I loved this book! I threw all my adult responsibilities to finish it in one day! This is definitely five-star book! This was an absolute fun, fast paced and of course twisty read! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I can’t wait to read more!

Everything about this book pulled me in. I was completely engrossed it was thrilling and twisted. The twists and turns were epic and left me gobsmacked!

This is definitely a must read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

A slow burner that keeps the reader wanting to see what the next page brings and my only regret was not waiting until the weekend to start it as having to leave it aside to go to work was torturous. Neither of Helena’s daughters had any redeeming qualities and this in a way added to the tension of the story and there were moments when I wanted Helena to cop on and come out of her dream world. A definite five star read for me

Wow this is a dark thriller about a serial killer who is targeting young women and a mother concerned for her two daughters one is a single mother juggling a challenging job and two young kids and her other daughter is an addict and living on the streets. As she tries to hold the whole family together and keep her girls safe does she really know either of them and is the truth darker than she ever imagined. Can she save her girls or is it too late to stop them going down the wrong path?

This has a good suspense/thriller plot. I think it could have been shorter in length and had an overkill of trying to create the picture. Some chapters sounded like previous chapters when the characters described feeling etc. I did like how the author provided a backstory and didn’t just end the story without going a little farther in time.

Another amazing thriller, these books just keep on getting better, I am normally quite good at guessing what’s going to happen but I couldn’t in this book, looking forward to the next one AAA

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC! First, I would like to say this author’s writing style is exemplary. With a very thorough and engaging storyline. Also, very well developed characters and plot. I can’t believe I’ve never read this author before… I will definitely be reading more from them. I do recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Mother Knows Best by J.A. Baker due to be published August 25, 2025.

Helena has two daughters – Rachel, homeless; Vanessa, two children. When women go missing, who will be under suspicion?

This one started out slowly, but WOW! It is told from multiple points of view – from Helena, and the girls’ childhood friend, Alex, and his horrible upbringing. The characters were described perfectly and the suspense built until the hugely surprising ending. This one is not to be missed!

#NetGalley #JABaker #MotherKnowsBest #BoldwoodBooks

This book started off very slow but quickly turned around and sucked me in!

Sibling rivalry. Mental health. This book has it all!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat for hours past my bedtime! I couldn’t stop reading. Even my hubby wasn’t asking how it ended by how into it I was!

A dark and twisty read.
Slow start but builds into an engrossing storyline.
Well written characters and everything good you expect from this talented author.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Mother Knows Best by J.A. Baker, published by Boldwood Books, is a gripping psychological thriller.
Telling the tragic story of Helena and her family, told in multiple povs and asks the question nature vs. nuture.
I started reading and soon I couldn't put the book down. Read in one sitting story, 4 stars.

Is your upbringing responsible for your character and actions when you are an adult?
This book explores that. Kids brought up by uncaring, alcoholic parents vs kids brought up by good, kind caring parents.
It seems that it doesn't matter. You are your own person, not defined by upbringing at all.

I liked Helene, she seemed the sanest of all the characters. Not perfect, but loving her children despite what they were.
Twisty and unpredictable, this novel kept me rapt.
I just found the beginning to be a little slow, but the pace picked up after a while.
Not my favourite JA Baker book, but I did enjoy it.

I just finished a good book. Mother Knows Best by JA Baker is available soon and is one you should put on your list.

Wow! This book is Baker at his best! Helena has two daughters who are very different. Vanessa has two young children and Rachel is homeless and refuses help. And then we have Alex, a childhood bully from their past.who continues to act out as his childhood was abusive. It's a wonderfully convoluted novel about murder, lies, and people who will fight for what they believe in. Loved every page!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Helena prides herself on being a good mother, but one of her daughters is accused of child abuse and the other is an addict. Told from multiple points of view.

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. This book was a fast paced thrilling read that kept my attention the whole way through. I love the different POVs as narration. I couldn’t put this book down!

I really enjoyed this book! It was expertly written. It is told from multiple POVs; Helena is one POV she is a mother of 2 daughters and is a grandmother of 2 and she loves them dearly. Another POV is from Alex who was an abused neglected child and has some unpleasant behaviours, thoughts and feelings as a result. There is also a mystery POV from somebody who has been abducted and there are a few chapters from Helena’s daughters. In a spoiler free nut shell the story is about Helena’s worry’s for her daughters after local women are going missing. It is a slow burn that details the complexities of relationships as well as the nature/nurture debate. There are a few twists in it too. I would definitely recommend and I will be reading more by this author as the 2 I have read have been great!

A devoted mother, Helena has always prided herself on being a good mother, a constant for her daughters, Vanessa the responsible one, and Rachel fragile and sensitive. But as her daughters navigate adulthood, a chilling question begins to fester: has her devotion been a delusion?! Now, Rachel walks the city streets, lost to addiction, while Vanessa's endless nights at work leave her children vulnerable in Helena's care proof of their fractured family.Her worst nightmare! Then the disappearances begin. Local girls, snatched from the darkness, their lives brutally extinguished. Fear consumes Helena, yet the harder she tries to protect her girls, the more her daughters push her away until a terrifying thought takes root, twisting Helena’s maternal instincts into icy suspicion. What if the danger isn't lurking in the shadows...but has been much closer to home all along?! Wow! What a chilling thriller with some jaw dropping twists! This book had shocking suspense, murder, dark family secrets, intrigue, mystery, and some chilling moments! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood books for sharing this book with me!

I loved this book! A must read for all thriller fans. Well developed characters and a tense plot. I'm a fan of Baker's books and this one definitely didn't disappoint. An easy 5 stars from me

Don’t walk, RUN for this book! I loved the themes in it! Discusses stresses and worries that parents go through, sibling rivalry, mental illness, trauma and lastly it also off Hitchcocks Psycho vibes.
I read this in a day and it certainly did not disappoint!