A Mother's Secret

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good book about a family that receives a shocking newcomer. Saskia shows up pregnant on the doorstep looking foe her father, Nathan. The result of a summer fling from before his marriage, Nathan had no idea that he had fathered a daughter. The story progresses and everyone in the family finds their new footing with the alteration to their known family dynamic.

A Mother's Secret
by Minna Howard (Goodreads Author)
Colleen Chi-Girl's review on Oct 30, 2022
Bookshelves: 2022, audio, contemporary, england-uk, europe, netgalley, women-centered

I listened to A Mother's Secret on audiobook and I'd like to thank the author, Minna Howard, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. (Although it says that I read the Kindle edition, GoodReads doesn't yet have an "audio edition" choice for this novel.

I really enjoyed the originality of this sweet and heartwarming story. The talented narrator really made the story come alive and it has some good feels to it. We could all use some of that!

The story, set in contemporary England, centers on an older married couple, Verity and her husband, who receive an unusual message from a young woman, Saskia. This happens while the husband is out of the country on a difficult work project. It then gives Verity and Saskia the opportunity to get to know each other. There are other likeable and unlikeable characters who make an appearance or become part of this lovely group of people. The elephant in the room is that a lot of AWFUL things happen to Saskia, which put suspension of disbelief to the test. Go along with it because the story keeps developing and the ride is a sweet one.

The advertising caption about the novel having a secret that could destroy the family might be a bit misleading or overly dramatic, and again, I'd recommend just going with the charm of the story and characters.

A Mother's Secret by Minna Howard is a good contemporary fiction novel. I related much more to Verity than Saskia, but was able to enjoy both of their journeys through this book. I've read a couple reviews that complained about the ending, but I didn't see anything wrong with it; nothing was left unresolved.

I gave A Mother's Secret 4 stars instead of 5 because there were a couple times when I found one character to have the same internal dialogue as another, which was annoying and took me out of the story. Also, I found a couple storylines unnecessary and couple more that were too short and would have been better had they been expanded on throughout the book.

Jilly Bond, usually a great narrator, really helped bring these characters to life.

Thank you to Saga Egmont Audio for providing me with an ALC.

This was such an amazingly easy listen - I didn’t want it to stop.

The story line is nothing complex but it pulled me in. The characters were so well written I became so invested in them and their lives.

I related to so many aspects in a round about way. I would definitely recommend this book. Light hearted family drama at its best.