the good mother terrified me. i want to bea good mother. am i? i guess compared to this book anyone is! my parents aren't here, but i'm glad i read this anyway.

A really good edge of your seat thriller, kept me gripped the whole way through and was strongly written with good characters. Look forward to seeing more from this author.

I found this book a little far-fetched and predictable in places. Nevertheless an interesting read Nice to hear the traditional Irish names. .

I really enjoyed this and would definitely rate it as a page turner. Can see from other reviews that it was a bit hit and miss but I really enjoyed it. It was a strong storyline with engaging characters and the ending had a twist that you didn't see coming.

If you enjoy thrillers with a modern, family theme then this would definitely be recommended.

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley.

My first book by author Cathryn Grant and I felt like I was watching a movie. Each chapter kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I loved seeing each person expose themselves a little more.

When a friend was lost loyalties were tested. Waiting to see who was going to break first kept me geared up and anxious to finish the book. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book

A must read novel. I devoured it and it's broken my reading drought. An author, in this competitive genre who will no doubt rise high.

Really enjoyed this book thank you. Vibrant, believable, characters and an absorbing plot. I will ensure I look out for this author in the future!

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

If you like Lianne Moriarty this is a great read. A fun, well-written thriller.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a non-stop suspenseful and thrilling book! I could not stop reading once I started. I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys domestic thriller and suspenseful novels!

Gripping from the start, then needs to keep trying to grip the reader. It's an up-and-down read. which is great if you like adrenaline journeys, and I found it a bit challenging to like some of the characters. But overall, this book tries to do a lot, and indeed does a lot of that well. We've all bumped into the dilemma of trying to be perfect at everything in our lives, and that usually means that when you get knocked off course, there's a lot to deal with. The Good Mother brings us right to the edge of that, tossing us into a jumble of assessments as it entertains. Worth the time.

This story has many back stories running through it that contribute to the tension and the attitudes you feel from the characters. You see the community and it's problems through the eyes of three different women who are trying to raise their daughters in a small town. The mothers see danger in every new experience and tend to insulate their children, hoping to be considered "Good Mothers". As the story progresses, it becomes clear that sometimes danger comes from within the group more often than outside. An enjoyable read that will leave you shaking your head at the things good people call good.

Told through there’s different POV’s this is a great thriller which filled Amy a wasp-ish mom with the ‘perfect’ life, Rachel, Amy’s best friend and indefatigable defender and Charlotte, the new, single mom in town whom refuses to conform to Amy’s rules. What follows is a fast paced and unputdownable story. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'd give 10 stars of I could !! Its very well written and had me since page 1 !

Thank you so much netgalley!!

What an amazing story!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is focussed on a new lady - Charlotte who moves to the suburbs from the city with her daughter, and a group of women, of which one of the women - Amy , has an immediate problem with Charlotte's presence in their lives and sets out on a mission of vengeance and hatred for Charlotte despite giving her the chance to get to know her. This stems from a traumatic past that Amy has never gotten over.
This book is great but I did find it quite predictable at the end and found it didnt grab my attention as much as I'd hoped.

The Good Mother is a Desperate Housewives meets My Strange Addiction with a side of everyone ignoring the issues right in front of them thrown into a domestic thriller. I'd also like to compare this to a train wreck that you just can't look away from.

I'd recommend this for a quick read on vacation or if you need something to ignore the stress of life, like I did when I read this.


What I did like: This book seems to be addressing some issues that are in the news right now. Men and women thinking women are raped because of what they wear. People thinking everyone in jail is there for a violent offense. It's like Cathryn was basically trying to say with this book, "This is what happens when you assume things and stop blaming women for their own rapes."

Everything that was eh:

Amy reminds me of that girl in high school that everyone knows that expects to always get her way. She grew up thinking women asked to be raped because of what they wore and the things the did that let men into their lives. She lets this get the best of her when Charlotte moves to town and seems to be drawing the attention of her husband and her daughter seems to want to be friends with Charlotte's daughter. She doesn't like that Charlotte is different and assumes that Charlotte's boyfriend is in jail for a violent offense. Amy, you know what they say about people who assume. Also her friends and husband are enablers. Jane, Kit and Rachel's husband Greg seem to be the only sane ones in the group of couples.

Charlotte is just trying to start over her life after her boyfriend gets arrested, but since she's an outsider that doesn't like to wear a bra and likes to take photographs of things (so she can make a living), Amy hates her. Charlotte isn't afraid to confront those who don't want her there. Overall, I really liked Charlotte and wanted to see more of her in the plot.

Amy is married and has twin daughters, Amanda and Alice. When she was a young girl, Amy witnessed her mother being brutally raped and beaten. Her father never had any sympathy for his wife who then went into a deep depression and later committed suicide. This has scarred Amy and made her afraid of being raped or some other disaster that she cannot control. She now is quite paranoid and goes to great extremes to protect herself and her family. Her fears are not helped by the fact that there is a serial rapist on the loose in their area. Her daughters are great fans of soccer and their parents attend all of the games.

Rachel has two young children, Sara, and Trent. She and Amy have been best friends ever since their children were babies. Sara really likes soccer but Trent is not interested in it al all. Instead, he is a very good artist and loves watching snails which he draws all the time. This worries Rachel and she just wants to get him to play soccer.

Charlotte and her daughter, Meadow, have just moved into the area. Charlotte’s husband got caught selling magic mushrooms and is now serving time in prison. Having grown up in this town, Charlotte feels it is a good place to raise Meadow. However, Charlotte’s dress and hair tend to be like that of a hippie.

When Amy sees Charlotte waiting for Meadow after school, she is appalled by the woman and feels she is not welcome and wants her out. She feels she is throwing herself at the husbands and is disgusted by it. Just how far will Amy go to get what she wants?

This book was a slow start for me with way to much emphasis on soccer. I almost gave up on it several times but decided to stick it out. It finally picked up as we see the growth of serious mental illness and how it affects someone. The author was able to give it an acceptable ending. I congratulate myself on finishing it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is rated as a mystery thriller but it is really a drama. The characters are not very likable so it made me indifferent to their problems. Amy who is the main character is just plain crazy in my opinion. However, in spite of the violence I rather enjoyed the story. If you can tolerate mean, devious soccer mom's you will probably enjoy the book. The best part of the whole thing was the ending because it was totally unpredictable.

Thanks Net Galley for allowing me to read this for for my honest opinion.

Wow, what a book, this book is one of those that grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go until I finished! It is very graphic in the beginning, and disturbing, so if you have triggers with rape I wouldn’t recommend! Well written, chilling, and shocking. Highly recommend to those who like disturbing and dark thrillers!
Will make sure I buzz it up on the different platforms!

I was looking forward to this book. The description sounded interesting, and the cover design is great. But it starts off with a really disturbing scene where a child witnesses the brutal rape of her mother. Sadly, I couldn't read any farther than that. It just wasn't for me.