The Mother fault took a bit of getting in to but it did get better as i progressed into it. Its a little real in parts but if ou like futuristic novels then this is for you.

The Mother Fault takes place in a near future dystopia in Australia and Indonesia where everyone is chipped and the government has total control. Mim is a housewife with two kids whose husband is working at a gold mine in Indonesia. Close to the date that he's supposed to return home, the Department calls and tells her he's missing. Mim is forced to surrender the passports of both herself and her children. Not getting answers from the Department about his whereabouts and the Department telling her if she doesn't comply with their rules they'll take her children, she decides to risk it all and take the kids and go find him herself.

It took a bit for me to get in to this. I had a hard time finding the adult characters likable. A lot of reviews have said the sailing part was drawn out and not fully necessary, but to me, this was the part that had me reading nonstop to see what happened. The ending also felt a little bit rushed. I think if this is the kind of book you typically read, then you'll enjoy it. If not, however, I don't think I would recommend it.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, author Kate Mildenhall, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really interesting book with a rich female protagonist in the form of Mim, a mother of two pretty wonderful children. I have to say I read something rather misleading that said this book would be great for fans of The Dry by Jane Harper, which led me to expect something very different. I wouldn't compare it to The Dry at all, beyond the fact it is set partially in Australia. It's a book about the extremes we will go to for the people we love, set in a dystopian future. It is by no means a crime novel, although you could dub it a thriller I suppose.

That's not to say it wasn't a good read. I very much enjoyed the way in which the author was able to conjure up places, feelings and situations that I had never experienced before whilst making me understand exactly what it felt like for the characters. My favourite chunk of this whole book was when the Mim and co were at sea for four days. It made me feel like I was there, experiencing the excitement, trepidation and pure fear of the situation. The book ended well, leaving me feeling satisfied, even though we didn't get answers to everything.

I only wish I had read a physical copy as there were formatting issues in the version I read on Kindle, which didn't make it an enjoyable experience. Would love to discuss this book with some other people who have read it. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

I just don’t get this book. At first I was like “yes dystopian world-so close to reality-sign me right up” but then nothing really happens!
The department are shady but also so secondary to the story you forget about them for a large chunk of it. Characters who are apparently pivotal are left by the wayside with no follow up. The big reveal happens over a page and a half and then we go back to nothing. There is no conclusion to the story which makes it feel like the whole book is just a prequel to another but I don’t see anywhere saying it’s the first in a series?
The writing is lovely, flashbacks are a nice touch, the honest examples of. motherhood are great but that’s it. I put this book down at 96% and it took me another 3 days to pick it up and finish it.

This was a surprisingly quick read and one that I enjoyed although I did find the ending to be a little abrupt. The story is a dystopian thriller and set mainly in Australia and I thought the writing was excellent but I wasn’t so keen on the flashbacks as I felt it seemed to hinder the flow of the storyline somewhat.
The characters were good but I did fail to relate to Mim the mother I felt that some of the choices she made were questionable, the children Sam and Essie were annoying as children can be but I did in particular like Sam a lot. I also liked the descriptions of the the dystopian world where everyone is microchipped and privacy is nil that made for some disturbing reading.
I’m not quite sure why I didn’t connect with this book as much as I was expecting but overall I would call it a good and interesting 3 star read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In hind sight, the fact that I dislike dystopian scenarios should have been a warning sign for me but the plot sounded intriguing, so I gave this book a chance. Unfortunately, the main character got on my nerves almost straight away and the reminiscences about her husband sounded too romantic and flimsy. I'm afraid I decided to bail out after a few chapters so I can't comment on the development or ending.

Set in a dystopic Australia, where the climate is changing dramatically and everyone wears chips in their hands so the Department can keep track of all they do.
Mim's husband works in a mine in Indonesia, suddenly she can't get hold of him and the authorities aren't telling her what's happened to him.
Fearing the Department is going to punish her and her children for whatever he has done she runs, going off grid, to try to find him.
The basis of the story is good and it is well written. But, as other reviewers have said, Mim's actions and choices are just not credible. Her dithering around, bringing others into danger. And as for her children! They seem to have no concept of doing as they are told or appreciating the danger they are all in.
A bit frustrating. Not my favourite read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What do you get when you cross a dystopian thriller with women's fiction? "The Mother Fault"! This is an incredibly gripping and fast-paced read that had me hooked right from the first page. It's written very well, with strong characters. I wish there had been an extra 10 or 20 pages added at the end to clear up one or two things... Maybe a sequel is in the works? I hope so!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

In a dystopian future where everyone is chipped and the Government in Australia have taken absolute control of its people, Mim finds herself in an impossible situation. Her husband, Ben, has gone missing whilst working abroad and suddenly the mysterious Department are taking her and her children’s passports and tracking their every move. If she’s ever going to find out what happened to their Dad and keep her children safe she may first need to put them in danger as she takes them all off the grid to go in search of Ben.

“The Mother Fault” by Kate Mildenhall is due out on 27 May 2021 from Harper Collins. I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was billed as a “gripping thriller” but, to be honest, it didn’t really do it for me. The dystopian setting did feel quite realistic, environmental disasters and unscrupulous Governments are not that far fetched really, which was interesting but I didn’t really feel the rest of the plot was thrilling enough. The danger was all a bit nebulous. Ben was missing, yes, but there was nothing to really confirm he was definitely in danger and we spent a large chunk of the book on a boat with Mim not behaving at all like a woman who’s husband was missing!

There were some hints at the danger they were in but the most direct attack was against a character we barely knew so I did find it a little difficult to really care.

There were a lot of things hinted at to do with the Government control, particularly around the BestLife facilities that people would be put in if they were seen to be a threat. Mim’s brother, Michael, had the potential to be a really interesting side character but, again, his story was only briefly discussed.

It’s a little disappointing because in theory the main plot sounds really interesting and I was hopeful that it was going to be good but definitely not thrilling enough for me.

I did find Mildenhall’s writing on the whole had a nice flow to it but she seemed to spend a lot of time throwing in things that weren’t really relevant and didn’t add anything to the plot and I feel some of this time could have been used to flesh out some of the more relevant plot points.

Overall, I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it either, not really for me.

Mim is living with her 2 children trying to have a quiet life. Her husband Ben works away and only comes home occasionally. He is due to come home in 2_days time, when Mim receives a phone call to.tell her her husband is missing! Mim can't get any answers as to where he is it why he's missing all she knows is she needs to find him for him to explain. With the government monitoring everyone's movements she knows it's risky but she takes the children to her childhood home, she's not been there in years!!! Will the government find her and take the children before she has time to figure it all out? It's a raise against time who will find the truth first?? Couldn't put this book down.


*********SPOILER ALERT**********

Many thanks Net galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and to Kate Mildenhall would love to have a what happens next? Was Ben shot dead or was it made to look like that? If so does Mim end up getting back together with Nick? Do they live on the boat or settle somewhere?

A dystopian thriller that I sadly didn't connect with. I found it to be a somewhat patchy read and didn't connect with the characters or their plight. It maybe that this isn't the genre for me as its a well written novel that I'm sure many readers will enjoy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Mim risks everything to find her husband and save her family, they find themselves on the run in the Australian Outback.
This is a story about protecting the people we love, betrayal, political control, and motherhood. I enjoyed the story, it kept me turning the page

I struggled to get into this book and I find the reasons very difficult to pinpoint. The dystopian setting was scarily believable, the characters were relatable and it had a story with a clear goal - the quest to discover what had happened to Mim’s husband. Given the storyline, I didn’t think there was enough tension or sense of peril from the government, who never seemed that close to catching up on them on their road trip rescue mission. Also, I struggled to understand how the motivation to find out what had happened could justify putting her the family’s future in jeopardy. There just wasn’t enough to capture my attention and keep me engrossed.

This was a gripping, dystopian thriller set in Australia in a future where The Department controls everything and knows everything. It is a future where people are chipped and dissenters are sent to Best Life camps. The country has been ravaged by climate change.

Mim's husband, Ben, works at The Golden Arc mine in Indonesia and he has gone missing. After a visit from The Department who require Mim to surrender her and her children's passports, she realises she has to run, to avoid Best Life incarceration and to get to Ben. She meets up with her ex-boyfriend Nick and with the children sets sail for Indonesia.

This is a powerful novel, very well written with strong themes. The characters are plausible and the children, Essie and Sam, are particularly well drawn. The action dips a little in the middle with rather protracted descriptions of sailing to Indonesia but that is a minor concern.

In essence, this is a story about protecting the ones we love, motherhood, political control and betrayal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be overlong and disappointing. It started off so well, but, for me, lost its way, becoming neither thriller or social statement of society's future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

I was really excited to receive this book as the blurb sounded right up my street. However, this was really not for me. I realise it was a dystopian society but I found it very unrealistic. For example a novice being able to sail a boat in stormy conditions never having sailed before. Someone else suffering a severe injury whilst on board and still managing to get around.

I found it long winded however I really wanted to know how it would end and found the ending very disappointing. They sort of just sailed of into the sunset. The middle part of the book was very lengthy and the end very quick.

I would like to thank HarperCollins and NetGalley for my ARC for which I have given my unbiased review.

An interesting read especially during this year with a lot of twists and turns. A frightening version of the future where the government controls all aspects of a citizen's life. Suspenseful and thought-provoking.

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. This novel is set in a dystopian society in Australia and I struggled to get into it at the beginning. I’m glad I preserved, however it wasn’t really my cup of tea

This book just wasn't for me. I downloaded it having been approached by the publisher, intrigued by the premise.

I found it to be well-written and can imagine that for the right readers this will be a 5 star book. It's clever and thought-provoking.

However, I didn't connect with the main character and I think as a result of that I found the pace a bit of a drag.

I'm really sorry not to have enjoyed this book more. I really wanted to like it, but in the end it engaged my mind but didn't capture my imagination.

I've chosen not to review it on goodreads, as I don't think that would be fair to the author. It's really not their fault that I didn't connect with their characters! Other readers may love them.

Thanks for the opportunity to read it in any case.

I wanted to live this book since it contains many of the themes I enjoy in a novel. For me personally I just couldn’t get involved enough with the characters. I did finish the book but found it had lost a lot of impetus for me by the end.