This was an amazing thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. The author’s depiction of the characters was spot on and the plot had me breathless! A great read!

I really enjoyed A Mother Like You.
It’s the story of Kate and James. Having a baby wasn’t something they wanted in their successful life together. When Kate discovers she is pregnant and an old boyfriend gets in contact, threatening to tell everyone Kate’s secret her perfect life starts to unravel.
I liked Kate. There was aspects of her life I could identify with so I was invested in what was going to happen to her. When the secret was revealed I was a bit disappointed as I felt like it should have been more shocking. What I did like was that the story wasn’t over after the reveal and we got to find out more about what happened next.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The subject matter of the story is about motherhood and abandonment and postnatal depression, all heavy and good topics. But I felt the prose didn't do justice for the story. The characters are not really developed and their feelings are shallow. It's a domestic drama and the suspense and twists are weak. Left me feeling unfulfilled.

A Mother Like You by Ruby Speechley is another gripping read from this author, this time about the complex, and often difficult, relationships between mothers and daughters. This is the second book that I have read from the talented Ms Speechley, and it was another winner for me.

Kate is 45 when she learns that she is pregnant. Married to James, the couple had agreed never to have children, and Kate is nervous to tell James that she wants to keep the baby. At the same time, Kate is receiving threatening texts from her ex, a man demanding money in exchange for his silence, and his promise to never reveal Kate's deepest and darkest secrets.

This is a compelling read that examines the mother/daughter dynamic across multiple generations, and explores the toxic nature of secrets and lies that continue to fester over the course of many a lifetime.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

Great read. The author really draws the reader into the story. Will definitely read another book by this author. Such an intense story, couldn't put the book down.

*Disclaimer - I was permitted to read this book before publication date with thanks to NetGalley, Hera Books and the Author Ruby Speechly *

This is the first book by this author I have read and I devoured it in less than two days.

I started off thinking that this book was going to be about one thing and thanks to the brilliant writing and plot twists by the author it kept me guessing right up until the end and a lot of the twists I didn’t see coming.

This book is essentially about Motherhood and that the approaches that a mother can take are not necessarily the right ones for all involved.

It also discovers a lot about the main character Kate and her relationship and the effects that her mother’s upbringing had on her relationship with Kate and the way she brought Kate up and then the consequences this caused for Kate.

This is definitely not one of the soppy mother/daughter relationship type books, it goes way deeper than that and I’ve got to say if the author has written her other books with as much talent, compassion and research as she has done with this one then they are all guaranteed to be no.1 bestsellers.

It will really keep you guessing as to what all the characters are hiding and why!

Would definitely recommend to anyone and everyone.

I am always grateful to receive ARCs from NetGalley and Publishers, though it makes it that bit harder to write a review when you didn't think it was great.

Overall, I would give it 3* - I found the characters quite one dimensional and whilst the premise of the novel is very interesting the protagonists are immensely predictable and the lack of depth to their characters makes them quite unrelatable and engaging. In essence, you (or I did), become bored with the lack of complexity within a group of characters that had so much potential to be SO MUCH MORE. I am left feeling a little frustrated that this perhaps could have benefitted from some 'fresh eyes' and careful edits.

For example, the trauma that Kate's mother went through, being abandoned, neglected, devastatingly reunited with a twin who died mere days later... wow, harrowingly stuff - yet it is dealt with so fleetingly, so simplistically, that it almost amounts to nothing in your comprehension of what she went through and your empathy for her and the consequences that would come to impact generations to come.

Unfortunately, this is but one example where I feel like this book could have been incredible... but alas, fell just short.

It isn't a bad book and would be a good pool side read but I am left with a lingering feeling that it could have been incredible with some development. I mean, quite literally, the 'big twist' really did get me, I was convinced I knew who the other perpetrator was but it just wasn't enough in light of the novels other failings.

5/5 stars!

All mothers have secrets…some are unforgivable

Kate Marshall lives an enviable life. Married to handsome, charming, James, owner of a successful company, she seems to have it all.

But falling pregnant at 45 was never part of the plan. Especially as Kate’s hiding a devastating secret – one that she’s been running from for twenty years.

So when ex-boyfriend Paul comes back into her life, threatening to expose the truth about what Kate did, the clock is ticking. Can she keep her secrets and finally be the mother she always dreamed of – or will her past lies destroy her perfect life?

Wow! This book kept me guessing the whole time! Just when one secret is realized there is another one that pops up! In the beginning I felt the book was slow especially since I was not the biggest fan of the characters. However around halfway through I discovered my love for the writing and the story. I was able to connect with the characters and feel for them as one by one their secrets came out and shaped their lives. Ruby does a wonderful job of painting the picture of the various people and how they came to be how they are.

If you like books with secrets that get revealed through out or books with complex family relationships then you have to read ‘A Mother Like You!’ I would say to curl up with this book while drinking some calming camomile tea like Kate in the book!

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review. A Mother Like You, is a dark domestic thriller about the perils of motherhood. Kate is a 45 year old happily married career woman when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. She and her husband had agreed to remain childless and thus Kate finds herself at a crossroads due to her unplanned pregnancy. To say that her husband finds her unexpected news unwelcome would be an understatement.

As if being unexpectedly pregnant at 45 wasn't enough. Kate begins to receive threatening messages and is extorted by a former boyfriend. What does he know that could send Kate's seemingly perfect life into a tailspin and is he really behind all of the sinister gifts Kate is receiving? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.

I found this to be a fast-paced, interesting read. I enjoyed the fact that the protagonist of the story was 45 years old rather than 20 something as is so often the case. I felt that Kate's fears about motherhood were realistic and her actions authentic. That being said, the final third of the novel just seemed unrealistic as everything but the kitchen sink was thrown Kate's way. If the author had simply kept to the initial focus of the story, I think this would have been a better bool.

Overall, I would give this 3 stars.

this author is just brilliant she has become one of my favourite writers you know it will pull you in once you start. Kate is married to James .they have a successful business . Katie is at hotel doing a event for business . when she sees a face from the past an old boyfriend and he wants a lot of money or he will tell James her secret . Kate does not have a good relationship with her mother but tries to help her mum but her mum has secrets to i not saying any more but it is just brilliant so recommend.

This book had me invested from the first chapter. The psychological aspect was what I call anxiety inducing, kept me wanting more and had me turning pages. I just about suspected every character of lying at some point and enjoyed the unreliable narrator theme and I loved the surprises along the way.

This is a plot driven story and it worked for me in that it kept me wondering throughout the entire book. That's what I want in this type of story. The characters were relatable and human, making mistakes and being flawed. The main character, Kate's, secrets were palpable but I don't think her fear was evident enough but perhaps that was misdirection on the author's part. Overall a solid read. When the secret was revealed I berated myself for not figuring it out but I that is a demonstration of the author's storytelling talent.

There is a lot going on in this story. Kate is pregnant at forty-five, a man from her past is back in her life and she is hiding something from her husband, her mother has secrets as well and a stranger is sending her threatening text messages. These sub-plots thrown into the mix weakened the main story-line...so for that reason I round down instead of up.

I just love Ruby's books and this was just a brilliant addictive read, it held my interest from the very first page until the last great ending.

All the characters were well developed and interesting and I just cannot speak highly enough about this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hera Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book which I can thoroughly recommend.

This was quite an average psychological thriller. I have read a lot better and definitely a lot worse too. It keeps you intrigued but not as much as I would have liked.

This is a great read, full of intrigue and mystery. I enjoyed it from page one. Great narrative and well written. I would recommend it.

I really don’t know what to make of this book, it’s billed as a psychological thriller and while there were elements of this in the book, it felt more like a drama to be honest. The author seemed to have a story that they wanted to tell and wove in some unrelated side plot to create some tension to class it as a thriller. It wasn’t a bad story, I found myself wanting to finish it to the end but I think it suffers from not really knowing what kind of story it wants to be unfortunately.

Well.....5 Stars all the way!! While you read this book your body will be tense with anticipation and wanting to find out more. Highly Recommend

Phycological Drama... Definite Should Read 👀

Kate Marshall from the outside, appears to have the perfect life... handsome husband James, a successful business, nice home, but has secrets she wants kept that way. After blacking out minutes after giving a presentation on a team building event, Kate recalls a face from the past at the back of the room, which throws her off balance. And so the story begins... Kate is being blackmailed by Ex Paul, troubles with husband James and difficulties with Mum Elizabeth, and finds out at 45 she's pregnant... could there be more.

It's told mainly from Kate's perspective, at times from her Mum Elizabeth's, many secrets had by all. Flows well, plenty going on for Kate, will the secrets be shared...

I've not read any books by this author before , but definitely would again, the letter at the end from the author, is also interesting and worth a read.

This book was intriguing. Such a secret to stay hidden. I didnt see that coming...shall leave that up to other readers to find out for themselves.
An amazing writer, told such a gripping story

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I love Ruby's book! Kate is being blackmailed for a secret in her past...nothing i saw coming. There are many aspects here I was surprised about. Kept my attention. Lot of happy parts at the end. Love her books!

A mother like you was very dark and suspenseful, Kate has a secret, she’s 45 and finds out she’s pregnant only it’s not what her and her husband James want for their lives. Kate’s past starts coming back to haunt her, she’s getting demanding texts.. this book had me wanting more, I was so eager to finish it.