I absolutely loved Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff. It was a fantastic read that kept me on my toes the entire time, with plenty of twists and suspense to keep me hooked.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I really did try to persevere with the book as the storyline sounded fantastic. But the actual writing and book itself did not work for me
I am sure others will love this

**3.5 stars**

Mother Knows Best is a decent debut medical thriller. It has interesting characters and plot line and kept me entertained. The audiobook narrators also did a good job.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review**

2.5 stars

When a mother loses her 8-year-old son to a mitochondrial disease, she decides to get pregnant again using the mitochondria of another woman - sooo, basically her baby ends up with three parents. It's a bit of a thriller, but I guessed every single twist in the story before it happened, so there wasn't much mystery. I don't know too much about whether the science of this fictional book was actually plausible or not, but there were so many other unrealistic elements that I ended up just feeling super frustrated at the characters' actions most of the time.

There was also a lot of jumping around between time frames, which worked pretty well to tell a fast-paced story. And the best aspect was the fact that the author chose to switch between perspectives (even including the villain's). This was a helpful way to describe events in an interesting way. However, because I felt like I knew where the story was going the whole time, there wasn't much to keep me drawn in.

Probably wouldn't read another title from this author since everything just felt so half-baked and predictable.

I love the concept of this, and I want to WANT to read it, but every time I try to pick it up, I end up putting it down in favor of something else.

Our MC is a grieving mother whose mitochondrial DNA is damaged and is passed along to her son who passes away. Determined to be a mother again, she finds a doctor and his beautiful but cold assistant to experiment with her eggs and hope that they can create the first 3-parent baby. Their success is also their downfall, as the assistant gets the brunt of the sentence while our MC and her doctor flee. The suspense and the fear for this family is so real, and I loved every heart stopping second.
Definitely recommend this book to people who like family dramas, psychological suspense types, and general thrillers. I wasn't so sure I would like it at the beginning but as I continued on, I got hooked in and my heart got dragged along for a wild ride!!!

I loved the concept but didn't enjoy the typical "crazy woman" trope. I felt it was a huge letdown. Unfortunately this idea of three parents and a baby sounded better in the synopsis than when I read it...

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. I liked the story, but too much was revealed in the description. It would have been more suspenseful to go in knowing less. As it was, I found very little suspense and thought the book was too long.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but it sounded really interesting so I wanted to check it out. I am so glad I decided to take a chance on it because I really enjoyed it! It kept my attention from the beginning to the end.

This book had my mind blown and I just couldn't read it fast enough. Highly recommend for fans of psychological thrillers.

This has an extremely interesting premise. What would you do to have a baby if you pass on a genetic defect that causes your baby to die? In this case, Claire was willing to find a doctor that could somehow create a baby with 3 parents. Then what happens if the 3rd person who was in jail is now freed?? In practice the book was just okay. I loved the idea though and had high hopes that I didn't feel like were fully executed.

Thank you to the author, the publishing house, and NetGalley for allowing me an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
Although only a 3, I did like it. My score is mostly due to predictability.

Clare and her husband want a child. Their first child, a son, died of a genetic mitochondrial mutation as a small child. Clare is desperate and finds a maverick scientist who has discovered a way to combine to women's DNA in order to remove the defective DNA. So essentially, the child has 3 genetic parents. Not exactly common practice and Clare's husband has "moral" issues about such an "experiment". So away runs Clare and the scientist with her pregnant belly. But, the scientist's assistant is held accountable and imprisoned. Guess what? Fast forward 11 years and she's out! And she wants her baby back. The baby who is now a smart 11 yo girl who is learning about DNA in class.

There’s only room for one mother in this family.

Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark—and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents—an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned—and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers. Past, present—and future converge in a mesmerizing psychological thriller from acclaimed bestselling author Kira Peikoff.


A good psychological thriller about a controversial scientific experiment that involves genetically modifying an embryo to eliminate genetic mutations by creating a three-parent baby.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the plot or writing so I decided to put it down.

Just the cover of this novel was so amazing that I was so happy to start reading it! A quick and great read. Suspenseful but also thrilling at the same time.

This book was soooo interesting and such a unique story! I’ve never read any other book with a story line like this and will definitely recommend it to some friends.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

The cover and title drew me in immediately. The writing kept my interest. The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to at times.
If you read the summary, you'll know that this book covers an extremely unique topic. The first baby with three genetic parents. Crazy, right? There's a sci-fi element to the book, but don't worry.. the author made it all easy to follow and understand.

Seriously, read this book. It was fabulous.

This sci-fi thriller came out of no-where and I really enjoyed it! This book had such an original concept - the first baby was made with three parents, via a lab (so extreme IVF). I was surprised by how well written this book was, and I even understood all the sci-fi talk (maybe because I'm familiar with IVF/IUI and infertility in general), which I really appreciated since sometimes science fiction books really just go over my head.
The twists in this book were good, even though I did see some of them coming, they weren't just lazy twists. I feel like this author could write some great thrillers in the future! I definitely recommend this book to thriller lovers because it was a really short and fast read, had some good twists, an original story line, and I just thought it was a well-rounded thriller!

🤰BOOK REVIEW🤰
Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff

-DESCRIPTION-
Thriller and sci-fi meets the age old question...how far would a mother go for her children or to ensure healthy children? And when the experimental research is leaked...what happens?

-THOUGHTS-
1. It was very fast paced. A page turner. Easy read with many twists and turns that you won't see coming.
2. I thought the characters were ok. Many times I was frustrated by the mother and has a hard time relating to her.
3. It would make a great discussion group/book club book with all the ethical questions that come into play!

-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I recommend this read.

-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
Miracle Creek
The Book of Essie
The Woman in the Park

This book was definitely a mixture of thriller sci fi for me!! From losing her child from an abnormal gene she passed on to him to meeting a dr. who is offering her an experimental option to having a healthy second child, this book leaves you questioning where are we going wIth science in this day and age and should we be a little frightened of it!!

Okay, so I will be up front and honest. I hate not being able to give at least a four star review. However, I just could not get into this story even after trying a couple times. It didn’t pull me in or keep my attention after the first few chapters.