I started this book and got sucked in pretty quickly, I really enjoyed the first part of the book, the last 25% or so of the book though I think felt rushed, and different from the first part. It felt like it was too quick of a read, the "resolution" part of the book happened to early and got drawn out way too long. And I'm still not 100% sure of what the ending really meant.

Strangely, I did like that the book was predictable, so many thrillers these days try to pack so many twists and turns on every page that they all start sounding the same.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had such an interesting premise- what if a child was created with 3 parents instead of 2? There were many twists and turns that kept me interested and surprised. This is my first Kira Peikoff read but not my last. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

A mother faces a moral dilemma. Her first child died years ago from a hereditary condition that she will pass on to any future children she will have. Will she take a chance that the condition will be less severe or will she join forces with a controversial doctor who tampers with DNA to create the perfect specimen?
This book drew me in immediately. It is well-written and keeps the reader engaged, waiting to see what will happen next, with plenty of plot twists.

I completely adore this book and stayed up way too late reading it. I can see this happening so easily. The story made you understand the characters and reminded me of Michael Chrichton's books.

Mother Knows Best is a fantastic thriller that examines how far someone would go to have a child.
Captivating story and well developed characters. I enjoyed this book.

Clare Abrams life turns upside down when her son dies of a rare genetic illness.
After several years Clare and husband Ethen want another child but Clare is reluctant was she can pass the gene onto another child.
She seeks out Dr Robert Nash a expert in the fertility world, but his works have not been approved by law,and she hasn't told he husband Ethan what they plan to do.
With the help of Dr Jillian Hendricks Dr Nash assistant they manage to get Clare pregnant.
When Ethan finds out what they have done he contactsbtge police and Jillian is arrested whilst Clare and Robert go on the run.
Ten years later Abigail clares daughter does a DNA test for a science project at school, what she discovers puts all their lives endanger.

A book with a cool twist that ended up as a disappointment - the thriller part was so cliche! 2 stars.


I have this thing where I can't let a book go once I've started, even if I know straight off the bat it won't be for me. Unfortunately, this happened with Mother Knows Best, a thriller I was initially super excited by but ended up a huge disappointment.

Medical thrillers sound amazing in theory, but this one just didn't live up to the premise. The thriller aspect was boring, predictable and just... lazy. I did like the setting and it could have been a great read! I'm so sorry to be giving such a low rating because I really had high hopes for this book.

Would recommend for: I would not recommend this book. I also doubt I'll be picking up more by this author.

Mother Knows Best

We jump back and forth before Claire and her daughter Abby. We see how Claire became the cold heartless women that she is now. We also see Abby trying to find more out about her family history which causes her to find some interesting information out about her mother or the women claiming to be her mother.
It was slow and predictable but I still enjoyed the characters and the story.


Thank you so much to Crooked lane books via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of mother knows best by Kira Peikoff. This will be released on September 10 2019
All opinions are my own.

This book is so different to anything I have read recently, and I love that. Fascinating, flawed characters and a twisty intriguing storyline - a great read.

I went in with an open mind as i wasnt sure how "funky" the science would be. It was good. It was a nice change of pace and a little bit different from what is out there. I knew from the start that Jilly was different but we cant like them all.

Thanks Netgalley

*Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

emoji rating scale: 😩🙁😐😀😍
Mother Knows Best rating: 😀

👏 WHAT 👏 A 👏 READ 👏

WOW. This is my first read by Kira Peikoff and que the standing ovation.

This story is about Claire — a broken-hearted and emotionally unstable mother — who lost her son to a rare genetic disorder when he was only eight years old. Since then, she’s wanted desperately to be a mother to a healthy baby, but she’s been terrified by the fear of passing along the disorder to another child.

As her husband, Ethan, continues to push for a second try at a family, she connects with Robert Nash — a BAD ASS fertility specialist — to look into IVF options. More importantly, she’s looking to connect with his postdoc student, Jillian, who’s reached out to mother’s like Claire about the possibility of having a healthy baby, using embryos from two women.

The twists and turns in this psychological thriller were so app-laudable. I felt like this was something I’ve never read before (I’m pretty sure it IS something I’ve never read before) and Peikoff did an outstanding job to throw you off the scent of the story.

Claire thinks that Jillian, Robert and their research is her chance to get what she’s always wanted (and to provide her husband with the happiness he’s looking for). But creating a baby from two mother’s and one father isn’t scientifically *or socially* acceptable. Suddenly, the first page reports and police — beware of frankenbaby — drive a very pregnant Claire into hiding, and her life changes forever.

SPOILER: Can we talk for a minute how I thought that Claire and Ethan were the couple that were raising Abby (their 11 year old daughter) until BAM. My whole world collapsed when Peikoff introduced the father’s name, and my mind is still spinning.

Claire plans to live in her secret new life — with her daughter Abigail — and everything is going well, until Abby starts to sniff around and uncover what her mom has tried so hard to hide. PSA: STRANGER DANGER.

This was a pretty quick read for me, and I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a thriller that’s not too intense, but still hella intriguing. I praise Peikoff for her witty and tantalizing writing. Pick this book up, you won’t regret it!

Mother Knows Best was a totally unique read for me. It was fused together with bio genetics, the aching need to be a mother, and the will of that mother to protect her child no matter the cost.
The scientific aspect was easy enough to follow along with and is really very interesting. It definitely made me wonder "what if" this could really happen? The parent aspect tug on my heart strings and had me crying into my kindle. The characters were relatable and I couldn't help but feel everything they were feeling. The author did a wonderful job at creating "real people". I absolutely loved Claire, the main character.
The twists in this book were incredible as well and tied the whole book together. The ending made me cry. Again.

The cover is simple, yet beautiful and it definitely ties the book together like a package. It symbolizes SO much of this book and I love how the braid is symbolic of DNA. Brilliant.

Thank you #NetGalley, the author and the Publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion,

Whoa. This was so inventive!! Loved! Couldn’t put it down! A genetically engineered baby?! Score! This would be great made into a movie or even TV show! I was immersed in this novel and finding out how it would end!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Abrams's dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark--and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world's first baby with three genetic parents--an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family's problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned--and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers.

This was a crazy ride! I've never read anything like it, the storyline was unique and suspenseful. The cover art is so beautiful and I loved the title. This isn't one to be missed!

Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC of #MotherKnowsBest
Pub Date: 10 Sep 2019

Excellent book about the ethics and difficulty of raising a genetically altered daughter. The doctors involved genetically alter an egg even though it's against the law. A woman desperate to be a mother doesn't want to risk having a child with a metabolic disease that she carries the genes for. They combine the egg of the woman with the mitochondria of the female' research doctor. Chaos ensues when the father learns what they did. I got sick to my stomach at some parts while at the same time I was ecstatic at other times. A must read!

I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Once I started I didn't want to put it down. The premise of the book was fascinating to me and I loved the scientific stuff that really drove the emotional and the moral compass part of this story. Armed with just basic scientific knowledge of DNA and chromosomes I felt the author did a great job of keeping things real and factual in that aspect. It made this story all that more real and a true possibility in the world we live in.

I loved that we got multiple points of view and a view of the past and present. There were times however those lines were a bit confusing and I had to go back a couple of pages to remember what I was reading but for the most part these different views really helped keep the story moving.

Kira Peikoff also did a great job in showing just how far a mother will go for her children, even if that leads them down a very dark path. This book truly had everything I think I look for in a thriller. I just recently dove into this genre and I have to say this book is exactly what I would expect to read.

This was a super exciting domestic thriller, in the vein of Liane Moriarty. I felt the characters were very well drawn and my interest held stead y throughout the book. Will definitely read more books by this author.

Title: Mother Knows Best

Author: Kira Peikoff

Length: 288 Pages

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish Date: 10 September 2019

Genre: Medical Fiction, Thriller, Drama

My Take: 5/5

Summary:

The story is about Claire, a person who is obsessed to become a Mother and to have a healthy baby since she lost her first kid due to genetical defect. The story is about Abby, the healthy girl child which claire has. Ethan, Claire’s husband and the one who wishes to run by set rules. Nash, a genius scientist. Jillian, a lady obsessed with making it big.

My Take:

I Thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing with me with an ARC of this wonderful and intriguing tale. I have always been a lover of fast paced books and this is just perfect. The pace of the book doesn’t let you breathe and you just wish to go on with the book.

The story is written from 3 perspectives i.e. Claire, Abby and Jillian, however, maintaining the distinguishing features of each character. The transition between the narrative of characters is seamless and flawless. In all, perfect characterisation with apt depth.

The plot is amazing and keeps you glued to the twists n turns coming next. I won’t say it’s unpredictable, coz I could predict around 50% of the story but the additional twists were perfect and makes the story very intriguing.

The thrill part is well maintained throughout the book. The story doesn’t falter at any place. I could find 2 editing errors but this can easily be ignored considering the brilliant writing. The medical terms are used in such a manner which didn’t feel alien to anyone.

The ending is apt and leaves you with a feeling of completeness. I would be able to sleep peacefully and not feel sorry for any character. What’s wonderful in the book is that I didn’t find any antagonists. All the characters behaved driven by their strong desires to achieve something.

A great read for all Thriller fans.

Only got about halfway through. The story and writing were not bad...but the plot line itself was just too far out there.

Thank you SO much for this ARC.

First off, this book is amazing. Finally an intriguing plot different than everything I have been reading lately. The science aspect of this book is so interesting and given today's advancements, probably possible.

The novel was fast paced and caught my attention immediately. I loved the suspense and moral dilemma.