Charlotte Duckworth has done it yet again with The Wrong Mother. Ms Duckworth has become an automatic read for me, and I simply devoured this latest page-turner.

Faye is thirty-nine, single, and desperate to have a child of her own. Meeting Louis through an app that promises to connect individuals who are interested in co-parenting seems the ideal solution. But a year on, Faye is on the run with newborn Jake and renting a room from the mysterious and unsettling Rachel, an older woman who clearly has some secrets of her own.

This is a compulsively readable tale, full of intrigue and suspense, and I could not turn the pages quickly enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an ARC.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

I thought I had read Charlotte Duckworth before as the name is familiar but according to Goodreads, I've not marked any of her books off as read. Hmm...so maybe not. But I could have sworn... Anyway, this thriller is a little bit of a slow burn to start with but enough to keep you engaged particularly as it was the premise that had me intrigued to begin with.

Faye is 39 and her biological clock is ticking...or so she thinks. All her life she has desperately wanted a baby but she has failed to find the perfect man with which to make that dream become a reality. Until her best friend Jonas suggested she go online to meet someone. Which is exactly what she does, albeit reluctantly. What she finds stuns her. Amidst all the usual dating sites and apps, she comes across "Acorn" - a "mating" app, for those who want to co-parent without becoming romantically involved. Faye thinks this is just perfect. Exactly what what she wants. A baby, without the strings attached.

She is surprisingly inundated with messages from men (and one woman) who wish to have a baby with her. But one stands out from them all. Louis. They arrange to meet and after a few dates it isn't long before Faye feels that the stars have aligned to bring them together. Faye is falling in love with the smooth-talking Louis and she feels sure from the signals she is getting from him that he feels the same. Maybe they will be one of the couples that make it real.

But a year later, Faye's dream has turned into a nightmare. She's on the run from Louis with baby Jake in tow, ditching her damp pokey flat and her beloved piano, in search of somewhere safe to hide. And then she sees an advertisement for a room to rent...

Sixty four year returned teacher old Rachel lives in Helston village in rural Norfolk. She is lonely and has been since her mother died many years before. Which is why she's always taken in lodgers. But for some reason, none of them seem to work out. After her last lodger left under a cloud, Rachel advertises her spare double bedroom for rent once again. And Faye answers the ad under the name Fiona and Rachel assures her that having a newborn baby won't be a problem. Well, it isn't for Rachel but it soon turns out that it is for Faye.

As a new mother with a crying newborn, it seems Faye isn't coping and Rachel wants to help but will Faye let her? And what of Rachel? Is she all that she seems? Or is there something darker lurking beneath the surface? And why won't she let her cat roam outside? And what of the overgrown backyard with tendrils creeping under the door and into the house? And Faye? What exactly is she running from? Was Louis abusive? Are her and baby Jake in danger? And amidst all of this is she suffering post natal depression?

There are so many questions to this thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the end. It was an engaging tale with some surprising twists (and some not so surprising) but an entertaining read all the same. I loved the village setting and along with the giant bonfire and Guy being constructed on the village green gave an air of Midsomer about it, making it very atmospheric.

There are some chilling aspects to this story that will resound with great big warning bells going off letting you know that something definitely is not right with these two women...but figuring out what is half the fun!

THE WRONG MOTHER is written in a dual timeline format rewinding back to a year before as Faye embarks on her journey to become a mother to the present day where she is on the run and meets Rachel. The story unfolds through Faye and Rachel's narratives lending something of an interesting curve to the story. It is cleverly crafted and I quite enjoyed it with plenty of twists and tension to keep you guessing and turning the pages.

Overall, THE WRONG MOTHER is an entertaining and somewhat chilling read that is page-turning, twisty and fast paced.

I would like to thank #CharlotteDuckworth, #NetGalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #TheWrongMother in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.