Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar

Published: August 2, 2022
Random House
Pages: 354
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Helen Monks Takhar worked as a journalist, copywriter, and magazine editor, having graduated from Cambridge in 1997. She began her career writing for financial trade newspapers in 1999 before contributing to UK national newspapers, including The Times and The Observer. Born in Southport, Merseyside, in 1976, she lives in North London with her husband and two daughters.

“Magis et Magis.”

Rose has not always lived a healthy and safe life. Her father was a talented con artist who wouldn’t hesitate to make his daughter participate in a con if it meant succeeding. Now, as an adult, Rose wants her young son to have every opportunity life offers. So when the chance to enroll him in a prestigious school occurs, Rose doesn’t hesitate. She also doesn’t realize she may not survive meeting the other hardworking mothers.

HOLY BUCKETS. This was intense. I devoured this novel in hours. I could not put it down. Just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get more complicated, that did.

I liked Rose. She was a significant lead. I enjoyed how she was presented and how she played the game. Amala was also a great character. She was just as intelligent, determined, hardworking, devoted, and passionate as Rose.

Though, they two seemingly lived in different worlds. I loved the themes in this novel. The concept of privilege and hierarchy that comes along with it. The balance between rich and poor, opportunity and destitution.

The game was set and played by absolute players. As much as I hate women being pitted against each other, the portrayal was accurate and intense. There was a very dramatic “Mean Girls” element to this book.

Fast-paced and full of twists you never expect, the last several chapters will give you whiplash and leave your eyeballs tired from flying along the pages. An excellent thriller about the lengths a mother will go to for the health, happiness, wellbeing, and safety of her child.

Rose, the daughter of a scam artist, lost everything when her father died. Now she and her mostly unemployed husband struggle to make ends meet in a neighborhood turned upscale by the presence of an exclusive school, the Woolf Academy.
Despite her social insecurity and his difficulty fitting in, she applies for her son to attend the Woolf and he is accepted. There are strange goings on here, including a tight group of women called The Circle who run the school, the death of one of them, and their charismatic but suspicious and overbearing leader. Soon Rose is called upon to enter The Circle, but at what price?

Many have really liked this book; I am an outlier. It was well written with twists and turns but it just wasn’t for me. I really had to force myself to stay with the book as I found it tedious. I couldn’t get invested in the story; most of the characters were unlikable and I just didn’t care what happened to any of them. Incidentally, I the saw genre of this book as more of a horror story than a mystery.

Thanks to #Netgally and #RandomHouse for the ARC.

I just finished reading "Such a Good Mother", by Helen Monks Takhar. Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I would describe it as a psychological thriller based on the way the story evolves and changes direction so many times, and especially for the way it ends.

The story is about all mother's desires to give their child, and by extension, their family, the best possible chance to succeed. Sometimes this desire leads women down paths where they compromise their own standards to 'fit in' or be accepted.

Such is the character of Rose, the daughter of a trickster who has to escape her own sketchy past and reinvent herself when she decides to enroll her son in an elite school. What follows is a searing look into how we compromise ourselves to accomplishour goals of a better life. All told to an exageratted story but the point is made nonetheless.

There are some twists which I enjoyed and surprised me...especially the final couple of pages. There is some great storytelling and interesting characters which made me interested to read the entire book. I hated the main culprit which is a result of how she was written.

However, the main character was not my favourite. I really wanted to like her, but some of the things she did just didn't make sense to me. I found her quite unrootable.

Overall, a good book...not my favourite..bet good enough to recommend to readers of this genre

This dark suspense novel focuses on a mother’s relentless pursuit of what she believes is the best for her young son and her own future.

Rose O’Connell is a struggling bank teller, trying to get her son into an elite school, The Woolf, located within her gentrified neighborhood. All major decisions made for The Woolf are controlled by a powerful group of women, known as the Circle. For reasons she can’t explain, Rose’s son is admitted into the school, but struggles to be fully accepted by his peers and teachers. When an opening in the Circle becomes available and Rose is asked to join, she sees this as the chance to make her son’s future even brighter, while silencing her own demons of self-doubt. She focuses solely on being accepted by the Circle, going to whatever lengths necessary to become the person she wants to be…worthy, elite, powerful. But as she is drawn deeper into the Circle, she ends up in a game of cat and mouse, where everything she holds dear is now at stake.

This book certainly has some major twists that I did not anticipate, and the last half of the book was a quick read for me. The author did a fantastic job of portraying Rose as a woman seeking worth and power, while trying to conquer the ghosts of her past. With that being said, I must admit that I was not a huge fan of Rose at all. I struggled with Rose’s character throughout the entire story. Her personality came across as narcissistic, and she justified her decisions regarding Charlie and Pete based solely on what she wanted. She dismissed the unhappiness that both of them expressed to her, without any genuine compassion. I ended up hating Rose, and feeling so bad for her family. The conclusion of the story left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I believe that some readers will enjoy this dark portrayal of the elite, but it wasn't a book that I enjoyed personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for this advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not often that y have just a visceral reaction to a fiction book. I’ve never wanted to smack a main character as badly as I wanted to punch Rose. She is a vile, repugnant creature who has no morals. She wanted to climb the totem pole so she sold out her entire family in the process. My mouth dropped as I kept,reading about the extreme lows she stooped.
I almost came unglued when she expected others to fix the messes she created.
I hated the main character, but the writing was very good. It has to be to evoke such a strong reaction from me.

Good one! This was one of those books that puts you in the character’s shoes and see it from that perspective. There was a lot of intrigue and the storyline was interesting.

I will be recommending this to my followers who are obsessed with thrillers. This will be a good beach read

Compulsively readable dark take on the myth of having it all as a mother. What are you willing to do to make sure your child/your family has everything you want. Everyone has secrets, everyone has a past they want to hide. Just as you think one character is the most horrible, you find something to soften your view. Some people may think these women were horrible to each other (and they were), but if you've even experienced a toxic PTA, you know this hits a little closer to home than fiction often does.

Rose O'Connell is barely surviving. Her relationship with her husband is on the rocks and their son has isn’t fitting in at his new school, the prestigious Woolf Academy. Their tiny flat in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood--the very place Rose grew up as the daughter of an infamous local con artist--can barely contain her family. Rose can’t catch a professional break either, trapped in the same junior bank teller role for years. Life as the only mom in a nametag and uniform at The Woolf’s shiny school gates isn’t easy.

Not so for those in the elite and secretive Circle, a tight-knit group of mothers who rule the school, led by the charismatic and glamorous Amala Kaur. In exchange for supporting The Woolf’s relentless fundraising and public image drives, the women enjoy lucrative business opportunities, special privileges for their children, and the admiration of the entire community.

After the mysterious death of one of The Circle’s members, Rose dares to hope that filling the vacancy could set her family up for success. And when Amala makes the shocking decision to invite Rose into their clique, her fortunes, self-esteem, and status soar. But the deeper Rose gets inside The Circle, the darker the secrets lurking within every perfectly Instagrammable life. Far from being a dream come true, being inside The Circle could prove Rose’s worst nightmare…

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I really wanted to like this book. The storyline didnt compel me to continue reading the book. I found the characters annoying. It did not seem suspenseful and did not hold my attention

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

When I heard Helen Monk Takhar had a new book out, I knew I had to read it! Such a Good Mother was a story of the dark and twisted lengths a mother will go to in order to secure the best life for her child. I found myself racing toward the nail-biting conclusion.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 9 | Atmosphere: 8 | Writing: 6 | Plot: 7 | Intrigue: 7 | Logic: 7 | Enjoyment: 8
Total:

This thriller was beyond anything I expected. Most domestic thrillers can be boring, bordering on funnily detached from the world around them. Such a Good Mother manages to avoid this by being aware of itself, with characters from both poor and rich backgrounds. Instead of leaning too heavily on untrustworthy men, we do the opposite. While there were times I wondered where we were going, and who was going to win, the ending truly floored me and I was pleased with the outcome.

✨Book Review - Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar✨

Rose O’Connell is barely holding on. Her husband has been out of work, she is barely making ends meet with her job at the bank, and her son, Charlie, isn’t doing so well at his new, prestigious school, Woolf Academy. Compared to the other “put together” mothers at the school, Rose is scraping by. That is until the elite and secretive Circle, a group of close-knit moms who rule the school and get all the advantages, notice Rose and asks her to join their ranks when one of their own dies. All in exchange for “support and fundraising attempts.” The deeper Rose gets into this group, the darker the secrets she uncovers. Is this a dream come true or a nightmare?

Being a mother is something else, you want the best for your kids but how far are you willing to go to make it happen? This book reminded me of Big Little Lies because there are just so many secrets and drama and the willingness to do whatever it takes to be on top. The book kept my attention just enough to keep reading because I was curious where all of this was going, but I was annoyed by pretty much all the characters. Sometimes I just wanted to shake them all and yell at them to get over themselves. I just couldn’t find myself rooting for anyone. But, it had suspense and drama and that’s a good combo.

⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Any good and/or decent parent wants the best for his/her own child. After all, this little human is someone you created—a better version (or so you hope) of yourself. No matter what status you are in life, most parents want their children to have the best education and live in the best neighborhoods and have the best options that life has to offer. And Rose O’Connell was that such parent. She wanted her little Charlie to have the best of the best. He deserved to go to the best school and schmooze with the rich, entitled children that lived in their neighborhood. Rose was a bank teller and her husband, Pete, worked in construction. There wasn’t any way their measly salaries could afford the tuition to The Woolfe Academy. But Rose didn’t let a little thing like money stand in her way of getting her son in that prestigious school.

In fact, mothers from far and abroad would kill to get their child into that school. So, imagine Rose’s surprise when she learned of the open house taking place and she was asked to attend. This was the news and moment Rose had been waiting on. Immediately she noticed that there appeared to be two types of mothers at this school. Several women who wore designer clothes and had their noses so far up in the air, they couldn’t see anything below them. And then there was the room Rose was in with mothers that looked more of her caliber that didn’t have much flare or personality. Rose wasn’t anybody’s fool. Knowing that she was going to be out of her element, she brought her sister-in-law, Jacqueline, in tow to help ease her nerves. Even though Jacq knew straight away that something wasn’t quite right with The Woolfe Academy. Hmmm. . .one could argue there’s something in a name, right?

Even though Rose’s spidy senses were tingling strong, she wasn’t going to let that stop her from getting Charlie admitted in. One such mother in a rush grabbed Rose’s arm and tried to warn her that she should leave while the getting was good, but Rose figured this woman must not have had what it took to be a Woolfe Academy mom.

Amala Kaur was the “it” woman! If she selected you to be in the “circle,” you have literally died and gone to heaven. She was the crème de ’la crème and life just didn’t get any better than Amala Kaur. She could make or break your life within The Woolfe Academy. Was it any wonder when the ever beautiful Amala stepped to Rose and moved her to the room where the fancy mothers were chatting it up and rubbing elbows? Rose was stunned and couldn’t believe she had made it to the next level much like the electronic games her son played. This is it! Rose had finally made it. But, you may be wondering to yourself—well, who exactly made it? Where did Charlie, her son and Pete, her husband, fit into the grand scheme of things? Well, you’ll have to read this story to find out.

OMG! I must admit this story was too long for my tastes and a bit slow in the very beginning. At that time, I was leaning toward giving this story three stars, which in fact, when I first listed it on Goodreads, I did. That is, until I continued to read and finish the story, I had a change of heart. Rose O’Connell was such a narcissist it wasn’t even funny. I found the character to behave in ways that just didn’t appear believable to me. She angered me on so many levels, I wanted to Will Smith her face, and that’s when it hit me that this author was pretty brilliant, actually. Whether she intended for the reader to feel as I had or not, the fact that I was able to see this character through and come to some much-needed understanding, was a feat in and of itself.

What I most enjoyed about this story are the many levels you get to see from Rose’s perspective. Not only do you see the levels, but you get to see how those levels play out among the other characters in the book leaving in the reader’s wake a sense of awakening like no other. I found that even though I totally disagreed with many of Rose’s decisions, I realized for this character she had to do what she had to do and when you learn of her background, the pieces of the puzzle will meld together to form quite the picture.

A solid 4.5 stars! Deep, dark & thought-provoking! Not at all what I was expecting. After finishing “Such a Good Mother.” I had to go back & read parts to make sure I hadn’t missed any clues that hinted at the conclusion. Takhar’s evolution of Rose and the subsequent downfall of Amala was unbelievable. Her character development is very well done. Looking forward to her next work!

Rose O’Connell's father was a con artist. She has been living under the shadow of his influence and reputation all her life, but dreams of more. Now working at a bank and married with a child ready to start school, Rose has her eye on The Woolf, an exclusive academy across the road from her apartment. The Woolf is run by Amala Kaur, a charismatic woman who is living the life of luxury and respect that Rose wants, and who might help Rose get it for herself when she is invited to join the exclusive Circle of four mothers who enjoy special privileges in exchange for their tireless efforts on behalf of the school. But Rose finds that "more" comes with a price, and "more" isn't always good; what lengths will she go to in order to give her son a better future? I enjoyed the book, and it definitely held some surprises, but I didn't really like or identify with Rose O'Connell, which (for me) makes it harder to engage with the book. However, one of my biggest issues with Rose throughout most of the book became an "ah-hah" later (I always try to avoid spoilers, so I won't say anything more than that), and for that I give the author kudos.

Imagine you are our protagonist, Rose. Imagine you lived a childhood of neglect, with a father who made a career of scamming people, and a deceased mother you can’t even remember. Imagine sitting home nights while your father is out trying to bilk others, while you eat cold tomato soup and have nobody to talk to. Imagine growing up, becoming an adult, but never truly leaving behind the feelings that come from that life of crime, that life of poverty, that life of rejection.

Rose has a beautiful child, a gorgeous husband, a wonderful sister-in-law … but a mundane job, a hole in her heart where friends should be, and a bank account constantly on the verge of collapse. Living in a shabby apartment, unable to get a job she deserves because she shares her father’s name, Rose is a woman wondering how she can make life better for her son.

Along comes The Woolf Academy, a prestigious and exclusive school that could set her child up with the success she was never allowed to have. The families are all wealthy, seemingly perfect, with glowing and thriving children. In their named homes, with their nannies and AmEx cards and perfect skin/hair/wardrobes, the mothers of Woolf Academy are exactly the opposite of Rose. Despite that, she wants her child to be a part of the society of haves, instead of living in her world of having-not.

Along comes Amala, founder and head of the academy, with her beautiful life and magical way of winning people over. Despite her fear of rejection and knowledge that they can’t afford it, Rose applies for her child to attend school at The Woolf Academy. She thinks she’s completely made a fool of herself, but Amala allows her son entry to the school, and allows Rose entry into a seemingly secret society: The Circle.

This circle of women run the town. Everyone is jealous of them, with their close ties to the effervescent Amala, with their perfect clothes and perfect homes and perfect lives. Somehow, Rose finds herself a member of this group; a member of the popular group for the first time in her life. She has more money, nicer clothes, and her child is getting a top-notch education. Yes she’s had to make some sacrifices, but imagine you were in her situation. Would you do the same?

This book completely blew me away. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to get back to it. I caught hints of writing that reminded me a bit of Bentley Little (one of the highest compliments that I can bestow upon an author). I was completely obsessed by the characters and, as the story unfolded, the premise and plot. Then I got to the ending, and was completely shocked. I 100% didn’t see it coming, and it was perfection. I won’t get into the plot, the twists, the shocks - I’ll just tell you to imagine yourself as Rose, and imagine what you would do in her shoes.

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers with the same tired themes and tropes, and they’ve all been two, three, or possibly four-star books. I gave one recent book five stars, but it was a 4.5 rounded up - I just haven’t read anything in awhile that I really deemed worthy of ALL the stars. This book completely fits my strong criteria for a five-star rating: I won’t stop thinking about it for awhile, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. If you are a mother, it will hit even harder … and hopefully you’ll love it. I’m seeing a huge range of opinions on this book, and I don’t understand the negative ones. This was a solid thriller (that almost veered into horror; those are the Bentley Little vibes I was getting) and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.

(Thank you to Random House Publishing, Helen Monks Takhar, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I am such a sucker for books about despicable rich parents behaving abhorrently so the description was of this sounded right up my alley. I actually enjoy reading about unlikable characters and I don’t think there was a single truly likable character here. That’s not to say the characters weren’t well developed because they were, the author takes an interesting look at mothers who will stoop to low levels for their children and they don’t care who they hurt in the process.

My experience reading this book was odd, I was always definitely interested in seeing where things were headed but I did feel it get a little dragged on at times. By the time I finished I could clearly understand the authors intention though and it all made more sense for me. I really had no idea how things would end and I was surprised which is always nice. Overall I mostly enjoyed this dark and dramatic read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, I was provided an ARC of Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing August 2, 2022****


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A new school year has begun again at Woolf Academy and the first fundraiser at the school is about to begin. When Ginny and the parents enter the grounds of the school near the playground, they are stopped in their tracks, a dead body lays before them. Their first thought is that she fell from above where the cocktails are supposed to be served at the rooftop sensory garden. Was this a murder or was it suicide? Since the death, there is a opening in the group, The Circle, a selected group of moms, where all moms want membership, but only the lucky ones are chosen.

Rose is a new parent at the school. It’s not going well for her son Charlie, but she ignores his unhappiness as she desperately wants him to fit in. When Rose is asked to join the highly coveted group of moms called The Circle, she selfishly accepts as she desperately wants to fit in as well and hopes the experience Charlie is having will change for the better. Will her decision to keep putting her needs over Charlie’s hurt him In the end? How far is she willing to go to satisfy her own needs? What secrets will be revealed? Is it what it’s cracked up to be? A page turner, that will have you shaking your head at times!

I loved this book. Every stressed out mom who needs some extra help will enjoy the tale that Helen Monks Takhar tells in this novel. I felt seen - and appreciated someone thinking through all the options. :-)