What happens when science and desperation collide, creating a an explosion that completely changes four lives forever? That’s the plot of “Mother Knows Best,” a great suspense-filled story which will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I know I was really invested in the storyline, absolutely hooked and needing to know how it all turned out.

Claire is devastated after the loss of her son, who died from a rare congenital condition she passed to him. Unwilling to go through the heartache of losing a child again and feeling pressure from her husband to try for another child, Claire decides to reach out to a doctor who is developing a near-impossible - and highly illegal - procedure that would allow her to have a healthy child, guaranteed. But things are more complicated than they first appear, and soon Claire finds herself facing the consequences of her decisions.

The novel flashes backward to show Claire’s story as well as that of Claire and her family in the present day, where her daughter has taken a DNA heritage test and discovered a long-lost relative, which sends her reclusive parents into a panic.

The storyline has some great twists and turns which keep you guessing throughout. Some points of the plot is fairly easy to predict, but figuring out the backstory of how it got there and where the heck it’s going to go is part of the fun. I felt I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen.

I also really felt for Claire, who never really meant any harm, but makes some decisions that are very controversial and - frankly - stupid. But you can feel her desperation and her longing through the pages, and I found her to be highly sympathetic. I liked her and that was definitely part of why I kept reading.

The science part of the book wasn’t too hard to follow. I was worried it would be overwhelming and detract from the “thriller” part of the book, but I was very happy to be wrong. The author makes it easy to understand and doesn’t overwhelm you with technical details and hard-to-understand nuances. I was really glad for that.

The ending was really good. It was an appropriate conclusion to a very intense novel and I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a good thriller. I will be looking forward to more from this author!

“Mother Knows Best” is a psychological thriller with many twists and turns that kept me intrigued from the first page. Some parts were predictable, but over all it was a mind bending story with an interesting ethical component..... how far is too far to go to ensure your child is healthy?

A mom has a genetic disorder that has caused her son to die at a young age. She decides to use a donor egg (along with her own - don’t ask, this is fiction, okaaayy?) in order to make a “perfect” child. Lots of ethic questions and a bit of a mystery. A really enjoyable book that I devoured on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Claire has suffered a terrible loss when her son dies from a genetic mutation. She would do just about anything to have a healthy child that doesn’t carry the mutated gene. I really enjoyed the story and the writing. It was a quick and easy read that still managed to touch on topics that are not only frightening but also not that far from reality in our near future, I’m afraid. The story took enough turns to keep me interested and I did become attached to several of the characters in the process. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future! ***I received an advanced copy of this book in E book format for review.

This psychological thriller is about a controversial and never before performed scientific experiment - genetically modifying an embryo to eliminate genetic mutations by creating a three-parent baby.

This was a fast paced read. I was able to guess the end about 1/4 of the way through as well, as it was pretty predictable. The story felt pretty far fetched to me, it was pretty hard to believe.

The daughter was supposed to be 11, but I think it would have helped the believe-ability to have her portrayed as a mid to late teen based on her characters story-line.

Mother Knows Best is a book about a mother who wants a healthy child. The scientific aspect was a little out of my zone, but loved the thriller aspect. Told in short chapters from each character's POV, which I kinda like. Quick read, because you stay so captivated wanting to know how it all ends. Only drawback, I figured out what was going on, so no surprise for me.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC for an honest review.

Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff takes a disturbing and complex premise and turns it into a uniquely twisted and addictive psychological and ethical mindbender.

Claire and her husband Ethan have lost their young son to an inherited mitochondrial mutation that had, presumably, been passed to him through Claire's genetic material. Desperate for another child, but terrified that she will be repeating history, Claire turns to Dr. Robert Nash, a rogue geneticist, and his assistant, Jillian, and the three proceed to create an embryo with material derived from three parents. The details are scientifically complex, yet the author is able to successfully craft a tale in a way that is both accessible and feasible. This is a novel that will have you questioning just how far scientific intervention should morally extend into the fields of genetics and reproduction. This is an interesting read that I would recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

I sped through this book. It was highly addictive and was such an original concept. I couldn’t wait to see what happened.

However, I thought the last part of the book was sloppy and the character’s voices were inconsistent. But that didn’t take away too much from the reading experience for me.

Claire and her husband suffer an unimaginable loss with the death of their son. Ethan wants to have another child but with Claire's medical history they are playing with fire. Claire finds a doctor doing experimental things to ensure a healthy child. The doctor takes most of Claire's egg and mixes it with his assistant's healthy egg and uses Ethan's sperm. So in reality the baby has 2 mothers! It is all hush hush as it is against the law but once the truth comes out, Claire runs as she is 8 months pregnant. The book is told in before and after and from different points of view. I read this book in an evening as I literally could not put it down! It is the ultimate love story for a mother and her child. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Mother Knows Best is a creepy psychological thriller. Well written and well developed characters. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Mother Knows Best.

Mother Knows Best grabbed me right from the start and didn't let go. The science in the story was easy enough to understand that I didn't get lost. Everytime I thought I knew what was going on there was another twist. This was very enjoyable read. This was my first book by Kira Peikoff and I can't wait to read more!