The Perfect Mother
by Caroline Mitchell
Pub Date: Jan. 14 , 2020
367 pages
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description:
She thought they wanted her baby. But they won’t stop there.Roz is young, penniless and pregnant. All she wants is to be the perfect mother to her child, but the more she thinks about her own chaotic upbringing, the more certain she is that the best life for her baby is as far away as possible from her hometown in Ireland.Determined to do the right thing, Roz joins an elite adoption service and can’t believe her luck. Within days she is jetting to New York to meet a celebrity power couple desperate for a child of their own. Sheridan and Daniel are wealthy and glamorous—everything Roz isn’t. Her baby will never go hungry, and will have every opportunity for the perfect life. But soon after Roz moves into their plush basement suite, she starts to suspect that something darker lurks beneath the glossy surface of their home.When Roz discovers she isn’t the first person to move in with the couple, and that the previous woman has never been seen since, alarm bells start ringing. As the clock ticks down to her due date, Roz realises her unborn baby may be the only thing keeping her alive, and that despite her best intentions, she has walked them both into the perfect nightmare…

📕⭐MY REVIEW📕⭐
The Perfect Mother is a 309 page masterpiece with many twists.
This is my first time reading a book by this author. This fast paced, heart racing, suspense filled, mystery ,crime psychological thriller will have you quickly flipping the pages. It is full of twists and turns. It is very well written and each character is really well developed. I felt like I was right there with them during every part of the story. It was so good i didn't want it to end. The Perfect mother is a gripping psychological thriller that had me glued to the pages. Caroline Mitchell drew me in so much that I refused to put this book down until I read the last page. I started and finished this book all in one day.That's how good it was. I really could not put it down ! I absolutely love love loved it !!!!This is one book you will not want to miss. It Caught my attention from the very first page and i could not turn the pages fast enough. I read mystery,crime & psychological thrillers all the time and this one kept shocking me right to the end.I thoroughly enjoyed this different twist the author spun with this story. The only faught I had with this story is it takes place in both Dublin and New York City . When the author switched to New York she often used words we don't use here in the US. And in the beginning of the book before Roz finds out the real name of the diamond couple adoptive mom she calls her Sheridan . Thoes things aside it was a really great book. I highly recommend getting this book. You can pre order this book on Amazon for just $4.99 and it will be auto-delivered to your Kindle on January 14, 2020. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. If you would like to follow my reviews please do so at my facebook page Joyce Stewart Reviews or my facebook reading group Stewart's Book Reviews Book Club.

♥️ About the Author ♥️
A former police detective, Caroline Mitchell now writes full-time. She has worked in CID and has also specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims—high-risk victims of domestic abuse and serious sexual offences. The mental strength shown by the victims of these crimes is a constant source of inspiration to her, and Mitchell combines their tenacity with her knowledge of police procedure to create tense psychological thrillers. Originally from Ireland, she now lives in a pretty village on the coast of Essex with her husband and two children.

OMG!! Sit down and hold on for the ride! Roz finds herself pregnant. She knows who the father is but cannot tell her best friend Dympna as it would ruin their life long friendship. She can’t keep the baby as she is out of work and doesn;t have a family behind her so decides to let it adopted via a website that specialises in prime adoptions mainly in the USA. When a “diamond” couple are interested she jumps at the chance. Dympna is more suspicious and knows that Roz has had her head turned by the money side of things. A diamond couple are millionaires. Roz travels to the states to meet them and then finds that things are not quite as she had imagined. She has a luxurious apartment- in the basement. There is no natural light and the only ways out are locked. She keeps finding old celebrity magazines that appear to have been left there to warn her. What is going on and will she ever be allowed to leave? I jumped at reading this. I remember reading my first Caroline Mitchell book and being thrilled with it so jumped at this one and wasn’t disappointed, There is the tension and suspense that you expect from a first class psychological thriller, that unease that puts you on the edge of your seat. A plot that makes you think about how much we trust people that we don’t know for potential spoils. I liked Roz and Dympna had a huge heart. Of course there is a twist and I was wrong the whole way
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LOVE! An amazing psychological thriller, a few times I thought I'd worked it out but the surprises kept coming. SO tense it kept me up til 4am to finish it. Is you're a fan of psychological thrillers, this is a MUST read. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Just when you think that Caroline Mitchell can’t surprise you she comes up with The Perfect Mother. Roz is just about scraping by in a job that she hates in Dublin. When she realises that she is pregnant after an ill advised one night stand things are pretty desperate. She wants to do the best for her child and thinks that because of her own terrible upbringing she is better off giving the baby up.

Finding an elite adoption agency online seems to be the perfect solution to her problem. Soon she has a young wealthy power couple interested in her baby and Roz is seduced by the interest that Sheridan and Daniel show in her. They seemingly have the perfect life. With a young son already and a beautiful house in the New York area it looks like they will be able to give her baby everything that she cannot.

Moving into their household Roz soon starts to think that everything is not as it seems and that there are darker forces at play in this idyllic home. How badly do they want her baby and will she survive this experience?

Like all of Mitchell’s stories this one will keep you reading right to the very last page. Full of twists and turns this book will definitely keep you guessing. If you’re looking for the perfect antidote to the post Christmas blues then you need to add this corker to your wish list.

Supplied by Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

UK publication date: Jan 14 2020.

#ThePerfectMother #NetGalley

A very intriguing read, had me hooked from first page, staying up late to just read another page, charecters were believable and it just shows how far some people will go for love, cracking read

Wow, be prepared for a wild ride! This book kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out what would happen next. Highly recommend!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* This book is set in both Dublin and New York City and focusses on a young woman, Roz who finds herself pregnant and with no way of supporting herself or her baby. Hoping to give her child a better chance at life than she had, Roz signs up to an online adoption service that pairs pregnant women up with wealthy couples in the US. Roz flies off to New York to meet the prospective adoptive parents of her child and there the nightmare begins. A tense but enjoyable read.

I’ve always been a fan of Caroline Mitchell so was excited to read her new book The Perfect Mother. The style is different to her usual offerings but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Thrilling and compelling, I found it hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

The Perfect Mother was an interesting concept. It took me a while to get hooked and was a bit formulaic but overall a decent, suspenseful thriller.

The Perfect Mother is very different to Caroline Mitchell’s previous crime thrillers, described as a psychological thriller, it’s a book that kept me glued to my kindle screen. For me this book showcases what a versatile author Mitchell is, whether it be a crime or psychological thriller it’s obvious the author puts her heart and soul into her writing. Guess what? I absolutely loved The Perfect Mother, it’s creepy, chilling, and very dark. It’s a story of motherhood, and the lengths people will go to to protect those they love.

Roz is broke and pregnant and wanting the best life for her baby. A life she realizes she can’t provide based on her own upbringing, in desperation she turns to an ‘elite’ adoption agency that connects her with a wealthy celebrity couple celebrity Sheridan and Daniel, they can offer the baby the life Roz could only fantasize about.She moves into the couples opulent home, to await the birth of her baby, and here’s where events take an extremely sinister turn.

If you think The Perfect Mother’s plot isn’t an imaginative one, believe me once you pick it up the book, you will realise it’s different to anything you’ve read previously read. Let’s begin with characters, take Sheridan, on the surface she’s one of Hollywood’s greatest, beautiful and rich but scratch beneath her ‘public’ veneer she’s cold, calculated and definitely deluded, she made me skin crawl and fear for Roz’s baby. Roz is the complete opposite, naïve, a lost soul, wanting only the best for her baby. Her naivety puts her in a situation that turns out to be her worse nightmare.

I really thought I had the plot all worked out, but to my surprise Caroline Mitchell threw in a couple of brilliant twists that left me speechless, no mean feat! Fast-paced, complex, twisty, and well thought-out. Whilst reading this book I was accompanied by an increasing sense of dread as the story unfolded. This is one of those books that’s addictive and before you realize it you are halfway through the book. With an enticing plot, twists and turns, and unpleasant character, one chapter turns into another and another. The Perfect Mother has such an innocent title, but don’t be deceived, inside it’s pages there’s a dark and twisted tale lurking. A superb read full of suspense, mystery and plenty of drama! Highly recommended.

Another great story from Caroline Mitchell.. It is a fantastic book Really kept you on your toes and once started was hard to put down. Brilliantly written with some unexpected twists and turns.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Nobody’s knocking on heaven’s door! Zrrrrrrr!!! Nope, the postman also does not ring twice! The all special voice effects I wrote in words are coming from my head! I’m banging it against the wall and then resting it to the TV for making some kind of Poltergeist-ic connection to be more intelligent but nothing changed so far! Let’s drink!

Of course I’m punishing myself because this book is waiting too long on my dashboard and it deserves more attention because it’ s really fascinating one sit read. A great, exciting page turner you may finish at one night but prepare to have a sleepless, nightmarish time because this book is really really disturbing!

Here’s our blurb: Roz tries to survive in her hometown Ireland but unfortunately finds herself pregnant and she keeps secret the father’s identity, assisted by her bestie Dympna (unique name, isn’ it?) but she cannot take care of her unborn child so she applies to elite agency for adoption options. A few days later she finds herself jetting to never sleeping, ratty, trashy Gotham City because a celebrity power couple get interested to adopt her baby. Whaaattt? She is so freaking lucky. This couple is deliciously rich. They can give every opportunity, a brand new future to her child she’d dreamt of. But... you’re asking what’s the catch as like I did.
The catch is: there was a young resident was living in the same place where Roz resides now. She vanishes into thin air. Nobody knows what happened to her and where she is. Is she dead? Something tragic happened to her?
And what about Roz? This couple looks too nice to be real! What are they hiding? What are they keeping away from her? Is it too late to give up from adoption? If she changes her mind, what will happen to her?

So buckle up! Ride into this crazy train and get ready to jump several times at those bumpy roads because there are so many twists, surprises paved on your direction. My spider senses were not capable enough to save me from those sucker punching surprises.

As a summary: I had a quiet thrilling, entertaining, hysterical, full of semi-nervous breakdown-ish, excellent time. It’s a great choice for suspense, thriller genre fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas& Mercer to share this riveting ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

Pregnant, frightened, alone. Giving up her baby to the perfect couple seemed like a good idea, until she found herself in a new country, confined to a basement flat, and following a strict regime which left no room for contact with friends or family. Riveting storyline and page-turning tension left me wanting to read faster to see what happened. Top read!

Roz believes she has found the perfect solution to her unplanned pregnancy - a wealthy couple who want to adopt her baby. Like most things that are too good to be true, Roz finds that there is something far darker about the couple than she could ever imagine.
An enjoyable psychological thriller.

A rollercoaster of a story. Think small town girl, Roz suddenly finding herself pregnant with no stability to bring up a child. Desperate to find a solution she goes online, an answer awaits. If you could let your child grow up with everything she wants, would you give her up? The celebrity couple Roz meets are anything but ordinary. Arriving in New York, Roz's story takes a dark turn.....
Hooked from the start, I loved this story definitely worth a read.

Not as dark as previous books by this author, still pretty seedy though.
A move away from her detective series, this turned out to be a rather sinister story.
It certainly creeped me out and there was lots of suspense.
Roz is living in Dublin and has a difficult decision to make. Pregnant and keeping the identity of the father a secret, even from her best friend and flatmate Dympna. A Catholic girl in her 20’s with not much money, she doesn’t want to have a termination so looks for other options. She finds a website for couples looking for a baby to adopt. It’s an elite site and she has to pay a fee to register. A couple of days later she is contacted by a couple who are interested. They are known as a ‘diamond’ couple which means they are millionaires and willing to pay a lot of money for a baby. These diamond couples like to keep their real identities secret until they have met the mother, they could possibly be from the world of politics or Hollywood and in the public eye.
Roz thinks she could make some money here, and agrees to fly to New York to meet them. She doesn’t tell the whole truth to Dympna, who is understandably worried about her best friend.
She’s met at the airport and taken to a posh hotel by one of the couple’s staff. Her phone is taken from her, although she also has an emergency phone hidden away which Dympna made her take.
She is taken to a fabulous house and is astonished to find out that the couple interested are none other than acting royalty Sheridan and Daniel. Daniel is a heartthrob English actor and Sheridan a US child star of her own real life show. They want to bring up the child as their own.
This sounds too good to be true!!
Roz is to move into their plush basement apartment until the baby arrives and have everything provided for her, even a visiting doctor.
A few strange things start to happen when Roz moves in. Hidden notes being left for her among other things. She starts to feel suspicious and very worried that she’s never going to see the light of day again, especially as there are no windows. Roz suspects that she’s not the first person to live in the basement suite. Sheridan’s behaviour is very erratic and she overhears conversations from the floor above that cause her concern.
Back in Ireland Dympna is beside herself with worry after hearing nothing from her best friend for far too long. She has a chat with her dad John who is in the police force and asks his advice. He has some contacts and they start to search for any information.
The clock is ticking and it’s nearly time for the baby to be born. You will need to read the book to find out what happens but it had me totally gripped.
Fast paced with a very good twist!!
Caroline Mitchell always goes to the top of my reading pile. I cannot recommend her books enough, although I missed the addition of a raven/crow in this one!
Will post to my blog on publication day.

4.5 stars. I am a big fan of this authors other books so was so keen to read this one which was different from her usual detective series. It grabbed my interest straight away and had me hooked from the very first page. Full of mystery, twists and suspense this is a great book I would highly recommend!

Roz only wants what is best for her unborn baby. She didn't plan this pregnancy, and knowing how difficult her childhood was, she isn't prepared financially or emotionally to be a mother. Roz applies to an elite adoption service, one where her baby will grow up with every advantage. It's the best she can do, so she puts on her game face and is stunned when a wealthy and glamorous NY couple is interested in her and her baby.
Roz heads to NY to meet the potential parents and while everything seems okay, things change quickly. If Roz felt alone before, now she has no one to turn to, no friends, no family, no one except for Sheridan and Daniel, and their picture-perfect life. But just like posts on Instagram, a picture only captures what you want people to see and not necessarily the whole story.
Roz unwittingly has walked into a situation that is not as it appears. I was flipping pages to see how this would end. A surprising number of twists and turns and I was so wrong about some of the characters. Lots of tension throughout and a fast-paced plot.
I enjoy Caroline Mitchell's DI Amy Winter series and though I can't wait for the next book, it was nice to read something else she has written.

I received a DRC from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley.

This book has every emotion covered. Funny, moving at times, scary and mad celebrities, what more can you ask for?! Irish girl gets pregnant and decides baby would be better off being adopted so joins online site to pick her baby's potential new parents. She travels to America to meet them and they're not quite what they seem unfortunately for her. Very entertaining and darkly comic. Loved it

Wow. Caroline Mitchell does it again. She knows how to set the backstory and then ramp up the suspense at all the stages of the story, revealing tidbit clues along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are my own.