A really superbly written book. Three women, three stories over different generations. A convicted murderer as a penpal in the mix too. Will hold your attention right until the end figuring out the connection. A good story for each woman and a very clever ending.

I don't even know where to begin with this book. Wow!! Just Wow!! This book had me fully engaged from the beginning. I loved all the characters and the twists and turns. I love the thriller genre and have read lots and this one is definitely at the top of my favorites list.

Catherine, Allison and Kate are such relate-able characters. Your heart will go out to them and your mind will crave to know more!

I finished reading this novel in bed last night and, despite the fact my OH was fast asleep beside me, I gasped 'Wow' out loud. The twist in this thriller shocked and surprised me .. I didn't see it coming and, well, without giving any spoilers the only thing I can say is wow, Wow, WOW!!!

Karen Osman's 'The Good Mother' is, on the surface, the tale of the lives of three women at different stages of their life - Catherine, the mature woman with a comfortable home who give her time to volunteering in her community; Kate, the young mother who is dedicating herself to her young family until she realises she is losing herself, bit by bit, day by day; and Alison, the young woman leaving her nearby home to settle into student accommodation to get the full uni experience. I was more than half way through and completely absorbed in the story before I wondered what the connection was between the three and then I realised that it was the location of the City of Durham.
This is one terrific read. It draws you in and makes you comfortable, gets you really involved in these women's lives - their hopes, dreams, worries, aspirations, solutions, achievements and the tale moves on at a blistering yet strangely relaxed pace. I've always loved novels with three or four characters where you go back and forward following each one and I thoroughly enjoyed each story in it's own right.
I particularly loved the fact that the twist in the tale didn't come until I was 99% into the read. I wasn't looking for it, certainly wasn't expecting it and, frankly, I'm still a bit shocked!
This is an extremely readable, very well written novel and one which I shall be enthusiastically recommending. I can honestly state that I've never read anything like it. Karen Osman is an author now firmly on my radar! I am so happy that Aria Fiction approved my request to read it, and I thank them.
I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. What a brilliant book and the ending really got to me as was not expecting it. READ IT

A fabulous read by an author that is new to me. I will certainly read more of her books. I’ve recommended this book to family & friends. It’s not easy as an author to keep the reader engaged, but this author has successfully achieved this goal. Thank you, Netgalley , for a digital copy of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I figured out the big "revelation" at the end about 25% into the book, but still found it enjoyable. Catherine (50s), Allison (18) and Kate (30s) all dealt with some life changes and choices according to this age and each of those revolved around a man in their lives.

A cleverly written debut novel that is told by three completely different voices and has the reader asking "how is this ever going to tie together"? Osman does an excellent job of ultimately weaving the story together with a very nicely done twist at the end. Looking forward to much more from this talented author!

This is the a story told for the majority in three separate threads. We hear alternatively from Catherine, Kate and Alison. Catherine is a happily married mother and keeps a good house. Not working and with time on her hands, she volunteers. Her new foray into volunteering has her writing to a convicted murderer. With parole a good possibility, the rehabilitation service encourages prisoners to connect with people on the outside. But, as Catherine makes a connection to her prisoner, Michael, we see her starting to think more and more about his crime and whether she could ever forgive.
Then there's Kate, with a husband working away a lot, she is left to bring up her two young children practically single handed in a high rise flat and, as such, has pretty much lost her own identity. This all changes when she sees a free creative writing class advertised. She joins and soon discovers that her identity is not the only things she discovers. There's the enigmatic teacher who has more than just writing to create with her.
Finally, we follow Alison as she starts her life at university studying law. As with a lot of students, she has gone from being a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big, scary one and initially struggles with her studies. Then she starts to get help from one of her professors. But, is it the kind of help she really needs?
So, these three threads weave their way completely isolated throughout the majority of the book. I say they are isolated but, as a reader, you just know there is more to things than is on the surface so, early on, I started to guess connections. Some, to me, obvious due to the nature of the writing, others pure guesswork. OK, so although I was right about some of the things I formulated but, once I got to the end of the book and saw the whole picture, there were definitely gaps in my reasoning and some things that, when uncovered, kinda slapped me in the face. What I am trying to say is that, even though there were some things that were obvious and not really well hidden, the true nature of these things were not completely evident which did lead to a few shocks at the end. So, even if you think you've guessed it all early, it is worth carrying on to get to the finer points.
The characters were, on the whole, interesting. I especially loved reading the correspondence between Catherine and Michael and how naive she was at the start, coupled with his guardedness and how the relationship progressed throughout the book as she matured and he opened up. I also felt for Kate as she was trying to improve her sorry situation only to be taken advantage of. I could also easily relate to Alison and her struggles to fit in at uni. It's true that it's hard when you come from the premier league in your school and then hit uni where you find that everyone else did likewise and that you are now relegated to the second division.
All in all, a pretty impressive debut book and I will be very interested in seeing what this author has in store next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This novel was a wonderful read. Charming Mr. Barnes/The Proffesor, was captured so accurately as one who is abusive to women. Domestic violence is a serious subject and the author captures it perfectly. The female characters were fully believable. And this made for excellent reading. Full of intrigue and suspense I did not put the clever ending together almost until the last few chapters. Bravo!

I have no option but to give this the 5 stars I personally feel it deserves as it kept me from thinking of anything else, anyone else and focused completely on what was happening within these pages. I needed nothing else but to finish this and boy oh boy what a finish.
My jaw literally dropped to the floor, it was an unexpected ending that brought me out in a cold sweat, I really wasn't expecting that at all.

To think this all starts with a completely innocent 'pen letter' to a prisoner. The letter writing is controlled its all part of a project to help those in prison, and when Catherine agreed to volunteer for the programme it was something she hesitated to go full into the first time she wrote the prisoner she choose.
Michael, that is who she chooses to write to, a man who has been in prison for a decade.

Through the letter writing you can see that Michael doesn't seem to have an regrets, he even puts himself aloft of the other inmates.
Its quite clear he doesn't hold himself into any conflict over what he 'did'.
So does he deserve a secound chance?
Does he deserve forgiveness?


Catherine seems to give him an insight to the world outside, but is this an altogether good thing I questioned myself.
There are two ways of looking at this:

1. Does he DESERVE to know and have any insight into the outside world, afterall, he is in prison for a reason....right?

2. Or would Catherine sharing this make him think about what he is missing on the inside?

Catherine has a family, her husband she decides he doesn't need to know about her letter writing project to a man in prison. So when letters come through for her, she is on the watch, good or bad?

Then there is her daughter Alison is off to university, where she learns to be an adult, but this doesn't have altogether good aspects surrounding this at all.

I found this story full on, made me think as well, yes its fiction, but it brought up some thinking matter and I so enjoyed the story telling of this.

The writing is strong, concise, easy to follow, the characters are strong and oh so well to easily understand and read between the lines, but that ending, oh boy, that ending.

My huge thanks to Aria for my copy of this wonderful read.

Loved the cover of the book. The book lived up to what i imagined also. great thriller with lots of thrills and kept me on the edge of my seat. Love a good thriller

Wow.. what an ending that book had.. I did not see that coming!! the story of 3 women and their interactions with one man. thank you to Aria via Netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review in return for an honest review

A gripping psychological thriller, written from the viewpoint of 3 women, Kate, Allison and Catherine.
The story is a brilliant, well told thriller that had me addicted until the very end and wow, what an ending! My mind was completely blown! Thoroughly recommend this book, a well deserved 5 stars!! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

My thank you goes out to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of the publication date, which is October 1. Three days after I finished this novel, my head is still spinning from the ending. I did not see that coming. I loved the unique plot and the way the author drew you in to the story. Three women tell their stories of how they connected with men they shouldn’t have.

Catherine is happily married, but lured into a volunteer job where she starts writing to a prisoner. Kate, who is married and has two daughters, never has any time for herself, so she begs her husband to let her take a writing class. And Allison is having a tough time in law school and turns to a relationship with one of her professors.

Each chapter takes you deeper into each woman’s story and how the “other” man becomes an obsession.

Loved this author’s fresh voice and plotting genius. Glad to read she has a three book contract. Osman is definitely an author to watch.

Catherine fills her hours with volunteer work so when the opportunity to take part in a pen pal program with prison inmates she finds herself signing up. Catherine’s chosen inmate has been in prison for just over a decade for murder so she’s a bit hesitant on what to say to him but feels it’s her duty to try to help him reform. She decides this little project is not one to discuss with her husband and keeps the letters to herself as they come.

Kate is a young mother with two beautiful little girls that simply married and started her family too young and now feels she does for everyone but herself. She and her husband have had their share of disagreements over finances, the children and lack of time with one another just like other young couples so when Kate sees an opportunity to get out and take a writing class she jumps on the chance to just have a bit of free time for herself.

Alison is off to university and learning how to live on her own and balance her studies and college life. She’s struggling a bit keeping up with the demands and finding it completely different than what she imagined university life would be. When Alison finds one of her professors taking a special interest in her she finds herself jumping at the chance to spend time with him no matter how wrong it may be and that they need to hide seeing one another.

The Good Mother by Karen Osman is a book that is told by switching the point of view between the three characters, Catherine, Kate and Alison with each chapter. Each story being told is completely different from one another and beginning the book it’s hard to see what any of them will ever have in common other than all three seem to have some sort of secret in their lives.

I have to say while I enjoyed the author’s writing and thought the ending was great with how everything ends up tied together this was one that was such a slow build that sometimes it was in danger of losing my attention. There are very small clues that lead to the explosive ending that one could pick up but other than that it lacked any huge twists or turns and just brought the reader to the explanation at the end. So while this one had good writing and a good ending I myself would have preferred something a bit more in the middle to really grab me and keep me on the edge of my seat leaving me to rate this one at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A real page turner couldn't put it down characters are well developed and the plot moves along nicely an ending with a twist

“When I was asked to correspond with you as part of the charity’s efforts to help prisoners, I was initially apprehensive. However, I reminded myself that we have a duty to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and I hope that through these letters I can give you a little insight into the outside world.”

When Catherine, perfect wife and mother, begins writing a prisoner named Michael- the reader is curious to know just what he is guilty of. Her correspondences with the prisoner are tender and uplifting. Does he deserve to become a better person? To start fresh, have another chance to make better choices in life? Surely forgiveness should be easy to give if one is repentant! Right? And Michael certainly seems intelligent and good, not like the usual scourge of society. His mind seems to be in the right place, in fact it’s hard to remember he is a criminal, he seems nothing like the others.

Alison is off to university and finding it hard to assimilate with the other fresh students. The only thing holding her focus is ‘The Professor.’ He is older, intelligent, and before long she discovers that the feeling is mutual. Struggling with the law class, when he tells her his door is always open to her she imagines he is just being helpful. When he takes her to a pub instead of out for the purposed coffee, he confides he sees passion in her, and so begins the seduction. The relationship may be too much for Alison to handle, but he is an addiction she can’t kick. It will be a tumultuous time, and not because of her classes.

Kate is carrying her family, with her jobless husband and the intimacy between them dead she finds her days of raising her children and resenting her jobless husband too much to bear. The days of easy affection are long gone, his pride has left her sick with resentment, having risked so much of their security and his inability to accept the help they needed. Looking for an easy escape she finds something for herself, Kate wants to play, to feel like a woman and not simply a mother and put upon wife. How could she possibly have known that stealing a few moments for herself would cost her so much?

The women are all struggling with their emotional state, trying to tame danger or control fate. Michael is on the verge of release and as that day creeps closer, each woman’s choices are going to culminate but will anyone survive the destruction they’ve brought into their own lives? Just how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ are these women? What exactly has Michael done in the past?

It begins with an innocent correspondence between a woman and a prisoner, a young girl taking her first step into the adult world of university, and a mother/wife disappointed by her withering marriage and slowly spirals into darkness. A good read.

Publication Date: October 1, 2017

Wow! The way this book was written was from the viewpoint of three women, Kate, Allison and Catherine. This kept me interested from the very beginning because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to each of the three women, but there was a kind of a cliffhanger at the end of most chapters. Allison is a new law student who gets involved in a bad affair with one of her professors. Kate is a bored housewife and mother whose husband pays little or no attention to her, so she signs up for a creative writing class and enjoys gettiing to know the teacher there. And Catherine is a more mature woman, with a grown daughter, who is involved in volunteer work and one of the things she does is to write to prisoners. The reader finds out in an explosive finale that the three lives of the women are intertwined in a way that is unbelievable. I absolutely could not put this book down until I completed it, and once I did it kept me thinking about how I had missed all of the clues along the way. What a great psychological thrilller and a not-to-be-missed read!

The Good Mother by Karen Osman is an unexpectedly unique psychological thriller. Based on the blurb, readers know they will be in for the ride of their life- but the reality of it is that is it so much better than that! I loved this book. It's gripping, interesting, and so unique that my mind was BLOWN. I can't wait to read more by the author based on this one.

I read this book over three nights, at first I felt the book started slow and then by the middle it grips you and the end is just brilliant.
This book follows three women through two different timelines, one being the 80's and the other at present date.
Cathrine is a mother and wife, she loves her family but keeps a secret from them, she volunteers to write to a murderer in prison to support him on his on he up coming release.
Alison has just started uni, it's not long into her uni lifestyle she meets the older but handsome professor. She happy and in love but this doesn't last for long.
Finally, Kate, she a young married mum in the 80's, life is hard and the kids are demanding, she decided to go back to school and enjoys a life outside of her marriage.
Brilliant first novel, I look forward to the next.