I really enjoyed the book. Loved the story plot and twists. Approachable characters, realistic situations. Some descriptions or story „fillers” were tiny bit too long, but in overall - very good book and I’d read more by the author. Thank you, great job!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

An engaging psychological thriller that keeps the reader gripped from the very first page. It explores a number of timely issues that would make this a particularly rewarding choice for a book club.

Thrilling and tense, I really enjoyed this. I find therapy in books can be really tricky but Bev Thomas obviously knows what she's talking about.

Wow!!!! What a mind bender. I wa completely enthralled throughout and dud not see the twist coming at all. This book had everything. It was tense l, it was emotional and I could not out it down!

I went into this pretty much blind, sometimes it's just better that way. This follows Ruth Hart land a therapist and trauma unit manager in London. Ruth has had a pretty rough time in that her son has gone missing and she is newly divorced and still trying to fully function as a therapist. Things start to spiral out of control when a new patient attends clinic that looks similar to Ruth's son. Lines become blurred and boundaries get crossed.
This was an easy book to read but is quite heavy on the psychological element of Ruths profession. It read quite quickly but not a lot really happens. It's more of a reflective novel told by Ruth.
Overall it's a 3 stars.

Novels draw in their audience by their title, and Bev Thomas’ A Good Enough Mother caught me straightaway. There is no room for mothers to mess up, and when they do it usually has horrible consequences in literature. Just think of one of the most divisive books in the past decade or so, We Need to Talk About Kevin. Motherhood gone wrong is a taboo still for many and I was very happy to pick up a book that makes a real psychological effort to expose that taboo while telling a riveting story. Thanks to Faber & Faber and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The title of A Good Enough Mother does more than just set the reader up for a thriller about mothers
and their children. The concept of the “good enough mother” was introduced by the psychologist D.W. Winnicott in his book Playing and Reality. The good enough mother starts out completely adapting to her baby’s needs, sacrificing her own needs to fulfill those of the child. But as the baby gets older, small frustrations are introduced, as a way of introducing the external reality of the world. Whether it’s letting the baby cry for a bit before calming it at night or not responding immediately to a demanding cry for food or attention, these little frustrations are, according to Winnicott key to developing a healthy relationship with the external world. It keeps the child both within a world of illusion, where a need imagined is a need fulfilled, but also lets them come to terms with the outside world. In A Good Enough Mother Bev Thomas, herself a clinical psychologist, deftly weaves in the psychology of letting go and facing the hardships of the outside world into her narrative of Dr. Ruth Hartland, a mother who cannot let go. The strong basis of the book in psychology means that the A Good Enough Mother stands out from many other psychological thrillers by actually considering psychology.

A Good Enough Mother is a slow burner, even though catastrophe seems inevitable. As the reader we
know it’s all going to go wrong as Ruth, our unreliable narrator, is writing from hindsight and a sense of doom and inevitability pervades her tone. Even as she retells her story Ruth seems to be unable to truly admit where she has gone wrong. Ruth is a heart-wrenching protagonist because as the reader you can't help but feel sorry for her. Her disappeared son is a gaping wound in her life, a wound she keeps under wraps but can't truly hide. And then a new patient arrives who rips away the small security she had and she finds herself utterly at a loss, acting out, defending what she knows she shouldn't. It all leads to a tragic climax that doesn't really provide a happy ending, although there are notes of forgiveness and understanding at the end which are beautiful. In some ways A Good Enough Mother reminded me of The Babadook, a movie that very much emphasizes the importance of working through trauma and loss, as well as setting boundaries.

Bev Thomas is an excellent writer. As I mentioned above, it is the deep psychological foundation of this novel that sets it apart from many other psychological thrillers, yet it is undeniable that Bev Thomas weaves an incredibly story in A Good Enough Mother. There are moments of unbearable tenderness in this novel, contrasted with some truly horrible scenes. What I appreciated most about this novel was that Thomas never once takes the issue of mental health lightly. From her experience she knows the trouble it causes and there are a few scenes between Ruth and one of her patients that go very deep yet never lose their purpose to the plot. The aftershocks of violence, the need for understanding, the compassion humans are capable off. It is all described in A Good Enough Mother with a rare but stunning kindness.

A Good Enough Mother is a stunning novel that goes much deeper than you'd initially expect. Excellently written with a kindness to its characters, this novel will stay with you for a long time.

Intelligent and thought-provoking, this book will stay with me for some time. Questions about Ruth's past unfolded fantastically alongside the present and her therapy sessions with troubled Dan. It kept me interested and kept me guessing. A Good Enough Mother is the kind of book that makes you question what you think you know about yourself and those closest to you.


Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I absolutely loved this book, it's straight into my top reads of 2019. Powerful and engrossing, I couldn't put it down. It was a tough read at times, making me question my own ability as a parent and what I'd do in certain situations - and how sometimes what we think we're doing for our children, we're actually doing for ourselves.

Ruth is the respected director of a therapy clinic but when she gets a new patient who looks like her missing son Tom, she's floored. As she treats him, not all her decisions are in the best interest of her client and life begins to spiral out of control.

Like I said, I couldn't put this one down and it made me cry at the end (first book this year to do that I think!) Can't recommend enough

Ruth Hartland works as a psychotherapist in a leading trauma unit. She runs the unit professionally but she has a secret. Her son, Tom, has been missing for some time and when a patient, Dan, arrives who reminds her of her son the lines of professionalism get blurred.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it wasn’t what I hoped for. There didn’t seem to be much happening and I lost interest with it. The ending seemed rushed but I’m sure plenty will enjoy it as it seems to be very popular within the instagram community. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review:

Neither thriller, neither general fiction. This is a mix of women's lit, book club drama and mystery. It was okay, not my most favourite

I#m not sure I would describe this book as a psychological thriller but it is a gripping and compelling story. Well worth reading

Just finished reading this - loved it - so poignant as well as a great psychological thriller. Kept me turning the page with a feeling of ever growing dread that Dan was going to do something dreadful - didn’t see the twist until right at the end. Really enjoyed it.

Fantastic novel full of twists and turns. Suspense building throughout as the story advanced to the event. Kept me hooked from the start.

A Good Enough Mother unfortunately just was not good enough for me. I DNF'd this, as I got to 50% without any real direction as to where the story was going. Quite disappointing considering the hype around the book. Maybe I will try again in the future.

This is a solid, well written mystery. It had a slow start but after 10% I became really attached to the story.

Ruth is a mother of twins, one boy, one girl. The boy, Tom has never been as "good" as her sister, battling with anxiety and social problems. Ruth ends up not feeling happy for her daughter's successes, or normal-ness, I should say. One day Tom disappears without a trace. The novel starts in a point where Tom is long gone- Ruth is a therapist that deal with PTSD patients, and she welcomes a new patient, a young man who resembles Tom.

This will stir emotions in her. As he and Ruth keep having sessions, the story becomes quite eventful.

The patient/ therapist sections are so professionally written- I really loved those. I wasn't a fan of the ending, will not give spoilers but I would have loved if we knew less - I hope this makes sense.
I would recommend this to mystery/thriller readers.

Exciting read and very fast paced. Kept me interested and on the edge of my seat wanting more. Interesting read and I imagine will be a popular read

Thank you to NetGalley, Faber and Faber and Bev Thomas for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Harland is Director of the Trauma Unit which treats patients by encouraging them to talk through their experiences in a safe space in order to begin to heal. It’s a difficult job. To everyone around her Ruth is calm, collected and can deal with anything. But that isn’t the truth. They have no idea about her son Tom’s disappearance eighteen months ago and how preoccupies her thoughts. When Ruth meets new patient Dan Griffin she is struck by his likeness to her son. She knows this will cloud her ability to treat him but all she can see is a chance to save Dan in the way she wasn’t able to save Tom, setting into motion a chain of events with far-reaching consequences.

*Possible trigger warning*
I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the synopsis but somehow didn’t connect the dots that it would mean so much vivid detail regarding trauma and PTSD. As someone who is struggling with those very issues I found it overwhelming to read at first and very nearly put it aside. But I was enjoying the way it was written, found Ruth interesting and was already invested in knowing what had happened to both Tom and Dan, so I persevered. I’m glad I did as I found that as the story went on it broadened, enabling me to feel more comfortable reading. I wasn't sure about including this in my review at first but decided that ultimately it might be best so that other readers are aware.

A Good Enough Mother is a cryptic story of love, loss, family and secrets. While I had tremendous sympathy for Ruth in regard to the pain of son’s disappearance, I found she was a protagonist that evoked mixed feelings. Although her job involves telling others they need to work through their trauma by talking about it and facing it, she hides Tom’s disappearance from her co-workers, pretending everything is fine while inside she’s broken and desperately trying to piece herself together. After meeting Dan she compounds the secrets and lies by ignoring not just her instincts, but the boundaries, rules and warning signs of treating him herself. This plunges her and many others headlong into a danger far greater and darker than anyone anticipated.

A large part of this story was about motherhood. While Ruth is proud of her work and ability to help people, what she lives for is motherhood. She loves her twins but it is clear from the flashbacks that she has always favoured her son and has used his personal struggles to reason this was necessary. She has a distant and difficult relationship with her alcoholic mother and in trying to avoid those same mistakes she is blind to her own. All these things negatively impact her marriage and her relationship with her daughter who feels she’s been forgotten behind her brother’s needs. When Tom disappeared it shattered Ruth on so many levels and she has tethered herself to him all his life. She doesn’t just fear that something bad may have happened to him, but also the almost worse fear that he has chosen a life without her.

I devoured this book in just over 24 hours. It was steady paced and held my interest without exception. One of the things I enjoyed was how the book was written in a way that makes the reader aware these are past events. There are references to an incident and the police many times but we never really know who or what this entails other than the events Ruth is describing are leading up to whatever occured. I loved trying to use the breadcrumbs to figure out what had happened and what part each character played. I had a few ideas and really thought I’d figured it out but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As we got closer to the big reveal I could predict the storm but felt powerless to stop it. There was a roaring dread in my ears, my heart seemed to stop as I held my breath with my hand over my mouth. Surely not? Please let me be wrong? I felt like I was feeling Ruth’s pain at that moment, my heart shattering with hers as all was revealed. This was an emotional novel and fantastic debut from the author.

A Good Enough Mother is described by one retailer as a psychological thriller and another as general fiction, but I think the most accurate genre for it to be placed in is that of domestic drama. It broaches many prevalent issues and due to that would make a fitting book club read fuelling many debates about mental health, motherhood, emotional attachment/bonds, trauma, grief, love, loss and heartbreak. What really set this book apart, though, was the sensitivity and realism with which these issues were explored and that makes perfect sense given the author is a clinical psychologist with twenty-five years’ experience of working with patients in the NHS.

At its heart, this is an exploration of the complex dynamic between a patient and a therapist, and an examination of the responsibilities and limitations of motherhood. This is a powerful, thought-provoking and emotionally resonant family drama with dark and unsettling connotations and a unique, engaging cast of characters. The writing is exceptional creating a rich reading experience and the fact it is written with such profound intelligence and deftness of touch makes it a gripping and accomplished debut novel. I hope to read more from Ms Thomas in the future.

Many thanks to Faber & Faber for an ARC.