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.

I think my main issue with the book is the genre it was listed as. It was listed as mystery/thriller, but there wasn't a lot of mystery. This was an emoptional read showing the impact of traumatic childbirth on parents.

I think Mel was portrayed to harshly unfortunately as I think we were supposed to see heras a bad person, but all I could see was a grieving mother trying to find some answers and I felt sorry for her more than anything else.

The Perfect Mother is one of those reads that hooked me from the very beginning.
A few years back Mel gave up her career as a teacher to become a Doula supporting women when they are giving birth. However when something goes tragically wrong Mel’s business and her reputation are ruined. Her and her husband Ed and four year old daughter Tilly move house over 100 miles from where they lived.
Thinking being away from the area will help them move on things don’t always work out like that and the nightmare for Mel is only going to get worse. Psychological thrillers are one of my absolute favourite genres and this book in my opinion is up there with the best of them. The characters were all excellently described and I loved Tilly. This was a tense and gripping read with plenty of twists and turns that had me gasping out loud at times. The final few chapters I couldn’t read quickly enough and my heart was literally in my mouth at times.

This book had me hooked. I could not put it down. I love how the plot twist takes place until the every end, which had you clueless and guessing through out. My emotions were all over the place just like Mel, I really felt what she was feeling. Stressed and all. It shows that you have to trust your gut instincts and never take anything for granted. I wish there were a few more chapters at the end but all in all highly recommended book.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for the advance copy for an honest review.

Grief can do strange things to a person especially when the loss is tragic.
I thought the torpedo campaign against Mel was horrible and very realistic. However, I thought she was crazy for reaching out to Alice and trying to mend fences.
Sheila was way too obtrusive and snoopy.
I didn’t figure out who was behind the creepy stuff but I knew there had to be a connection.
I thought the idea of emigrating sounded good.
I did want to know what happened to the culprits.

Mel is a doula, hired for one thing, support. When a baby dies due to birthing complications Mel is blamed despite doing nothing wrong. Not only is she being blames by the parents, but she's been kicked out of the birthing community entirely and loses her business.

The Perfect Mother is a well told psychological thriller. It starts off a little slow but picks up at around 40% and speeds forwards until the big reveals. It's a well-crafted story where you really can't trust anyone. You will be questioning and suspecting everyone.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it. If you have trigger warnings surrounding pregnancy and/or infant death then skip this one, otherwise check it out.

Thank you to the author, Claire Allan, and Rachel's Random Resources for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan is a tense and chilling psychological thriller that explores obsession, revenge, and the lengths one woman will go to destroy another’s life. When the protagonist, a passionate supporter of motherhood, becomes entangled with Alice Monroe, their bond soon turns dark after Alice’s dreams are shattered. As the protagonist’s life unravels, she seeks a fresh start in a remote countryside, only to find herself haunted by Alice’s relentless desire for revenge. Filled with suspense and a sense of impending danger, this gripping novel will keep readers hooked until the final page.

I’ve enjoyed many of the author’s thrillers so was looking forward to reading The Perfect Mother. Mel was a doula but after a tragedy involving one of her clients, Alice, she loses her business and reputation and relocates to the Derry countryside with her husband and three year old daughter.
The novel quickly drew me in and I was intrigued by both the characters of Mel and Alice. However I did find the plot moved slowly and much of it was focused on Mel’s emotional world which became quite intense and repetitive. The pace did pick up towards the ending which then became a little rushed. A mixed read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Mel has been hounded out of town. Her business is in tatters, she’s lost everything except her family so they’ve moved with no forwarding address. But the woman who destroyed has found her and Mel feels threatened understandably. Can she cope with another onslaught given she’s 8 months pregnant?

I really felt for Mel. All she wants to do is offer a different kind of support when someone is bringing a new life into the word. Not medical support, more alternative, hypnobirthing. I’m in awe anyone who can give birth without pain relief but my two weren’t small!

I really didn’t trust Alice – maybe I’ve read too many thrillers to not trust the person I expected not to trust. I could be wrong but there were little things that made me uneasy. Maybe it was the way she destroyed the one person who was trying to help her.

Allan has written a tense domestic based thriller with twists and turns aplenty. The emotions she packed in to the story for both Mel’s current predicament and Alice’s grief and hatred. Based on this, Allan’s back catalogue is going on my purchase list asap!

First, I want to thank Claire Allan, Boldwood Books, Rachel’s Random Resources and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

If you are looking for a book that is a combination of psychological thriller and emotional read then you must check out The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan. Oh I knew this was going to be an emotional read just from the cover and the description of the book. However, what I was not expecting was how twisted it was going to be!

Claire automatically tugs on my heartstrings within the first few lines of the prologue. It kept getting better from there.

The Perfect Mother educated me on hyopobirthing and freebirthing as I had never heard never heard these terms or situations before. That aspect of the story was an interesting one.

Tilly pulled on my heart strings as she was an adorable child throughout the book.

This psychological thriller explores the complexities of female relationships and motherhood, delving into the darker side of obsession. With its suspenseful plot and captivating characters, it will appeal to fans of the genre who are drawn to stories that keep them guessing until the very end. The book delves into the intricate dynamics between women, exploring themes of jealousy, betrayal, and the lengths to which some will go to protect their perceived interests. It also examines the challenges and sacrifices of motherhood, highlighting the intense love and fierce protectiveness that can sometimes lead to obsession. Through its exploration of these themes, the book offers a chilling and thought-provoking look at the human psyche, leaving readers to question the fine line between love and obsession.

Mel allows her professional life to become personal when her favorite client becomes a friend too. When she under estimates the risk, the baby dies and Mel faces the consequences by running away. But problems don't go away when you want them to and Mel must face this too. A plot line full of drama where readers must figure out where the next blow will come from.

Mel is married to Ed and they are parents to Tilly, age 3. Mel had been a teacher for some years and after a difficult pregnancy and delivery, she decided to become a doula and embrace hypnobirthing as a way to help mothers manage anxiety and pain during childbirth.

Mel met Alice, a woman in her late 30s who had put off having a child as she and her husband wanted to further their careers. Now she has contacted Mel and wants her to be her doula along with hypnobirthing. In addition, the woman refused any pre-natal care and didn’t want a midwife assisting during her birth. She just wanted Mel. Unfortunately, something went wrong at the last minute and Alice’s son ended up as a stillbirth. Alice began attacking Mel on social media and even tried to get her daughter, Tilly. So, Mel and Ed decided to move. Now, they are working on restoring an old home and Mel is pregnant. When she receives a card from Alice, she is terrified that the crazy woman may mean them harm.

I couldn’t help but think that this book had a bit of a grubby feel to it. Perhaps it’s because the family is living in a crude caravan surrounded by what sounds like lots of mud. As Mel is not a medical professional, I can’t imagine why she would be vilified by social media as being responsible for the death of Alice’s baby. That lies squarely on Alice’s shoulders for her foolish decisions about her pregnancy. I figured out the “bad person” right from the start of the book so it wasn’t a surprise. The story is scary and intense at the end which makes it a good read. Enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My Thoughts on The Perfect Mother

“Alice is becoming increasingly unpredictable. She isn’t stable. And clearly, he is nowhere near done with blaming Mel”.

Before I had finished the prologue, I had questions; my brain had already gone into overdrive.

I wanted to know what had been so bad that people had turned Mel into a pariah. At this point, I was unaware of Alice and what had happened to her; I just knew that if the plot unfolded in the same way throughout the chapters, I was already hooked.

Set in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, the story is told from Mel’s perspective; she is the focus, although there are clearly two threads entwined. As the plot unfolds, however, I start to question whether everything described is genuinely happening or whether Mel is becoming increasingly paranoid and imagining things.

Is she simply overreacting to day-to-day things?

The Perfect Mother won’t be easy for some, especially if they have suffered a similar loss. It’s a challenging subject to tackle, and Claire Allan has handled it with great care.

I would say that this is more of a descriptive novel than some other psychological thrillers I have read recently, which, in some places, meant that the speed of the story dipped. But as it is an account of guilt and grief felt arising from the complexities of birth, it was one that I sped through. The characters were well-developed and believable, meaning I had to continue reading to find out who was behind the malicious attacks and whether my predictions were correct.

For those after a fast-paced thriller, this may not be one for you, and if you are triggered by child loss again, it might cause distress, but for those that would like to read, what I feel is a psychological thriller with a cosy-crime-esque type feel, this could be the perfect weekend read.

Mel has moved across Northern Ireland with husband Ed and daughter Tilly to renovate a rural property and escape harassment from a former friend and doula client, Alice, who blames her for the loss of her baby boy during a home birth.
With her professional reputation in tatters after Alice’s smear campaign and now pregnant herself, Mel doesn’t find the escape she was hoping for as the threats follow her to her new home.
This psychological thriller explores grief and guilt, blame and suspicion. The intense storyline was enough to keep the pages turning, although the ending felt rushed.

Fabulous read, kept me on edge throughout. A really good read, this was another book I couldn't put down and it didnt take me ling to read it at all. There wasn't any slow parts either it was gripping throughout the whole book.

Was a good read, but I hated the fact that Mel had no support from neither her husband nor her parents.

Mel was a school teacher who left her job to become a doula after experiencing her own traumatic birth with her daughter, Tilly. She's had tremendous success and a waiting list a mile long to get her help. When she meets Alice and Thomas, both 38 years old, having their first baby, they become fast friends. But Alice doesn't want a midwife at the birth, which Mel is used to having in case something goes wrong. On top of that, Alice refuses to go for any prenatal check-ups throughout her whole pregnancy, which was bothersome to Mel. But Alice just shushed her. When the baby is 2 weeks past his due date, Mel has a terrible feeling that something is wrong. Alice refuses to hear it. But when she delivers the baby, he's not breathing and she blames Mel.

Alice goes on a rampage to destroy Mel's business by lying and badmouthing her online, in interviews, and wherever she can. When she shows up at Tilly's nursery school asking the 3 year old to come with her for a surprise, her parents have had enough. They decide to leave town and move to Northern Ireland. But Alice finds her there as well. But this time, Mel is 8 months pregnant and they live in an isolated area.

How far will a grieving mother go to make another suffer?

*I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Perfect Mother (kindle Edition) a psychological thriller by Claire Allan was a slow burner but worth the wait for the surprising twist at the end.

Mel has it all a perfect marriage to Ed and lovely daughter Tilly and works as a Doula who practices hypnobirthing to expectant Mothers and is very good at her job.

Mel's life is about to take a downward turn as one Mother is about to ruin Mel's reputation by just one tap on her keyboard.

Poor Mel does not know who to trust anymore including her husband Ed as he would love to emigrate to Australia to be with his sister and her family but Mel can't bear the thought of not being able to see much of her own parents.

3.5 stars

The Perfect Mother follws Mel as she is nearing the end of her second pregnancy. She is a doula who had a birth go horribly wrong and is dealing with the angry mother who has been smearing her online.

The premise is interesting and engaging. The plot moves along somewhat slowly with a large part of what is happening taking place in Mel’s head.

None of the characters were particularly likeable. Though I understood what Mel was grappling with I still found she made questionable decisions and choices. Her husband seemed manipulative rather than the loving husband he was portrayed to be.

There is no true mystery involved because I do think you can figure out quickly who is involved but it is interesting watching how it will unfold.

Overall, if you enjoy thrillers and women’s fiction then you will likely enjoy this story.