As far as the summary goes, i thought this was a really interesting book. But once I got there, I realized that it wasn't marketed correctly. There is a twist, but it's not totally psychological in nature. The characters are not as fleshed out as they could be either, leaving me wanting and struggling to finish.

Melanie Douglas and her 12-year-old daughter Kate are living a hardscrabble existence since Mel's abusive husband, Billy, went to prison. Things get even worse when she's fired from her job as a carer and their situation becomes really bleak; now they might not even be able to pay the rent on their dingy flat. A light at the end of the tunnel appears in the form of a letter offering an inheritance and, just like that, Melanie is the owner of Moreton Inn in Halebury and her bank account is flush. The odd part of this is that Melanie has no relatives having grown up in foster care, and the hotel and money come with some stipulations. Melanie and Kate move hastily as they want to get away and hide from Billy who is newly released from jail and will probably come looking for them. Melanie throws herself into renovations and is settling into this much better life when things are thrown into turmoil by Kate's shocking discovery of bones buried near the new construction. NO SPOILERS.

First, the description/synopsis of this book is misleading, so you might want to lower your expectations about this being a twisty psychological thriller. The characters and events were entirely predictable and I never really felt the tension or suspense that was promised by the blurb. There's a bit of mystery regarding Melanie's backstory, but I think readers will immediately guess most of what happened. This was actually more a family drama with Mel trusting the wrong people, making some bad decisions, and Kate behaving badly. It was a quick, easy read that kept me entertained for a couple of hours and I enjoyed it despite the lack of surprises or thrills.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for this e-book ARC to read and review.

'Single Mother' by Samantha Hayes is one of those books that start slow and then things happen almost like dominos falling and in the end is a pattern you absolutely never expected to begin with

This is the first time I am reading a book by Samatha Hayes and I really liked the way she writes. Her writing is very unhurried and very thought out and meticulous.

This story as revealed by the title is about a single mother Mel, who has a 12 year old daughter Kate and they both live a very difficult life due to lack of money and resources and also because of Mel's abusive husband Billy. She has a very good friend Michael who has been with her since her childhood through all the difficult times. Suddenly Mel comes to know that she has inherited an inn and a large sum of money. This was from a secret benefactor and with a caveat. Read the story to understand who or why. The inn, is old and messy and seems to hold a lot of secrets......

The plot is very intricate and the events did give me chills as I was reading. It was good that the story turned much different from what my over imaginative mind was thinking them to be. Characterisation is well written and though I was not convinced by Billy's character.

If you like to read a mystery that builds slowly and sorts out all events in the end with managing to surprise you in the end then pick this one up.

I thank Bookouture, the author and Netgalley for approving my request to read and review this story. I loved it. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Single Mother, a compelling psychological thriller, is the third novel I've read by Samantha Hayes.

It's a cracking read with huge chunks of tangible tension as well as strange occurrences to nudge the story along. The author has crafted a wonderfully chilling plot, executed perfectly with just the right amount of pace. You won't find any boring chapters here! Samantha Hayes’ writing style remains flawless and everything just flows, the concise, snappy chapters allowing for an undemanding and enjoyable read.

The characters in this story are well-drawn and very believable and Samantha Hayes has done a grand job at bringing them to life on the page, though they occasionally gave me cause for wariness. Single Mother was very hard to put down and I found myself thinking about the story even when I wasn’t reading it. This was one of those books that had me guessing all the way through and I had my own suspicions as to what might happen next, only to discover that I was barking up the wrong tree. This book had an incredible twist that I didn’t see coming at all.

Totally gripping throughout, I hope it won't be long before there is another offering by this outstanding author. I can confidently recommend Single Mother as a worthy read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Single Mother Mel finds herself struggling to bring up her daughter Kate when she is sacked from her care home job but when she gets a letter telling her she has inherited a hotel in Cornwall from a mystery benefactor she moves down to the hotel and sets about doing the place up with the money she was also left in the will.She is also hiding from her ex Billy who she helped send to prison and is now out and hunting her down to be near his daughter Kate,throw into the mix Tom who she meets at the hotel her best friend Micky and the mysterious Miss Sarah and what you get is a very good psychological thriller with a terrific ending,and plenty of twists and turns along the way as secrets are revealed,as with all Samantha Hayes' books it is well written and will keep you turning the pages well into the night.An excellent start to my 2021 reading,a very good 4 star read.

Single Mother is another first-rate thriller from Ms. Hayes. The intriguing prologue immediately draws you in and compels you to keep reading as you need to make sense of what you just read. Who was the woman? What - or who - was in the bag?

Single mum Mel will do anything to protect her daughter. Particularly from her abusive father Billy. She will sacrifice anything to make sure she’s safe. So when she loses her job, finds out Billy might have been released from prison and discovers she’s inherited a hotel from a mysterious benefactor all in the space of one day, she does the only thing she can do: move to the hotel where her ex can’t find them.

But once at Moreton Inn she finds it isn’t quite the sanctuary she’d hoped it would be. The hotel holds dark secrets and not everyone is pleased with her windfall. Once again Mel finds herself fighting to protect her daughter. But this time, the odds are life and death.

Samatha Hayes is one of those authors who I jump at the chance to take part in blog tours for as I know I am getting great quality writing, fascinating characters and a supercharged plot. She just keeps getting better and I think this could be her best book yet. Jaw-dropping, twisty and emotionally charged, it had me on the edge of my seat. And even though I guessed a lot of the twists, it didn’t dampen my enjoyment or mean this wasn’t still full of surprises.

Mel is a great character. As someone who was a single mother for many years and left an abusive ex, I saw a lot of myself in her and thought the author portrayed her as the perfect mix of feisty and determined yet vulnerable and afraid. She’s still dealing with the trauma from her abusive relationship and for me it was the small details that made it so realistic and resonate with me so much; things like finding joy in putting on body spray because her ex wouldn’t have allowed it. Even over a decade later, I will still find myself getting a kick from the fact I can do something my ex wouldn’t have allowed.

Another character I enjoyed was Miss Sarah. She was eerie, ghostlike and very gothic and I loved the mystery surrounding her. She has so much presence and impact every time she’s on the page despite the fact she never says a word. I got literal goosebumps on my arms a few times and didn’t want to turn out the light for fear of imagining her standing there in the dark!

If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a dash of spine-tingling fear, then this is the book for you. Just be prepared to get sucked in because once I started, I didn’t want to put this one down.

Mel, a single mother, unexpectedly inherits a seaside hotel. She has no family and is not sure who left her this windfall, but she’s excited for the opportunity. Mel’s new life takes her on a journey of trouble, secrets and discovery all leading up to her daughter going missing.
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A mix of family drama and suspense. While a little unrealistic in places, I did enjoy the suspense and twists at the end. Warning alert for topic of child abuse.

BOOKWORMS REVIEW:
This was an absolute thrilling read! You know when you hear people say I couldn't put it down? Well...technically speaking I never did..because when I couldn't read the kindle I was listening on Audible. It was THAT good.

Mel and her daughter Kate dont have much,scraping by with food and the rent,no new trainers for Kate and makeshift Jean's to look as cool as her schoolmates. This is how it has to be since Mel escaped the clutches of the now in prison,abusive Billy.
Mel works at an elderly care facility,its money and she loves her clients. But having been accused of something she didnt do she gets fired.

She was barely making ends meet before this,what will she do now!
Then,as if by magic,she bequeaths an inheritance from an unnamed source. How can she have inherited anything though,she was abandoned as a baby and has been raised in homes,this makes no sense to her.

What transpires is quite unbelievable...for her and Kate have indeed had some good luck.. but with some good deeds...there are strings attached..and all is not good.

Very well told,plenty of action,heart wrenching back story and twists.. with a whopper towards the end.

MY RATING: 📘📘📘📘📘

With special thanks to Samantha Hayes,netgalley and the team at Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

OK, Single Mother is one of those books that leaves you with your jaw hanging to the floor and your head cocked to the side while saying “Wow! What a book”! I knew just from reading the summary that I would like it, and I was right. I flew through it in two days, and it would have been faster than that had I not had to deal with life stuff that pulled me away from reading. I was hooked! There was so much going on in this book, some of it pretty predictable, but other parts that completely blindsided me. The characters were unique, some more so than others, and really added spice to the story. I really enjoyed reading this one!

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I hate giving bad reviews, but I found this to be just okay. 🤷🏽‍♀️ I would like to give this author another shot though!

Down on her luck and afraid for her life from her ex, when Mel got the opportunity to leave it all due to an anonymous inheritence of a hotel, she decided to make a new start with her daughter Kate. But as in any thriller, things started happening at the inn..then bones were found in the garden… And the daughter went missing

Having read the other books by author Sam Hayes, I was quite ready to allow the book to mess up with my mind. But it wasn’t that kind of a thriller. It had more of a gothic feel where the inn and its occupants were neglected and were waiting for the rightful owner. Tarot cards too added to the vibe

I liked the main character’s guts to try something new and try to make a safe life for her daughter. But in relationships, she had no spine. Everyone around her took her for a ride, and she happily allowed it.

I thought children in foster homes would be street smart as they learned to sleep with one eye open in such homes. Alas, our Mel was utterly-butterly naive. She even believed when a stranger called himself her brother without proof, just because they were both orphans. Sighhh… Some of the subplots were a little out there, could be better connected. But I had a good time screaming at my kindle.

Only in the last one third, I realized the value and significance of the title. The Single Mother, for me, was not Mel, but another character who had sheer steel in her spine. Her silence spoke volumes, and her words had depth.

Death and abuse took its toll, but that one was a grand-Damme who blew me away. I keenly felt her presence in the book. The last few pages had quite a bit of twists.

Having a child who ran rings around her might have made Mel a good mother, but standing strong, biding her time silently, planning everything without saying a word made the other character a stronger mother. She did what she had to. All alone. A true mother.

A dark gritty read that kept me turning pages.
I found this book to start off a little slow and it took a while for me to connect with the characters, but once I got about 1/4 of the way through things picked up and by half way through I was hooked solid. This book combines a unique story line in a wonderfully laid out setting and adds some suspense and mystery. I loved how many mysteries there were especially when it came to Sarah. Whe her story came out I was just horrified even though I had suspected something sinister. The main character annoyed me at first as she seemed wushu washy when she found her child with a phone she wasn’t supposed to have and just basically went oh well I’ll deal with that later. She didn’t really seem parental at that point. I’m pleased that her character really solidified as the book went on. Overall this was a good read with a great ending.

I enjoyed this book. It is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. This is a well developed story that pulled me in right from the beginning. It slowed down a little bit after that but once I hit half way through it turned into a fast paced story I couldn't put down. I enjoyed the characters for the most part and some of them shocked me. I had no problems connecting to them either way. They brought the story to life and Mel and Miss Sarah were my favorites. They had such a story to tell. The twists and turns certainly shocked me in parts but kept me turning pages fast. This was a truely great book. I highly recommend it.

What starts out has a good luck story quickly turns into a dark and sinister thriller.

Samantha Hayes has packed an awful lot into this book. The love that Mel has for her Daughter Katie will melt your heart. However, it is the shocking discoveries, the jealousy and betrayal, the mistrust of every character that will hold and keep your interest. Should Mel trust in the love story that is unfolding or is something sinister at play?

I absolutely loved the totally and unexpected ending!

The prologue captures your attention with a bag being left on a train and then doesn’t let go as more mysteries are brought to light.

The main character of Mel (great name I think) with her twelve year old daughter Kate, are living above a chip shop, struggling to make ends meet and after being accused of theft in the care home where she works is now unemployed. Discarding an official looking letter from a legal firm as junk mail it is only out of desperation that she follows it up and discovers she’s inherited a hotel and a large sum of cash. Growing up in foster care and having no known family makes this the biggest mystery of all. Until they arrive at the hotel that is …..

For me, although this has a terrific plot, it was the characters that really brought this book to life. From Miss Sarah the lady who has been at the hotel forever but never speaks a word, the strange pair of Rose the cook and Nikki, to Dirty Don who I could almost smell from the pages. Mel is so paranoid about Kate’s father turning up now he’s been released from prison that my lack of trust in everyone was on high alert. This in turn made it an edge of the seat read and for someone who is down on her luck you can’t help but root for Mel and Kate to finally have a happy ending.

With gothic undertones of a mysterious benefactor, a locked room, a mute guest and unearthed human remains you also have the current overtones of poverty, domestic abuse and the foster system.

For anyone that loves a puzzle this has more than enough to keep you entertained. Just as you think you have one solved another one turns up.

Favorite Quotes:

I choose my wines like I choose my men, he’d told her. Full-bodied and fruity. And always very expensive.

‘Excellent. On both counts,’ he says through a mouth so pursed, Mel wonders if his lips have a drawstring.

weird is the new normal around here

Some people just make it their business not to like others in life, Kate. Remember, it says nothing bad about you, but everything rotten about them.


My Review:

This maddeningly paced book was all kinds of twisty and flinchingly cold prickly, and at times, quite disconcerting. And man-oh-man, did I want to give several annoyingly frustrating characters a few good pinches and the wiffle/waffling main character a few smacks with my favorite purple crocs to dislodge her cranium from her colon. However, you could not have pried my beloved kindle from my hands with a crowbar as I was entrenched, incensed, and deeply invested. I was on a mission to get to the bottom of this lethally muddled and more than a bit creepy conundrum before allowing the sandman to make an appearance. And I did but, oh, my. Now I may not sleep due to ruminating about the ending. I had my wild theories and reasonably well-considered hypothesis, and while I could smugly crow that I was right about most of it, I must confess that when I am wrong, I am very very wrong… and I was devastatingly off the mark with my favorite character. Never saw it coming, and I just love when that happens.

This is my first Read of Samantha Hayes and it won't be my last.

This book was a psychological thriller with an added touch of mystery.

Mel was a likable character and a relatable one. The pacing was somewhat slow at the beginning but picked right up at the middle.

I would of gave it 5 stars but the beginning was drawn out and slow.

I still enjoyed this book though and will definately read more

First, I want to thank Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Single Mother is one of Samantha Hayes most creative and unique stories I have read that she has written. Definitely a book to put on your tbr list.

Samantha totally ripped my heart out of my chest in one of the scenes she wrote. I was in tears over what happened to this one character. I have ugly cried in a book but not like this. Nobody should ever be put through this. This explained so much! This one scene in the book was one of Samantha’s best! It was so powerful, intense, emotional, shockingly painful. I wanted to jump into the book and hug them.

This book had so much hurt, betrayal, lies, buried secrets, devastating revelations.

Family was also a big part of this book too.

Tom and Mel’s banter back and forth about their comical t-shirts were too funny! I loved the bond they were forming.

I hate to say it but the beginning for me in this book was a little slow. However, when it did pick up I couldn’t put it down.

At the end of the book Samantha shares with her readers how her real life experience went into this book. It is always interesting to read what inspired authors to write their books!

CW: mentions of domestic violence, emotional abuse, sexual abuse; features adoption and abandonment

This was not the ending that I had expected!!! At all. But, I absolutely adored the way she decided to tie up the loose ends. It made up for all of the other elements that I was able to figure out from pretty early on in the novel. Not to mention all the infuriating moments that Mel needed to be a little more forceful (*cough* Kate's phone *cough*, the details she kept from Kate and the reasoning behind it), I just wanted to take and yell 'WAKE UP!'

As with The Liar's Wife, our MC has escaped an abusive relationship and started fresh, until her abuser somehow, in whatever capacity, reenters her orbit. Single Mother, however, takes a 180-degree approach and doesn't focus on this tidbit as we're often too busy trying to put out the many other fires that seem to need our attention more.

Hayes' writing is, if nothing else, addicting. She knows how to get you sucked in, wanting to get to the next little thing until the mystery is solved and I love her for that. I absolutely would not mind reading more by her. Who knows, maybe the next one might be my next favourite thriller?

P.S. Why does Samantha always find a way to make me feel grossed out by the men in her book? I mean, every single time! But there's always ONE that is salvageable thankfully. Yeesh!

Mel has had a pretty hard life. Having to deal with her abusive, fresh from prison ex, Billy. Of course, it has to be hard for 12 yr old Kate seeing her mom persevere through all of it. I would have been leary of the letter about the hotel and money too.

I cried during some parts of this book. Even from the very first of the book, it was interesting mystery. I don't like telling too much in any of my reviews. You have to leave some mystery for the readers. I would like to read some more books written by Samantha Hayes. I'll definitely add her to my list.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.