ARC Review: The Perfect Mother

About The Book:

  Title:  The Perfect Mother 

  Author: Aimee Molloy
  Pub. Date: May 1st, 2018 
  Publisher: Harper
  Pages: 336

  Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

  Rate: 4/5 stars 

Synopsis :

They call themselves the May Mothers—a collection of new moms who gave birth in the same month. Twice a week, with strollers in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, seeking refuge from the isolation of new motherhood; sharing the fears, joys, and anxieties of their new child-centered lives.

When the group’s members agree to meet for drinks at a hip local bar, they have in mind a casual evening of fun, a brief break from their daily routine. But on this sultry Fourth of July night during the hottest summer in Brooklyn’s history, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is abducted from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but the May Mothers insisted that everything would be fine. Now Midas is missing, the police are asking disturbing questions, and Winnie’s very private life has become fodder for a ravenous media.

Though none of the other members in the group are close to the reserved Winnie, three of them will go to increasingly risky lengths to help her find her son. And as the police bungle the investigation and the media begin to scrutinize the mothers in the days that follow, damaging secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are formed and fractured.

Review:

The Perfect Mother is an adult thriller surrounding a group of mothers in Manhattan, who all gave birth during the month of May. They dubbed themselves "The May Mothers". On a hot evening in July, The May Mothers decided to go out for drinks and leave their little bundles of joy at home so they can spend a much needed night out with each other. However, during that night out, Winnie's baby goes missing from his crib. Three other members of the group; Nell, Francie, and Collette are determined to figure out who snatched baby Midas from his crib.

Since I have a 5 month old baby boy, this novel hit particularly close for me. It covered topics that new moms have to deal with like postpartum depression.anxiety and mom-shaming, while confronting a parent's biggest fear - having their baby taken. This novel was extremely fast-paced and unfolded over the course of only about two weeks. Secrets The May Mothers thought they kept hidden are revealed, and they start to believe they don't have as much support as they thought. Their seemingly perfect lives become unraveled as the search for Midas continues. The characters are fantastic. I love Francie and Nell the best. They are flawed and believable. I definitely think all women can relate to some part of them.

This novel represents many powerful women, which at this point in history, is so great to see in a book. Many women will see themselves within the characters of this book, and relate to the struggles they are going through. More exciting new surrounding this novel is that it was optioned for a movie by Kerry Washington! This is for sure to be another hit like Gone Girl or Girl on the Train, so if you enjoyed those you definitely want to pre-order this book! It is original, dark, and twisty. And I can't wait to see the characters brought to life on the big screen! This is for sure to be one of the best thrillers of 2018.

Thank you to Harper for providing
this book in exchange for my honest review

- Jocelyn