex relationships, past mistakes, and unrelenting determination to protect her family. Readers are swept into a whirlwind of emotions and uncertainties as Mel navigates the aftermath of what happened with Alice. Her internal conflict about who to trust during her pregnancy adds depth to her character and mirrors the reader's own struggle to decipher truth from lies. The author skillfully keeps us just as disoriented as Mel, blurring the lines between allies and enemies.

What resonated with me most was Mel's vulnerability. Her longing for support during pregnancy while feeling isolated and mistrustful is incredibly relatable. The emotional tension is amplified by the vivid setting. The stifling atmosphere of the caravan reflects Mel's mental and physical confinement, intensifying the suspense. When she finally breaks free—both literally and figuratively—it’s a triumphant and satisfying moment.

Claire Allan's talent for creating atmospheric, character-driven thrillers shines through in this novel. Her ability to weave intricate plots with emotional depth makes her a standout author in the genre. *The Perfect Mother* fully lived up to my expectations and has solidified Allan as one of my favorites!

Тwιѕтy, grιppιng & cнιllιng ѕтory oғ a мoтнer wнo looѕeѕ everyтнιng- нer repυтaтιon, нer нoмe, нer вυѕιneѕѕ aғтer one ιncιdenт.

Мel мoveѕ тo a dιғғerenт place wιтн нer ғaмιly aғтer ѕнe ғιndѕ oυт ѕнe ιѕ pregnanт. Нowever, тнιѕ doeѕ noт ѕтop нer ғroм geттιng тнreaтѕ & ѕнe ѕoon realιzeѕ тнaт ѕoмeone ιѕ ѕтιll ĸeepιng an eye on тнeм.

Ιт ιѕ a pyѕcнologιcal тнrιller тнaт gave мe gooѕeвυмpѕ wнιle readιng. Ι waѕ coмpleтely нooĸed aғтer a ғew cнapтerѕ. Loved тнe ѕeттιng oғ тнιѕ вooĸ & тнoυgн тнe endιng waѕ ғaѕт-paced, Ι dιdn'т gυeѕѕ ιт тнaт way.

I love Claire Allen and I love her new book. I read this over two nights, terrifying and tragic, it's a whole roller coaster of emotions. Highly recommended xx

First time reading anything by this author and I absolutely loved every word of this book. The perfect amount of character building and the suspense all through the book trying to figure out who could be behind all of it. The end was jaw dropping. Highly recommend.