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BOOK INFO
Title: The Perfect Mother
Author: Aimee Molloy
Publisher: Harper
Publish Date: May 1, 2018
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Series: na
My Rating: 4/5
BOOK BLURB
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 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.

MY REVIEW
The May Mothers are a mommy group. They all gave birth in the same month, and now get together to share the joys and fears of being new moms. The group normally meets at the park with their babies, but they decide to go out for drinks one night. One of the mothers, a single mom, is hesitant to leave her little one with a babysitter. The others convince her everything will be fine, but she returns home to find her baby has been abducted. As the new moms fall under suspicion for their night out, relationships are tested.
A relevant topic of a group of new moms that meet on the internet and start a mom group to form friendships, receive advice and support, and get out of the house for a while. Being a new mom is stressful, and moms tend to question and compare themselves, and their kids, to others. The Perfect Mother does a good job of illustrating the pressures we put on ourselves for the unattainable role of perfect mother.
Not all of the members of the May Mothers are central to the plot. The characters, whether they are more fleshed out or not, are all relatable. Nell, Francie, and Collette, are especially well-developed. Sometimes stories with multiple characters can get a little confusing, but the characters are easy to keep up with in this one.
The Perfect Mother is a gripping psychological thriller. Great read for fans of domestic thrillers, especially ones with missing children. Disturbing, complex, and suspenseful.
Books by Aimee Molloy:
- The Perfect Mother
- Goodnight Beautiful