THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An addictive psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedly connected when one of their newborns goes missing.A night out. A few hours of fun. That’s all it was meant to be.They call themselves the May Mothers—a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn’s Prospect … Mothers—a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for some much-needed adult time.
When the women go out for drinks at the hip neighborhood bar, they want a fun break from their daily routine. But on this hot Fourth of July night, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but her fellow May Mothers insisted everything would be fine. Now he is missing. What follows is a heart-pounding race to find Midas, during which secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are destroyed.
Thirteen days. An unexpected twist. The Perfect Mother is a “true page turner.” —B.A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors
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I liked the characters and their individual issues and lives while sharing pregnancy and newborn issues. When a newborn disappears and the Mom is a suspect , her friends come to her support to help find out what really happened. A twisted ending you would never guess. A good read.
I couldn’t put it down. Finished in one afternoon. Characters were full developed and relevant with today’s pressures of being a “ perfect” mother. Shows the fragility striving for perfection when you are overwhelmed with the severe enormity of motherhood. Twists and turns leave you anxious to complete the book.
This was writen from a lot of different voices. I like that at no time did anyone through the main charecter under the bus.
Finally a thriller that really delivers! Stayed up until 2:00 last night finishing this, I just had to know how it ended. It’s amazing that this is a debut novel and that it has already been picked up to be made into a movie, what a wonderful accomplishment for Ms. Molloy.
This novel is told from multiple points of view and I did have a little trouble at times keeping track of who was talking but that was probably just because I was reading too fast! The author also used a technique that worked very well to ratchet up the tension, “someone” was writing about what she was feeling and going through” at the beginning of the chapters, but we don’t know who.
The story is about a handful of first time moms who meet in what they call their “May Mothers” group because they are all due in May. The main characters are Francie, Nell, Collette, Scarlet, Winnie and Token (a well chosen name as he is the token male in the group). They meet twice a week in a park with babies in strollers sharing joyful times, stories of exhaustion seeking advice and assurance from each other. Everything is going along well until, as the blurb will tell you, they decide to have a single night out and during that time one of the newborns is abducted from his home, with the babysitter asleep on the couch when the police arrive. To add to the frustration and anger of the mothers the police seem to make so many mistakes, letting people into the crime scene before taking photos, fingerprints, etc.
The crime becomes a media circus with a particular woman reporter who is out to find the “dirt” on any of the women, and that she does. All of these women are unique, all have secrets and I had absolutely no idea who the abducted baby Midas.
What really hit home for me is the fact that one of my daughters has a 2 and 4 year old and I can remember how flustered and upset she was with her first baby, particularly since she is in another state with no family close by. She turned to the internet which, in my opinion, just made things worse. Whatever worry or problem she had she seemed to be able to find some article that told her multiple ways of solving it. I think new mothers in today’s society are expected to be so much, the “perfect mother” doing everything right, the in-shape wife and most also have careers. I remember my pregnancies and early years with four daughters and I think things are worse now with too much information available on the internet. I remember I had two “baby books” both of which I ended up tossing!
The novel also hits upon sensationalism by the news media. We are all bombarded with it every time we turn on the TV, whether it is political or social, it always seems to be reported in a way that will get more viewers, no matter whom they hurt in the process or whose career they may destroy.
So this novel is a great thriller and a perfect analysis of our times. I would, however, not recommend this book to new mothers as this will just give them more to worry about!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss, thank you.
Great read, kept me guessing till the end!
This is about first time older whiny whiny mothers. One baby is kidnapped. Easy to figure out and no likabke characters.
Man, this book takes you on quite the ride! Lots of plot twists and turns that keep you wondering to the very end. The characters can get confusing from time to time. Multiple storylines going on at the same time. I enjoyed this book.
It’s a best seller for good reason.
This book was good. It held my interest but started to drag on a bit. I enjoyed reading it, though.
Great page turner with characters that draw you into the story of this Brooklyn based mom group. Can’t wait for the movie!
I was disappointed in this book. It is not a bad book, but certainly not the twisted thriller the reviews make it out to be. I found the characters moderately engaging at best. I read the book in its entirety, but I could have put it down at any time. I also found the ending disappointing and unrealistic. There are better reads out there,although it is getting harder to find great books today.
3.5 stars
I know I am going to be in the minority here, because everyone is calling this the next Gone Girl, but I didn’t think it was THAT spectacular. I felt like It was lacking in the suspense department, (for my personal taste,) and moved a little slow. The book wasn’t bad, but didn’t quite live up to the hype
What does it mean to be a “Perfect Mother”? That is the question asked of several women belonging to a new Mom’s group called the May Mothers. There are several people to keep track of and the author did a good job making them distinct. The ending was very good! Not what I was expecting. Good debut novel!
Awesome read!
This was beautifully written. Like poetry. And the character view changed. Each of the characters was a complete person with qualities, courage, flaws, illness, and undergoing changes in their lives. I was absolutely drawn in and stunned by the ending.
I love city life. These were upscale mostly white women but you still get some of that authentic NYC life. The story was pretty good but a little weird at the end. Almost an afterthought. Again took me back to city life and mommy groups and new baby paranoia.
Couldn’t put it down!
Psychological thrillers are not normally my favorite. I’ve heard a lot of buzz about The Perfect Mother so decided to give it a try. Wow! What a fast paced, edge of your seat story! I read the majority in one sitting, page after addictive page! Yes, The Perfect Mother lives up to the buzz!
I felt the story had strong characters, so much truth about new Mother’s. Loved the way hints were thrown throughout the book from unknown woman who is the kidnapper. Cleverly done.
You think you have it figured out,but turn the page&realize you don’t.