I wanted to like this but felt I wasn’t reading the book for which the summary quoted for! It’s not a thriller but more of a story that fits generally into the women’s fiction category.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A decent thriller, although the twists were easy to predict. Didn’t fully buy the ending.

Not a bad story or bad writing but it wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected some mystery, A little suspense, and twists. There were none. This is not a thriller. It's drama at best, women's lit.

Unfortunately I don’t think this book was for me. While I enjoyed the story I think this title was put into the wrong genre. This definitely was not a mystery/thriller nor did it really even have any of those elements. It was mostly just a women’s fiction and because of that I’m giving this book a 3/5 stars.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

A psychological thriller with a slow start. I wasn't sure where this was going initially and had trouble sticking with it. But then it picked up and I was more invested in Eve and what she experienced. At times it felt repetitive with Eve's secret as to why she left. As the characters were developing I enjoyed seeing it all intertwine to the current state and the end really hooked me.

The Mother's Secret is such an addictive read I was so hooked it kept me quessing and had a great twist.

Eve wanted nothing more than to be a mother. She and her husband, Aidan, planned to have a family, but with each devasting miscarriage, her hopes dwindled, When she eventually gave birth, to her daughter Kayla, it should have been the happiest time of her life. Instead it was a waking nightmare for Eve, and one she was desperate to escape. Now, Eve has left all that behind, She pretends that she never had a child, and keeps her secrets close. But someone knows the truth.

This is a thrilling and shocking read. The story has a dual timeline, the past is before Eve has Kayla, and the present day, when Eve tries to get back into Kayla's life. There's some really clever twists and a pace that's a bit slow. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. to find out what the secret was. I wasn't disappointed when it was revealed. This is quite an addictive read and it held my attention throughout. Some of the characters that I liked at the beginning of the book, I didn't like them by the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Canelo and the author #KathrynCroft for my ARC of #TheMothersSecret in exchange for an honest review.

Eve and Aiden are desperate to become parents but after several attempts and miscarriages they decide it isn’t to be. But a surprising turn of events Eve finds that she is pregnant, and they have a baby girl called Kayla. When Kayla is three months old Eve has a near accident with Kayla, Eve decides that she is not fit to be a mother and leaves Kayla and Aiden.
Two years later after getting help Eve comes back and visits Aiden and tells him that she wants to be part of Kayla’s life. But things are not straightforward. Aiden has now moved on and has a new woman in his life Nicole Richardson and which, Kayla calls her mummy. Aiden is against Eve seeing Kylab but Nicole instead of hating Eve she tries to get them back civil to each other and help her getting access to Kyla.
The story goes back and forth in time, revealing the time before Eve’s disappearance and what happened to Eve that affected her so much that it resulted in her getting Post Natal depression and why she did what she did.
Thank you, Canelo, in a copy of the mother’s secret by Kathryn croft. This is another great story from the author full of tension and quite emotional. Showing how one-woman copes with the trauma not only from her miscarriages but dealing with post-natal depression and doing ones what she thought was best for her child. This is quite a slow burning story at first but, as It revealed itself I couldn’t stop reading. 4 stars from me.

in my eyes Kathryn Croft can do no wrong, and this book utterly validates that, I was GRIPPED from the get-go!

Eve, a tutor, estranged from husband Aiden after walking out on him and their greatly anticipated 3 month old baby, Kayla,, 2 years previously, finds herself both craving a way back into Kayla's life, and feeling an intense paranoia that someone has been in her home with malicious intent. Eve makes advances towards Kayla, but OH MY chaos descends!!

From the outset it is. clear that the circumstances around her departure is related to a secret that is more than the postnatal depression that her nearest and dearest believe. However it is only when we really get into the book that the full story behind Eves shocking departure is revealed - and what a story it is!!

I absolutely want to avoid providing spoilers so I will just say read this book, it is SO good! If you like a good psychological thriller, this is it!!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I have read many books from this author but this one is my least favourite even though it was well written but it just didn't 'grab' me.

I did carry on and read it but it was a bit of a toil for me personally.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

The writing style didn’t keep me very invested in the story, and the dialogue never felt natural. Especially with Maya constantly calling Eve “Miss”. There were some very intriguing moments and I HAD to know the ending, but it was a struggle to get there. None of the characters where believable or likeable. Mainly just whiny.

When most women become pregnant and have a new baby, it can be a very stressful time in their life. This book is absolutely stunning, in the beginning of it I was very upset with Eve. Then once I got into the story more, I understood it, a bit more. This was a very fast paced book, which I enjoy, but the ending will shock you. This book I will be recommending to many people this summer. This book will keep people engrossed and consumed.

This was my first book by Croft I absolutely loved it. I felt for all thr characters in the book. But u must says should come with some trigger warnings about rape and abortion in it. Otherwise it was a great book.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Canelo and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Suspenseful, gripping, thrilling and exciting to the end.

Eva and her husband have been trying for a baby for years and eventually have Kayla. But why after waiting all this time for a baby does Eve leave them. The story moves between past and present and we learn why Eve had to leave. When she finally wants to see her daughter she finds her husband has moved on with another woman who is now living in the family home and caring for Kayla. As the story moves on we discover the reason Eve left her family. A shocking ending to a very good book which i enjoyed very much

Kathryn Croft has a way to create tension from thin air - her thrillers are always gripping and exciting and this one is no exception. Dark, pacey and full of secrets, this story jumps between timelines, waiting until the right moment to reveal one more secret. I enjoyed the story, but for me there was quite a bit left unsaid and not explained at the end that left me feeling a little confused and unsatisfied.

Eve wanted nothing more than to be a mother. She and her husband, Aidan, planned to have a family, but with each devastating miscarriage her hopes dwindled. When she eventually gave birth to her daughter, Kayla, it should have been the happiest time of her life. Instead, it was a waking nightmare for Eve, and one she was desperate to escape. Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Compulsive, gripping and horrifying!

I’ve never been so excited to read and review an ARC from Netgalley! When I saw the cover and description of this book, I knew it was right up my alley, and it made my day when I was approved.

This book had me hooked from the first page. Although I have never been through the events that Eve has experienced, her character was so relatable, which made me love her as the sole narrator.

The book was written in two timelines — “Before” and “Now”. Storytelling in nonlinear timelines has to be done in a way that is organized and makes sense to the reader. There are often times when I dislike nonlinear timelines because I feel as though the past events take away from the good parts of the story. However, Croft’s ability to tell this story in both timelines elevated the story, rather than taking away from it. I didn’t even prefer one timeline over the other — both were intriguing and important to the story.

(Spoilers ahead!)

I was so close to giving this book 5 stars… the only thing that stood in my way is that I was left with unanswered questions, which can be discouraging, especially with thrillers. After finishing the book, I am still left wondering who was blackmailing Eve through email. I am assuming that it was Alex, but it was never confirmed.

My other question is… who’s POV is the epilogue written in? I can see it being written from either Aiden or Jamie’s POV, but it was confusing for me that the entire book was written from Eve’s POV, except for the epilogue.

I absolutely loved this book but I feel like I am missing something because of those two reasons.

Regardless, I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a chilling thriller about motherhood.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
It starts out with a couple that want a baby so much they keep trying IVF and it’s just not working. They finally have a baby but Eve the mother can’t seem to connect to her baby and feels she just might hurt her so she runs away for the baby’s safety. She still isn’t divorced but finds her husband living with a woman and the little girl calls her mommy. It starts out the husband doesn’t want her seeing the child and it goes pretty crazy from there on. There are secrets and more secrets !
This book is very entertaining and a wild ride. I would highly recommend it.

Floofin' Fluffin' Puffin Stuffin'! 😳😯😳😯😯

Whoa, double whoa! Holy Cannoli! I can't even... what did I just devour?! That was an insane ride that kept on delivering hits! The endless twists & turns and deceit in this novel were abundant as I've ever read. I will admit I had no idea about the ending and even when I suspected, it definitely was NOTHING like I expected. I was thoroughly impressed with the execution of this psychological thriller! Craft knows how to gas light with this novel she wrote.
Eve and Aiden had been trying consistently to have a child of their own, yet hope dwindling after every miscarriage. Finally a glimmer of hope when Eve falls pregnant and they end up with a baby girl, Kayla. It should have been the happiest and best time of Eve's life. Unfortunately it was anything but. One evening she ups and leaves without a trace - never to speak about her child she had. Two years later she needs to be part of Kayla's life again - because someone knows her secret and it could be a matter of life and death.
Absolutely a thriller of a novel with suspense and endless questions and doubts. The ending was definitely satisfying and well executed! I'm still gobsmacked by some of the revelations. You won't see it coming! Sensational delivery!

Thank you to NetGalley & Canelo for this DARC.
Release Date: May 12, 2022

I give this a strong 4 / 5 Bouquets! 💐