Her daughter died. Did she take mine?

This is the opening line for the synopsis of 'Two Mothers' by new-to-me author, Kathryn Croft. This line immediately grabbed me and had me ensnared until the end!

Told in dual perspectives, the novel is set in modern UK and follows the lives of Holly and Rachel, two best friends. Holly is a first-time mother of a toddler (Luna), a devoted wife, and a journalist, juggling to make it all work. Rachel is also a mother, wife, and employed as a teacher, but one year ago, her life changed irrevocably for the worst - her 2-year-old daughter Evie died after she was hit by a car. This, coupled with a troubled marriage, has her struggling at work and home and has also changed her relationship with her son and Holly. One of the few things that brings her joy is spending time with Luna. Then the unthinkable happens. Someone has kidnapped Luna. When she is finally found, Rachel disappears a few days later, leading people to believe that she was the kidnapper. Readers follow Holly as she investigates, learning devastating truths along the way.

I really enjoyed the mystery inherent in this book's plot. There were a lot of little twists and turns and they ensured that I was never bored - I was definitely invested in finding out what happened to Rachel! So I appreciated Croft's ability to draw me in, her writing flowed well and created the right kind of tension. I also liked that I did not get the 'whodunit' correct! Yes, I love it when a mystery novel manages to catch me off-guard, and I was not disappointed here.

The only reason I was not able to give this 5 stars was because I found the conclusion to be a bit unsatisfactory. I would have preferred a happier ending for everyone (including everyone getting their just comeuppance!) but there was a loose end or two that I did not like. However, this is just more of a personal preference.

All in all, 'Two Mothers' is a pretty good mystery novel and one I would recommend for a quick read.

*A great many thanks to Bookouture, Kathryn Croft, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

You think you have figured it out, you have perfectly singled the suspects, you even got the motives lined up and then HA-HA not one of those characters is the suspect!

For me this makes a good thriller, it keeps you guessing until the end.

Holly and Rachel are both great characters - in some situations though I wished they just talked to each other! a lot could have been avoided.

Thank you Netgalley!

Two Mothers was an amazing book. There is so many things that are happening at once that eventually tie in together. It deals with struggling friendships and relationships, and shows a mother will do what she can for her children. It is an incredible read that kept me intrigued, I did not want to put the book down. It's a story about hard times and loss that have you sympathizing with almost every character. If you have the chance give it a read 10/10.

Two Mothers was intriguing and kept me pulled in. Overall I enjoyed this book and found myself questioning motives and reconsidering things throughout.

This is my second book from this author and I enjoyed this one the most.

I felt things mostly wrapped up well but did have some frustration with one loose end.

Thank you to Kathryn Croft, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book and though overall it was a solid, quick and easy thriller from start to finish. The characters weren't deeply developed. I had wanted to know a little bit more about Holly and Rachel's friendship vs how they separated due to the circumstances surrounding them, but the dual perspectives told from the POV of Rachel in the past and Holly in the present was interesting. I found the ending to be satisfying and there were several twists throughout the book, some that surprised me and some that didn't. I think it's a good book for those looking for a quick and effortless read. This book publishes July 5, 2024.

Couldn’t put this book down! Fast paced , gripping and really liked majority of the characters! Lots of twists and turns! Highly recommend

This is great read. The characters were engaging and I couldn't put the book down. I would recommend this book for a book club or a friend.

I quite enjoyed reading this book whilst by the poolside on holiday. Although I found it enjoyable, I don't think this story was particularly anything special, and the plot seemed a little rushed towards the end. Despite this, it served a purpose for a lighthearted holiday read.

Wow just wow what a great story line, I really did think it was something to do with R or D ( not giving anything away for other readers)

I was hooked from the beginning can’t wait to read more from this author

I haven’t read a thriller in a while and I was looking forward to a fast paced book to dig into.
And that’s exactly what I got. Twists and turns in every chapter and always at the end which made me continue reading.
The dual perspective came together nicely. There was no confusion.
The topics this book covered hit close to home since I’m going through something similar yet it was handled in a way that didn’t “trigger” yet still punched your gut like a good thriller does.
All in all I enjoyed this and would recommend to someone who wants a quick, easy thriller.
The only reason for my deduction of a star was; “you must know” was used far too often. Usually by the same person. Maybe it’s my autism picking up on a detail like that; but for some reason it bothered me.

Another excellent book from Kathryn Croft, who is a very good author. Two nice female characters in Rachel and Holly, who are best friends. Both go through very emotional times but are there for each other. This book is a real page turner with lots of surprising twists, which i wasn't expecting. I recommend this book highly and look forward to this authors next book.

3.5 ⭐️

The tagline was not lying; this was definitely unputdownable 😅

The writing was so accessible and I flew through it. The characters were all thoughtfully fleshed out and the twist was actually very interesting!

I don’t feel like, as a reader, I got a lot of closure from the ending; but this was definitely a solidly great thriller.

What a fantastic read. I love Kathryn Crofts books

I could not put it down. Super fab book. Will recommend to others

Thank you for the opportunity to review

A year ago Rachel’s young daughter dies in a tragic accident. As she grieves her husband makes things even harder for her. Rachel’s best friend,Holly, finds her own daughter kidnapped. Holly questions who took her daughter. Secrets come to light and of course they have consequences. These characters were well developed and the pace was quick. I stayed up late needing to finish this book!

Mothers + toddlers + Brits + grief + sketchy husbands + sneaky teens

I wanted to like this more than I did. It was an entertaining read and I was motivated to keep picking it up to see what happened, but it just felt a little too surface-level for me.

For one thing, I wanted to understand more about Rachel + Holly's friendship. So much of the focus was on how they'd drifted due to all the circumstances, so it was hard to connect with why they were friends in the first place. Similarly, I wanted to better understand the other relationships in the story, which I won't mention here due to spoilers.

Along the same lines, the twist was unexpected but also lacked a punch for me because of the lack of connection I had to that character.

All in all, though, it was an entertaining little thriller that I certainly wouldn't tell anyone to avoid - just don't expect too much.

Holly and Rachel are best friends, their daughters, Luna and Evie are also friends. After Rachel’s daughter, Evie, dies in a tragic accident, Holly sees less and less of her friend.

When Luna is taken from her home, Rachel tries to help in the search for Luna. And then Rachel disappears. Did she take Luna? Being an investigative journalist, Holly is determined to find out what’s gone on.

Wow! What a story this is, I was emotionally gripped to the tale from the very start.

The story is told over different time lines and from the point of view of Holly and Rachel.

The tale is weaved well, with a lot of twists to keep you in suspense. This was a story that I just couldn’t put down.

The characters were believable and I couldn’t help but have compassion for some of them. The ending was unexpected but superb.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Two best friends who are mothers. Rachel is still grieving the tragic loss of her daughter, Evie, while also trying to keep her family together and happy. Holly's daughter Luna is the light of her life. But then Luna goes missing in the middle of the night. Holly starts wondering if Rachel took her, she has tried keeping Rachel at a distance since the death of Evie... then Rachel goes missing too.

The story is told from the POV of Rachel in the past and Holly in the present. They are both keeping secrets from each other and their husbands. It's a fast paced read as the chapters jump back and forth with little cliffhangers to keep you reading. I didn't expect the twist at the end, probably because I was thinking one person did it the whole time. Overall, a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing.

Finished this late last night. So many twists at then end it was just brilliant. It tells the story of two mums whose daughters and themselves are best friends. When one of the daughters is killed in a tragic accident their friendship alters slightly. Then when the other mums daughter also goes missing the grieving mum soon becomes a suspect by some.
There is so much going on with the characters in this book you will not want to put it down. Can't wait to read the next book from this author.

I LOVED this book. I never felt like it was slow. My jaw went to the floor several times. This was an unpredictable ending and it was amazing!!!

Definitely a page turner! Man the narcissism in this book from Damien really aggravated me and his mother too, geez! Did not expect any of this at all, i would have loved to know what ended up happening to Damien and Logan.