This book revolves around Sara, the main character, who marries Nick, seemingly as a rebound and to mend her shattered heart. Though Sara appreciated Nick's care and it helped her heal from her broken heart, she never really had a deep romantic connection to him, and sadly, Nick picked up on it. There has been a disconnect the entire time, so Sarah decided it was time to call it quits. Despite her reservations, Sarah agrees with Nick when he suggests they should have a child. It was at this time that I became quite frustrated and started to yell, and I realized that I would not be able to Set this book aside. Due to a horrible pregnancy and ongoing sentiments of contempt for Nick, Sarah makes a valiant effort but is unable to form a strong bond with her infant daughter, Kaya. How do mothers seem to have it so naturally? Because I loved to detest them, I adored the characters in this book. The way this was presented through Sarah's eyes really helped me understand how frustrated she is with everything, and you can see things are only going to get worse when she can't even begin to bond with her new kid. It should be inconceivable for both parents when the unimaginable occurs and little Kayla is taken away at the age of just two weeks—or is it? The narrative moves quickly because you have to keep reading to find out what happens and how it all ends. I was engrossed in this story nonstop. I cherished the characters and thoroughly enjoyed delving into the truth of the events prior to their disclosure. You'll be gripped by this book till the very end because everyone is a suspect. I was unable to turn the pages quickly enough to see what actually transpired. The conclusion was incredible and rendered me utterly dumbfounded. That was something I never saw coming. With an abundance of deceptions, suspense, and mystery, Valorie is a skilled storyteller. Excellent read, and I'm delighted I had the opportunity to Look into it. This one will have everyone talking because it has so many clever story twists. If you want to be a part of it, check it out; you won't be sorry. All book groups should read this book, but avid thriller readers should pick it up first.

The Mother by Valerie Keough is a delectably addictive and anxiety-inducing domestic thriller. Tension and suspense hang like a blanket and the twists just keep coming!

Married couple Sarah and Nick have a one-sided marriage. Nick adores Sarah which infuriates Sarah. She doesn't like to be clung to and coddled and is resentful. But they decide to have a baby in hopes of connection. Kaya wasn't what Sarah had hoped for and imagined which caused Sarah to be an at-arm's-length mother. She now had a loving husband she didn't love and an adorable daughter she was distant from. But when Kaya is taken, the parents are devastated and move heaven and earth to find her.

Disaster strikes again, leaving the characters reeling. Friends and family try to help in their way but only add to the tension. The police investigators have their own theories.

The characters are easy to dislike and the story is full of fascinating intricacies which are a pleasure to read. The beautiful writing itself is what you'd expect from Keough.

Though Sarah made some pretty foolish decisions, especially as an educated woman, I didn't fully write her off. Instead, my focus was on gnawing my tongue in anticipation. Slow burns like this keep my attention and immerse me in a different world.

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this nerve-wracking novel.

I have read a few of this authors books and enjoyed them so was excited to read this one. It had an interesting unique storyline with plenty of twists and turns. My only grumble would be that it got a bit far fetched towards the end. It was however a good enjoyable read

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Mother by Valerie Keogh. This was a great read. It was fast paced and had several twists. The ending was a real shocker!! There were so many directions that this book could go so it kept me guessing. It was very engaging and I highly recommend it to others. This book was my first book by this author but I will definitely read more by her. I enjoyed the writing style as well as the plot. A 5 star rating from me.

A very slow burner with an unlikeable main character. The pace picked up about 3/4 of the way through the book with some twists and turns which kept me guessing but overall I wouldn’t rush to read her next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This one was disappointing initially. It started off very slow, but I kept reading, waiting for it to get better…..and then, BAM! About 3/4 of the way through, everything took off! I’m glad that I persevered. The twists redeemed it.
Thank You to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for the opportunity to read this ARC

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an early copy of The Mother. No mother would have done what Sarah did in the pub and her reaction after was unheard of. The twists in this book were amazing. It was a definite guess who kind of story but the twists of what actually happened were CRAZY!!! The ending was a bit too much for me and kind of not believable but all in all, a quick, fast read.

A wife and mother who is no longer sure she wants to be a mother. Sarah knows her marriage was the biggest mistake she ever made. Now he wants a baby? Could this save their marriage? She struggles with motherhood , and feels trapped. And then the baby goes missing….Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc.

A perfect mix of fast paced and twisty! This was my first novel by Valerie Keogh but I'll definitely be reading more. I really enjoyed the writing style and even though I guessed the ending, I certainly enjoyed the ride!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC of this book.

The Mother is a pacy thriller following Sarah, her rebound marriage to Nick and their missing baby, Kaya. Although I didn’t find the protagonists particularly likeable, I was completely hooked by the story and thoroughly enjoyed the many plot twists and turns. I really like the author’s compelling writing style and raced through this novel in record time. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Valerie Keogh, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Sarah is a doctor working as a GP in a local practice and is married to Nick. On paper Nick is the perfect husband, adoring, attentive and always making gestures to show Sarah just how much he loves her. But Sarah is not in love with Nick, marrying him on the rebound, she was caught up in his loving whirlwind. Sarah is psyching herself up to tell Nick how she feels when he announces they should have a baby. Sarah goes along with Nick’s proposal but doesn’t cope well with her pregnancy, it lays her low and she suffers severe morning sickness, which lasts all day.

Moving forward to Nick and Sarah having a beautiful baby girl, the family decide to take their first trip together. A parent’s worst nightmare then plays out when baby Kyla is kidnapped. Nick adores their little girl and is beyond distraught at her disappearance. Sarah never really connected with her baby and has formed no bond since she was born, so shows some indifference, her feelings are vastly unlike her partners. As the police investigate what has happened to her baby, Sarah begins to learn some self- truths as it slowly dawns on her what her real feelings are for her baby girl. As the search for Kyla continues, secrets are revealed and the plot twists spiral, leading to a shocking yet great conclusion.

Valerie is one of my ‘go to’ authors whose books I don’t even bother reading the blurb on before picking them up. I find her stories to be original with relatable characters and realistic plots. She has a great talent in setting the tone of a story to make it interesting from the start and become more gripping as the pace picks up, the further on you read. I absolutely loved this book, so another easy 5 stars from me!

I have read and enjoyed previous books by this author and "The Mother" has the same fast pacing and twists and turns I expect from Valerie Keogh. Sarah is a doctor married to Nick who works in finance. Sarah met Nick when she was on the rebound from another romance and he quickly won her over with his declarations of love. Sarah comes across as a cold person and Nick seems overly smothering. Nick wants to have a baby and without really thinking it through, Sarah agrees. I really have a problem reading about people who hate their children or children being harmed, so I was hoping that this would go in a different direction. Sarah doesn't care about her baby girl Kaya at all and does the minimum to take care of her while Nick showers her with attention. Then one day while on vacation, baby Kaya is kidnapped. The rest of the book is through the eyes of Sarah and two police officers who are trying to get the baby back.

The book has a lot of suspense as the police get closer into figuring out what happened and Sarah and Nick face danger from this person who wants a baby at any cost. The author explores issues of parental love and women facing expectations toward motherhood that men don't have to face. I figured out one of the twists even though it seemed unbelievable but the author had a few more surprises up her sleeve. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC to review.

Sarah is an unhappy marriage to her husband, Nick. He wants a baby bust she knows she will be forever tied to him. She has the baby. And is convinced she is a bad mother. The baby disappears and suddenly everything is in question. I enjoyed the fast paced narrative. It definitely kept me turning the pages.

Sarah is married to Nick. She loves her job as a G.P but now realises that she doesn’t love Nick anymore and she wants out. Her dream job is to get a job in Scotland but, she can’t do that if she is still married to Nick. Nick is a devoted husband and will do anything for his wife. So, before Sarah tells him how she feels about him. Nick tells her that he wants her to have a baby and Sarah reluctantly agrees.
But Sarah doesn’t realise how quick she got pregnant and baby Kaya arrives. She finds it hard to juggle the job and baby Kaya and she thinks that she doesn’t love her. She gets Nick to do all the hard work looking after Kaya. But when she is abducted, she seems to have a change of heart. Where is my baby?
I have read several books from Valerie Keogh now and I have enjoyed them immensely. The story of the mother started quite slow to begin with and at times I thought the story was a bit farfetched. But it made me want to carry on reading and it had a quite a surprise twist at the end. 4 stars from me.

This book started off a bit slow for me. You have Sarah, the unhappy wife, and Nick, her clingy husband. During the first few chapters the book kind of dragged for me. Then Kaya goes missing and I couldn't put the book down. I was certain at some points that I knew exactly who had done what, but I was wrong. The twists in this book were great. I was suspicious of everyone. I didn't love how things tied up with Sarah's best friend, but the rest of the book was so good that I wouldn't take anything away from the book based on that alone. Well done, Valerie Keogh. I look forward to more books from you.

I’m not quite sure how to feel about this book. It definitely kept me guessing the whole time but was a little confusing and I’m not sure it was a believable storyline. Overall, it was ok but not my favorite.

This is the second book that I've managed to read by the author and since the first one had me mesmerized I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. This book is all about our main character Sara who is married to a man named Nick it seems just as a rebound and to help cure her broken heart. While Sara loved the attention she got from Nick and it helped her bruised ego she never really felt any strong romantic feelings towards him at all and unfortunately Nick sensed that. The whole time there is a disconnect so Sarah decided it's time to end things however when Nick says they should have a baby instead of voicing her concerns she agrees with him. Now this was when all of the frustration and yelling started on my part and this was also the point where I knew that I would not be able to put this book down. With a terrible pregnancy and continuous feelings of disdain towards Nick, Sarah tries everything she can think of to bond with her new child, Kaya but is very unsuccessful at it. How do mother's make it look so natural? I loved the characters in this novel because I loved to hate them. I also loved how this was told through Sarah's eyes you really get the frustration at her whole situation and when she is unable to form any resemblance of a bond with her new baby you know things are going to get worse. When the unthinkable happens and young Kayla is abducted at only two weeks old this should be unthinkable for both parents or is it really? The plot is very fast moving because you just have to see what is going on and how everything is going to turn out. I couldn't get enough of this story. I loved the characters and I loved trying to get to the bottom of what really happened before it was revealed. This book will have you on the edge of your seat and everyone is a suspect. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what really happened. The ending was amazing and left me completely speechless. I never saw any of that coming. Valorie really knows how to weave a good story full of mystery, tension, and lots and of deceptions. Great read and I'm so glad that I got the chance to check it out. With so many plot twists this is one that will get everyone talking and if you want to be part of it check it out you won't be disappointed. This book is made for all book clubs but mostly for huge thriller readers.

The Mother, by Valerie Keogh is a slow burn thriller that follows new mom, Sarah, and her search for her kidnapped infant. This twisted tale takes you through a mother’s worst nightmare, the disappearance of her newborn- or is it? While not the most reliable character, Sarah bounces back and forth over her complex feelings of motherhood, her marriage, her friendships. I found this book to be a slow go until 3/4 of the way through when I audible gasped! Overall, the story is a solid 3.5⭐️. I enjoyed the way the chapter flowed without demanding you to keep going, but the constant questioning of what happened kept me moving forward.

Another gripping thriller from the queen of the plot twist, Valerie Keogh!

This plot revolves around Sarah, who regrets her rebound marriage to the smothering Nick. When Nick suggests the couple try to conceive, Sarah is torn but ultimately her biological clock wins out. With a horrendous pregnancy and increasingly resentful feelings towards Nick, Sarah struggles to bond with baby, Kaya. Only a few weeks into Kaya's young life, the unthinkable happens and she is abducted. What follows is dark twisty and utterly readable!

While characters aren't exactly likeable, they are certainly interesting and this sets the novel up well - I was gripped from start to finish. 100% recommended reading!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.0

Sarah becomes pregnant after doubts about her husband. Once baby Kaya is born, Sarah’s doubts get even worse until the unthinkable happens. In this novel, Sarah tries to find what happened to her daughter uncovering secrets from everyone in her life. The middle of this novel was repetitive with little originality on the standard course of “who did it.” The twist was expected but the character is hard to feel badly for. I would read another of this author’s work!