What happened to Kim is MY WORST NIGHTMARE!!!!!!! I am paranoid when I take my boys shopping. I’ll admit one of them did wander off and it was the worst minute of my life!!!

I loved the split dialogue. Getting inside Mummy’s head was interesting. Se is very influenced by her upbringing (as we all are) but I personally didn’t feel that was a positive. She’s desperate to prove she’s a good mum at all costs. It does beg the question, does everyone have it in them to be a parent? Is it just a matter of wanting it or is there some magical gene that makes you a parent?

Kim, what do I say? She’s got problems and that’s before Tonya disappears. The media spotlight exacerbates these and highlights everything she does as you’d expect in this current culture. Everyone has an opinion on Kim and her behaviour but only we the reader know what’s going on in her head which is a mess!

Baker has written a twisted tense thriller that would be any parent’s nightmare. She’s curated the emotional journey of both Mummy and Kim brilliantly. I was invested in this story, hooked to see what Mummy would do next to attain Tonya’s affection and obedience. This book is yet another cracking debut for 2021 and Baker is one to watch. Please say there is a book 2 in the pipeline??! 🤞🤞🤞

There are some books that when you read the description, you know straight away that it will be a book that you will highly rate, and I knew it with this book. Call Me Mummy is a truly incomparable thriller, one that I am not surprised is already highly regarded and highly commented!

There are scenes which succeed in ripping your heart out, and scenes that are darkly humorous. It really doesn’t pull any punches, with your heart breaking for little Tonya, whose POV in the novel is integral in providing another much-needed layer to this utterly superb book. At only five years old, Tonya is a brilliant character. Her POV was definitely my favourite, with her vehement hatred and shockingly awful language lightening up an otherwise dark book!

The writing is honest, almost too honest. Within the first few pages, you know that this is a book that you are not going to be able to put down. I don’t think I have been more desperate when reading a thriller to know the outcome of a book, as I was with Call Me Mummy.

To know that this brilliantly written book is a debut novel for Tina Baker is almost unbelievable. This book creates a multi-layered plot, with characters that you can’t possibly despise more, only to find yourself pitying or empathising with them in the next moment. This book is so unsettling, with the subject and the characters that bring this plot to life leaving you second guessing how it could all end.

What was so effectively conveyed, which made all the difference and pushed it to the 5-star rating, was the comparison between “Mummy” and Kim. These two characters, whose lives have been interlinked as a result of a split-second decision, are not all that different. We see and compare their childhoods and what they each have had to face, which have ultimately shaped them into the characters that we see. Despite certain differences, they are not all that dissimilar, which successfully unsettles the reader more and increases the tension throughout the book’s progression.

I cannot begin to recommend this book more to you all. I know that this will be one of my top reads of this year, and I hope that you all stop what you are doing and go out and get yourselves a copy of this book!

This dark, harrowing and addictive thriller is a must-read for 2021.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

Tina Baker has written a cracking début thriller. Mummy, who is desperate for a child of her own, is Christmas shopping and her attention is caught by the lovely pink girls' frocks and soft toys. She notices a woman, Kim Searle, chattering on her phone while her children try to get Kim's attention. One of the heavily pregnant Kim's children, Tonya, wanders over to the pink pyjamas where Mummy is standing, and Mummy notices a purple bruise with bite marks on her arm. Quickly convincing herself that she can offer the young girl a better life, she makes a decision to abduct Tonya, giving her promises of puppies, kittens and mermaids.

The author has crafted a clever, sophisticated and original thriller. Mummy wasn't set the greatest example of parenthood and she has problems reconciling the differences between her fantasies of having a child and the reality, as well as having no boundaries in thinking up acts of discipline to turn Tonya into her own little girl. Kim is bereft, blames herself for Tonya's abduction, and the press portrays her as unlikeable and demonises her, with evil internet trolls targeting her online. As tensions mount, a sinister tone takes hold and remains throughout.

Call Me Mummy is narrated from the alternative viewpoints of Mummy, Kim and occasionally, Tonya. As the two main protagonists spiral out of control, I totally revelled in the wickedly enthralling story. Winding its way through a series of surprising twists it becomes an intense drama that totally enswathed me. Presenting the reader with issues arising from coping, grief, parenthood, hatred, abuse, religion, family, and childhood, Call Me Mummy was a thoroughly entertaining, disturbing and mesmerising drama/thriller that I'm certain many will enjoy. Simply brilliant!

I read Call Me Mummy in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group. A special thank you to Viper, Tina Baker, NetGalley and The Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Call Me Mummy is a dark, twisted and addictive thriller and a fabulous debut that I raced through. The book begins with every parent's worst nightmare - a momentarily distracted, heavily pregnant Kim loses sight of her 5 year old daughter. "Mummy", a seemingly successful woman desperate to have a child, seizes the opprtunity to snatch Tonya, believing she can offer her a better life.

Told from three points of view - Kim, Mummy and occasionally Tonya - the short chapters keep you hooked as we see Kim, labelled a "scummy mummy", try to deal with the loss of her daughter and Mummy try to deal with Tonya, whose feisty personality means she is not quite the malleable child she had hoped for. As we learn more, it is clear that whilst Kim and Mummy seems to be worlds apart, they have more in common than you might think, having endured different but similarly difficult pasts.

This is a book that certainly makes you think, in particular about the way we judge people and Baker's characterisation, which is exceptional, means you are really drawn into the world of both women.. Adding Tonya's point of view is very clever - she is quite the firecracker and her perspective often provides some humorous relief amongst the darkness.

Its not an easy read but the pace of the book made it truly compelling as the tension builds. I look forward to seeing what Baker writes next.

For a debut this is pretty successful and certainly had me reading way too late into the night.

This is a dark, disturbing and harrowing read but totally addictive. With fantastic characters and an all-too-real story line, this is a book that gets you hooked pretty quickly and doesn't let you go until the last full stop at the end.

Told from the perspectives of the kidnapper, the mother and the child, this provides insight from all aspects of the story which makes it all the more gripping. There are also snippets of social media posts which add a further dimension.

This book is about so much more than child abduction and, as a consequence, does contain swearing and abuse so if you are upset by these, I would probably give this a miss but if you "enjoy" (and I say that loosely) reading something on the darker side, then Call Me Mummy is the book for you.

Thank you to Serpent's Tail / Profile Books / Viper via NetGalley - I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

Another author to look out for in the future.

Call me mummy is a brutal harsh yet surprising easy read. I mange to read it in a couple days and loved every part off it. This book has me gasping at every part i couldn't out it down

Ooooo this was a good one, never read anything from the author before but will be looking out for more! Fast paced and full of twists and turns, just brilliant more please!!!

Call me Mummy by Tina Baker is a gripping yet disturbing piece of fiction.

Kim has two children and is pregnant with her third child. Out on a shopping trip, she loses her attention for a split second. BAM! Her girl, Tonya, is no longer there. Who took her? Where did she go? The woman who abducts Tonya promises to keep the girl safe forever and love her. After all, the girl’s mother shouted at her in the shop. She would take better care of this girl. Wouldn’t she?

Baker provides perspectives of every character – the abductor, who is simply called Mummy, Kim, Tonya’s mother, and Tonya. Both the women were abused as children by their families. Both bear the emotional and physical scars of that abuse. However, while one woman is brutally honest with her feelings and is not afraid to lash out at anyone who judges her for her past, the other woman is delusional. She is always blaming others for her actions. You need to read the book to find out who is who.

Call me Mummy is dark, very dark. The descriptions of the child abuse aside, Baker gives a no-holds-barred sketch of Kim’s anguish upon losing her child as well as the postpartum depression she suffers after giving birth to her third child. There are also the descriptions of how Tonya copes with her abductor.

Baker also provides snippets of tweets and WhatsApp group chats where people shamelessly judge Kim and her past, and spew vitriol at her, not thinking for even a second how they would feel if the tables were turned.

I do have a quibble with the book. After a while, the continous flashbacks to Mummy’s as well as Kim’s past drags the story. So, I had to skip certain parts as I found them repetitive.

Call me Mummy is not a thriller. The police looking into multiple leads is shown as an aside. What takes centrestage is an intimate look into Mummy’s and Kim’s deepest, darkest thoughts. So, I would recommend this book to readers who like dark fiction.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy via Netgalley.

This was an intense and emotionally heart breaking and at times heart wrenching read. This book is brilliant and once you have started reading you can't put down. This is an amazing debut read that tackles a lot of real life issues that are faced by society and does so in a sensitive way. It looks at issues of abuse, infertility and eating disorders. The story is told from two viewpoints Kim whose life has suddenly taken a horrible turn and mummy who has also gone through a lot in her life which has possibly driven her to how she is today.

Great debut novel.

This book tells the story from the viewpoint of the three main characters. Kim, mother to Tonya and Darryl and another on the way, Tonya the child and Mummy who takes Tonya.

Mummy has always wanted children but was unable to have them, so one day sees Tonya who has walked away from her Mum and judges Kim to be a bad mum and decides Tonya would be better off with her and takes her.

The book tells how they all cope with their new circumstances and how they deal with it.

Will Kim get Tonya back or will Mummy get the child she dreamed of?

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Told from the perspectives of Mummy, Kim and Tonya, this book really tugged at my heart. One mother desperate for a child, the other, being judged, but desperately wanting her little girl back, while little Tonya is just confused and wants her mum.
None of the characters were particularly likeable, but I definitely felt empathy for all three. It's written in such a way so you have to compare the two mothers, but I honestly just found the story too sad and depressing.
The chapters are short and snappy, which I liked. And while delivering a premise that is dark and disturbing, there is something lacking. There's no enjoyment in this read. There's no shocking twists and turns. And we never actually see any similarities between the mothers.
This is perhaps a story that worth a read once, but not something I'd read again.

Synopsis:
Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want... except a daughter of her very own. When she sees Kim - heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop - she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for...

‘Call Me Mummy’ by Tina Baker is a fast-paced thriller but there’s so much more depth to it than what’s on the surface. As well as having a great storyline; the novel showcases an accurate representation of how people, and especially the media, judge you without knowing anything about you. I devoured the book in just a few days; I enjoyed the writing and I was absolutely absorbed by the story.

This book was quite an emotional read because on the one hand you feel sorry for Kim as her daughter was kidnapped, but then on the other hand you do feel sorry for ‘Mummy’ even though you know you shouldn’t as she’s done some terrible things!

As I have PCOS and may have fertility issues if I ever want to have children, I think this made the book that much more personal to me and made me sympathise with the character of ‘Mummy’ more. Life’s certainly not fair and it’s not always possible to get what you desire. If you’re heartbroken enough, it’s easy to get to a point of desperation like ‘Mummy’ did.

Overall, I think ‘Call Me Mummy’ is an excellent thriller and you should definitely check it out! Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for my #gifted digital copy of the book!

Thank you to Miranda Jewess at Viper Books for sending me a copy of 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲 by Tina Baker.
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𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨... 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲
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Call Me Mummy is a very interesting book. From the synopsis, it seems that the book is a fast-paced Thriller, about the abduction of a small child (Tonya) and the rush to find her. In reality, it's much deeper and more complex than that.
Some trigger warnings for those that need them: child abuse, paedopholia, sexual assault, incest, eating disorders, self harm, suicide, drugs and violence. Although it should be noted that these are not heavily focussed on in the story - they are 'light touch' compared to some other books I've read.
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𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮... 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲
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While there are marked differences between the kidnapper (Mummy) and Kim (Tonya's biological Mother), Baker draws clear parallels between the two characters.
Both have their own demons and secrets that impact their day to day lives, and they have had similar life experiences, especially in their formative years. Neither had the best parental role models.
This raises the age-old question of nature versus nurture, and what it is that causes someone to resort to kidnapping/harming others.
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𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭.
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I especially like Baker's inclusion of social media, Mumsnet, and the news media in her book, and the comment this makes about the judgements of strangers, particularly on social media, but also within society more broadly.
There are some very toxic places online, and we live in a strange era where people get swept up into a feeding frenzy of cancel culture as soon as someone's underbelly is exposed.
Everyone makes mistakes in life, some perhaps worse than others, but this topic does force the reader to stop and question themselves in how they behave too. After all, as the reader I was making judgements about the characters in the book without knowing the full facts.
There is a chapter towards the end of the book that stayed with me especially, titled '𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨' - I won't say any more in my review as I don't want to include spoilers, but it reinforces how short-lived society's focus is at times, and where the energy behind the online vitriol could be better focussed.
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𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.
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There is much to be said about how people judge each other in relation to physical appearance, and 'normal' societal expectations throughout the book too.
Women in particular are subjected to so much scrutiny, and they face this judgement regardless of the choices they make.
We are all aware of stories of celebrity women who are shamed for being too fat, then shamed for being too thin, and while people are casting this public and unnecessary judgement they forget there is an actual human person in the spotlight.
Women are also definitely judged for whether they conform to the societal 'norm' of wanting children. It is deemed far more acceptable if a man doesn't particularly want children, but if a women expresses this she is often met with the patronising response of 'you'll change your mind', or is judged as somehow lacking in femininity as all women are expected to be caring and motherly. This pressure to conform can materialise in very odd ways, as is the case for Mummy in the book.
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𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧.
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I also think the parallels between Kim and Tonya as Mother and Daughter are well portrayed throughout the book. This makes a comment both on how children do not judge as readily as adults, as they haven't yet 'learned' to judge in the same way, but it also highlights how different generations do consider things differently.
This feels like a particularly timely observation by Baker, with the heightened focus on inclusion and equality at the moment.
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𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬? 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬? 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨'𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝.
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Overall Call Me Mummy was a very quick and easy read for me, but it had lots of unexpected depth.
I really enjoyed buddyreading this with agenuineopinion, and I would recommend it. I look forward to reading more from Tina Baker in the future.

Okay I spent most of this book thinking I don’t want to read anymore please make it stop. However everytime I put the book down I had to pick it up again and continue. This book is very dark and I mean extremely dark. It is heartbreaking ​and contains very unlikeable characters but there something about this book that just had me hooked. I was there witnessing every horrific incident and background between Kim and mummy and this book is definitely addictive. I am absolutely lost for words but all I can say is I’m torn between wanting to read a follow on to find out answers or just to leave the questions unanswered. This is a great physcological book and it deserves all the praise.

Mummy is desperate for a child of her own. So when she sees Tonya, just five years old and already being ignored and seemingly mistreated by her pregnant mother, she acts on impulse, and takes her. But Tonya is not the sweet little angel that Mummy yearned for, and Kim isn’t the scummy mummy the media is soon painting her as. But as both Mummy and Kim begin to spiral out of control, their similarities become clearer and clearer, and it’s Tonya who’s stuck in the middle...

I am very much in the minority here, but I didn’t really enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The beginning of the book was really gripping, but it felt to me like it lost its way a little in the middle, and everything became very repetitive and almost boring. Ultimately, I found it all a bit underwhelming, and very flat compared to the gripping psychological thriller I was expecting. I admire the premise and what the author was trying to do; but there’s better books out there with a similar plot line.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Call Me Mummy is a heart wrenching but very realasitic account of a child abduction.
The book is told from two main characters, Kim and Mummy. Kim has two children and is out shopping but is more concerned with her phone than what her eldest daughter who is five years old, Tonya is doing. Mummy is out shopping, she has money and a spotless house but no children and this is all she wants. Mummy sees Tonya neglected by Kim and decides to take her. The story follows Kim and her partner as they struggle to come to terms with the loss of their child, the police seem to be useless and Kim is struggling to accept she is due to give birth and how can she accept this replacement? Mummy shows us that even if you have everything in life you still want more. The struggles she has with Tonya who is very wilful and her drinking that starts to get out of control and the affect it has on Tonya. We do occasionally hear what Tonya is thinking but only a few lines every so often. This book covers some sensitive issues but does them well, making you think what really goes on behind the doors of perfect houses.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Serpents tail, Profile Books, Viper for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Chapters in the novel have been split into a character's point of view, most notably 'Mummy', Kim and Tonya. It is immediately clear that Baker has a knack for creating a strong atmosphere and base for a character through her writing. I was captivated by the extreme level of creepiness that emitted from 'Mummy' through her narrative, she came across with the composure of someone completely put together but Baker starts to reveal the cracks slowly to build the perfect level of tension keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

However, the stereotypical characterisation of Kim made her a little difficult to connect with. Her resilience was a turning point for me though, her character kept pursuing what she knew was right even with everyone trying to move forward and this made her more realistic. Along with Kim, the storyline itself felt natural to read and the deterioration of the ideal world 'Mummy' created for her and Tonya generated the ideal balance of hope and tension, will she survive this?

Baker engaged short sentences, short chapters and snappy conversation to get right to the core of this story, to provide a quick and tense thriller for everyone to pick up and enjoy.

Oh my goodness, this book! What an opener! You know in Friends when Joey has to put The Shining in the freezer? That is me with Call Me Mummy.

It is mostly told from the perspectives of "Mummy" and Kim. Pregnant Kim is in a clothing store with her children, not paying much attention to them. "Mummy" keeps an eye on her, thinking that she is lucky to even have children. She instantly classes her as a bad mother.

One of Kim's children, Tonya, wanders off and "Mummy" sees an adult sized bite mark on her arm and decides that she needs to rescue her. So she takes her.

The book follows the aftermath, Kim and partner Steve's life following the abduction and the birth of their new baby. Kim is portrayed by the media as a "scummy mummy" and the internet trolls come out in full force.

We learn about Tonya's life in this new ladies' house and having a six-year-old daughter myself, this was hard reading considering the character of Tonya is the same age.

Both Kim and "Mummy" have had troubled pasts and these are very well-developed and honestly hard to read about.

This book really pulls at every emotion and I am just in awe at how it is written. Absolutely fantastic, but I am a little traumatised!

Brilliant read!

Tina Baker is an exciting new voice in the thriller genre and I can't wait to hear more from her! This book was inspired by her own struggles to get pregnant; well kind of because as far as we know she hasn't kidnapped a child......yet!
At times a funny read and at times an extremely sad and upsetting read this is a story that will stay with you. There are so many women out there whos biggest dream is to become a mother but it is not meant to be for many. How far will you go to fulfil this yearning?
Mummy hates Decembers but she still finds herself in the children's department looking longingly at a pretty pink dress. Then she sees Tonya. A beautiful young girl who seems a bit neglected and whose mother doesn't seem to realize how fortunate she is to be 1 of the chosen people - a parent.
In a moment of madness, she takes Tonya because she is convinced she can offer her a better life. From here things spiral more and more out of control.
Tonya's mother Kim has not had a good life. The birth of her daughter changed everything for her but now suddenly everyone is blaming her for her daughter's disappearance and calling her horrible names. Will her sanity survive this onslaught together with the fear of never seeing her daughter again.
I loved the backstory and flashbacks to both woman's childhoods. Although their worlds seem far apart they share very similar traumas. Traumas that shaped their futures.
And then Tonya. I loved her feistiness and potty mouth. Definitely, not something mummy was expecting!

Thank you to NetGalley, Viper and Serpent's Tail for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.