A suspenseful page-turner, A Good Enough Mother is the first book I have read from this author. I hope to read more books in the future.

What a pleasant surprise. I did not see this one coming This was an incredibly heartfelt, moving novel. It could kind of be seen as a thriller, but it's much more than that. Hard to categorize.

The main character, Ruth, is a therapist. And they use a different kind of therapy that has to do with transference and countertransference, which is apparently different than cognitive behavioral therapy. Although it is fiction, I learned quite a lot about this type of therapy and how it could possibly apply to my life. It really kind of opened up my mind to look at the ways I am feeling and why I am feeling them, basically learning to be more mindful, and less "in my head."

The timeline is not really linear. The story kind of meanders from the story present to events in the past. It was a little confusing at times on the chronology of events, but that really doesn't matter to the overall story. At times there are parts that did not seem to necessarily fit ... Sections of the writing that make it seem like maybe parts were cut out but they didn't get it all and some remains. I read the ARC so I can't quote those parts, but hopefully they've been taken care of in the final published version.

As I read, I kept thinking that there were a bunch of unnecessary info dumps. But now that I've read the full story, I think that perhaps all the information you get is really necessary to draw a full picture and come to the conclusion of the book. And they might be "dumped," but they fit the feel of the novel, the character's voice/way of thinking.

This book is very emotional and raw. It deals with a lot of hard topics. For me, especially the trauma surrounding having twins, raising twins with the partner who is not really there, and/or as a single parent. And then there is the dynamic of the mother-child relationship. And it goes both ways whether you are the mother or the child. Child neglect. Being estranged from a parent/parents. Confronting some of that stuff in the past. That's hard. And this book kind of brings a lot of that hard-to-deal-with stuff to light. Some readers may need to be cognizant of those kinds of things before delving in ... Make sure you have the emotional bandwidth for that material.

This was a nice little gem of a thriller in which a therapist, Ruth, who is used to giving life-changing advice fails to follow her own commands. I loved how everything Ruth said to peers she was supervising came back to bite her when she did exactly all the wrong things with one of her clients. There was a lot of symbolism in this and I’m sure I didn’t catch everything, but it worked and made for an intelligent, fast-paced read.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I think my issue with A Good Enough Mother is that I expected more of a thriller than a psychological exploration. While I enjoyed this one, I think my mindset going in influenced my expectations negatively because I was really in the mood for a good thrill.

This is a beautifully written, richly emotional novel. When I went to see what other books Ms. Thomas has written I realized that this is her debut, which is astounding. I don't think the description of this novel does it justice and seems to make the reader think it will be an earth shattering, "heart pounding" type of psychological thriller which is not, but it doesn't need to be as it's perfect the way it is.

The angst and emotion Ruth Hartland has bottled up inside while in her daily working life as a therapist, comes out on display fully when she is home alone with just her computer and a glass of wine for company. It's heartbreaking and maddening to see how she jeopardizes her family relationships and her professional life as she deals with her own feelings and grief over the disappearance of her son.

Ruth is a gifted psychotherapist, dealing with personal grief over her missing son, Tom. She often questions her relationship to him as he grew up and wonders if she was "good enough." When a patient who looks exactly like Tom appears in her office, the plot takes an interesting twist and Ruth nearly drowns in a sea of emotion. Fascinating read.

I feel like this was more a domestic fiction than a thriller. Things happened that were heightened emotionally but it didn't hit the "thriller" mark for me. That said, it was enjoyable enough despite not being what I expected. Lots of weird boundaries being crossed that almost puts one off therapy!

This story touches us all in that one spot where we empathize with people who we shouldn't. For whatever reason, our own sense of what is right and wrong is suspended when dealing with that person one on one. Bev Thomas has given us the story of Ruth. A mother who has lost her son but does not know why or if he will come back. She is also a psychiatrist, charged with helping those who are lost. When her new patient seems to remind her of her son, she suspends everything she knows as a professional to develop a personal relationship with him. There are several unique twists that take the story in some very unexpected directions and some clues that will have you shouting at your book in frustration! While not a true "thriller", this is a very emotional ride through a story that would make all the reality shows go MMMMMMMM.

Ruth is a therapist for those coping with trauma, sometimes physical, sometimes emotional and sometimes both. The practice where Ruth works has a very specific therapy model that is used for every client. At work, Ruth is the model of professionalism, the head of her department. At home everything is falling apart. Unable to find closure to her own family trauma, Ruth’s marriage has crumbled. She spends hours with a glass of wine scouring the internet for information about her missing son Tom and connecting with others who have missing relatives. When a troubled young man named Dan enters her therapy room, Ruth is struck by how much he resembles Tom. As grieving mother and caring therapist intersect, professional boundaries are crossed and begin to affect the client-therapist relationship in ways Ruth would never have imagined.
A Good Enough Mother is a strong debut from author Bev Thomas who worked for years as a clinical psychologist. The novel is a quiet thriller will little action. Much of the story takes place within therapy sessions, just two people talking. Flashbacks provide insight into Tom’s troubles in childhood, long before his disappearance. Can Ruth find closure to her own psychological wounds or will her personal crisis affect those who depend on her the most?

A twisty thriller a peek into the world of patient and therapist. So well written so multilayered.A new author to follow. kept me reading late into the night.#netgalley #penguinviking

A Good Enough Mother is a twisty, clever novel, which started off a little slow, but kept me engaged until the end. Te character of Ruth is interesting and well developed and the premise of the story is well executed. Recommended!

Bev Thomas's psychological thriller, "A Good Enough Mother", tells the story of skilled psychotherapist Ruth Hartland, whose failure to seek healing that she desperately needs, leads to disaster.

Why does Ruth need help? Her beloved son Tom, who has never fit in, disappeared a year and a half before the story opens. Now, a new patient becomes the trigger for Ruth's life spiraling out of control.

Though I am not a fan of psychological mysteries, sympathy for Ruth kept me glued to the pages.

Great engaging read with likable characters. This is a book where it took me a bit to get going, but I really enjoyed it. .

3.5 I love the cover of Bev Thomas's debut novel A Good Enough Mother. There's so much suggestion in those tulips....

Thomas herself was a clinical psychologist for many years. She has taken that expertise and parlayed it into the story of Ruth Hartland - a psychotherapist also with many years experience. Ruth's son Tom has been missing for over two years. A young patient named Dan is assigned to Ruth at the clinic she works at. He bears more than a passing resemblance to Tom - and this fact clouds Ruth's judgement. She makes some decisions that affect many lives, including her own.

The book is told from Ruth's point of view. The events have happened and are slowly relayed to the reader. Thomas throws in lots of foreshadowing that keeps the reader guessing as to the outcome.

A Good Enough Mother is a slow burn, exploring relationships of many kinds. Mother and child. The parenting of Ruth's son Tom and daughter Carolyn is very different. I found Ruth's determined push to make Tom 'fit in' very uncomfortable. Even though she is a therapist, Ruth can't seem to take the advice she would give a client. Her marriage also falls victim to this push.

Ruth works in a specific type of clinic and there is much detail given on 'the work', as the therapy is referred to. Interesting as it was in the beginning, I began to feel a bit bogged down as the book progressed. But I did wonder about a therapist's own life. How do they keep the two separate? What did fascinate me was the back and forth between Ruth and Dan during the sessions. There is danger there, but Ruth seems unable or unwilling to see it.

"There was nothing to hint at his capacity for violence. Nothing at all to suggest what he was capable of. It took awhile to understand that the question wasn't Why didn't I see it coming? but Why didn't I move out of the way?

Those looking for an intricate puzzle and mix of family dynamics and psychotherapy will find it in A Good Enough Mother. I do think the suspense/thriller tag the publisher has used in their description of the book is a bit of a stretch. But Thomas is a talented wordsmith - I will be curious to see what she pens next.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

This book intrigued me, that's for sure. It's about a psychotherapist whose son is missing. She takes on a patient who looks exactly like her missing son. Soon, her personal feelings cloud her judgement and she makes some unprofessional choices.

good debut novel from the author, and i'd definitely check out others by her.

This was a quick intense read, which was written well, but not my favorite, because it was a bit slow paced or something, compared to my favorites. The character was developed well, and I had to know exactly what was going to happen, so I thought that it had some pretty good aspects, but I did miss some of the thrills and chills the more disturbing books have. Overall, a solid 4 star read, which I think most that love the domestic drama genre will enjoy!
Will use in a challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub’

A Good Enough Mother is a painfully slow book that I just could not get into. The storyline seemed interesting, I just don't think it was pulled off well.

I loved the cover of this book! I was instantly drawn to it on netgalley.

The writing was good and storyline was good but I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

I look forward to read more from Bev