I loved the relationship between the “mothers” and descriptions of the other people in their lives, both partners and children.
Thought I knew what was going on all along - but apparently not.

The book is just a,typical crime story, however missing excitement and twist of plot. It is ok to read on Sunday afternoom, but do not expect mind-blowing story.

Relationships are complicated! I went into Sarah Naughton's The Mothers without knowing anything about the story, and I really enjoyed it.

The book is a bit of a slow burn at first, as we spend time meeting the 5 mothers that are our main characters. We learn that each of the 5 women is in a complicated relationship and dealing with some sort of massive issue. On top of their individual issues, one of the husbands has gone missing, which is the heart of the story.

I'm giving this book 3 stars instead of 4 because there were some scenes that made me uncomfortable and seemed unnecessary to the story. But, the pacing is smartly managed; once we meet the characters in great detail and learn their backstories, the book really takes off.

In all, I especially loved the diversity of the 5 women's personalities. I loved the idea that these different personalities forged such loyal friendships. I wasn't surprised by the book's ending, but based on the hints dropped throughout, I think the reader is expected to figure out some things.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Noughton, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. A group of women become friends at their ante natal group. Several years down the line they still see each other regularly. But how close are they, and what secrets are they keeping? when one of the husbands goes missing, the police are called.... This is a real page turner which will keep you guessing til the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a unique storyline and kept my interest from start to finish. Loved the ending which I certainly wasn’t expect to happen!!

I am finding this difficult to begin. I like how easy it is to read, it flows incredibly well and by god does it gather pace. The only thing is I really don’t like the story. But that’s just my opinion and I am sure there are plenty of people out there who will love this. I found way too over the top and just a tad a bit off about men and that women should stick together. Ok there was that twist at the end but I am afraid I was not convinced.

One of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read. Brilliant. Can’t wait for the next book by this author.

No one was very likeable in the book. No-one! But I liked The Mother by Sarah J. Naughton a lot.
The story centres around the five mums and one police officer, with short and snappy chapters from each of the main characters POV as well as having a dual timeline – it is a book with a lot going on, but it read well.

At times I did think that the author was a bit too hard on the mums, there was a lot of negativity towards working mums and stay at home mums – really all mums. None of the five mum characters came off as well adjusted, caring and well-rounded people. They all fell into the unreliable narrator territory. Not a bad thing. I LOVE an unreliable narrator.

The ending was good, I did guess it. But that isn’t always a bad thing as the ending made sense and there were enough hints along the way to make it feel right. And the book certainly wasn’t lacking in suspense. It had me totally engrossed in the lives of these women. I flew through the pages.

I am always happy when I discover a new author who has a few back titles ready for me to devour. I am sure I will be reading more from Sarah J. Naughton soon and I will be looking out for future releases.

The Mothers was well written. An easy read. And a great example of a domestic thriller done well. Very well. Highly recommended.

Ooh this was goooood.

5 women meet at NCT group. They don't really have much in common other than their children - but as any parent will tell you - that's enough. So many of the situations that Sarah J Naughton describes for the parents are far too familiar to me. Some are funny, some are sad but all of them make me glad to know that I wasn't the only one experiencing such things.

But this group of women have each other's backs and help each other out at the drop of a hat.

A group of unlikely mothers get together at their 'Mother's Club.' They have nothing in common apart from having children around the same age - so why do they continue to meet?

This book firstly had me clutching at all the straws! Then it was like a lightbulb went off inside my head - an understanding of a strong and powerful friendship bringing people together.

I enjoyed the complexity of the character's relationships and getting to know their individual backstories and the lead up to Ewan and Jen's disappearance. I had worked out pretty early on the characters that I believed and liked the most and the ones who I became to despise by the end of the book.

Brilliant book and a 4.5 star recommended read!

Thank you very much NetGalley for an advance copy of The Mothers in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book not knowing anything about it and I am quite surprised.

I liked the two perspectives. Part of the story was told by Iona, the police officer, and the rest of the chapters were told by The Mothers.

The Mothers were a group of 5 women who had little in common but got together every now and then to catch up. I really enjoyed knowing their version of the story, their past, their opinion about the rest of the group and what had happened to them to get where they were now.

I got to know a bit more about them personally and their family life, which I appreciated because that helped me to get a better idea about all of them.

I also liked the "past" chapters. Every so often, we had a past chapter about one of The Mother's meeting and I found them very interesting. Each meeting was held by a different Mother and I thought it was quite good for the story because it let us see a bit of their fears as mothers and their relationship with their husbands.

I liked the writing style. It was easy to follow considering how many characters there were and I liked that I could tell who was narrating what chapters because The Mothers were quite different from each other and it was easy to spot their personality.

Although it took me over two weeks to read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I loved the end. I was a bit shocked by the plot twists and it wrapped up the story perfectly!

I took a while to get into this book. I loved that it was female character driven but whether it was because there was so many of the mothers in the group or because of the story switching from past to present I just didn’t ever feel really connected to any of them or that I cared enough about their relationships or the friendship they had developed as a group
of mother’s .

The story does get off to a fantastic chilling start but for me lost its way during the middle section of the book. It was just unnecessary details of all their lives that I just wanted to skim to get to the interesting parts about what had happened to Bella’s missing husband Ewan.

However without doubt the slow paced build up is definitely worth it because I loved the last few chapter. It’s full of secrets, lies and all the twists and turns you would want from a psychological thriller with some dark humour thrown in for good measure.

The Mothers is an intriguing thriller about a group of five disparate women joined only by the fact they were members of the same NCT group three years ago.
When Beth, the ‘frumpy housewife’ of the group, reports that her husband is missing there is a police investigation into what has happened to him and there starts the real intrigue into how exactly are these women connected and how deep do the problems in the relationship go. Who is hiding things and what secrets are they hiding?
An excellent book with some twists that you will not see coming.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last.
I really enjoyed the story, it gripped me from the start and kept me guessing throughout.
Recommended to any psychological thriller fans.
Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Hated the mothers, loved the mystery.

When will I learn to stop requesting books about mums?! I don't know if it's because I'm not a parent, but for whatever reason I always find books about mums, especially whingy rich mums, incredibly irritating. And so the NCT group element of the book took me a while to get into. But wow. The mystery of what happened was just incredible. And the big reveal at the end was truly breathtaking and brutal and shocking.

The writing is incredible, the women were irritating to me but were well fleshed out and all very vivid and distinctive characters, and the plot was just a true rollercoaster. So yep, definitely one I'd recommend, and an author I will 100% be reading again.

I couldn’t really get into this book. After reading the blurb I was quite excited to read this book but the beginning didn’t grip me and I found it very hard to get into.

I love a book filled with secrets and Sarah J Naughton crams in as many as she can in her awesome new novel, The Mothers. The story centres around a group of women, loosely called friends, who are so very different but similar in the way that they each carry around their own dramas in their bulging emotional baggage. With five characters, you'd think it would get complicated as to who was who but the way they are introduced one at a time leaves a lasting first impression of each woman.

After one mother's club meeting, Bella's husband Ewan and one of the friends go missing and so the story flashes back to the past as we discover the events leading up to the double disappearance. The dynamic of the group is very intriguing as apart from babies, which only four out of the five women have, they have absolutely nothing in common. It almost seems like they feel obliged to remain friends but as we know, appearances can be deceptive.

I loved reading each woman's story equally, which is a rare thing as I would usually have a favourite but they are so multi-dimensional and Sarah J Naughton paints such a vivid picture of their lives. I was so immersed in their life stories that I almost forgot about the mysterious disappearances, which turns out to be a jaw-dropping story in itself. Then just when you think all has been revealed, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Twisted and chilling, The Mothers is a gripping thriller that reminds us to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If you liked Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, you'll love Sarah J Naughton's The Mothers.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Five women, Chrissy, Electra, Skye, Jen and Bella, never would be friends if it weren't for one thing they have in common - children. They met at a prenatal classes and somehow their friendship remained and they keep meeting at each other's houses for a drink or two. But can we really call it a friendship? Do they like each other? Will they help each other if, let's say, Bella's husband went missing? Because he did, and police investigates, although they don't seem too worried. Until some other events come to light and they start to dig deeper. What has happened? And do the mothers have anything to do with him missing?

The story jumps between past and present, recalling the events that happened, leading up to the disappearance, and what happened later. It's more a character driven story but the pace is well enough to keep you hooked to the pages. Now, in retrospect, I think that really, the chapters dedicated to the police investigation didn't really bring anything new or fresh to the story, but I get it, they had to be there. Nevertheless, we are given a chance for a great insight into the characters' lives, and into the unusual friendship, and also to all the secrets and lies. Knowing all of those things, of the mothers' stories in more details, gave us another view, another dimension. But the less you know, the better, you simply have to read the book for yourself!

So we hear each women's point of view. And believe me, they managed to pull the wool over my eyes. They are not immediately likeable, to be honest, or they don't become likeable, but I couldn't help but feeling sympathetic towards them. Nevertheless, they were really well drawn and quickly become real, living and breathing people, with all their biggest or smaller problems and troubles. They are full of flaws but all the same you'll find yourself rooting for them. Chrissy, Electra, Skye, Jen and Bella couldn't be more different, even if they tried, but it is this diversity that made them so intriguing and interesting. They simply worked well together, and the friendship, even if they didn't share a lot in common, seemed real and genuine - maybe because of the fact that they didn't share a lot in common, that they were honest with their opinions. They were believable and well developed, and written in a way that had you hooked to all of their stories, without singling out one character or the other. Each of the mothers' voice is distinctive and clear and you don't forget who you are following.
And really, I couldn't care less with what has happened with the missing husband - he was such an awful person that whatever would have happened to him, he deserved it. The more I learnt about him, the more convinced was I that Bella would be really better without him, so there.

Somewhere in the middle the book seemed to have lost its impact but the end changed everything. I couldn't stop chuckling to myself and I wanted to give the women a standing ovation.

It is absolutely not a straightforward and predictable story, oh no, it is full of secrets, lies, betrayals and turns and twists. The author has so cleverly plotted the story, filling it with really normal, natural and human characters and events, creating sometimes witty, sometimes sad and desperate tale of parenthood and friendship, mixing it with the element of mystery. There were many possibilities and scenarios and I liked how the author allowed for this to happen, and even better was the end, so surprising and actually funny, but moreover, hugely satisfying.

"The Mothers" is a slow but cleverly plotted book, refreshing and a bit different. It touches about friendship, betrayal, hope and the human side of each of us. It is so much more than only a case of a missing husband. It explores relationships and hardships, ups and downs of everyday life and it was so cleverly constructed, letting us to slowly peel back all the layers throughout a compelling story full of secrets and lies. Truly recommended!

A good fast paced read. There is plenty of action in this story and some strong characters. The story does not really stand out to me though as I have read similar stories. I also think that the police would have investigated more.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I liked this novel and its twists and turns. It is well written and has a good character set and build. The mystery is solidly woven and explained.
However, and this is the only reason I am rating it 4 and not 5 stars, I could not believe the friendship between these women from such different statuses and lives. I could not see them getting together for years and trusting one another that way. That is just a personal issue and one that takes no credit from the excellent thriller this is.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for this honest review.