Well this book was a pleasant surprise, it did take me a while to get into and I was slightly bored in places but it soon got going and when it did, wham!

Adam and Lucy are married and Lucy is soon to give birth, she’s kinda anxious and nervous as wants to be a good mum (don’t we all), but keeps forgetting things and is told it’s just “baby brain”.

However all is not what it seems and the story soon kicks in and becomes pretty dark and disturbing really (just how I like it).

It’s got a few twists in it and I really enjoyed it in the end once it got going, I’d definitely read more from the author. I loved the ending and the big twist too which is always a bonus. A great read

OMG Just finished this amazingly heart-wrenching book! No spoilers but I was totally obsessed with getting to the end. The characters were real, the situation unbelievably tense and there were times when I wanted to scream at some of them. I could see where the plot was going but this did not make it any less compelling. The story stayed with me when I was not reading and also made me wary in looking around my own world. Amanda Brooke I will be back - thank you!

Lucy, the main character is pregnant and wants nothing more than to be a good mother, but for Lucy, life is not that simple. The term baby brain is one most people will have heard of and with raging hormones, Lucy becomes very scatty and forgetful. However, it seems to be more than that as things start veering towards the dangerous. Her husband, Adam, keeps telling her stuff, but she just cannot remember. Her own Mother is convinced it is just baby brain, but is it? As we go on a twisty page turning thriller, is Lucy really losing her mind?

A well plotted psychological book which I thoroughly enjoyed. The characterisation was spot on and well written. I hadn’t heard @bout gaslighting before but am intrigued and will now look 8nto this further. I usually leave the time between reading a book to writing my review for about a week to see what stands out and how much impact the book had on me - due to Christmas and a holiday over New Year I am reviewing this book more than 3 weeks since reading and it still stands out with a memorable story. Well done Amanda Brooke

This is the second book by Amanda Brooke I read and it is even better than the first. A sort of domestic psychological thriller, Lucy is married to Adam and is pregnant, they seem happy. Lucy is behaving strangely but those are certainly the hormones and she will get better once the baby is born, surely.

It turns out that her behaviour is a lot worse than a few tears and some moodiness, she is actually violent and then does not remember much.

Unlike your typical thriller, you will understand what goes on earlier on in the book, you won't have to wait the last five pages to reveal the mystery. But you still want to on reading to find out how things will develop. There are a few interesting characters and a lovely kitten.

A good read and I will definitely read more by Amanda Brooke in future, this book deserves 4.5 stars.

Lucy & Adam are expecting their first baby. Lucy, a gifted artist is looking forward to being a mum and hopes that she will able to continue to paint after her baby is born.

At first it is little things, mislaying keys, not locking the door, leaving things switched on that Lucy's mum puts down to 'baby brain' sure that once the baby is here she will be her old capable self. Adam is more concerned. He worries that Lucy will endanger herself and their child. Before long Lucy is second guessing herself worrying that she has inherited a mental condition- her father having committed suicide when she was a child.

Things do not improve after the baby is born. She finds scary gaps in her memory, Adam doesn't trust her to be alone with the child and she is cut off from her mother after a row. Is there any way out of this nightmare apart from the one her father chose?

This is a really gripping story. I couldn't put it down. Definitely five stars- thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for introducing me to this author.

When we first meet Lucy she is clambering over old furniture and debri in her Mothers garage, seeking out her childhood cot. Lucy is keen to use the family heirloom for her unborn child.

Lucy is naturally feeling more than a little bit anxious about the impending new arrival, but her worry runs deeper than first time Mum jitters.

Lucy is forgetting things, things that she and husband Adam have discussed, where she is placing things and she also, more worryingly, leaves the oven on and doors open/ unlocked.

Could it be just a case of her hormones and simply be down to baby-brain, could it be the onset of a more worrying health condition, or could it be... something else more sinister?

I’ll be brutally honest, I do think I realised what was happening in the relationship fairly early in the novel. However, I do think that this was probably deliberate on behalf of the author, that the reader is able to see what is happening to Lucy before Lucy herself can.

There are occasions in the novel where you will want to take Lucy and gently shake her, but she has just had a baby and there is a chequered family history to consider. Lucy has no reason to doubt anyone is at fault other than herself.

Until Adam's brother appears and turns her world upside down.

The Bad Mother is one of those novels that is practically impossible to review any further without giving anything away, so I will simply say this. You have to read this novel. It is clever, twisty, gripping and manipulative and you won't know who to trust until the very last pages.

This book was absolutely gripping from start to finish, I really struggled to put it down!

An easy read and an interesting premise, but unfortunately I found myself thoroughly irritated by Lucy. I could see what was happening by page 3 and just couldn't understand why Lucy, her mother,her friends etc. etc. took so long to twig. I also wasn't sure what was motivating Adam. I could follow the train of thought from his childhood, but not into this adult relationship of choice. It's difficult to explain my thinking without spoiling it for others, but I'm not sure where Adam saw this going once he'd achieved his goal. There's no doubt this character was well written, but Lucy mostly frustrated me which I'm sure wasn't the response the author wanted. It's a quick read with some genuinely tense moments, but lacked the unexpected twists that grip me in a thriller

Oh my god this book is brilliant! You can feel the confusion and the worry and the fear that Lucy is feeling while being pregnant and once she has given birth. Can she be a good mother? Or is she the worst kind? Is Adam her husband as supportive as he could be? Fantastic, gripping psychological thriller! My favorite kind of book!

Lucy is pregnant with her first child, and married with the man she loves. But she is troubled. She forgets things, misplaces them, and although people around her says it should be the 'baby brain' she is unsure. She is stressed if she is going to be able to look after the baby when she comes..
The whole book is around this subject and it's very dialogue heavy. It is not a bad one, however it felt to me that it could have been shorter. Some events and dialogue felt repetitive. Lucy and her husband mostly discuss same things, so as her mum and her. It is not a surprise ending book, a frequent suspense reader will pick up what's going on pretty quickly. However it keeps you going until the end.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’d definitely say that this book is best in its last few chapters and if I’m honest I did think of giving up on it earlier than this. I’m glad I preserved though as it definitely comes into its own towards the end and I couldn’t put it down! It’s not particularly challenging from the perspective of the writing or the content but that’s ok, no criticism - just a fairly easy read which is often what you want if you have a busy life. The characters are great, well described and ones you can picture in your head and grow on you. The plot isn’t tricky - in fact you know what’s going on from very early on in the book which I think was one of the reasons why I was struggling with it half way through. I knew what was going to happen (or I thought I did!) and the predictability was frustrating me as I felt there wasn’t much point continuing through some bits of the book that seemed needlessly descriptive in content. However I was surprised at the final outcome. Although it was along the lines of my predictions it still left me surprised. I’d read more Amanda Brookes books based on how this one picked up at the end. All in all, a good read. I would recommend.

This book is horrific and compelling in equal measures. It is hard to read as you know that, although fictional. this does happen to people and there are characters like Adam out there making people's life a misery.

Really enjoyed it and would read more by the author.

Back of the book :

Thats what he wants you to think …

A good mother doesn’t forget things.

A good mother isn’t a danger to herself.

A good mother isn’t a danger to her baby.

You want be the good mother you dreamed you could be.

But you’re not. You’re the bad mother you were destined to become.

At least, thats what he wants you to believe …



What I think :

Lucy is married to Adam, they are expecting their first child in a few months. They had whirl-wind romance and have only been married for about a year.

Lucy has started to forget things, and its beginning to worry her. She lost her keys and found them in the oddest place, she left the gas hob on, but can’t remember actually switching it on in the first place, and there is the conversation’s that she’s had with Adam, but can’t remember them either.

Adam was very patient with her to begin with, but has started getting a bit annoyed with her. He’s worried that she won’t be able to cope when the baby is born, he’s worried about her ‘past’

Lucy lost her dad when she was a small child, he committed suicide. Lucy is worried that he had something more wrong with him than just the depression her mum said he had.

Adam has his own “past’ problems too, he has a brother that lives in America that he hasn’t spoken to since he was a child, however his brother is back and wants to patch things up.

Can Adam cope with his brother returning and with Lucy too … ?

Is Lucy just a ‘hormonal baby brain’ fog or is this something a lot more sinister ….. ?

Ive always loved Amanda’s books, my favourite (and the first I read ) was ‘Yesterdays Sun’. It stuck in my mind for a long time after reading it and I think that this one probably will too, The subject of this book could quite easily happen to anyone. After finishing this one, I actually went onto the internet to look it up and realised how common it is.

At the start of the book Lucy was quite a likeable character, a young wife, expecting her first child and wanting to do everything right. But later into the book she seems to just give in and let things happen, not being able to breathe without the permission of her husband. Adam on the other hand, I found him really spoilt and arrogant, thinking he knew best at all times.

The book explains why Lucy and Adam, to a certain extent are like they are as it covers their backgrounds throughout the book.

I did think this book was quite dark and sinister in places, and I also found some of it quite difficult reading matter too. However, I did find it quite predictable and I did guess quite early on as to what was happening. Having said that though, it did hold my attention and I did read it in a couple of days.

I give this book 8/10 ( 5 stars )

5 gold stars

Published by Harper Collins on ebook on 14/12/17 and paperback on 22/02/18.

A really big Thank you to Jaime Frost at Harper Collins and to Netgalley for the review copy of the book.

Oh where do I start with this book...... I loved it I was hooked from the first few pages and struggled to put it down. Loved the ending felt it was a perfect resolution.
A great psychological thriller that makes you think about what goes on behind closed doors.
A well deserved 5 stars from me.

I did enjoy the book and it has all the ingredients of a future feature film but I did keep feeling like I had heard it all before. I’ve given it three stars for this reason only and would still encourage you to read it. It’s well written and will keep you entertained.

This is a good, chilling read. The story of Lucy while pregnant is having serious losses of memory and is assured it is normal and just hormones and baby brain. However, with a history of mental instability in the family she is not convinced. Her seemingly supportive husband Adam starts to lose patience and is worried about leaving her with the baby. The story gets darker and more is revealed about each of their past. A fast paced, good read with some great twists.

This is a chilling tale. Lucy is pregnant but becomes strangely forgetful. This is when you are introduced to "baby brain" which was unknown to me so it intrigued me. It concerns Lucy that she won't cope with raising a child. Adam appears to be supportive at first (although he handled things clumsily I thought) and has a massive job trying to convince her she otherwise. But is Adam quite what he seems? It reminded me strongly of that gripping film "Sleeping with the Enemy" and I felt the same tension while reading. The characters were well portrayed and it made compelling reading. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Bad Mother was an amazing, gripping read, the addictive storyline had me so hooked I couldn't put my kindle down, I wanted to slap Adam a few times, he was such a horrible character but that just added to the excitement of the story!

Amanda Brooke spins a chilling tale in this tense psychological thriller. A pregnant Lucy wants to be a good mother as her world begins to crumble. She is expecting soon but her mind is all over the place. It would appear that her hormones are going haywire and she is suffering from what is commonly referred to as 'baby brain'. However, it seems to be more than that as things start veering towards the dangerous. Her husband, Adam, keeps telling her stuff, but she just cannot remember. Lucy is battling her past, so is this normal or is there something darker behind her memory loss? It soon becomes transparently obvious to the reader what is going on. A confused, fearful, isolated and vulnerable Lucy faces an increasingly menacing set of events. A suspenseful read that is packed with tension as you will Lucy to open her eyes to what is taking place. This is an enjoyable, entertaining and well written psychological thriller that has you desperate to know how it all ends. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.