So many twists and turns. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Throwing in surprises and twists. It was brilliant

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend! Bloody brilliant!

With thanks to Netgalley and incubator books.

Sadly The Good Mother didn't hold my attention all that much and I found myself having to put in the effort to finish this book.

I'm sure The Good Mother will be ad has been enjoyed by other readers but it's just not for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. For me this book was a bit slow all the way through. I really wanted to love it unfortunately I did not.

The Good Mother tells the story of Charlotte, Amy, and Rachel in alternate narrative. Charlotte moves to town after her boyfriend and father to her 10yo daughter, Meadow is arrested. She is trying to get away and start fresh.

Amy is the perfectly put together mother and wife who has anxiety issues from her mothers rape she saw happen when she was a girl.

Rachel and Amy best friends. Their children go to school together and are on the same soccer team. Along with their other two friends of 10 years.

Charlotte is different and dresses more revealing. Amy takes an instant dislike to her. This takes a spiraling turn of the friends and they start to separate. There is a guy going around raping women, a stabbing, and a death.

This was interesting enough to keep me coming back. I really disliked Amy even trying to understand her situation and reasoning. She was so paranoid and hateful. I'm still confused about the death and not sure how the end is so easily wrapped up. It doesn't really add up. How do they justify her being at the house? Overall, I it was good. Not as good as it could have been though.

I don’t think there’s any other topic that I love reading about more than the depths of the human mind and all the ways insanity might manifest itself. Not the very obvious craziness spikes my interest, but the hidden one, the one that lurks for years undetected, showing only small, occasional red flags that the other characters are able to ignore easily. I don’t have words to explain how hooked The Good Mother kept me from the first to the last page because that’s exactly what it delivers: an apparent normal and perfect life that slowly develops into a crescendo of madness.

The storyline is nothing out of the ordinary: the “heaven on earth” suburban community, a circle of perfect mothers, secretly competing with each other for the title of the slimmest and best dressed house wife, for the prettiest pedicure or for the most delicious home baked cookies. Everything is normal, ideal, all rainbows, butterflies and unicorns. But the moment an eccentric mother disturbs the peaceful neighborhood, those perfectly manicured nails turn into ugly claws, ready to rip apart anyone who threatens to destroy their shiny painting.

Although multifaceted, most of the characters are dominated by one particular trait or event that shapes and contours their behavior: deep insecurity, childhood trauma, anxiety, rebellion, placidity, snobbishness, etc. And the author does a wonderful job in portraying her characters based on those features, but without compromising any of their complexity. If, in the beginning, these traits are just finely hinted, they start escalating in the same time with the evolution of the storyline, sometimes reaching a point where they shock you so badly that you have to read a sentence twice in order to comprehend the magnitude of what just happened.

I loved the fact that the author surprises the points of view of both sides so this way, none of the characters gets caught in a hero or villain role. Yes, looking at the situation from an outside perspective, things are pretty clear regarding who’s the good one and the bad one in the story. But entering the minds of multiple characters makes you less tempted to judge too harshly and allows you to analyze how many sides each random, small fact can have.

I read the book with thirst, with voracity. I’m always equally disturbed, intrigued and fascinated by any kind of behavior that I find irrational, lacking basic common sense, understanding or empathy. The Good Mother fed me with exactly this type of demeanor and interactions, keeping the adrenaline level at maximum levels.

This was a good domestic thriller that examines the long lasting effect of trauma. I found the 3 perspectives well balanced. I really love books with multiple POV! I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you, Inkubator Books, for the ARC I received via NetGalley!

At the age of eleven, sick in bed with bronchitis, Amy witnesses something no child should be exposed to, and it forever changes the way she sees the world and her role in it. It informs her every decision, fills her both with dread and with determination to be someone different, someone these things don't happen to.


The Good Mother is a gripping thriller set in suburbia, where soccer moms reign supreme and seem to make the rules about what's right or wrong, how to dress, who to talk to, and who gets to fit in. And Charlotte appears to them to stand out like a sore thumb. A single mother in a community where family is sacred is simply unforgivable. From the very first moment Amy sets eyes on her, she knows they're just not going to get along.


Charlotte, on the other hand, wants nothing but a chance for herself and her daughter to heal, a fresh start. Finding hostility and violence when she hoped for peace and acceptance comes as a blow that tests her patience and resolve.

The third voice we hear is that of Rachel, Amy's timid friend, torn between the need to be a part of the pack and nursing her insecurities that make her different from the other soccer moms.


The arrival of Charlotte coincides with a murder/rape case that shakes up the tranquil community and marks the beginning of the end for Amy, who feels inexorably drawn to reliving her painful past and terrified of going through another living nightmare. As the tension between the families escalates, secrets are revealed and suppressed passions start raging.


What is particularly intriguing in this book is how the author effortlessly switches between the voices and perspectives of three very different women, each thought carefully piecing the puzzle together.


I particularly enjoyed Charlotte's approach to art and the believable portrayal of the characters. Despite some slight continuity errors, this is an exciting read with an enjoyable twist, exploring motives of belonging, friendship, marriage, violence, betrayal...and lots of girl soccer!

I really enjoyed reading this book in my opinion it’s not a psychological thriller. The characters were good although annoying at times. The setting was great, the plot was intriguing and liked the style of writing as it was easy to get into. I have ‘the good neighbor’ in my list of books to read, Which I’ll be reading next. I will keep my eye out for more books by this author in the future.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

It's really hard to categorise this book. In my opinion it is not really a psychological thriller, more an example of the effects of undiagnosed ptsd. Each of the women had very different histories and experiences but each in her own way had insecurities that shaped how her life was played out. This was a book that really made me think and I believe it would be an excellent choice for discussion by a book group etc. It wasn't at all what I expected but I really did enjoy it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Definitely akin to Leanne Moriarty but without the hype and expectation. This book was rather representative of the little groups that form in the playground. It's amazing what people do when their friends are doing it too. Uncomfortable reading at times, but that's the point. A well written book. Recommended.

Read this in 1 day while on vacation. I will be reading more from Ms Grant. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next

Read this book before you have kids, it is deeply disturbing and definitely makes you question your abilities as a parent and what others might think if they had an inside look at all the choices you have ever made concerning your children.

What Secrets Lie Behind The Facade....?
What secrets lie behind the facade of Amy’s seemingly perfect life? Psychological suspense exploring some difficult themes. A tense, slow burn of a read with a, perhaps, surprising twist.

I love Thrillers so when I received an opportunity to read this book via Netgalley, I was excited. The main characters Charlotte, who moved to the suburbs from a city with her daughter. Is she becomes friends with a group of women with an exception of one, Amy, who takes exception to Charlotte's presence and sets out to make her life miserable. This is a solid, yet predictable book, so it didn't grab me as much as I wanted it to. I do, however, recommend it. It is a good, quick read.

I would like to thank the author, publisher, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A really good edge of your seat thriller, kept me gripped the whole way through and was strongly written with good characters. Look forward to seeing more from this author.

I found this book a little far-fetched and predictable in places. Nevertheless an interesting read Nice to hear the traditional Irish names. .

I really enjoyed this and would definitely rate it as a page turner. Can see from other reviews that it was a bit hit and miss but I really enjoyed it. It was a strong storyline with engaging characters and the ending had a twist that you didn't see coming.

If you enjoy thrillers with a modern, family theme then this would definitely be recommended.

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley.

My first book by author Cathryn Grant and I felt like I was watching a movie. Each chapter kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I loved seeing each person expose themselves a little more.

When a friend was lost loyalties were tested. Waiting to see who was going to break first kept me geared up and anxious to finish the book. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book