This is the story of two women Laura and Rachel. Laura, an an English teacher has had to move with Allen, her husband, as he has secured his dream job as Headmaster at a boarding school. Laura is devastated as she had left her teenage daughter behind. She is living with her best friend and her mother. Laura misses her old life and finds it difficult to settle. She takes a temporary teaching post covering a maternity leave at the boarding school but still feels frustrated. Rachel is a struggling new mum, who is finding it difficult to cope with a new baby who isn’t sleeping and is constantly crying and a husband who is working away. She was the teacher whose job Laura is covering. They meet up and become e good friends. Laura finds herself becoming very uncomfortable with the attentions of one of the older boy pupils who becomes infatuated with her. She confides in Rachel but when a video is discovered her world comes crashing down. This was an emotional story told from both Laura and Rachel’s perspective and how they both fight their demons. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A unforgettable novel that has touched my heart in ways I didn't even know were possible! I cried a bucket load of tears. The complexities involved in the plot is deep and the characterisation is outstanding. A well deserved five stars plus!

Such a fabulous story about two women with differing problems set in a boarding school in an isolated town….gripping and loved the characters and tales of their struggles being women’, felt so real. Always love this author

In the beginning, you don’t know which woman’s story you’re reading about who is at the police station but as a story unfolds, you realize it could be one of two situations, and neither of which are things that could be avoided. Both women end up in tricky situations that anyone honestly could find themselves in. There was a really well written book, but I wouldn’t give it five stars as it didn’t quite hold my attention until the very end

This is a book about love, and female friendships. I was very much emotionally connected to this book. I had a strong dislike for Laura. She really got on my nerves.

This book was slow. I ended up coming back to it a few times and was finally able to finish it. I really thought this book was going to be a thriller and it wasn’t, which is probably why I struggled to finish it.
Thank you NetGalley, Kate and Bookouture for the ARC!

Laura is moving away from her home with her husband Allan who takes a new job as a headmaster at a private school. Laura doesn’t know anyone, and feels alone. She offers her help teaching English; Rachel is out on maternity leave and her temporary replacement left. In Laura’s class is a boy named Ben. He sees her. He pursues her. Rachel, on the other hand, is having trouble dealing with motherhood. With no sleep and her husband away for work, Rachel feels alone and she just wants some time to herself. When bruises show up on her son, she wonders how they got there or was it her fault?

This is a very powerful book. It takes on the difficulties of early motherhood with a newborn baby. How everyone says that it’s hard and there are many sleepless nights, but you don’t actually get it until you experience it. I was lucky enough to have my husband help out a lot with our first child and pretty much take over with the second child. My second son was born during the pandemic and my husband wasn’t working so he took on all the responsibilities while I worked from home.

Laura’s situation was very well handled by the author. There was no sexual abuse here, or sexual encounters but it really touches upon what things look like versus what they actually are. It even brings to light how easy it is to manipulate a situation with video that only shows a small clip and doesn’t depict the whole situation.

I really enjoyed how these two women came together, and even with a hiccup, Laura was still there for Rachel in her time of need.

Brava to Hewitt for a wonderful book.

Every book I have read from this author I have loved from the very beginning till the very end and her latest book and this book was no different. The Mother's Secret by Kate Hewitt was a very powerfully but very emotional book, so be warned you will need lots of tissues.
Kate Hewitt has a way of writing from her heart. Once you open any of her books; you will be taken on an emotional journey that will pulled you heart strings. She is the Queen of emotional stories of families.

This book will not disappoint it was just beautiful from start to finish and the cover was beautiful as well.

I highly recommend this book.....But, don't forget your tissues!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

I enjoy books by this author but this one fell flat. The characters acted without reasonable thought and were not strong in their actions. It was a fair read but not very exciting.

"When the call finally comes, my life as I know it is over—my job as a teacher, my marriage, my family are all gone. In a heartbeat, I’ve lost everything that ever mattered to me. All because of one secret, and what someone thinks she saw…" This sums it up completely and this is why I wanted to read this book.

This is a story about friendship lost, about betrayal and secrets and about how quickly life can change. It is all absorbing and draws you into a world you hope you never have to be in. There are twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages of this book. It will make you cry, it is full of tense and heart-breaking moments.

Well written and the characters are amazing. The story flows sell and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The only other thing to say is WOW!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book about two mothers set at a private boys' boarding school in Maine. Laura has moved because her husband got a job as the headmaster, but she misses her kids and her jobs and is unfulfilled as just the wife. She ends up taking a temporary position filling in for a teacher on maternity leave when something odd happens with a student. Rachel is the teacher on maternity leave with a child that will not stop crying. She also longs for her old life or at least for her husband to come home on the weekends (his work takes him away for weeks at a time) because the stress is overwhelming. Their stories collide. I liked this book fairly well.

What an interesting and hugely thought provoking book. I'm a big fan of Kate's books and how she hooks you in emotionally to her characters and morally grey issues.

This book being a prime example. Two women at different stages of life; one a new mother, the other an empty nester living in a new location. Both are struggling their new identities and their feelings of being invisible as women. I empathised so much with both, and even when they made mistakes I cringed/berated/understood/forgave all in the one breath.

The setting is a boarding school in Northern Maine where Laura’s husband has landed the job of headmaster. A promotion for him, but a downgrade for Laura in most areas of her life. Rachel is on maternity leave from being an English teacher at the school. I loved the isolated setting and the gorgeous scenery descriptions.

This would make an ideal book club read as there is so much to discuss and debate about. I know I'm still thinking about the characters and their choices. Highly recommended.

This was such a beautiful, poignant read. Loved it so so much. Wonderful from start to finish. Love this author and all of her books and this one is just wow!

Well I don’t think I have shouted so much at a character as I did towards Laura 😂, I loved how I could completely see what would happen before Laura did and her stupidity within the situation!

I did feel for Laura though, a bit of a wet wipe of a husband and moving away from her life and having to deal with the work colleagues from hell!

I enjoyed seeing the events from two different perspectives and seeing their different opinions on what should happen. I did also feel for Rachel, new job titles and another wet wipe husband!

This will definitely make you think twice about how you deal with events.

Another complex heartbreaker from Ms Hewitt

I really enjoy Ms Hewitt's books. Well, maybe enjoy isn't the right word! I find them complex, well-plotted, heartbreaking and totally absorbing. The Mother's Secret is no exception. This deserves a place at the top of your to-be-read pile...but make sure you have 1)time to finish it and 2) a big box of tissues!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via Netgalley with no obligations. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This was actually beautifully written told in the perspectives of two women.

Rachel has just become a mother to Nathan and is on maternity leave. She is having problems adjusting to the motherhood and she finds some marks on Nathan's body. Has she done that or someone else is abusing her son particularly at the day care? Meanwhile Laura, who is Rachel's cover up teacher gets into trouble when a student takes a picture of her and Ben, a student together. However, there was no love going between the student and the teacher yet accusations are hurled at Laura which may threaten her family life as well.

Kate's stories are always beautifully written and she does a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The story overall is realistic particularly Rachel's part where she is struggling with motherhood. It is nice to know and read about the two women perspectives and so we will know what each of the character think of each other. It was slightly slow burn but overall, it was actually a heartbreaking and emotional story in general. Laura's part was particularly a little sad to read and I liked how Rachel in the end gets a happy ending.

If you are looking for a bit of drama and a book that is emotional and heartbreaking then this book is one for you--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me a part of the blog tour. This review is based on my honest opinion only.

BI couldn't put down "For The Mother's Secret" by Kate Hewitt. This book had the wow factor from start to finish, and I was completely hooked. It is a belter and if you have been waiting for a read to challenge you, this is it.

The story begins with a life-altering phone call that shatters the protagonist's world. In an instant, her job, marriage, and family are all gone, all because of a secret and what someone claims to have seen. As the accusations pile up, I found myself right there with the main character, wondering how she ended up in this nightmare.

The writing is so gripping that I could practically hear the words "a video" and "blurred figures" echoing in my mind, just like they did for the protagonist. I was desperate to know the truth and see how everything unraveled.

The emotional depth in this book is astounding. I felt the protagonist's pain, confusion, and frustration as she tries to piece together the moments that led to her life falling apart. The author's skill in portraying these emotions is truly remarkable.

As the story progresses, you'll be on the edge of your seat, wondering why someone would do this to the main character, especially after everything they've been through together. The suspense and tension are masterfully crafted, making it impossible to stop reading.

In the end, "For The Mother's Secret" is a five-star read that will keep you hooked until the very last page. Kate Hewitt's storytelling is nothing short of brilliant, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a gripping and emotionally charged tale.

The Mother’s Secret by Late Hewitt is a modern day “thriller,” for lack of a better word. It is the story of two mothers: Laura, who is forty-seven and Rachel, who is under thirty. Laura is the wife of the headmaster of a boarding school, his first such assignment, and Laura is a new mother. Laura gets herself mixed up in the innuendo linked to a seventeen-year-old student who sees she’s as lonely as he is and misinterprets that emotion. Rachel used to be a teacher at the same school but has had a baby. Her husband is a logger so he is gone for weeks at a time in the winter. It’s an all-boys school and all they boys think Ben’s infatuation with the older woman is a hoot. Rachel is alone and overwhelmed. The saving grace for each of them is that they have husbands that love them and stand with them.

Laura is a middle aged woman, an empty nester, and feeling it starkly. There is a half-year opening for an English teacher, the maternity substitute decided against it, and so Laura finds herself back at work, and at the mercy of this boy. She is aware that sometimes students develop crushes, but this seemed to beyond that. She didn’t know what to do. She was so isolated. What a well-written character she was. Her loneliness cried out on the page. Rachel found having a baby overwhelming. She was probably in the throes of postpartum depression, untreated. She was no different than many young women but didn’t know where to go for help. Two amazing portraits of lonely women. There were a plethora of well-meaning “witnesses” to the crimes of both, leading investigations astray when they could have simply helped. Modern day rush to judgement and mass hysteria. Well done.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Mother’s Secret by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #KateHewitt #TheMothersSecret

This is the story of two mothers. One is a new mother with a 6 week old. She is struggling to adapt to love with a newborn, so if that is a trigger for you, this might be the book for you. The other other is the new headmasters wife who struggles to find her place at the new school. Both women had secrets and struggles they were trying to get through. I enjoyed the book and the two stories within one. If you like unique settings (an all boys boarding school in Maine), and relatable characters, you will want to check out this book.

This is a must read!!! Kate Hewlitt’s books really make you think. This is a compelling story about the dynamics of women. As a mother and a teacher I can relate to both Rachel and Laura. Although, I am closer in age to Rachel. I can see how both women made mistakes and how it spiraled out of control.
This book really gets to the heart of what women go through. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.