Mel was struggling. As a single mother her twelve year old daughter is her world. She is anxious to keep her away from her father. Although he loves Kate he has been abusive & ended up in prison. Abandoned as a baby she has always had to fend for herself. She just about gets from payday to payday so she is devastated when she loses her job. When she gets a letter about an inheritance she immediately persuades her dismisses it as a scam but her long time friend Michael persuades her to take it seriously & she finds she has inherited a rundown coastal hotel! This seems the perfect way to start again but things are not as they seem.

I have read many of Samantha Hayes's books & enjoyed them. This one was very readable but I did find it stretched believability a bit more than I liked. I found Mel exasperating at times, some of her reactions were decidedly dubious & I found the ending left me a bit disappointed. It was a good read, but not in the same class as many of her other books. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

4.5⭐

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

This book was surprisingly dark! I felt it took quite a while to get going, it was about 50% in before the bones were discovered (as mentioned in the blurb.)

As all of the strands of the book started to come together though, it became much more fast paced and I thought the ending was great!

My favourite quote:
"A couple of wood pigeons coo-coo in the trees at the end of the garden, making Mel want to cry for some reason. Sounds of her childhood, of days lying on her back in the garden making wishes with dandelion heads."

With thanks to Bookouture for this.

Single Mother focuses on Mel and her daughter, Kate. Mel has inherited a hotel and a massive amount of money from a mysterious benefactor. It couldn't happen at a better time because Mel is financially under water. When they arrive at the hotel and start renovation work, things start looking up. However, some very unsettling events start happening and Mel starts wondering just who she can trust in this new situation.

The author did a good job of building the suspense throughout the book. I knew there was something very disturbing to be revealed and I wanted to find out but the ride to the conclusion was quite enjoyable. The last surprise really did shock me. My only issue was that the romance within this book was a bit cheesy. The meet-cute was a bit blah. The dialogue also could have been done a little better in my opinion.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it well enough that I would be trying more of her work.

This book should be read by adults as there are some very disturbing incidents in this book including child abuse. Minimal obscenities and some violence was present in this story.

Mel has nowhere to turn. She is a single mother of a preteen and is struggling beyond belief. Then she gets unfairly fired from her job. She was already pinching pennies to keep them fed and housed. However, she receives a letter from a solicitor stating that she has received a rather large inheritance.

Mel is confused. As someone who grew up in the foster care system she cannot imagine how this could be. She does investigate things and it seems to be true. Despite things suddenly changing for her and her daughter Kate, she begins to have grave concerns about Kate.

Meanwhile there is another character who is rather interesting in this developing drama. So, Mel starts to unravel her new life, watches carefully for changes involving Kate, and deals with old and new people in her life. All the while she struggles with fear from someone from her past, someone who might play into some of the drama she begins experiencing.

What a story! Intense on many levels, with an air of mystery that I did not expect. In fact, there were some significant twists and turns that really caught me off guard, making me even more interested in this story. While the drama played along nicely at an excellent pace, the last few chapters really sped things up, even changing the direction of the story. The ending was a true shocker. Well done!

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This is a story about Mel Douglas a woman that was abandoned as a new born baby on a train and grew up in foster care. After a disastrous marriage to Billy she finds herself a single parent to Kate when Billy is sent to prison. Money is tight and when Mel loses her job at a local care home it feels like her world is crashing down until she receives a letter from a local prestigious firm of solicitors informing her that she has inherited a lump sum of money and a hotel that is in dire need of an overhaul from an anonymous benefactor.

The taking on of the hotel leads Mel on a rollercoaster of family discovery and untold secrets.

This is well worth a read. The story unfolds slowly and the style of writing is easy to digest with just enough detail to keep the reader interested without overloading with unnecessary descriptions.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow yet another great book from Samantha , loved the gradual build up and the storyline. You really were rooting for Mel and her daughter . Just shows when you’re adopted you never can tell where you come from . Look forward to the next from Samantha , 5 stars

Mel is a single mother who lives paycheque to paycheque, trying to provide the best for her daughter, Kate. She loses her job unexpectedly, but around the same time, she's contacted about a large inheritance. She's especially surprised because she grew up in foster care and doesn't have any known relatives. Part of the inheritance is a small seaside hotel, and the condition is that she has to run it. She thinks she's getting a fresh start until her daughter goes missing...

This was a suspenseful read. As a mother myself, I can understand Mel's sacrifices and hustle to provide the best for her daughter. I also understand her frustrations with her daughter being bullied and wanting to keep her safe. The book had a lot of surprises; every time I thought it was going to wrap up, I was thrown a curveball again. There are a lot of interesting characters and her interest in tarot cards adds a supernatural edge.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense / thriller types of books.

3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Great storyline for this book where we meet single Mum, Mel, counting the penny’s before pay day, even affording food is a struggle, to make things worse she is then sacked from her job and fears she will be destitute, she doesn’t know how she will provide for her daughter when she receives a letter saying she has inherited a hotel down South plus £350,000
However the benefactor remains anonymous and well you can already see where a story is going to appear.....the benefactor does become apparent and along with Mel’s ‘revamping the hotel’ we have a tale of secrets, abuse, lies and long lost folk....it is also a story of trust but will say no more on that
There was 1 cliche too many towards the end of the book as ‘it all came to light and got sorted’ but decided to not on dwell too much on that and focus on the tense and exciting end and then, of course, the ‘twist’ which you were led to, then cleverly led away from then BOOOM was there for all to see and was a shock
Good characters, not overly brimming with instant lovability but played their parts well in this firm psychological thriller that had promise and mostly kept it

8/10
4 Stars

Single mother Mel is struggling . . . . she's escaped an abusive relationship and is endeavouring to bring up her twelve year old daughter, Kate, alone. However keeping food on their table, paying the rent on time and all the usual financial headaches just don't get any easier until a surprising letter gives them the chance for a fresh start with an inheritance of a property and life changing sum of money . . . but who is it from? What's the catch?

This is a story of a mum who will do all she can to protect her daughter but, in her endeavour to make the right decisions, sometimes makes totally wrong ones. It is a story of relationships, secrets, surprises, shocks and betrayal, complete with plenty of twists after a so normal start. It is an engaging psychological thriller that will definitely help distract you from our current lockdown reality!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Mel was abandoned as a baby and as she got older she decided she didn’t want to know anything about her birth parents, I mean they obviously didn’t want her so why should she find out only to be hurt again. As a parent now herself she feels more strongly about it, she would never do that to her own daughter, how could you? Mel is a single mother to Kate; her ex-Billy was abusive and is now in prison. She struggles like many single mums to make ends meet and to get things her daughter needs, but it is hard.

When a solicitor letter arrives telling her about an inheritance she thinks it’s a scam. Only when she visits the same solicitors when she is sacked unfairly does she ask about it. She has been left Moreton Inn in Lyme Regis and a large amount of money from an anonymous donor. This could change her and Kate’s life although there are terms to this. She must let the long term resident stay and look after her, she could not sell the place and she was to restore it. With Billy being on release she knew she needed to do this and off her and Kate went for their new life. It wasn’t quite as simple as that though...
Wow, this was so good, I was sceptical through the first few chapters until they had moved to Moreton Inn and things started progressing. A resident that never spoke, staff that were not very welcoming and even customers seeming strange this book had me wanting to know more.
As the story progressed, things were uncovered, secrets, a tragic past and betrayal amongst other things, this book had it all and I was in tears at some points. It was an emotional rollercoaster but one I couldn’t put down.
Would I recommend it? Of course I would, you should read it straight away.

Mum Mel and daughter Kate live a hand to mouth existence, with only mums long time friend Michael for support and the ever looming threat of her ex's release from prison.
Upon a surprise inheritance Mel moves the pair to her new hotel 'Moreton Inn' trying to discover who her mysterious benefactor may be. When things take a sinister turn and her daughter goes missing, Mel needs to work fast to get to the bottom of things if she wants her daughter home safely.
I really enjoyed this! The atmosphere builds throughout the book to a twisty, harrowing crescendo.
The complex mix of troubled characters means you are second guessing yourself right up until the end.
Mel as a character is likeable and raw, you can really get on board with her. The suspense and drama of the village had me devouring the book to unravel its secrets.
The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is that at times it felt a little unbelievable with a 12 year old seeming much older at times.
All in all a brilliant page turner! Happy reading!

Aftee finishing single mother Samantha Hayes has quickly become one of my favourite psychological thriller authors.
The book centres around Mel after receiving an unexpected inheritance of a hotel, as things aren't going well at home she decides to move and once at the hotel things go from bad to worse.

Mel is a great lead, she is a strong single mother who always has her daughters best interest at heart. Every action she takes is centred around giving Kate the best possible life. Mel ofcourse has a love interest and with her history of domestic violence she is on edge. The way in which she is portrayed with her trauma from abuse is so true to form and I appreciated the way in which is was written.

The side characters Kate, Mikie, Tom, Nicki, Rose and Sarah all add value to the story. The idea of family is really brought into play with Mickie and Mel growing up in care together they are the closest thing to family they both have, that was until Mel had Kate but yet they are still very family orientated. I found the dynamics between all the characters to be great and there aren't to many characters so it's easy to follow.

The prose flows really well with the odd jump a few weeks here and there but nothing major. The writing is very descriptive I felt like I could draw the hotel but it's not over descriptive either. I just really found it easy to follow and yet I was on edge trying to figure out what was going to happen.

I highly recommend this book. There are so many questions that form throughout the story and for once in a book they all get answered. I found that I liked all the characters and I was happy with how the story concluded. There are several twists within the story one of which I did see coming however the rest I had no clue and I am impressed with that! It was great! Honestly if I write more I will blurt spoilers out. Happy to give 5 stars 🌟

Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and Samantha Hayes for the digital advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Mel was abandoned as a baby, in a luggage rack on the train, and was brought up as a foster care. Never having solid roots, Mel knows that when she has her daughter, she will do anything for her. Having escaped an abusive relationship, Mel works hard, goes without, as long as Kate has all she needs. Having been fired from her job, Mel gets a random letter from a solicitor telling her she’s been left a hefty inheritance, a large sum of cash, and a motel, at first, Mel thinks it’s a scam, but Michael, her trusted childhood friend convinces her to check it out, it tunes out it's real. Just like that, all of Mel’s financial woes are behind her, and she gets to start fresh. All she has to do is renovate the motel she was left, make it profitable, and allow the mysterious and silent woman called Sarah to continue living there.

Hoping to start over, give Kate a better life and live a little, all is not what it seems with the motel. As secrets are unearthed, skeletons revealed, Has Mel taken on more than she bargained for?

There are so many secrets to be revealed in this book and it has a whole lot of twists and turns that keep you hooked and on your feet. Loved it and didn’t want it to end!

Single Mother is the seventeenth mind-boggling family-based psychological thriller from Ms Hayes. Single mother Mel Douglas has had, by anyone's standards, a tough life. She had been working as a caregiver at The Cedars, a nursing home for the elderly but was fired when her boss, Josette, informed her that one of the residents, 96-year-old Bob, had had £300 stolen from a jacket pocket in his wardrobe and his son had made a formal complaint about it. This makes it difficult to be able to continue putting food on the table for her twelve-year-old daughter Kate and pay the bills. She's in dire straits when she receives a surprising letter from Green, Lupton and Hedge solicitors of Solihull who specialise in Wills and Probate. The letter states that she is to inherit the Moreton Inn hotel in Halebury, West Dorset along with £378,542 but some stipulations have been set out by the anonymous benefactor with regards to the hotel. The Letter of Wishes sets out that the some of the money must be used to carry out much-needed renovations on the property, the hotel must remain in Mel’s possession and a woman, the seemingly mute Miss Sarah, who is a permanent resident at the Inn must be able to continue to reside there free of charge.

Mel is sceptical as she has no family who could've bequeathed her such an estate, but when she begins to receive calls from her ex-boyfriend and abuser Billy she realises he's out of prison and looking to get in touch with her about seeing Kate. So she decides to take a chance and accept the property and money as moving will mean Billy won't know where to find them. Making the move from Birmingham to the South Coast she prepares to take on the challenges of Moreton Inn and make a fresh start away from her problems but someone doesn't want her taking ownership of the property and many strange events begin to occur. It culminates in the remains of an infant being unearthed from the foundations of the extension that had just been built. What exactly is happening here and can Mel and Kate survive to tell the tale? This is a sinister, compulsive and atmospheric thriller with a whole lot of tension and a thoroughly enthralling plot. The suspense was ratcheted up little by little as the story progressed, and I never would have guessed the skeletons in the closet that were about to be revealed. It's addictive, with a cast of believable characters and enough twists, turns and reveals to keep you on the edge throughout and the author really understands how to pen a book that gets under your skin. Highly recommended.

Mel is struggling financially, so when an unexpected inheritance of a hotel falls into her lap she jumps on it as a new chance for her and her daughter Kate, away from Birmingham and the shadow of her ex. When they get there, she finds a dilapidated hotel and a very strange guest, then Mel's problems get even worse as Kate disappears.

Single Mother was a fast-paced read with some really emotional themes running throughout.
Mel was a likeable, if a little naïve. She's damaged from her past experiences but still is a caring person who tries her best even if things are stacked against her. The relationship between her and Kate was well done, with Mel's reluctance to be entirely honest with her daughter and that instinct to protect her.

There are some strong emotional threads running through the book, motherhood being at the forefront of course, but there's also loss and abandonment in there too.
I can't say too much more but one because I don't want to give away spoilers but I felt the story got stronger when Mel and Kate arrived at the hotel, with its air of neglect and locals who you're not sure if you can trust or not.

I felt I wanted a bit more from the book; it got a little predictable at times, even though there were a few shocks along the way.

Single Mother is perfect if you're looking for a quick read with a good cast of mostly likeable characters.

WoW......and Breathe..........Single Mother by Samantha Hayes was the last book I read in 2020 and Boy!!! what a brilliant book this was. I was hooked within the first few pages and I just had to sit in my comfy chair and finish it. This book did not disappoint it was Brilliant from the Beginning till the end! You will find Single Mother full of twists and turns throughout that will just have you gripped - like it did me!

I highly recommend this Book and all of Samantha's Books. She has become one of my favourite authors and all her books have been 10/10 reads.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐Thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Melanie hasn't had an easy life...raised as a foster child the only person she has that she can trust is her fellow foster child Michael. They have been through everything together. Just as Melanie loses her job, she mysteriously inherits a hotel and some money anonymously. Seeing this as a good chance to get her daughter away from her father who is due to be released from jail, she moves into the hotel and starts renovating it. What should be the start of their new beginning slowly unravels a very tangled web affecting many of their lives. A twisty thriller with well developed and engaging characters. #samanthahayes #singlemother #netgalley #bookouture #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #greatreads #litsy #bookqueen #bookstagram #amazonkindle

This was an interesting book. I got off to a very slow start, it just wasn't catching just attention for some reason, then a little over half way through, wow. Everything started making sense, and then one shock after another near the end! Excellent ending!

Thank to netgalley for the ARC.

A struggling single mother loses her job and receives a mysterious inheritance of a hotel. I found this book a roller coaster ride that kept me engaged. But the ending blew my mind.
I would never have seen that twisty twist! Wow!
I kept thinking about this story for a few days!
I must now explore others by this author!

Omg!! I read this book in one day!! Could not put it down. It been a while since I’ve had a book that has gripped me like that. I haven’t read this author before but I will be looking online for some more of her books. If you love thriller/crime books, you will love this!!! Fantastic read.

Sypnosis
I nearly threw the letter about the inheritance away with the recycling. Late for work, worrying about how I would afford new school shoes for Kate, and with no family left to leave me anything, I just assumed it was a mistake. Now I know the only mistake I ever made was opening that letter…

Publish Date - 5th January 2021

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Thanks #netgalley #samanthahayes #crime #thriller #fantasticread