A fairly short novel that certainly packs a punch. Mel was a doula supporting women to give birth. She had a great business until a day that should have been the happiest for one woman turned into a nightmare. With her reputation in shreds and an online hate campaign against her, Mel and her family move to the countryside in a bid for a fresh start especially as she is pregnant. But then she receives a message and realises no matter how far she moves away, she can never escape the past. A gripping thriller that although I guessed the twist was still very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

Claire Allan, The Perfect Mother, Boldwood Books, February 2025.

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

Claire Allan has combined a story line that engages, with complex characters and twists that are not only clever, but a logical part of the story. Allen has not fallen for the simplistic view that any twist is worthwhile, the confected twist that in so many novels in this genre makes little sense. Instead, she has woven the storyline and character development adroitly, providing clues along the way, and showing that the ending of the novel is the sound and satisfying outcome of the dilemmas faced by Mel, her husband, Ed, and the couple at the centre of their problems. Although I had my suspicious, it was a compellingly uneasy read to the conclusion.

Mel and Ed have been forced to abandon their home near Mel’s parents to move eighty miles away. Here they are supervising the renovation of their cottage, living in a caravan, and attempting to recover from the aftermath of the still birth of a friend’s baby. The grieving parents, Alice and Thomas had become friends as well as Mel’s clients in her business as a doula and hypnobirthing practitioner. Alice began a campaign against Mel and her practice, joined readily by others who were keen to decry the practice and Mel personally. The threatening atmosphere is introduced in the prologue, and even when the family move, is an ever-present tense background to their new life while they wait for the birth of their second baby. Mel has lost her business, friends, her contacts in online mothers’ groups, and her parents are conflicted about their care for their daughter, and disapproval of her former profession. Ed would have preferred to move much further away, and the prospect of Australia as a new home looms in Mel’s list of stressful situations.

Mel is a great character – aggravating at times, strong and thoughtful at others, short on decision making that makes sense, but also wise in her newly found awareness of other people and their possible motives. Ed, too, has his flaws, at the same time being a supportive and helpful husband and father, and at others being obtuse and unfair. These characterisations add to the tension achieved by the mud, the claustrophobia of the caravan, the partly demolished cottage, and the ever-present knowledge that Mel’s story is well known and impacting her new relationships. The unease around the marriage and new life does not dissipate even when the sun shines, the friendly builders are present, and a warm neighbour provides help.

The Perfect Mother is an engaging read, a clever example of its genre, and an introduction to a writer whose further work I would welcome.

Mel is a doula who's goal in life is to help women become mothers. A client called Alice had the worst thing happen to her and blamed mel. Mel starts getting threats but also discovered she was pregnant and decided to move far away and start afresh however Alice found out where she was and the threats continue. There are lots of twists and turns in this book to keep you guessing but the plot twist I didnt see coming.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books.

Mel, a doula/birth coach, struggles after a tragedy takes place during her friend’s delivery. After her family relocates, she starts receiving threatening messages and is worried about her family’s safety and her unborn child. The book felt pretty predictable to me and it took until about the halfway point for anything to really happen. There is a lot of gaslighting going on for Mel and basically everyone treats her like a child although she certainly isn’t the brightest. I would have liked to have read more actually happening in this book. The secluded farmhouse setting was nice and a bit creepy so I liked that. Most of the characters were unlikable and the story felt slow to me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title and share my thoughts.

A tense,twisted thriller, a little slow paced at points and I suspected what the ending was going to be before I got there in spite of the red herrings along the way.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Ahhh, the perfect mother. I was expecting to read a book similar to Freida McFadden but instead I was reading a book that I LOVED and could not put down. This is probably one of my favorite books I’ve enjoyed this year!

All I can say is what an ending !!! I didn’t see it coming. This book was a slow burn for me , but as I got more invested in the story and characters the pace definitely speed up.

Every mother knows how special a new arrival is but when things don’t go well the pain and grief is unimaginable. This book explores this difficult topic, the grief, guilt and emotions which extends to not only the mother but all close her was written emphatically.

Another first class psychological thriller from Claire Allen which had me gripped. She has a great talent for weaving an intricate storyline filled with characters and subjects that touch all your emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Perfect Mother by Claire Allen due to be published February 5, 2025.
All Mel wanted to do was be a doula and help woman become mothers. When she meets Alice, she can’t wait to support her. When something awful happens, Mel is blamed, and her world is turned upside down. Will moving far away keep her safe from Alice?
This one had me hooked from the beginning with lots of twists in it to keep me interested. When Alice wanted to be friends again, I was not sure whether to believe it was true or not. The ending was magnificent and not expected.
I also recommend Forget Me Not by the same author, and I will definitely check out more of her books!
#NetGalley #ClaireAllen #BoldwoodBooks #ThePerfectMother

Oooh the more I got into this book the better it got.
Twist I never saw coming, well not all of it. Was such a fantastic drama filled read
Loved it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you to @netgalley for the #gifted e-copy of this upcoming thriller due to release on February 5th.

This one started off a bit slow for me, but soon picked up at about 25% in. There were so many parts of this book that had me on the edge of my seat and wondering what would happen next.

I felt so bad that Mel’s entire reputation as a doula was tarnished due to something that wasn’t even her fault. Without giving too much away, there was one character in this book that I didn’t trust from the very second they were introduced to us. I often find myself trying to guess who the “bad guy” is, but the twist at the end of this one surprised me a bit.

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, I definitely recommend this one.

Intense, gripping thriller. Devoured this last night during Storm Eowyn. I'm a huge fan of Claire's.

The perfect mother - The story is very gripping and wow the ending is a big surprise. I thoroughly recommend this book, another thrilling read by this talented author

Loved this from the first page. I felt every twist amd turn - so well written, I just was sucked in more and more with each page. And the ending no way !!! I didn't see that coming. Brilliant , buy it and enjoy it.

This book was a tightly woven narrative that kept me on the edge of their seats, filled with unexpected twists and turns. The character development is particularly strong, making the protagonist relatable and her struggles intensely palpable. This dives into the complexities of motherhood and the extremes a mother will go to in protecting her child.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan.

I liked this one. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, she hit me with another twist.

this book was sooooo good!!! perfect drama read. doula mel and her client/ good friend alice experience a tragic event. drama ensues.

Mel used to be a teacher now she dedicates her time being a doula. To help women getting through childbirth. But one of her clients Alice had complications, and her baby Jacob dies. After that Alice and her husband blame Mel and seek revenge. Alice contacts the Police and even sets out a hate campaign on social media to advertise what Mel has done. The stress is unbearable that Mel and her husband and their daughter must move away. As she is not only scared for her own life but her daughter too and the unborn child that she is carrying.
I have read most of the authors work and enjoyed them. I found this quite different to her others. This has an intense storyline which hooked me from the start. But at times I did feel a bit frustrated in the storyline, firstly because of the protagonist as she was quite naïve thinking that a little chat with Alice after all she went through will make it all better. I was also annoyed with her husband that he was so uncaring and thinking that all the emotions was in her head and due to her hormones and not what she was going through. I felt like shouting out. But the ending did compensate for the story, 4 stars from me,

Nearly a year after a tragedy involving one of her clients as a doula, Mel moves her young daughter and husband after her business is ruined by online gossip. Now heavily pregnant herself, Mel is keen to start a new chapter and forget the past, to do this she has to meet with Alice- the mother at the centre of the tragedy. Is connecting with Alice the right thing to do or is she putting herself, her family and her unborn baby at risk.

A suspenseful psychological thriller that deals with grief and guilt, there was a few twists along the way as well which made me keep reading to find out the ending. The chapters are titled to tell you how far along Mel is in the pregnancy but it also feels like it also is counting down to the finale.

Mel as a main character was believable and I really felt her guilt over the past and I was rooting for her to find out who was behind the online abuse and messages and deliver her new baby safely.

A well written, well plotted psych thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

This was an intense psychological thriller that leaves you sitting at the edge of the seat. Mel is a doula, when she working for Alice, sadly her baby dies during childbirth. Revenge sets in, it’s chilling. This was a great read, it’s thought provoking with some amazing characters. The author wrote this story really well and was a one sit read. Highly recommend it. 5 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

THE PERFECT MOTHER BY CLAIRE ALLEN.
Release date set for the 5th of February 2025.
This is my first book by this author and i'm glad i found this author.
I loved the whole premise around this book.
I thought it was well paced.
This story has the whole feels from emotional, paranoia, deceit, thrilling.
It's deffo a page turner and very hard to put down.
I loved the ending aswel.