I was intrigued by the synopsis and looked forward to reading it. Unfortunately the book didn't like up to its promise. Not really a thriller as such, more of an emotional drama/soap opera style episode. None of the characters were particularly likeable. Mel certainly wasn't very bright and I could feel myself getting very annoyed with her. A lot of repetition and padding which would have been better thnned out pacing the book much faster. A predictable ending and all a bit "gushy gushy aren't babies wonderful" which was a bit hard to take.

The Perfect Mother is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the very beginning. Mel is pregnant and essentially has to pick up her life and change everything from her career as a doula to moving to a new town to pulling her daughter out of preschool due to being scared for her life. All because of a woman named Alice and the hate she spread after a home birth went wrong and ended the worst way.

While I felt for Alice and what she went through, Mel didn’t deserve all of the hate she received nor the threats. I struggled to understand why Mel was so willing to forgive as easily as she contemplated. I really enjoyed her character and felt like I was immersed in the story with her feelings.

The twist at the end was not entirely unexpected in that I figured something similar would happen but I wasn’t expecting the entirety of it. I look forward to reading more from Claire Allan.

The premise of the book intrigued me, and based on the synopsis, I was expecting a psychological thriller. While there is quite a bit of manipulation toward Mel, with everyone treating her like a child (and yes, she’s definitely not the brightest), unfortunately, it ended up feeling more like an emotional drama than the thrilling experience I had hoped for.

One of the biggest drawbacks was the lack of engaging or likable characters, which made it hard to stay invested in the story. The pacing felt sluggish at first, with little happening, and then the ending arrived too abruptly, leaving me struggling to process what was happening. To make matters worse, the conclusion was predictable.

Additionally, the repetitive nature of the narrative added little value and seemed like an attempt to pad out the book’s length, ultimately detracting from the overall experience.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.💐

This was fast paced thriller that I could not put down. Mel is married with a young daughter who develops an interest in "hypobirthing" techniques into a thriving doula career until a birth she attends goes horribly wrong and the baby dies. After the death, the distraught mother, Alice, launches a vicious smear campaign against Mel with social media making her a pariah in her own town. As the abuse escalates, Mel finds herself pregnant again and worried that someone will stop at nothing to hurt her and her family. Even moving hours away does nothing to end the onslaught on harassment but who can Mel trust. Alice has told all is forgiven, but is it? Is the new neighbor just a little bit off? Could her husband be trying to scare her into a move to Australia?? The stunning climax is not one to miss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Mel & Ed's friends, Alice & Thomas are expecting their first child and Alice wants to have a natural home birth delivery for their son. Thomas is sceptical but agrees to let Alice do this. Alice has asked Mel to be her support as a Douala and Mel is adamant that they need to know that she is not a midwife and if something goes wrong she would not be able to help them. She is only a Douala and can provide support. They agree to proceed and when Alice goes into labour things are going well until they are not and Alice & Thomas and Mel are absolutely devastated when baby Jacob doesn't make it. Mel tries to reach out and support them but they shut her out and blame her for the loss. They ruin her career, her business and slander her all over town and social media. This causes so much stress and fear in Mel & Ed's life that they decide to move away from all of it. A year later just when things are moving on, creepy things start to happen and someone is out to get Mel and being 8 months pregnant, puts her own baby in danger. I really liked this story, I liked the characters and the author did an amazing job at keeping me entertained and just wanting to read late into the night. Enjoy!!

Mel is a doula who helps women through childbirth. She’s had so many wonderful experiences and is excited to help her clients turned best friends through the birth of their son. When tragedy occurs, Mel’s life begins to spin out of control. A year later, she’s ready to give birth to her and her husband’s son. But things started to spiral once again. Will tragedy strike again? A suspenseful and engaging read!

I read Ask no questions and enjoyed it however this book was a big no for me. The flow of the plot was messy and the ending had too many unanswered questions that it was unsatisfactory.

This was a pretty quick read and a welcome change from the usual romances that I have been reading and of late.

We follow Mel, a doula who picks up her life, changing her career, and is somewhat being threatened. As far as the suspense goes, I was pretty interested early on in the book, making this such an easy read and it allowed me to complete the book in one sitting! I wouldn’t see it was TOO suspenseful, or maybe I’m just not a true sing person, because my walls were raised nearly instantly once Alice was introduced into the plot. I’m not really sure what it was, but there was something off about her and her lack of trust towards those around her was simply raising red flags for me. I did really like Mel! Her predicament was similar woman around the world a feel, hoping and wishing for some support when bringing a life into this world, and she was honestly doing her best for her current circumstances. I truly felt for when it seemed like everything and everyone was out to get her.

I will say that towards the end of the book, the suspense/thrill started too bore me. I checked other reviews after I finished the book to see if anyone joined me in my thoughts, and it seems like I wasn’t the only one that believed things to become repetitive towards the end. I was able to pick up on things a lot easier and it took the fun out of the book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book. I always found the premise of pregnancy and doulas to be intriguing. This was listed as a thriller, but I feel it was less thriller and maybe more general fiction or drama. It is still a great read and it packs a punch with the emotions involved. You can really see both sides clearly. This was a quick read for me and I enjoyed it.

This was my first book my the author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a fast addictive read, perfect for my thriller lovers. It was perfectly surprising, a must for thrillers.

I can't wait to read more my her.

Mel was a doula for Alice . However a tragedy happens forcing Mel and her family to have to move away. Mel still finds she is being targeted but who is targeting her ? Mel is pregnant with a baby boy .

The book is emotional and hooked me in .

The book explores the painful topic of grief and the loss of a baby.

Firstly a big thank you for my early access to read and review .
I love Claire’s writing so was eager to get started on this one.
As I submitted my uni work this week I had some extra reading time .
This is an intriguing suspense tale that will have you feeling haunted and anxious !
Who can be trusted ?
Captivating and fascinating subject and definitely food for thought as to what would you do in that situation .
Incredibly fast paced and thrilling
A fantastic psychological thriller on the nightmare of parenting, grief ,friendships ,fresh start and new beginnings

This is a great psychological thriller that will have you hooked from start to finish. A story of guilt, grief and the complexities of motherhood, this book will have you dropping everything else, not a book that is easy to put down. If you have previously read any of Claire's books then you will know what to expect with this latest one, if not then what are you waiting for - this will not disappoint if you love psychological thrillers.

A book you won't want to put down once you pick it up. Reading this book in one sitting is absolutely possible. If I didn't have work and a family to take care of, I would have sat and finished this book in one sitting for sure. The plot twists had me picking my jaw up off of the floor. This might just be my new favorite psychological thriller.

This was an engaging psychological thriller with a strong emotional core. The tension between the two women kept me hooked, and the eerie, isolated setting added to the suspense. I liked how the story explored themes of grief, obsession, and motherhood, but some parts felt a bit repetitive, and I didn’t find all the twists as shocking as I hoped. Still, it was a fast-paced and entertaining read.

The book was so good it was a little predictable but in the end I didn't see either the twists coming would recommend

I've read and enjoyed several of Allan's previous books, so have become acquainted with her writing style and knew I was in for a wild ride!

I was immediately drawn into the story, the prologue alone had me sold. The pace is fast and frantic, and the twists didn't disappoint.

Allan's characters were three dimensional and entirely credible making the whole experience more engrossing.

The Perfect Mother is an enjoyable and engaging bingeworthy thriller

The Perfect Mother definitely started off as an intriguing premise, but ultimately, it just really wasn't what I had been expecting.
I had expected it to be more of a psychological thriller, but honestly, it turned out to be more of a drama. It wasn't nearly as sinister or as thrilling as I had wanted it to be.
The pacing wasn't the best. It started off as a very slow burn, and then that ending was so rushed.. it was over before I really processed what was happening. The ending was also very predictable.
I am normally a huge fan of this author, but unfortunately, this one was just not for me.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is a Doula?. the definition is specific in that it is not a medically trained person. This book is a brilliant read. I devoured this book and could not put it down... a unique storyline with an ending I wasn't expecting,
I Highly Recommend this book with five stars

Mel is a doula who was hired by Alice to see her through her pregnancy and birth, Mel made sure that Alice was aware of Mel's expectations and also limitation, so when Alice tragically lost her baby boy all fingers pointed to Mel despite what happened not being anything that she had done. Alice and her husband Thomas didn't see it as being other than Mel's fault and went on a disparaging rampage to ruin Mel's business and reputation. As soon I started this book and read that Mel was a doula I really felt for her being caught up in Alice losing her baby, but also I have a wishy washy feeling of not really believing a doula is a good idea to begin with - but that is just my opinion. Mel didn't deserve the treatment she got from Alice but I get that she had to direct her hurt and grief at someone and Mel was supposed to be there to support Alice.

Mel's world was torn form her and discovering she was newly pregnant, she along with her husband Ed and daughter Tilly decide to move to the remote Derry countryside to get a fresh start, only it isn't long before anonymous threats begin to dredge her past back up.

I found this a to be a bit of slow paced book despite what was going on and I did struggle to connect to Mel in some way, that being said she did not deserve the hate and vitriol directed at her and to be honest I had guessed who was behind it all but still seeing it all play out made me keep reading.