I’d like to thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Wrong Mother’ by Charlotte Duckworth in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Faye doesn’t want to reach her forties without being a mother and on the advice of a friend joins Acorns, a co-parenting app for people who want to be parents but without the ties of marriage. Faye is contacted by Louis Horton-Jones who she believes is the one but a year later she’s on the run with baby Jake, arriving in a village where she thinks he won’t be able to find them. She rents a room from Rachel who initially appears kind and concerned for Faye’s well-being but it’s soon apparent that Rachel is keeping secrets of her own.

‘The Wrong Mother’ is a dark and gripping thriller where both female characters are keeping secrets. It’s an edge-of-the-seat type of thriller that I’m unable to stop reading with chapters told alternately by Faye and Rachel, as Faye is fast becoming overwhelmed by caring for baby Jake and Rachel is becoming attached to him. This is an involving thriller, the first I’ve read by this author, that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and hope to read more of her novels.

Faye is desperate to have a baby and become a mother, when she is still single at 39, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She finds an app that promises to match her with suitable males that also want a baby. She thinks she has found her perfect match and then the story unfolds.

Is her match the perfect person to have a baby with and if he is why is she running away.

We go back and forward to find out Faye's story and the story is mind blowing

I received this arc though net galley

4 stars

Just a step too far for me to stretch my credulity. It’s a complex dark tale which I can see a lot of readers enjoying but in this occasion I wasn’t one of them.

This is a writer at the very TOP of her game. How does she do it? Deliver exceptional books year after year. I absolutely flew through The Wrong Mother - was barely able to tear my eyes from my kindle. I even took it on a dog walk because I couldn't bear to be without it. Charlotte Duckworth is a master in character driven suspenseful writing which leaves you wanting more and more. Huge congratulations!

📚📖 Book Review 📖📚

📖 Book - The Wrong Mother
✍️ Author - Charlotte Duckworth
📕 Publisher - Quercus
📆 Publication - 14th Dec

I have read a few books by this Author and I’m yet to be disappointed by Charlotte’s books.

We meet Faye 39, who feels her biological clock is ticking! She registers with an online app, that people can choose who they would like to have a child with. The chapters go back and forth and we are following the story of why Faye has ran away with baby Jake and finds shelter with Rachel, who is renting a room out. When it goes back, we find out what led up to her running away.

The book made me want to keep reading. I needed to know what happened to Faye. She sounds so desperate to escape, what/who??

If you want a fast paced thriller, edge of your seat stuff …… then this is a book for you! Enjoy!

#charlotteduckworth #netgalley #quercus #bookstagramshaz #thewrongmother #thriller #bookeeviews #fastpaced

📚BOOK REVIEW📚

The Wrong Mother by @charduck

Release Date - 14th December 2022

I'd like to thank @netgalley and @quercusbooks for allowing me the opportunity to read this book ahead of release.

It is one twisty physiological thriller that I couldn't get enough of. I was desperate to find out where the story was going next and it really did keep you guessing right to the end.

Faye is desperate to have a baby and become a mother but not only this she really wants the perfect family. So when she is still single at 39, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She finds an app that promises to match her with suitable males that also want a baby. She thinks she has found her perfect match and then the story unfolds.

What unfolds is a really good twisty thriller. It was so intense at times. The story does jump back and forth which adds value to the novel and gives you a clear picture. At times the novel is maybe a little far fetched but does show the lengths people will go to when they are desperate. But It didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel and I would highly recommend it.

#thewrongmother #netgalley #quercusbooks #kindleread #kindlebook #lovetoread #lovereading #booksforlife #twistythriller #twisty #thriller #greatread #goodread

A fairly unsettling read, full of tension and drama but compelling. I suggest this for anyone who enjoys a darker and heavier thriller.

Wow! What a book! I couldn't read it fast enough. The tension and pace were absolute magic! Brilliantly unsettling, with characters so deftly woven that you never quite know who – if anyone – you can trust. Another riveting and powerful psychological thriller from this talented author. Grab yourself a copy!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A fantastic and compelling book, easy to read, with a great plot. One of my favourite reads of the year.

The previous reviews had got my attention but I didn’t enjoy the book overall. It did not engage me and I struggled with the characters and especially Faye’s naivety. There were so many plot holes too.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Faye has seemingly run away from home with her baby. She comes across a room to rent far from London in Norfolk. The room is let by a single woman called Rachel. Rachel seems to be the answer to all of Faye’s worries and she travels to Norfolk to stay with Rachel. The area is also where Faye’s great aunt lived once, so Faye feels a connection with the place. But can Faye stay hidden forever or will her past catch up with her?

This was a really well written and clever plot, merging two storylines in one. We have Faye with her son, and her troubles. And Rachel, and her excessive cleanliness and spiky personality. We read from various timelines so we can see how both Faye and Rachel ended up where they were and how their lives merge. Faye came across as your average woman, who had suffered loss, and Rachel was a perfectly odd character, suited to the story. The chapters were short, and really easy to read, which was perfect. This author used real life taboo issues to the story, which is always a win. Another great read from this author.

This was another fantastic book from this author. It is full of psychological suspense. I was changing constantly about what was happening and who was the good one and who was the bad.

Faye has realised that she is missing her chance of having a baby so she joins a app which is for everyone who was to have a baby. When she meets her perfect match things don’t go as easy as Faye had first thought. One year later she is on the run with her baby and ends up in a cottage with a older lady but is she now in more danger than she was.

Fantastic book I was gobsmacked at the ending definitely be recommending this book and author.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. What a great book, kept me guessing right until the end.

What a fascinating book with a surprise ending. I enjoyed the different characters although not sure I liked any of the males.
Faye was at the same time a vulnerable character and a dangerous one and Rachel only wanted company and friends.
An enjoyable read

Another real page turner from this author. Full of mis direction and packed to the rafters with tension and suspense. A new mother on the run with her new born, An obnoxious landlady with so many secrets and this is only the beginning of a very wild ride. Once I started reading I could not put this book down I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. Yes this book is that good. Another breath taking read from this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Rating: 2.8/5

This latest offering from Charlotte Duckworth has the usual psychological suspense elements that you might expect, but it also has something of a domestic noir feel about it too. "Noir" is a term that seems to get bandied around quite a bit these days, but often inappropriately. In a true piece of noir fiction each and every one of the key protagonists is flawed and the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, are blurred. That is a description that can certainly be applied to "The Wrong Mother".

Piano teacher, Faye Miller, has just about come to the conclusion that becoming a mother is something she is never going to experience. That is until she comes a cross a co-parenting app for people who are keen to have a baby, but who are not in a relationship and do not want to go it alone. Through the app she meets eligible bachelor, Louis, and all seems well with the world. However, things do not work out as Faye hoped and she finds herself running away to Norfolk. But is she simply jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

Whilst it is certainly not flawless, Charlotte Duckworth has delivered another thoroughly entertaining read. The narrative moves along at a good pace and the characters are interesting if flawed - and certainly not always likeable. Some of their actions and decisions are a little hard to believe, so you will need to be prepared to gloss over that aspect in order for the drama to be able to unfold. There are plenty of twists and turns, some that are credible and others that are a touch more contrived. The author does come close to being guilty of pulling rabbits out of the hat, but the writing is sufficiently fun and engaging to allow her to be given the benefit of the doubt. Overall, while this is not the best example of the genre it is still very much a worthwhile read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book hits that rare sweet spot, a clever, twisty plot played out by authentic, compelling characters. Both factors kept me gripped -The Wrong Mother is impossible to put down. I loved both characters, who had real depth and backstories that were slowly revealed, teased out but never in a way that made you feel 'played'. It was more as if they were coming to life, in the same way that people do when you get to know them after a first meeting. Brimming with interesting ideas and gasp moments in the tradition of Lisa Jewell. This book carries you along confidently, expertly and you never doubt you're in the best possible hands. Thanks for a great read!

You always know picking up a Charlotte Duckworth book that you are in for a wild ride..You may think you know what is going on but think again. Always a fun read.

A new mother on the run with her newborn baby. A landlady with plenty of secrets. A rich and power father. What could possibly go wrong? Faye had always wanted to be a mother and when she turns 39 she decides to do something about it. She finds a co-parenting app and meets the perfect man. He is rich, he wants a baby and he likes her. The next thing we know is that she has taken baby Jake and is hiding out in Rachel’s spare room. Rachel feels sorry for her and wants to help her.

Told is dual timelines, we learn what happened before and after Faye runs away. It is not what you would expect and that is what I love about this authors books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on December 14th.

Ten Things I Loved About This Book

1. The setting of a lot of the book in Helston in Norfolk, and how the village was preparing for its annual Bonfire Night celebrations that were known County wide

2. The Characters, from unassuming to loud and voracious, Rachel being my favourite, I cant say why but she was an outstanding person to have in your minds eye when reading a story

3. The use of the word ‘Rambunctious’, always a winner

4. The really stark emotions shown by one character who wants a baby so so much, brilliantly written

5. The story having characters who love the piano, not overly gone on about in the book but when it was it was magical and inspiring

6. The descriptions of the lengths some people will go to to deceive we’re chilling and again so well written

7. The way all the sub stories that had been carefully planted in the readers mind came together to make a powerful conclusion

8. The way the ending wasn’t quite as I had thought right up to the last page

9. The dry humour of Louis at times although he was bad bad man and

10. Finally just the writing and the story which together made a superb read

😎❤️

Charlotte Duckworth is an autobuy author for me, ever since I read The Rival! This book was ace! It hooks you in from the start as Faye is running away with her baby and it pulls you right into the storyline. You meet Louis - who is not who he seems to be - and love and loathe him. Rachel is an interesting and also very odd character and I found myself looking forward to her chapters. So much happens in this book but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment. Absolutely need to read this one if you are a fan of Charlotte's work.