This book takes something so real - horrible yummy mummies - and twists it into something far more sinister. A Mam trying to do her best for her son, trying to fit in with these women, trying to improve her life, when it all goes horribly wrong. really good read, definitely recommend it.

It took me quite a while to get into this book and when I did I wasn't really enjoying it. I liked the twists and turns but this book wasn't for me.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I tried multiple times to get into it but just couldn’t. I couldn’t keep up with the characters, much less like any of them. The story just seemed to wordy for me too, which is hard to explain but I just felt like too much words, I’d find myself reading a page without talking any of words in.

Rose is not the typical mum for Woolf academy but once she is accepted into the inner circle of mums what could go wrong? Sadly this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the characters or the story and lost interest with it. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
I started this book some months ago, and have had several attempts to continue reading, but I just can't get sufficiently drawn in to continue reading.
I'm not a fan of beginnings that start with mystery and lots of questions, and I think this has caused my downfall.
I hate to admit defeat, and once I have more time to read well into the book at first sitting, I may feel differently, but at the moment, this book isn't for me.

A good read
A book which will keep you hooked
A good thriller with plenty of twist
Thanks NetGalley

After reading That Woman, I was keen to dive into this one. And I bloody enjoyed it!

Yes, it’s far fetched and definitely requires some punting of disbelief, but you know what? It’s fiction, and I’m perfectly grand with that. But as over the top as it is, it really does genuinely highlight the pressure mums are finding themselves buried under. Am I good enough? Am I sending my kid to a decent enough school? How can I ensure the best for my child? The belief that all other mums have the tidy, well put together and under control Insta life and kids, while you’re a hot mess who can’t even find the time to answer a text…The mental load of the daily grind. It all hits home!

Now, I’m not going to get up to the shenanigans that Rosie did (it was all a bit desperate housewives and I wouldn’t have the energy) but I really felt the pressure she found herself under. The characters were well written - some veeeeery unlikeable, which I always welcome. In fact, Takhar writes unlikeable women incredibly well.

I flew through this one pretty quickly and I will look forward to reading more of her books.

A very sinister and compelling read which taps into the parenting insecurities of doing your best for your child - getting them into the best school and mixing in the right circles to ensure you belong. The feeling of being inadequate and that other mothers are so much more “on it” with parenting is something many of us can relate to and this story conveys that feeling well.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

An excellent book club thriller - and a dark look at unrealistic ideas about motherhood. I really enjoyed!

I read this with a friend and we got through it so quickly, both guessing all sorts of theories. I think it's definitely one to read with a sense of disbelief and to not worry if the scenes and situations could really happen. I will definitely pick up more from this author.

This book was a good read, but I would highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings first. Well paced and structured, and was gripping.

This was a good "suspend belief" read - thoroughly enjoyed as a work of fiction. The characterisation was strong, perhaps moreso than the story itself. I felt that the story was born out of a superb idea (and there is a nod to the inspiration in the notes at the end) and could have worked brilliantly, were it not for the shortened timeline, very extreme (almost verging on chip-on-the-shoulder) stereotyping and then overly-neat tying together of all the loose ends in a hurry at the end.

Read withough worrying about whether "this could happen" or "would they really say/do that" it makes for a good story. Leave your need-to-believe at the cover, and enjoy a good story!

An intriguing read which held my interest throughout. Rose O' Connell desperately wants her Don Charlie to attend the elite Woolfe Academy , a free school which has finding raised by the Circle,, a group pf parents who have so much power over what goes on. Will Rose fit or Charlie fit in well at the school. It was an eye-opener of a read and I sincerely hope this doesn't happen in real schools.

It took me a while to get into but once I was in, I couldn't put it down, I was hooked. Really great storyline, well written characters and overall, a fab read. So glad I didn't dnf it.

After reading Helen Monks Takhar's debut 'That Woman' I was intrigued to read 'Such A Good Mother' and it did not disappoint.

Some women would do anything for their children. This thrilling novel cuts straight to the dark heart of modern motherhood, privilege, and the lengths we’ll go to get ahead. Rose O'Connell is barely surviving. Working on a modest salary at the Bank as a Cashier, Rose has big dreams of sending her son to the prestigious Woolf Academy. Run by a close knit group of mothers, known as "the Circle", in exchange for supporting the Woolf's relentless fundraising and raising the school's profile, the women enjoy lucrative business opportunities and special privileges for their children and admiration from the other community, the subject of envy for the mothers who are on the "outside". The morals and ethics are curated by the leader of Circle, the formidable, glamorous and charismatic, Amala Kaur. After enlisting her son in the school, Rose realises she may have got more than she bargained for and the "free-school" that has allowed her son to join, may be seeking a comeuppance in some other form.

Following the mysterious death of one of The Circle's members, Rose dares to dream that she could fill the vacancy. When Amala makes the shocking decision to invite Rose into their clique, her fortunes, self-esteem, and status soar. But the deeper Rose gets inside The Circle, the darker the secrets lurking within every perfectly Instagrammable life. Far from being a dream come true, being inside The Circle could prove Rose’s worst nightmare…

The characterisation is excellent and realistically flawed. If you end up loathing any characters, it is with good reason, the author really commits to the brief and delivers a story which will keep you on edge. I loved Charlie and Jacq (Rose's son and sister-in-law) and I found this to be a fast-paced, gripping read. I attended private school during my formative years as a teenager and I found myself relating to Rose's perspective on more than one occasion. School really can be the driving force of the adult you become and (mins the thrill to carry the story) this is something the book highlighted wonderfully. There is also the experiences of working mothers and challenges they face which is drawn upon, and wanting to do the best for their children whilst also striving to find a balance for themselves, and managing the various spheres in their own lives.

Special mention for use of “The Red Shoes “ by Hans Christian Andersen and entwining it within the story and the Author's Note at the end, I love knowing where stories originate from and I felt this was a cherry on top of the overall reading experience. Everything fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and felt well thought out. My only negative is the ending, I was expecting more and the end scenes to unravel smoothly, not as abruptly, given the whole book had been delivered with this bittersweet hesitancy that left you craving more. It all just ended far too soon far too quickly for me. Otherwise, Helen Monks Takhar's best, and I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this story abit hard to get into “, the main character Rose was very naive and annoying. I wasn’t keen on her character which maybe meant I was less invested. The plot was ok but predictable

The blurb about this book intrigued me as I’ve been that working mother at a high performing school with a strong PTA. However I found the story quite far fetched and the characters, bar one, were unrealistic and unrelatable. Rose who had grown up in what used to be a disadvantaged area has seen the same place change since the advent of a new primary school which has attracted up and coming parents and thus gentrification. We are supposed to believe that this has all happened in the last 3 years and that the power of who is in and who is out lays in the hands of Amala and her Circle. At around 35% I thought about giving up as the story was frustrating me but actually I’m glad I pushed through as the last 25% of the book was the best part. I feel the lack of remorse or conscience in the main characters was unbelievable and stretched my patience. The author gives a brief insight at the conclusion of her book as to her original motivation and intentions for this book and I feel these were closer to the blurb and maybe she should have stuck closer to them.

*Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

This was really good until about two thirds in, when the ridiculously convenient loose ends started to get tied up. Rosie was way too dependent on her sister-in-law, to the point where she was an extremely irritating character. And the double (or triple) bluffing going on was insane. WHO CAN THINK AND PLAN THAT FAR IN ADVANCE, DOWN TO WHAT HOUSE SOMEONE BUYS?!

It was a good book and I enjoyed reading it, more for the outlandish demands of the featured school more than the plot itself. However, I've read books by Helen Monks Takhar before, and I will continue to do so!

Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar is the story of a parent, Rose, who has grown up in a working class area that has become very middle class, and the school that she went to has become an expensive and desirable academy. Rose wants to send her son Charlie there, but a group of mums known as the circle seem to be the gatekeepers to not only the school, but social acceptance and mobility for Rose and her family. How far will Rose go to get Charlie a place at the school and a group of friends, and how far will 'the circle' go to stop her?

It might be that I'm not a parent that I didn't relate to the characters or find any of them likeable - apart from one side character - and so wasn't rooting for any of them. Some of the decisions made by them were so bizarre and there is a need for suspension of belief for some aspects of the book.

I felt that the ending was quite rushed, there were some good twists but it was all wrapped up in the last few pages and in the end no one came out on top.

This wouldn't put me off reading any of the author's other books, her writing is great and really, that's what kept me going with the book, rather than giving up.