Wow, what a dark, disturbing, intense read! Might trigger some, so make sure you’re not one that has triggers! If you’re like me and crave those dark, disturbing, brutal reads, then this IS YOUR BOOK! Well written, fast paced, and unputdownable!! Full of twisty turns, chilling chills, thrilling thrills, and gasp worthy shocks! Prepare your heart, as it might shock it more than you expect! Cannot recommend enough, it’s one heck of a ride!!

I received a free electronic ARC of #AGoodMother from #NetGalley for my honest review.

A Good Mother is a gripping psychological thriller with twist and turns throughout the book and an unbelievable final twist at the much loved ending! I could not put this book down!

The book was unpredictable, well plotted and suspenseful. I rated it 5 stars and highly recommend it!

Synopsis:

All I ever wanted was to keep my son safe. I married the perfect husband, built the perfect home. I’ve tried to give Finn the life I never had.

Everything was going so well. Until now.

It’s just small things at first – a punctured tyre, an open gate that I'm sure I locked. But then I see the photograph of two young girls, and a night I’ve tried to forget.

I know I have to stop pretending that nothing is happening. I can’t escape the truth.

Someone knows my secret. But what do they want from me?

Review to come very soon! You guys know how much I adore Bookouture! You find the best authors!!! xo And oh my gosh Sam is one of my favorites!

Thank you NetGalley, author Sam Hepburn, and Bookouture for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars
This was my first Sam Hepburn’s books that I have read. and it will not be my last. If you are looking for good stories which build-up gradually, this book is for you!
This book was well written with the right amount of layered mystery, false leads, and dark and intense characters. There were some topics that were discussed and/or took place throughout this book that might be trigger warnings for some people, so be aware.
Many of the characters had a very dark past that caused them to act out of self preservation and self interest, which made for a very interesting story that keeps you reading until the very end.
Nicola grew up in the foster care system along with her friend Donna. After a tragic event takes place, Nicola and Donna go their separate ways. Years later, Nicola has moved on from her dark past and holds those secrets close. She has married the perfect man, a dentist and has a wonderful little boy. Nicola finally has the life she has always wanted. But Nicola's past is about to make an appearance in her perfect present when someone from her secretive past enters back into her life. That is where events start to unravel very quickly. This book was very fast paced and kept me guessing to the very end how it was all going to be resolved. I enjoyed the twist and turns that took place as characters began to show their true selves. I found myself not really liking any of the characters. They were not poorly written quite the contrary, they were well developed and held my interest. But all of them had their own secrets, agendas, and dark sides that made me think Finn, the little boy, would have been better off with his father's family and away from all the crazies! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this book for those who are huge fans of domestic psychological thrillers. I can't wait to read more books by this author!

Sam Hepburn is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! She brings another heartrending story that ratchets up tons of tension and twists that you can't see coming your way. Another solid read!

Many thanks for NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Meet Nicola
Had a shocking childhood and early teenage life, many regrets and many dark memories
But all is well now, married to Ian, a Dentist no less, nice house, brand new car and Finn, her adored son
Nicola would do anything for him
And as her life unravels, little by little until it’s safe to say its chaos she finds that she has to put that theory to the test
I started this and AGAIN thought I had worked it out, parts of it I had but there is a stonking and clever BAM moment that changes everything and puts the book into the next level
It really is a thrilling ride as things get out of hand for Nicola and her past becomes her now and if she does nothing her future
It twists and turns and twists again and I was unsure how it would end, but end it does and impressively
Really well told story, fabulous love to hate, despise even characters and a near perfect psychological drama
Very very good

10/10
5 Stars

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Sam Hepburn's gripping domestic thriller A GOOD MOTHER.

This is my first read by Sam Hepburn and I have to say I'm impressed. Her calibre for the domestic thriller is up there with Shalini Boland and K.L. Slater in her ability to engage the reader and keep them turning the pages throughout. Not to mention a riveting plot line different from anything I've read before. Her characters are not perfect; they are as flawed as the rest of us, making the protagonist in A GOOD MOTHER someone readers can sympathise and identify with and asking ourselves the question "what would we do should we find ourselves in the same situation?"

Nicola Cahill grew up in foster care after the suicide of her mother when she was five years old, shunted from home to home before the system spat her our at 16 and left her to fend for herself. Caught up in the only world she was familiar with, her foray into adulthood was filled with hardships and desperate measures.

Until one day, something happened to turn her life around. She became a mother. And from that day on, Nicola vowed to be a good mother and protect her son at all costs.

Six years later, Nicola has put the past behind her and now lives in a gorgeous house on affluent Juniper Close with her perfect husband, a successful dentist at the practice where she works as a receptionist. Ian is wonderful with her son Finn, taking him under his wing spending time with him teaching him chess and even coaching his soccer team. The sight of the two of them together warms her heart. To think all that she has come from to where she is now, Nicci had never thought it possible.

But then strange and bizarre things start happening. A dead blackbird on her car. A gash in her car tyre. Glass sprinkled by an open gate that she had securely locked. But it's not until she receives the photo that she knows her troubled past has come back to haunt her. She thought she had left all that behind her...but she was wrong. Because not only is her marriage not as happy as it seems, someone knows her secret...and are now threatening to destroy her carefuly composed life. But worse than that...they will stop at nothing to get at what she values most in the world. Her son, Finn.

And when a face from Nicci's past comes knocking on her door, she knows then that the facade of lies she has built around her is about to come tumbling down. How far will Nicci go to protect her son? Can she keep the secrets of her past hidden? And what happens if it all goes wrong and her lies are uncovered?

An intense psychological read, A GOOD MOTHER is fast-paced from start to finish that I could not put down. It is told completely from Nicola's perspective, in both the past and present narratives, as her past is slowly revealed to the reader. It's easy to sympathise with Nicola as a product of an uncaring system that just chews people up and then spits them out, leaving them without support or the resources to fend for themselves. This in turn leads to a sad chain of events of exploitation and abuse that in the end also dumps them when they become a liability. How are those in the foster care system supposed to make anything of themselves without the proper resources or support? It's appalling. It's no wonder Nicci ended up the way she did in her early years...but it was Finn's birth that was her saving grace. From that moment on, she stepped up to make something better of herself while caring for her son.

But Nicci's life was never meant to be an easy one for though she had escaped the cycle of an uncaring system she unknowingly swapped one form of abuse for another. That being in her marriage to husband Ian who I saw from the beginning was coercive, controlling and manipulative although she thought herself incredibly lucky to have found him. And he reminded her of that fact almost every day whilst at the same time insidiously chipping away at her self esteem and confidence therefore making her completely dependent on him. He was abhorrent and completely unlikeable and I wondered throughout the entire story how he would get his comeuppance because, let's face it, the bad guys usually do.

While A GOOD MOTHER is a fantastic read that is addictive and compelling, it's also one of those books that you can't help but dislike just about every character. They are pretty much all selfish, keeping secrets and out for themselves. I went from sympathising with Nicci to wanting to throttle her sometimes, knowing she was just digging herself in deeper and deeper. But despite it all, she just went from strength to strength that in the end she kicked butt majorly and I was cheering for her all the way.

The brilliant twisty has a frisson of tension running throughout as Nicci's tragic troubled past intertwines with her present in ways even I didn't see coming! Everything is woven expertly together in a way that leaves you breathless. So many secrets, so many lies. A GOOD MOTHER is a good...no, a bloody brilliant read that will have you turning the pages into the night...and still leave you reeling.

Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers and fans of Shalini Boland, K.L. Slater, Sheryl Browne and Ruth Heald.

I would like to thank #SamHepburn, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #AGoodMother in exchange for an honest review.

Great book. Full of suspense. Very fast moving story. You need to be on your toes reading this one. You get a good insight into the dark side of life.

This is the first of Sam Hepburn’s books that I have read. If you like good stories which build-up gradually, you will like this.

Nicola has had a tough childhood – growing up in foster care and later struggling to cope with finances. Her troubles seemed to significantly recede when she marries Ian, a dentist doing well in his career. He also is accepting of her son Finn, but there are things in Nicola’s past which are painful and which she keeps to herself. As one of her acquaintances from the past – Donna resurfaces in her life, she senses that she has to face the demons of her past, and also protect Finn.

The story is good and I liked Nicola’s character, though many of her experiences make for painful reading. I liked how the ending sections had some good twists and tied up the story well. Overall, recommended if you like slow burners which build layers to the story slowly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love reading books where the heroine is considered a dimwit, stupid, and an easily manipulated victim yet turns out to be so much more. A Good Mother by Sam Hepburn introduces us to Nicola, a rather unremarkable woman married to a successful and gorgeous dentist. As often happens though, Nicola hides a lot of damaging secrets...so does her hubby. Putting the pieces of the story together makes for a good read. I especially loved the ending to this book featuring the comeuppance to the unsavory men spotlighted in this novel. I predict this book is going to be very popular. Don’t mess with a girl and her child. You will live to regret it. #abuse #prostitution #childabuse #sextrafficing #redemption #motherhood @bookouture @netgalley @samhepburnauthor #agoodmother #triggers
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. Thank you to NetGalley and @bookouture for this free ARC, but my thoughts and review are my own and without bias. #reading #books #bookstagram #book #read #bookworm #booklover #bookish #bibliophile #reader #novel #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife

This was a pretty good psychological thriller. The story was interesting enough to keep me going but there were just too many facets that weren't in line with the plot that had me constantly questioning what was going on.

Nicci was fresh out of the foster system with her best friend, Donna, and they were both heading straight down the wrong path when she became single mom to Finn. Finn changed her life and she fought for them both to survive leaving Donna and her old life behind. Along the way she married Ian, a successful dentist, and is suddenly living the good life - except that her husband is a jerk. Out of the blue Donna appears with a plot twist and threats of blackmail to bring down Nicci's new seemingly charmed life. And that's when things just get weird. Nicci's actions don't make a whole lot of sense from this point and she doesn't garner a lot of sympathy. Ian's character is abusive, when he's supposed to be subtly gaslighting. The bright spots in this book are the characters of Finn and Leon.

All in all, I was entertained while reading. I would like to thank #NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of #AGoodMother in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book started out a little slow but that quickly turned around into a rollercoaster of suspense! I wouldn’t say that the characters were likable at all but the author did a great job of making you feel disdain towards them. This was my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be the last.

Loved this novel. Had me from page one. Powerful writing, great plot and characterizations. Enjoyed every page and highly recommend. A wonderful and riveting read, Don't miss.

Holy Moly this book is flipping awesome.. I finished this in two sittings it was that good. A domestic thriller that literally had me holding my breath at times. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

A Good Mother by Sam Hepburn. Gripping psychological thriller with a great finish and a myriad of twists and turns and secrets. First book that I have read by Ms Hepburn and looking forward to future books as well as finding and reading her backlist.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

How far would a mother go to protect her child while hiding her own secrets? Nicola was brought up in the foster care system and when she meets Ian, who marries her and becomes stepfather to her son, Finn, his precise and particular manners are quite controlling. Soon little things start to happen that threaten Nicola’s home life and quite possibly her own life.
This book for me was a mixed bag, the first boy seemed slow and then I was flying through the second half. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A GOOD MOTHER - SAM HEPBURN
PUBLISHED BY - BOOKOUTURE
PUB DATE - 26TH MAY
PLOT - Nicci has a perfect life- perfect son, husband and a home. The only thing which she wanted was her son Finn to be happy.
Nicci is on the egde when she starts receiving threats, small things at first and then finally her son goes missing!!
Can Nicci get rid of her horrendous secret from her past or will it destroy her new found life?

My thoughts -
This is a good psychological domestic thriller. It is fast paced and there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout.
I loved that in the end it kinda all blends together well and all the dots are connected.
All the characters have shades of grey and I found the story to be quite slow to begin with before it picks up pace around 30% in.
Also may be Nicci could have stood up for herself sooner rather than later.

This book was a great read and it truly is a psychological thriller. I hardly put it down since from the first chapter. It kept me turning page to page and guessed what next happened. I became so excited and anxious when went through halfway and gripped me till the very end. Full of mystery and lies that you never knew who were telling the truth

A roller-coaster storyline in which I didn't see where the story was heading which gripped me throughout. Nicci grew up in the care system and had horrendous foster parents, resulting in her and fellow foster child Donna following a disastrous path in their early life. Nicci turns her life around and marries Ian, sharing an affluent life with him. However, there is a constant niggle throughout the book where everything is not as it seems on the surface. Nicci is hiding a number of secrets from her past and will do anything to protect them, but what is her husband hiding? His secret came as a complete shock! Nicci and Donna's paths cross again later in life, which resulted in an explosive ending to the book. An emotional and intriguing read which kept me interested until the very last page, thoroughly enjoyable and I would highly recommend.

Five enthusiastic stars for “A Good Mother”, a new domestic thriller by Sam Hepburn!

Nicci had a hard young life growing up in foster care after her mother’s suicide. As an adult, Nicci’s life has all the appearances of being perfect – married to a successful dentist, a career as his receptionist, and a 6-year-old son named Finn. Surely she’s left her troubled past behind her… right? WRONG! Not only is Nicci’s marriage not as happy as it appears, but someone knows Nicci’s darkest secrets and is now threatening to destroy her carefully constructed life.

I absolutely loved Nicci’s character, her devotion to Finn, and the lengths she would go to to protect her little boy. She’s a complex character with a good heart but willing to take some dark paths to keep Finn safe and her secrets under wraps. The story is brilliantly twisty as Nicci’s tragic, gritty past is intertwined with her present in ways I never saw coming.

“A Good Mother” is a real page turner, with a frisson of tension running through the entire story that kept me up way past bedtime because I was so absorbed. The ending was absolutely worth losing sleep!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.