This was my first book by DIane Jeffrey. I enjoyed it, though it was a bit predictable. I am also tired of "normal" people (not detectives) trying to solve crimes. This isn't just a realistic scenario. The characters were well written. I just couldn't get into it because of how unrealistic it was. 3 stars.

This book was gripping from the start. The characters were well developed and interesting and the story carried the who way which made it really hard to put it down and get anything done.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. This book alternates between three different narrators, Melissa, Jonathan and Kelly. At the beginning of the book, I was slightly confused because I was trying to establish a relationship between Melissa and Jonathan. The plot quickly draws you in and you will have a hard time putting this one down. The ending is a complete surprise and definitely not what you would expect. This is a must read!!

This was a pretty twisty domestic suspense. There were a lot of potential answers to how the Slade twins both wound up dying of SIDS within weeks of each other, but the ultimate answer was kind of a surprise. I didn’t see it coming, there were no real blatant hints. I liked how the story is mainly told from a journalist revisiting the case’s point of view, rather than police or family. It made the story unfold in a more unique way than I normally see in this genre.

HUH - OK SO THIS BOOK TOOK A HUGE TURN I DIDN'T EXPECT. While I love mystery books, I also usually find them predictable but this one was.... unexpected. I loved the plot twist and wholeheartedly loved the character dynamics in the story.

I really enjoyed this one. Characters were well developed and well written. There was good mystery and I couldn't stop turning the page. Things came together mostly well at the end I hadn't expected how emotional and wild this one was

Reading Between the Wines book review #68/115 for 2021:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Guilty Mother
Author: Diane Jeffrey
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on June 8, 2021!!! GET YOUR COPY TODAY!!
Recommended to readers who like a good whodunit mystery.

Sipping thoughts: Trigger warning-crib death discussion. The story is told in 3 different POV’s. I really enjoyed this mystery and the characters that were built in to try and solve the case. I could not decide if I thought Melissa was guilty. I felt so bad for her though and hoped somehow justice would be had. One minute I felt she was guilty and the next I felt she wasn’t. I do think that once a part of the story is revealed then most will be able to figure out a piece of the twist. However, I did not expect the last twist revealed in the last chapter!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @dianefjeffrey and @Harper360 for an advanced copy of @TheGuiltyMother

#TheGuiltyMother #DianeJeffrey #Harper360 #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #generaladultfiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

First of all a huge thanks to #NetGalley, #Harper360, and author #DianeJeffrey for the ARC of #TheGuiltyMother.

A solid 4.5 stars on this book. The only thing wrong about this was I didn't have the time to be able to read it in one sitting....because, I totally could have, and would've.

There are three narrators in this story, Melissa, Jonathan, and Kelly. When we begin Melissa is in prison because she was founjoid guilty of killing one of her twins. Jonathan and Kelly are investigative reporters who have been given the assignment of trying to uncover the truth. Let me tell you, the truth, your truth, is your perception of reality and we don't always all live in that same reality.

The push and pull of the storyline keeps you perfectly, completely guessing what will happen next. Now, to me, the perfect book is the one where the author completely surprises you with something you didn't think of. This...is....that...book!


Now, that I'm thinking about the book, and digesting it, I give it 5 full bright shiny stars. I can't wait to read something else from Diane.

The opinions above are mine and mine alone. Run, don't walk, and grab this book. You will be able to purchase this at your favorite book retailer on or after 5/18/21.

Melissa is a beautiful and successful mother of 3, which includes newborn twin daughters. One evening in 2013, the unimaginable happens, she discovers her baby, Amber, has died from cot death (SIDS). Only a few weeks later, baby Ellie also dies, supposedly from cot death. The authorities aren’t convinced, and Melissa is sentenced to life in prison for baby Ellie’s death.

5 years later, it is discovered that vital information was missing in the original toxicology report, which could have exonerated her, and Melissa has filed an appeal in her case.

Local journalists Jon and Kelly have been assigned to look into this “miscarriage of justice” and as they uncover clues and facts in the case, we find that they both have tragic pasts as well.

This was a very slow burn thriller but it wasn’t boring by any means. It is told from the alternating perspective of Jonathan, Kelly and Melissa. There were characters I loved, some I just disliked and some I HATED! The plot is GOOD. The whole book I thought I knew which way it was going; if Melissa was guilty or innocent, but boy was I wrong! When the final twist was revealed I was floored! And that is the thing I love about a good thriller, is not being able to guess the ending! We also had a couple of subplots spread throughout the book, which made it an even more interesting read!

4 ⭐️

*Thank you to Netgalley and Harper 360/HQ Digital for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review*

This book was so good! Super easy to follow and kept me on my toes the entire time. I didn’t expect the ending and I actually like that. I would recommend this book to others!

Melissa Slade had it all: beauty, money, a successful husband and beautiful twin babies. But, in the blink of an eye, her perfect life became a nightmare – when she found herself on trial for the murder of her little girls. Jonathan and Kelly are investigative reporters who have teamed up to an investigate the appeal for Melissa because there’s new evidence that wasn’t used during the trial.

The characters are well-developed and the plot kept me engaged.

Really good book! It sucked me in and I had to know who was guilty in the end! I rate this book a 4.1

A standalone domestic/crime thriller involving a complicated case focusing on a woman in prison for the murder of her infant daughter.

Two reporters become interested in a campaign to free Melissa Slade and overturn her conviction, As they investigate those family members and other parties who were close to Melissa, they discover many secrets and lies. It seems that no one is exactly sure what happened in the family. One twin dead of cot death and the other apparently murdered. Is Melissa guilty?

This took awhile to build up tension because it was a bit of a slow burner as all the characters were introduced. I really enjoyed the duo of Jon and Kelly, the journalists, who adapted to the changing pieces of information as they were unearthed. The writing was good once I got on board with the changing points of view and the jumps in the timeline. Although the topic is Melissa Slade's guilt or innocence, the book focuses more on the many other discoveries made by the journalists and their own personal lives. I liked how it all came together and the conclusion wasn't a huge surprise, but it was a fitting end considering all that went on behind the scenes in the story.

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

I really enjoyed The Guilty Mother! Jon and Kelly are journalists at a small magazine and have recently begun investigating the case for a woman’s innocence upon their boss’ request. They are each personally drawn into the case along the way.

The characters are extremely well-developed and the plot is fresh and original. But maybe not the best read with a brand new baby in the house, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! It kept me entertained and awake through those late-night cluster feeds.

The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book. Will definitely recommend this book.

I wasn't a crazy about this book as others were. I figured out who Melissa was covering for in the beginning. I was a little surprised by the end but not much. I didn't understand some of the phrases and references since it is based in England, so that would take some figuring out. Wasn't my favorite

Jonathan has recently been promoted to chief reporter at “The Redcliffe Gazette.” Kelly is working with Jonathan, and he is mentoring her. Their boss, Claire, is the news editor and has called him into her office. She wants him to investigate more of the Melissa Slade murder conviction.

Jonathan works hard to write his news stories as fairly as possible, and is diligently working with Kelly to show her how to do the same. Jonathan is a widower with two young sons. His wife had been killed along with their unborn daughter several years ago.

The Court of Appeal has allowed Melissa Slade to appeal against the murder conviction of killing her twin daughters. The babies died a few weeks apart. It was determined that Amber had died from SIDS or cot death, but Ellie’s death was ruled suspicious and the jury convicted Melissa to life in prison for the deaths of both girls. Melissa is also an ex-cop which makes life for her in prison even more difficult. It appears that the autopsy report for Ellie had not been fully shared with the court at the time of the trial and new evidence makes some think Melissa may be cleared of murdering her babies. Melissa is also the mother of teenager, Callum, from her first marriage. He has not dealt well with having his mother in prison, and she wants so much to be out and help him.

Melissa Slade had a difficult time with post-partum depression after the birth of the twins. Her husband hired a nanny named Clementine to help her, along with a maid to clean the house. Some think she may have been depressed and that’s why she killed Ellie.

Will Melissa get a new trial, and if so, could she be cleared of charges? How can she ever be happy after losing her little babies?

This is a good book that keeps the reader wondering right up to the very end what happened, and who, may have killed Ellie. Any mother reading this book will realize even more just how fragile little babies are. Read the book and see if you can guess what truly happened.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Jon's boss asks him to cover the story of Melissa Slade's appeal, he is less than thrilled to be thrown back to the past that he's trying desperately to forget. He has no choice as he was the original reporter when she was on trial for killing her newborn twin girls, Amber and Ellie. As he and his assistant Kelly start questioning the people who knew her best, new evidence comes to light which may prove that Melissa may be innocent. And when they dig deeper into the family, they discover secrets that were never meant to be exposed...and someone will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

This was a page-turner for me and kept my interest. I was guessing all the way to the end. There were twists and surprises and I was wondering if certain people were faking to be helpful or if they were truly trying to help Melissa. So many other things were going on that were tied to the case. Taken from the POV's of Jon, Kelly, and Melissa, you see from their eyes whether they believe she killed the babies. Overall a great read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper 360/HQ Digital for the opportunity to read this book.

Jon Hunt is a widower and the father of two boys. He’s also the lead reporter for The Redcliffe Gazette and is trying to balance his life as a single parent with a demanding job.

Kelly Fox is a new reporter, eager to please, intelligent and ambitious.

And Melissa Slade is a convicted baby murderer.

Their three voices narrate The Guilty Mother, a dark, emotional thriller by Diane Jeffrey. Jon and Kelly are asked to cover Melissa Slade’s appeal. Melissa was convicted of murdering Elly, the second of her twins. The first, Amber, had died of crib death a month earlier. Now new evidence has been discovered and Melissa may be released. Jon and Kelly want to make Melissa a sympathetic figure in the pre-hearing publicity so they begin the slow process of reinterviewing all those connected to the case. They learn that while they don’t believe in coincidences, the Slade case is full of them. Each clue Jon and Kate discover is related to another. The truth is there, deeply buried and,,, deeply flawed.

Jon, Kelly and Melissa are all strong characters with unique voices. Jon is still grieving for his wife, Kelly is dealing with past trauma and Melissa constantly relieves her daughters’ deaths. Other characters, especially Simon, Michael and Bella, also drive the story. The plot is well constructed with many hidden clues. The Guilty Mother is completely haunting. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Diane Jeffrey for this ARC.

Melissa is hosting a dinner party when one of her three month old twins dies from c”crib death. A short month later her other twin dies in her crib. The result is Melissa is sent to prison for the second twins death. When new evidence comes to light Melissa files an appeal..
Investigative reporters Jon and Kelly are out to find the truth.
A wild ride for sure. It kept me interested till the end. And what an ending it was.

Thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins for the arc.