"Life doesn't always turn out the way we'd like, does it?"

The story delves into the life of a former teacher, Mel, who changes her career to become a lifetime doula. However, a tragic incident occurs during the birth of one of her clients, Alice Monroe, leading to the death of the overdue baby, which changes Mel's life completely.

The death of Monroe's son, Jacob, turns Mel's life upside down. She and her family face tremendous hatred from the public and receive all kinds of threats from Alice and her husband, Thomas, which ruin her life.

Due to this, Mel and her husband, Ed, decide to move away from the small town Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, to start a new life, as Mel is also expecting their second baby. Unfortunately, their relief is short-lived, as the threats continue. Will they have a bright future or will the nightmare continues?

The appearance of Sheila, who introduces herself as their neighbor up the hill, is very suspicious. Her nosy nature, frequent uninvited visits, and constant interrogations about their lives make me wonder how this character will shape the story.

Although it is a thriller, it has not many plot twists and for me, you will not find much suspense. The story starts at a good pace but drags somewhat with Mel's trauma. Yet, the ending feels quite rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. This went a little slow for me. I did get confused sometimes at certain parts, but overall, it was a scary plot to imagine happening to someone.

The Perfect Mother
By: Claire Allan
Pub Date: February 5, 2025
Publisher: Boldwood Books

This was my first by this author and love this thriller..
Alice Monroe hires Mel to be her doula and they begin a friendship. Sadly things turn tragic and Mel’s business is impacted. Mel and her family decide to move to another area for a fresh start while they await the birth of their next child.
Will they be able to have a fresh start or will her past come back to haunt them? I enjoyed this one and the characters are flawed.
Thank you Boldwood Books for the advanced e-ARC. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Not the best thriller I've read but overall a good suspenseful read with an ending I didn't even suspect 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this although it was a real eye opener as to how cruel internet trolls can be. The storyline was set over a short period of time with flashbacks to a year ago. I found it quite traumatic in places, but it was never out of context. I initially thought it was going to be slow but I soon found myself very engaged.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this ebook early.A worthwhile read for those who enjoy psychological drama with a dose of suspense.

The Perfect Mother is about a Mel being hired as a doula by Alice. They become best friends but then things turn sour. The events of a year ago continue to haunt Mel, driving her and her family away from their old life, only to have their past follow them. Mel becomes quite annoying with her really poor decision making.
The storyline was somewhat predictable and the narrative felt slow and repetitive which made it difficult to engage with. Unlike other psychological thrillers, I wasn't hooked straight away but it was a quick read.
The book is deeply emotional and some readers may find it triggering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan. This book started out really strong and I was really enjoying it. Then at some point it started to slow down and became very repetitive. It was as though the author was trying to make the book longer. The storyline was a good one, but perhaps this should have been a novella, and left out the repetition. It was a 3 star read for me.

Mel was a teacher, who decided to have a career change when she decided she wanted to be a doula and help women having their babies. Alice was a client, and was adamant that she wanted no medical interference when she gave birth, no doctors, midwives, drugs etc. Mel had a few misgivings at first, but Alice was young and healthy, and no problems were noted with her pregnancy, so Mel agreed. Mel and Alice and their husbands became friends, and all were looking forward to the birth.
The birth started off fine, then suddenly everything went wrong, Alice ended up in hospital, and lost her baby son. The parents were devastated, and Alice blamed Mel for the loss of her baby. Alice put posts about Mel on social media, warning everyone Mel wasn't to be trusted, so Mel lost a lot of clients. Things got so bad, that Mel decided to move away with her husband and little girl, in the hopes things would improve away from Alice.
However, after the move, things got worse.
This book started off quite slowly for me, but picked up the pace, and I didn't see the ending coming. I enjoyed the book and read it at one sitting.
Highly recommended.

Absolutely gripping. Full of twists and turns.

Thank you Claire Allan, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

Mel was hired by Alice to help her with what should be the happiest day of Alice’s life, the birth of her baby. But when that day turned into a nightmare; she blamed Mel and wants to ruin her reputation.
A year later Mel moves away and is pregnant. Alice sends her a message, she knows where she is. Since Alice wasn’t able to be a perfect mother, will she let Mel be.

I enjoyed this book and read it in a day or two. It is definitely an easy read. I did manage to guess most of the twist but I still enjoyed it and thought it worked well. There were some parts that felt a bit slow but then it picked up quickly, I think I only felt this as I’d been reading a lot of fast paced thrillers recently. I enjoyed the aspect of not knowing who to trust and would be interesting in reading some more of Claire Allan’s books.

Please look at trigger warnings before reading as I this could be very triggering for some people, but the author deals with it well.

Mel, a doula, befriends her client Alice. The two become very close until tragedy occurs. Alice then makes it her mission to destroy not only Mel's reputation, but also her business. A year later, Mel is pregnant and decides to move with her husband and daughter for a fresh start. However, things begin to happen that makes Mel think that her family, and her unborn baby, may not be safe.

The beginning of this book drew me in, but then it definitely lagged in the middle. While I suspected what was really happening, I still liked the ending. Overall, it was a slow read and a little hard for me to forge through the middle. But, with that being said, I would still give one of Allan's other books a try.

Claire Allan has combined a story line that engages her audience with multifaceted characters with many twists and turns in her novel The Perfect Mother her new domestic thriller.
This riveting psychological thriller delivers both suspense and emotional complexity. The twists are well-placed, guaranteeing that the plot remains both engaging and unpredictable.


Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thriller about starting over and a woman who is fighting for her family and her own sanity. Mel was a doula who practiced hypnotherapy as a way to make childbirth less stressful for her patients. When she was approached by Alice she was reluctant to work with her since Alice was a 'freebirther" and declined any prepartum care; but she liked Alice and wanted to help her. When Alice went over two weeks past her due date and her baby was stillborn she made it her mission to ruin Mel's life.

Mel, her husband Ed and daughter Tilly are in the process of remodeling a. house in the country, far away from the city where she was hounded and blamed for the baby's death. Alice started a social media campaign against Mel and she received all kinds of threats. Ed wants to move far away to Australia where his sister lives, but Mel doesn't want to leave her aging parents. She is also expecting a baby herself and wants to live a peaceful life. However her new start doesn't last and before she knows it there are new media posts about her and she receives threatening mail and calls. Is Alice behind this or is someone else involved? This was a tense thriller and I get tense myself when I read about women who are being gaslighted. I did wonder why so many people would blame a doula especially if information came out about Alice refusing medical care. As things get worse in Mel's life her own parents and husband don't believe her and she has to rely on her own strength to save her daughter and unborn baby. I liked this one and didn't guess some of the twists. Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for review.

Mel, Ed, and daughter Tilly are living a charmed life until Mel decides to change careers.
Mel meets a couple wanting her services as they prepare for their baby’s birth.
This new friendship is where Mel’s family's lives turn into a horror story.
Claire Allan had me invested in this storyline with the first chapter of The Perfect Mother. It is a twisted psychological thriller that made me nervous about the ending, but it was surprisingly therapeutic.
If you love psychological thrillers, this a book you don't want to miss.
#ThePerfectMother
#ClaireAllan
#Boldwood
#NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Mel has everything going on. She’s heavily pregnant, with a 4 year old, and she and her husband have just moved house to a renovation project in the country. Mel is haunted by the previous years events. Working as a doula, she was present when her friend’s baby was stillborn. Now living in a hate campaign, somebody has it in for Mel. But how far will they go.

This was an enjoyable read. The cosy atmosphere created by the book being written with an Irish lilt was lovely. I really experienced Mel’s highs and lows. The suspense was carried right to the end, with a twist I didn’t see coming. This is one that is must read!

I have never read any novels by Claire Allan and I really enjoyed it. It was full of twists and turns and was full of tension.
The plot was good and I will be looking for more by this author.

Absolutely loved this thriller book! I could not put this book down and devoured it in a day. The author is new to me and will be keeping an eye out for more of their work!

Thank you.

Chilling novel about a couple--Mel and Ed who move into a new house Ed has built as he's a construction manager. They have a 3-year-old, Tilly and Mel is pregnant with their 2nd. Mel is a doula and years ago she helped best friend, Alice give birth but baby Jacob died and now she's worried that Alice is back to haunt her as weird things begin happening and few people even know where they live. It's a crazy, convoluted story of revenge that will haunt you long into the night.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I was really torn about this book. I have previously tried reading Her Name Was Rose and it wasn't something I could fully get into. As an Arc reader I try to give an honest review no matter what. Did I like this book? I would rate it a 5 out if 10. It was a quick read, it wasn't ahhhh amazing, but it was decently good. Did I like the characters? Some yes. I think that the author did a wonderful job, I think later on down the road I will give another one of her books a try because sometimes a book just isn't for you but it doesn't mean it isn't a good book. This does have some triggers as well.