This book hooked me from the start. What a ride it was. It’s a gripping, dark & twisty thriller that will keep you guessing.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Caroline Mitchell, and of police procedural in general, I was super excited to read this.

Its gripping, dark, twisty and kept me up way past my bed time to finish it. It had me hooked from the start, and managed to keep my interest throughout.

This was a good thriller with twists and turns, it was also an easy page-turner.
Rosalind Foley 24 is broke and single she's also pregnant.
Sheridan Sinclair and Daniel Wilson are Hollywoods hottest power couple there also looking for a baby girl to pass off as there own as Sheridan is unable to have children herself.
A perfect fit and when they are put in touch by an exclusive adoption and surrogacy website it seems like all Roz's prayers for her child's future have been answered.
But be careful what you wish for whisked away to LA and put up in the couple's basement flat Roz is a prisoner to Sheridan's whims and strange moods.
Told mostly in dual format this flips between Roz and Sheridan and the later best friend Dympna also takes a turn centre stage.
This was suspenseful and managed to keep my attention effortlessly a thumbs up from me.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Perfect Mother.

What a ride!!!!!

Set out a snack, some water, and cozy reading clothes, because once you start this book you will want to keep reading!

When I started this book, I was a bit skeptical about whether I would like it, but with each page I became more and more engaged with the story and wanting to know what was next.

The book centers on Roz, a young pregnant mother from Ireland. She signs up for a service to match her with a potential adoptive couple, and from there the story really begins. The potential adoptive parents, a famous Hollywood couple, have a seemingly perfect life, but with some secrets to hide.

There were definitely some twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I felt the intensity of the story the more I read. I couldn’t stop reading until
I knew what happened to Roz.

This book was a great weekend read, and the character of Roz was real and likable enough that you felt truly invested in the story. As the tension built, I couldn’t read fast enough to learn what happened to her and to see how he story ended.

I would absolutely read this author again, the pace of the book and the story were fun and thrilling. I would recommend it as a fun read that will keep you entranced and captivated. After I finished, I was pleased to see that the author has several other books- which I will definitely be exploring.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of the book.

Roz, a young pregnant woman from Dublin, Ireland, is quickly allured by the celebrity of a diamond couple from the United States who, through an online adoption agency, promise to give her unborn child a safe and happy home.

‘She thought they wanted her baby. But they won't stop there.’

THE PERFECT MOTHER, written by former police detective Caroline Mitchell, reminds of an episode of the television show, Web Of Lies; re-enactments of true crime stories about deception via the internet that often leads to murder.

Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing, for loaning me an eBook of THE PERFECT MOTHER in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping. This book starts slow and sucks you in quick! Roz finds herself pregnant and single with the perfect way for her baby to have the family she wished she had growing up. Through twists and turns you will find yourself holding your breath and sitting on the very edge of your seat as you are drawn in to this thrilling ride.

Thank you NetGalley, Caroline Mitchell and Thomas & Mercer for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

#theperfectmother #carolinemitchell #apub #Netgalley #netgalleyreview #thomasandmercer another day of quarantine and another book down 🙌 #holla😂 #gottabepositive this book has it all. We have celebrities. We have a one night stand. A pregnancy. We have #whosethedaddy (omg you won't believe it)! I loud yelled like ☠️ this book is a good read to take your mind off of the #realworld and the whole #covid19virus it's a phenomenal rabbit hole to fall down in to 👍👍 #bookreader #bookstagram #nowwhat🤔 #arc #catchinguponmyreading

Thank you so much to Net Galley for this copy of The Perfect MOther. This book completely helped me escape the stress in my world. Its not often that I find a book that I can't wait to sit down and read, and makes me forget about what is making my mind run in circles.

The plot of this book was twisty enough with the occasional " articles'" from the gossip magazines making it feel like it was a story I was actually reading about a celebrity.It had just enough celebrity gossip to it to make it current and fun to read, and the last twist as to the babies father completely surprised me.

This book was an easy read. Leaving your home, friends and family to travel to a new country without knowing anything about the people you are staying with is a scary thing to do. The main character is a young lady that sacrifices her own safety to try to give her unborn baby the best life possible. Only upon arriving at her new home, in a new country things quickly go horribly wrong. Thanks to her only friend from her home town she is able to escape the nightmare she is in.

Caroline Mitchell’s The Perfect Mother is an edge of your seat read from start to finish. The storyline is fantastic and it draws you in from the beginning.

I have read a number of books by this author and she never disappoints. This was yet another well plotted page turner, perfect for fans of twisty crime fiction!

I just finished The Perfect Mother. This is my first Caroline Mitchell novel; it will not be my last. The book was tense and it had me talking to myself as Roz was sucked into a situation that no one should be. Sheridan, the well-known actress, is a true villain. A quick, scary read! Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant, riveting, jaw-dropping read by Caroline Mitchell!

Roz thinks that she has found the perfect couple to adopt her little one. It’s a celebrity couple with more money that Roz could ever imagine. There is no doubt that they would provide a wonderful, comfortable life for the baby. However, Roz soon realizes that there are dark secrets behind the high walls of the mansion.

I loved everything about this story. I enjoyed reading about the different characters. Roz was so sweet and I could easily empathize with her. I admired her courage and her story broke my heart. The fact that she was pregnant in the story made it easier for me to root for her. She reminded me of my recent pregnancy minus all the horrors. The other characters were just as captivating even the really twisted ones. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about them since I don’t want to spoil the story but yes, they certainly were memorable.

This was a fast-paced, enthralling, dark thriller. I was hooked from the first page and had trouble putting the book down after that. The tension escalated with each chapter and I loved the unpredictability of the narrative. I also loved the different elements of the story. For instance, I loved the inclusion of excerpts from tabloids which helped in telling us about the celebrity couple.

Dark, twisty, tightly-plotted and utterly gripping, The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell is not a book to be missed.

I could not put this book down!! I was already hooked from the blurb and had to know how it all turned out.

It's a gripping thriller that keeps you guessing. You already know the main characters involved but there is so much more throughout the book that I enjoyed trying to figure out and some of the twists were very surprising! I had figured one of the big questions out but that didn't ruin the story for me at all. It was nice to guess something right in a thriller for a change!

This was my first book by Caroline Mitchell and it definitely won't be my last!

This is a well written novel with some very unexpected twists and turns. A very enjoyable psychological thriller. My thanks to NetGalley the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 12th March 2020
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45716458-the-perfect-mother

★★★ 3 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect from THE PERFECT MOTHER but it wasn't the range of emotions I felt when reading it. I wanted to like the book but all I could feel was a hopelessness and depression for Roz that bordered on extreme discomfort...not to mention the blinding rage for Sheridan. It is the first time I can recall ever wanting to toss the book because of the disturbance I felt reading it. And the fear of entering that claustrophobic setting again. Sheridan made my skin crawl and I just couldn't be in the same room or on the same page as her.

The story begins in Ireland with Roz Foley who is 24, broke and pregnant after a one night stand that should never have happened. Although she confides in her best friend Dympna about her pregnancy, she cannot reveal who the father is as it would surely destroy their friendship, of that she is certain. And yet, she knows that she is in no position to be able to provide for a child either.

Roz wants what's best for her baby and knowing she is unable to provide that, sets about finding the perfect parents for her child. So she opens a profile on an internet adoption site called Miracle Moms and begins her search for an adoptive couple. The website offers discreet and all expenses paid adoptions. I don't know about Roz, but that name alone was just too cheesy for my liking...and really, could anything be so bad that she could see no way than to basically sell her baby (and her soul) online to complete strangers? But...needs must.

Sheridan and Daniel are a celebrity power couple living in New York. Sheridan has grown up in the limelight and on screen since the age of 6 whilst Daniel is a British ex-pat Hollywood heart throb chasing that perfect starring role of his dreams. Sheridan must now live in the shadow of Daniel's success and she doesn't always like it. But one thing she does love is Daniel and she will do anything to keep him. The past few years have not been kind to the couple with inflammatory articles a constant thorn in Sheridan's side and after all the bad press surrounding them, she is determined to increase their popularity again. And what better way than with another child? But this time she wants a girl.....and what Sheridan wants, Sheridan gets.

So she signs them up under a pseudonym on Miracle Moms and finds Roz. As soon as Sheridan sees her, she knows she is perfect!

Roz can't believe a "Diamond Couple" are interested in her baby. This status means they are rich where money is no object, and of course, having come from nothing herself, Roz equates money to being the best for her child. She couldn't be more wrong!

Things progress quickly and Roz is flown first class to New York to meet the couple and not even the fact her ticket was one-way threw up a red flag! But no amount of pleading from Dympna could sway her to reconsider, who was understandably wary and concerned for her friend. Upon arrival in New York, she is delivered to her swanky hotel and hardly has time to get comfortable before she is whisked away to meet the prospective parents. But she will only learn of their real identities once she has signed the non-disclosure agreement swearing her to secrecy. It's all very cloak and dagger but Roz barely bats an eye...and I have to wonder, is it jet lag or is she really that naive?

The moment Roz enters the couple's apartment her fate is sealed and she is more than happy to comply. After all, Sheridan is the epitome of warmth and friendliness - what more could she possibly hope for? And yet still she thinks nothing of the fact that Sheridan has already organised for her belongings to be collected from the hotel and deposited in the basement flat that is to be her home until the baby is born. But what she doesn't expect is that this is where she will remain for the foreseeable future ...alone...with no internet, no mobile phone, no contact with the outside world unless Sheridan says so. She will not share the main house with the couple and her presence is to remain a secret. Because Sheridan is going to pass the baby off as her own...complete with the whole pregnant look of a false "bump" to fool the public.

As soon as Roz learns this, she begins to wonder where she will factor in this once it is all over? Has she just made the worst decision of her life? Are they safe? Or has she just put herself and her baby in danger?

To say I hated Sheridan is an understatement. She made my skin crawl and just spending any time with her left me unsettled. She is heartless, manipulative, calculating and incredibly cold. Her prime concern is for her and Daniel to maintain their status as a celebrity power couple, and she will stop at nothing to see it stays that way. Daniel remained in the background for the most part, taking on the role as the caring kind protector...completely oblivious to his wife's sadistic proclivities. It was hard to resist his charms and his kindness in the wake of one of Sheridan's outbursts. Roz felt sure she could get Daniel onside...and help her escape.

As naive as she is, I feel compassion for Roz. She is a vulnerable young woman in a strange city in a different country under the care of complete strangers...when all she wants to do is to do the right thing for her baby. Locked in a basement with no way out and no way of summoning help, it is easy to feel that same hopelessness that Roz feels. How can she get word to anyone when the only people she has any contact with are Sheridan, Daniel or their staff who either don't speak English or are bound by obligation to their employers that their jobs are not worth risking? If only she had her phone to send that single code word that would alert Dympna that she is in trouble and needs immediate assistance...but George took hers the day she moved in and Sheridan found the secret phone hidden in her luggage. Roz was completely and utterly alone.

The ending was a bit of a surprise. Dympna and her father actively investigated Roz's disappearance in Ireland before chasing their lead to New York and yet they played no part in her discovery. I felt that was a little wasted subplot that could been used better. Still, the revelation as to the father of Roz's baby was a surprise I had guessed very early on. The little clues I picked up along the way made that an easy puzzle to piece together.

A taut and tense psychological thriller, THE PERFECT MOTHER is not an easy read, in my opinion. I found it difficult to get through with the sheer narcissism and psychopathy Sheridan continually displayed. To be in the same room with her, on the same page, was unsettling...and I felt a level of disturbance after being in her presence. I can't really say it was an enjoyable read...because for me, it really wasn't.

An interesting premise, I have read better than THE PERFECT MOTHER with the same or similar concepts (one by Lisa Jewell and another by Alex Lake) but it is still a nail-biting read despite my reservations.

This is my second read by Caroline Mitchell, having enjoyed "The Secret Child" previously. I don't write an author off based on one book as I could love one and not another. So I look forward to discovering more by her in the future.

I would like to thank #CarolineMitchell, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #ThePerfectMother in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a sharp and tense thriller. Amazing book. Well written. Keeps you wanting to read faster to get the answers.

This was my first Caroline Mitchell book, and I suspect I am not the target reader although I do read lots of thrillers. The writing struck me as wooden, the plot seemed transparent and silly, and the characters were cliches. I enjoyed the Irish slang, but that was it. I don't like writing negative reviews and won't be posting one online elsewhere. DNF

This was definitely a well written story. I enjoy reading books from people who have really been involved in the types of books they are writing. This one I couldn't put down. I just had to know how it was going to end!

This is a gripping psychological thriller that runs in a similar vein to Anonymous Girl. Finding herself unexpectedly pregnant, Roz Foley finds herself in an impossible position. Her catholic background demonizes abortion and with no money and no family support, Roz decides it would be best to put her baby up for adoption. While scanning through on online matchmaking service for adoptive parents and mothers looking to give up babies, Roz is contacted by a diamond couple. A mysterious celebrity couple who live in New York, they sound like an ideal match to provide everything for her baby. Roz is so caught up in the promise of a perfect home for her baby that she ignores her best friend’s pleas to exercise caution. When the celebrity couple offers to fly her to New York, and pay all of her expenses, she jumps at the opportunity. From the outside, Sheridan and Daniel, seem like a couple on top of the world, in awe of her luck, Roz signs a contract to adopt her baby girl to Sheridan and Daniel. It isn’t long before Roz finds herself cut off from the outside world. Sheridan strictly controls her daily routine, and Roz is kept in a windowless basement and surrounded by staff who seem to think she doesn’t exist. As time goes on, Roz starts to have doubts. Since she is cutoff from the outside world and no one knows where she is, Roz starts to worry that she may never be allowed to leave. As time goes on, things only get worse for Roz. This is a wild story, that kept me on edge. Sheridan is the ultimate villain. A washed up actress who is trying to find ways to stay relevant, she is a character I loved to hate. A controlling narcissist, she will go to any lengths necessary to promote her own causes. No one is who they seem to be in this wild ride. This story was a lot of fun, I look forward to more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy.