The Perfect Mother: A Novel

Who doesn’t have anxieties over being The Perfect Mother? Certainly the women in this group of moms, named the May Mothers because they all have due dates that month, feel that way. They start meeting while pregnant and continue the meetings after giving birth in order to have some camaraderie in this new life stage. When their babies are only two months old, though, the May Mothers decide to have a night out without the kids. That night, one of the babies goes missing, and three of these mothers will do whatever it takes to help the fourth find her missing child. They will have to be careful, though, because they all have secrets that will be brought to light in the search. Turns out they might not know each other as well as they think they do.

This was a great book. I liked the storytelling method: some chapters are from the kidnapper’s point of view, but the writer doesn’t make their identity clear until the end. I thought the author did a great job of bringing up all the anxieties of being a new mother as well as of making the book a thriller about a mother’s worst nightmare. The ending is fantastic. It says on the book cover that it is going to be made into a movie. Even knowing the ending, I think it would still be a great movie. All of the moms were great, very authentic and relatable. I think Token was probably my favorite character, even though he wasn’t as front and center as Nell, Francie, and Colette.

Overall, the writing and the characters, as well as the plot, are amazing. This book is well worth your time, so grab a copy and read up so you’re emotionally prepared when the movie comes out. I’m a big fan of reading the book first, so if you’re like me, you’d better hurry!