3.5
The conclusion definitely saved this for me.

I found the emotional roller coaster Claire was on to be tiring after a while. The evil controlling mother in law is starting to be a standard occurrence in these thrillers. Also, the husband that is selfish (earplugs? really?) and doesn’t ever defend his mate? Check...

I did like the writing. The characters made me absolutely crazy and I’m aware that was intentional.

Claire is your typical unreliable narrator. She can’t connect with her baby and she’s having trouble just making it through the day. She is unsure who to trust, if anyone. She has a drinking problem and blackouts so she can’t remember her actions and the things she is told are pretty crazy... but are they true?

Pretty early on in this story it was clear to me who was the problem. That’s not to say that there aren’t twists and red herrings. The thing is that there’s definitely some crazy subplots going on.

As I was getting into the final stretch I was thinking that this was pretty standard fare, eh. But then all the reveals take place and they gave the characters more depth and me a different perspective. Overall, this was entertaining and I would read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

The Mother's Mistake by Ruth Heald is a fast-paced, chilling and an absolute page-turner!
At first glance, Claire has a picture-perfect life, a loving husband Matt, a beautiful baby girl Olivia, and a new home. She has so much to look forward to. But everything is not as it seems, Claire is struggling with motherhood, she's grown distant from her husband, her mother-in-law who lives next door is constantly interfering in her life. She has only one friend to speak for - Emma, who is a mother to a baby girl herself. Claire's cut-off from her old life, job, and friends in London, stuck with a crying baby day in and day out and a husband who's too busy to help. Enough to drive anyone nuts! But when a threatening note is posted through her letterbox, saying she doesn’t deserve her daughter she knows that her past is catching up to her.
The opening of this psychological thriller is fabulous, It hooks you right in and keeps up the tension right till the very end. The story is told from alternating POV's which I found to be quite intriguing and kept me turning the pages late into the night. The characters are all well-developed. The plot is really great! It had me guessing until the end. In all, I'd highly recommend this book.
Thank you, NetGalley, Ruth Heald & Bookouture for an arc!

You must read this thriller of a novel, The Mother's Mistake by Ruth Heald, It is chilling and stunning. I could not put it aside as I was captured from the beginning. Through many twists and turns along with the anxiety and the shear holding of your breath you read the story of Claire. She is a happy mother to Olivia and wife to the wonderful Matt as they move into her mother in laws cottage once belonging to Matt's grandmother. This cottage is filled with all of grandmothers possessions as the mother in law, Ruth, isn't ready to move it all out. As time goes by things change and Claire begins to question herself and her every move along with her paranoia and seemingly instability. I can't say more as to give anything away, I can highly recommend this book; a thriller, a mystery and who is lying? Many thanks to #NetGalley #Bookoutour #TheMothersMistake #RuthHeald

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book! Publish date is 6/11/19.

Claire has it all. Husband, daughter, and a new home in the country. But it’s not all what it seems to be. A threatening note is sent to her saying she doesn’t deserve her daughter. Now all of Claire’s secrets are at risk of being exposed. Maybe she really doesn’t deserve the idyllic life she’s living.

This is the type of novel that I can’t say too much about without giving spoilers. But I can say that Ruth Heald hit it out of the park with this book! All of my guesses were wrong about what was happening and didn’t see that ending coming. If you like thrillers, mystery, or suspense, you’ll love this book.

All I can say is WOW. I loved this book.
I was drawn in from the very first page, anxious to find out what was going on.

I had an inkling what might be happening, but I kept changing my mind over and over again. The twist ending was fantastic and I had no idea it was coming.

Bravo on a great book!

I recommend this to anyone who can read. Although thriller fans in particular will get a kick out of it!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

She runs past the tinkling of children’s laughter that fills the park. Heart hammering, she reaches the riverbank, breath catching in her throat as her eyes take in the small body, tangled in the reeds, pale and lifeless.

Three years later.

Claire’s life is picture perfect. A new home in the countryside. A new-born baby. A doting husband by her side.

But behind closed doors, it’s a different story.

And when a threatening note is posted through her letterbox, saying she doesn’t deserve her daughter, it’s clear that someone knows…




Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book I really enjoyed reading it and hope to read more by this author

The Mother’s Mistake by author Ruth Heald is a heart racing thriller with twists at every turn! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will definitely recommend it upon release date.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Mother’s Mistake in exchange for an honest review.

5 big shiny fat stars which Is well deserved... having never heard of the author I’m always anxious to start a new book by an authors books I’ve never previously but this blew me out of the water literally. The blurb drew me in immediately I knew it was right up my street- full of mystery secrets and betrayal who doesn’t love that in a thriller?.

The opening chapter we meet Claire, her husband Matt and their baby Olivia they are relocating from London to matts home village in the country which is a tight knit small community, Claire and Matt are going to be living rent free in matts grandmothers house who sadly passed away until they can afford a deposit to buy their own home, Claire is hopeful for the future but is hiding a secret from her past one that comes back to haunt and torment her... Claire soon learns that her new fresh start isn’t greener and someone wants revenge on Claire for what she had done all of those years ago, but who wants revenge and why? This really intrigued me as I actually liked Claire’s character she seemed like a person I could relate to and even have a friendship with, so I was very curious to what she could have possibly done to receive the torment that she starts receiving when they settle into their new cottage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was engaging, mind blowing, and I definitely wasn’t expecting the twist at the end and the show down of who Claire’s tormentor is, it blew me out of the water!
I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author as I know I’ll be in for a treat.
Thank you to netgalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A really gripping and quite tragic story. I was completely drawn in right from the start of this book and felt it was written exceptionally well. The characters were well formed. A very enjoyable, exciting psychological thriller x

This was a gripping read from the very beginning. The Mother's Mistake opens with the discovery of a child's body, but the reveal doesn't come until much later, and it's shocking and incredibly heartbreaking.

I've read quite a few thrillers in the past few years in which the female character, usually a mother, is suffering from what seems like delusions, prompting the 'is this really happening or is she crazy?' question. This can get grating, especially as I've read this many times now and in some cases (thankfully not this one) it comes across as a lazy plot device. However Ruth Heald takes this issue and does it well, exploring the issue of post-partum depression and its effects. Not only that, but Claire's isolation feels so genuine that the story comes together so well.

This novel kept me hooked, not simply because of its twists, but the wonderful writing, unputdownable plot and unpredictable ending. I've only just realised that this is Ruth Heald's debut and wow, it's fantastic.

From the beginning, a devastating story is told and lets us know that a child has died. Obviously, we know from the title of the book that a mother's mistake has led to this horrific circumstance. This book took me a little while to get into, but once I thought the character traits were clear, I really began to enjoy the book. The author takes us on a journey with a young mother who is tormented by fear and what appears to be paranoia, although we are really not clear on that issue. In the end, there is a dramatic revelation. Just when you think you've got the story figured out, you realize you were wrong. A good read!

I was drawn to this book for the simple reason everyone has made a mistake at some point, and know the saying never judge someone because they sin differently than you. Nevertheless, this person has made a career of being a professional blackmailer. She lacks empathy for other people and does not care how much she can hurt them. I know if I would have been in her shoes I would choose to fight back than give in to a horrible person hell-bent on destroying my life. I admire Amy because she thinks the same way that I would, and she's bent on digging up her own dirty little secrets. Reasonably thinking if she has leverage against her enemy, she may be able to win this game.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see who would come out as the champion of this cat and mouse game.
I recommend this to anyone who may have their own skeletons in the closet. How far would you go to defend yourself and your family?

This was a pretty good book! You don’t see a ton of books tackling the subject of post pardon and the everyday, every minute feelings that come with having it. Every time i thought this story was leaning a certain way, it completely changed, in a good way. I really did enjoy the ending. ⭐️⭐️🌟

The Mother's Mistake is one of my favorite kinds of books - a thriller that will leave you turning until the very last page.

Claire and her family move to a cottage that is on her mother-in-law's property - they were led to believe that the cottage would be in good shape but when they arrive it is cluttered and dusty, but they are going to live their free of charge to try and save up for a house, so she overlooks things and tries to make the best of it, even though they have a little one.

Claire's mother-in-law isn't the kindest woman that you will ever meet, and Claire is also suffering from depression due to the delivery. This causes some irrational decisions and lots of emotional turmoil. Add on notes that make her doubt herself even more, you've got a great plot.

You know from the beginning that something has happened in the past, you just aren't sure exactly what it is. I know that while I was reading it I was brought back to when my two girls were young. I never suffered from depression, but I remember that you run on very little sleep at times, and I probably made some wrong decisions.

I kept reading late into the night to see exactly how the author was going to tie everything together and she did a great job. I really enjoyed this book.

Wow! What a brilliant psychological thriller! The Mother’s Mistake is thought provoking and chilling with a suspenseful plot and amazing characters about a mother’s worst nightmare. A great book! I will be reading other books by this author. I will also recommend this book to others. My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Great book! Lots of twists and turns. Claire's life is perfect. Great husband and beautiful baby. Things turn when they move on Matt’s parents property. Claire feels more isolated with her baby and starts hearing things Her mother in law seems not to happy with her. She finally found a friend but matt’s Old girlfriend starts working with him. Is it Clair’s imagination or is someone out to drive her crazy?

A UK based psychological thriller about a new mother, for whom the past seems to be very much at the forefront of her mind. This book is full of red herrings, and whilst it might be easy to work out where part of the story is going, I was still very surprised when the plot came together and everything slotted into place - which made for a real page turner, particularly towards the end of the story.

A really enjoyable book - I was wondering how the two stories would come together and when they did, I was very pleased with how they linked - an enjoyable read and the portrayal of post natal depression was really well written and the sense of paranoia very well written. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately gripped from the prologue where we see someone witnessing a child who drowned. The cops are frantically trying to revive the little girl but to no avail.

We fast forward to present day where Claire, her husband, and infant daughter have relocated to a country cottage owned by her mother in law. We start to get snippets of information that Claire’s first daughter died.

So I unfortunately had to DNF this book early on because of the domestic violence scenes. I have an incredibly hard time reading about graphic abuse. I think that this book is probably spectacular from start to finish, but I can no longer continue.

The Mother's Mistake had me interested from the getgo. It tells the story of Claire, her husband and young baby girl. When they move back to her husbands home town, onto the grounds of where his parents live, things don't become as iddylic as Claire had hoped. Matt is away from home a lot of the time setting up a new Veterinary Practice, Claire is left at home with the baby she is unable to bond with. Its here that we meet 3 characters - Emma a "new" friend with a young baby also. Then there is Ruth , Matt's Mother - an unlikeable character who is very protective over her son. We also meet Sarah - she works for Matt - but we also find out she is an Ex of Matt's.
Claire has had a bad past and we realise she has been unstable in the past, but when things start happening in her house we dont know whether to believe her or is she just going mad, Things keep being moved in the house, and it appears people are coming in - is it just Ruth or is someone else getting in. Who can Claire believe, who should she trust, is Claire going insane? Read it to find out!!!