Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Mothers” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Mothers

Sarah J. Naughton

3.84 · Rating details · 2,840 ratings · 240 reviews

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 261 pages

Published January 9th 2020 by Trapeze

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Mothers, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

From Thailand with Love by Camilla Isley

Looking Forward to These 2020 Books

227 books — 199 voters

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

[ATY 2021] - Ensemble Cast

277 books — 83 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.84 ·

Rating details

· 2,840 ratings · 240 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Mothers

Jul 03, 2020 Dem rated it liked it

Shelves: psychological-thrillers

I really enjoyed this one! An entertaining, clever and suspenseful psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

I picked this one up on a day trip to the book store, I was swayed by the blurb which sounded like a fun read and it certainly was.

Five Women.... They met at the NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they’re all pregnant.
Five Secrets...... Three years later, they’re all good friends. Aren’t they?
One missing husband.......... He’s di ...more

flag 79 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2019 Liz Barnsley rated it really liked it

I devoured The Mothers in one sitting it is excessively addictive with a terrific cast of characters and an involving, emotionally resonant, twisty mystery.

Sarah J Naughton is a masterful plotter with a keen eye for divisive, entertaining and authentic characters. Any parent will relate to the sometimes funny, sometimes sad vagaries of parenting and the mystery element is steeped in atmosphere as we watch this group of Mum’s come together and fall apart in equal measure.

Then of course there’s th ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2020 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it

A group of five women formed a friendship when they met at their antenatal group. Now, several years later they are still friends and see each other regularly. But one of their husbands has gone missing. The police have been called....

I'm afraid this is one of those books that I can't say too much about. The book explores: friendships, motherhood and secrets. The characters relationships were complex. It's well written and thought out. Grab yourself a copy of this book you won't be disappointed. ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2019 Karen rated it really liked it

Five women, Chrissy, Electra, Skye, Jen, and Bella – all very diverse personalities and who, on the face of it, only have one thing in common. Children. They wouldn’t normally be friends if they hadn’t met at an ante natal group. For some reason their friendship has endured and they continue to meet for drinks at each other’s houses, even though it sometimes seems that they actually don’t really like each other very much.

The main focus of the story is Bella and her husband Ewan. Bella reports he ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2020 Amber rated it really liked it

4.5 ! I binge read this book ! And while the concept was not particularly original ( think big little lies ) I thought this was very well written & the characters very well developed

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2020 Stina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychological-thrillers, british-thrillers, british, net-galley, domestic-thriller, domestic-drama, 2020, mystery, suspense, sarah-j-naughton

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

If real life hadn't gotten in the way, I would have devoured THE MOTHERS is one sitting! It is brilliant, compelling and so completely addictive with a twist that just deliciously clever. My first read by Sarah J. Naughton had me turning the pages though my eyelids were drooping on 2 hours sleep. A totally unexpected well twisted and ingenious read, THE MOTHERS has an easy reading style that draws you in from the first page.

Five women from different walks of life, who ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2020 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A group of five women formed a friendship when they met at antenatal group. Now, several years later, theynare still friends and see each other regularly. But one of their husbands is missing. The police have been called....

I'm afraid this is one of these books that I can't say too much about. The book explores: friendships, motherhood and secrets. The characters relationships are complex. It's well written and thought out. Grab yourself a copy of this book you won't be disappointed. I really en ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2020 Shalini rated it really liked it

A skillfully crafted thriller with seamless subplots, the book was a delight to read.

Family, friendship, motherhood was well portrayed. The characters were well etched. The plot had enough twists to keep my pulse rate on a steady high.

An engaging quick read where I could read stress free.

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2020 Ali rated it it was amazing

5 stars!
Ha! This was really good! Totally unexpected, well twisted, smart and - I must admit - quite emotional at times, too.

A circle of mothers bound by the baby issues, antenatal worries and first tooth problems. Do those mommy groups ever grow beyond nappy rash and milk supply chats?

Bella is one of them. A happy mom but not as happy as a wife. Things gone a bit stale, she got a bit frumpy. It all goes through the same cycle - day in, day out. Until one day Bella's husband, Ewan, disappears. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2020 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: sitting-on-my-kindle, 2020-releases, read-in-2020, added-to-my-tbr-in-2020

Five very different women all attended the same NCT Group during their pregnancies. Despite that being the only thing they had in common over the years they carry on meeting regularly until the morning after one of their usual meetups Bella wakes up to find her husband missing.

The Mothers is told from multiple points of view, with each of the five women in The Mothers Club getting their own chapters, alongside chapters from the point of view of Iona, the Detective Inspector investigating the dis Five very different women all attended the same NCT Group during their pregnancies. Despite that being the only thing they had in common over the years they carry on meeting regularly until the morning after one of their usual meetups Bella wakes up to find her husband missing.

The Mothers is told from multiple points of view, with each of the five women in The Mothers Club getting their own chapters, alongside chapters from the point of view of Iona, the Detective Inspector investigating the disappearance and a number of throwback chapters detailing some of The Mothers Club meetups over the years. While each chapter is headed with the name of the character whose viewpoint we’re following and the timeframe the chapter covers ensuring each viewpoint change was clear the book still felt confused to me.

Much of the early part of the story is told from the point of view of the detective, with flashbacks to The Mothers Club meetings over the years. I had really mixed feelings about these chapters, I love a police procedural, and if you’re a regular visitor to SWB you’ll know that to be the case but The Mothers doesn’t fully embrace this genre. If I’m honest I didn’t really understand the relevance of a lot of the Iona’s chapters. It felt to me that an unusual amount of her chapters were spent with her being concerned about how Maya saw her, or if Maya was sleeping with her Detective Sergeant. I kept expecting something about Maya to become crucial to the plot but it never does, instead I was left thinking that so much emphasis was put on Iona’s sexuality to show how diverse the author could be. It all just felt a little forced and given too much focus given the lack of any relevance to the main plot. Perhaps it’s the sort of sub-plot that works better in a series where I’ve developed a bit of a connection to a central character and care about them, in this case I just wanted to get on with discovering what had happened to the husband.

The second half of the book transitions into what feels more like a character driven psychological thriller with chapters from the point of view of each of the mothers revealing more and more of the plot along the way. I felt like in this second half of the book it began to show its strengths. The chapters written from the mothers’ points of view certainly felt more intriguing as more of the plot was revealed, the tension slowly building. The very last chapter in particular was an interesting reveal and I was pleased to see my suspicions were proven correct. What let it down for me was the fact I just didn’t really like any of the characters, none of them really came across in any sort of positive way to me. Additionally the more I discovered about Ewan the less I really cared about what had happened to him.

Final Thoughts
I won’t lie, I was disappointed by this one. I really wanted to love it, I included it in my Most Anticipated Adult Reads Of 2020 post but it just didn’t quite hit the right notes for me. I felt it was a little confused about what it wanted to be: a police procedural style crime novel or a character driven psychological thriller. For me it never hit the highs of either style of book, and crucially at the areas where it leaned more towards the latter I just didn’t like the characters enough to really care…

Find more reviews at Sarah Withers Blogs ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2019 Kelly Van Damme rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

The Mothers alternates between present events and the history of the five mothers, starting three years earlier after they’d met at prenatal classes. Bella, Electra, Chrissy, Jen and Skye couldn’t be more different if they tried, but somehow they work. Or do they? When Bella’s husband vanishes it’s clear that this is just the tip of the iceberg, that there’s more to the mothers than you see at first glance. A police investigation ensues, but this is in no way a police procedural. While there are ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2020 Joanna Park rated it it was amazing

The Mothers is a very compelling addictive read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The easy writing style soon drew me into the story and allowed me to just relax and enjoy it.

The story is told from two different storylines, one in the present day following the police as they try to solve Ewan’s disappearance and the other in the past following the five women’s friendship. I found I enjoyed both threads equally as it was great to follow the fabulous Iona in her investigation but also fun to learn more ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2020 Melanie’s reads rated it really liked it

This was such an easy enjoyable read with a great cast of characters or should we say suspects? I loved how about a third of the way through, the group of five get given cocktails based on their personalities. I would be a hanky panky (make of that what you will). These five would never have been friends had it not been for meeting at NCT, they are exceedingly different but it works. Bella, Chrissy, Sky, Electra and Jen each with their own problems whether that is personal, financial , work or k ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2020 Mellisa rated it it was amazing

This book has left me speechless. Honestly it's amazing. It started off a little slow and I was a bit wary but it soon picked up and WOW I did not want to put it down! Everyone needs to read this!!

I loved the characters and the true spirit of friendship throughout the book - Bella, Electra, Skye, Chrissy and Jen. It showed the jealousy and strength of friendship and how even the lives that look perfect on the outside can actually be awful. I just loved the whole story, I loved the twists, I love ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2019 Dawn rated it it was amazing

Five women from different walks of life meet at an NCT group and become firm friends. Through a the ups and downs of domestic life, love, pain and children they are there for each other. Bella’s husband disappears and the police are investigating his disappearance and suspect the ladies have some involvement.
What a bloody good read this was. The characters are built up well and you can sympathise with them all. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest rev ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2020 marnie | once upon a time book reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

The seven lines used for the blurb of this story instantly had me intrigued and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into reading this. In this case, less is more in describing what The Mothers is all about. Right from the get go I was completely immersed in this story and I was so invested into each of these women’s lives, that it had me racing through the pages to see how it was all going to unfold. Chock full of mystery and suspense with twists and turns aplenty, The Mothers is a great read to lose y The seven lines used for the blurb of this story instantly had me intrigued and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into reading this. In this case, less is more in describing what The Mothers is all about. Right from the get go I was completely immersed in this story and I was so invested into each of these women’s lives, that it had me racing through the pages to see how it was all going to unfold. Chock full of mystery and suspense with twists and turns aplenty, The Mothers is a great read to lose yourself in and is one book that will have you reading well into the night.

Sarah has created a gripping plot that could easily be transferred to the big screen. It is addictive and a well thought through story that had me completely hooked and did not let me go until the final page. Told through dual timelines between the past and the present, we are given a great insight into each of the women, of their lives, their friendships with each other, secrets they hold that threaten to come to the surface as well as a mystery to solve when one of their husbands goes missing. As I mentioned above less is more with The Mothers, so I won’t go into any further detail on the plot.

Sarah has done a great job with the five women in this story and they have all been brought to life beautifully, with each one jumping from the page as if the story was unfolding right before my eyes. They are all very believable, well developed and are very unique in their own ways. There really wasn’t one of them that stood out for me above the other and although they didn’t share a lot in common, with some not at all, Sarah was able to convince me through great writing that they all worked well together. The secondary characters in the story have also been well developed and all play their parts extremely well.

I enjoyed the ease of Sarah’s writing, which is very fluid in its approach. While at times I felt that the story did move at a slower pace, this did not hinder my enjoyment of the book and I liked how Sarah took her time with it, giving each of the characters their time in the spotlight, while still keeping me engaged. It can sometimes be overwhelming having so many characters to focus on, which in this story aside from the five women also includes two detectives, a missing husband and some other minor characters, but Sarah does a great job in making sure that everything is very clear and there is never any confusion where each one fits in and what role that they play.

In terms of cons to the story, I only have one teeny tiny criticism with the character of Iona. As a gay detective, I just felt there was a little bit too much focus on her sexuality, rather than solving the mystery of the disappearance of one of the ladies husband. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that she was gay as you don’t read many stories where a lead detective is and we need more diversity, but as she is such a strong character who is able to hold her own throughout the story, I just thought that the continued focus on this wasn’t needed.

The Mothers is the first book I have read from Sarah and it has been a great introduction to her work for me. Now on my radar, I look forward to more books from her in the future. It was a pleasure to be able to read and review The Mothers which I throughly recommend.

If you like this review please visit my blog for more https://onceuponatimebookblog.com ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2020 Janice rated it really liked it

Every one of us should have someone we can call to help bury a body (figuratively, you understand). Bella, Chrissy, Sky, Electra and Jen are a rather unlikely group of friends, but they have each other. They’ve stayed together despite not having very much in common: entirely different personalities, living and financial conditions and parenting styles.

After meeting up at an ante-natal group, they formed a close bond that three years on, is stronger than ever, and when Bella’s husband Ewan goes m Every one of us should have someone we can call to help bury a body (figuratively, you understand). Bella, Chrissy, Sky, Electra and Jen are a rather unlikely group of friends, but they have each other. They’ve stayed together despite not having very much in common: entirely different personalities, living and financial conditions and parenting styles.

After meeting up at an ante-natal group, they formed a close bond that three years on, is stronger than ever, and when Bella’s husband Ewan goes missing she turns to her friends for help. These women have become her tribe and her only source of support – where else would she turn?

I loved this gripping page-turner! It brought back memories of my own days of being part of an ante-natal group (not the psychological thriller part – the part where you meet people who become life-long friends).

Ewan isn’t the most likeable of characters, and quite honestly, the more the plot develops and the more I learnt about him, I increasingly felt that Bella was surely better off without him and that she should have considered herself lucky that he’d done a bunk. But the police are inclined to think differently and are sure she knew about his illicit dealings at his company, implicating her in his disappearance. The less she claims to know, the more suspicious they become.

DI Iona Chatwin, who we hear from, along with the points of view of each of the mothers, was the one person I found most difficult to like. She lacked the confidence that I felt a person in the police force, on a case like this, should have displayed. She seemed so uncomfortable in her own skin, and so at odds with each of the mothers. She had no clue what to make of them and couldn’t seem to figure anything out. Too much was made out of the fact that she was gay. I appreciated that this was pointed out to the reader, but there was too much emphasis on it, which did more to detract from the story than anything else.

Apart from this though, the other characters are all complex and their lives and problems (oh, so many problems) are easy to absorb yourself in. The difficulties of everyday life, living with children, trying to fall pregnant, dealing with perceived societal pressures were all so well highlighted.

Ms Naughton keeps the twists and turns coming from every angle, and each of these women has her own back story to keep you on your toes. It’s one of those ‘just one more chapter’ books that keeps you up reading late into the night because you just keep turning (or swiping) those pages!

I highly recommend this 4-star read. The plot is well constructed and had me guessing right until that final reveal. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2020 Sian Whitehead rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2020 Julia rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars. This book started off well for me, then as it progressed I lost interest, found it quite far fetched and thought the characters were awful!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2020 Emma Shaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! What an exhilarating read this turned out to be! Sizzling with tension, this had me on the edge of my seat and up until the wee hours as I couldn’t put it down. The author threw some clever curveballs to throw us off track and I found myself unable to guess where it was going or who I should suspect. A heady mix that made this a delight to read.

When banker Ewan Upton is reported missing Iona and her partner are called in to investigate. His wife Bella is a mess. She has no idea where he cou Wow! What an exhilarating read this turned out to be! Sizzling with tension, this had me on the edge of my seat and up until the wee hours as I couldn’t put it down. The author threw some clever curveballs to throw us off track and I found myself unable to guess where it was going or who I should suspect. A heady mix that made this a delight to read.

When banker Ewan Upton is reported missing Iona and her partner are called in to investigate. His wife Bella is a mess. She has no idea where he could be and his missing passport indicates he planned to disappear. But there’s something niggling at Iona and she thinks there is more to the case. The night before Ewan vanished Bella had been out with a group of friends known as the Mother’s Club. The five women have been meeting regularly since having their babies three years ago but seem to not like each other or have much in common. Though they all have a framed copy of the same photo, taken the night of their first meeting, on display in their homes. Does Bella know what happened to her husband? And do the other mothers, who don’t seem to like each other, know the secret too?

The story is told in dual timelines; in the present day the police are investigating the disappearance of Ewan Upton, and in flashbacks we get to know Bella and the other mothers. They are an eclectic mix of people. All very different and not who you’d put together without the commonality of having babies at the same time. Though Ewan’s disappearance is the mystery that needs to be solved, it was in the flashbacks that the best storytelling occurs and we see the raw, no-holds-barred life of each of the women as they struggle with new motherhood, the changes to their relationships, to their bodies, and the fact that their life is now completely different. Their struggles are different and unique but they are all very relatable and true to life. I found these parts of the story emotional at times as they discuss some often brushed-over or hidden parts of parenthood. They were also my favourite parts as get to know each woman on a deeper level, which helped when the tension soared in the present day as we could understand their actions.

Bella is a mousy, downtrodden wife who’s let herself go since her son, Teddy was born. She suffers from postnatal depression which included hallucination when he was very young and lives in fear of it returning and maybe losing her precious boy. She is lacking in confidence, something that isn’t helped by her controlling, douchebag of a husband, Ewan. God I hated him! My spidey senses told me something was off about him from the start and he turned out to be an awful husband, father and human being who treated everyone like dirt and was only out for himself. I felt increasingly sad for Bella and angry at Ewan, hoping he didn’t return home so that she could have some chance of a happy life once she’d come to terms with his leaving.

This was the first time I’ve read a book by this author and I was blown away by the intricate, clever, riveting and twisty plot. She kept the reader in the dark about so much for most of the book and I loved that I was in the same position as Iona and her colleagues, trying to figure out if the Mothers Club were telling the truth and what had happened to Ewan. I was stumped. While I had some faint suspicions I was mostly clueless which made it all the more amazing when revelations and twists came and things began to fall into place. I was thrilled when Bella’s inner tigress awakened and things begin to turn in the story. The tension soared and it felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride I didn’t want to get off, unable to put the book down until I reached the end and discovered the truth at last.

If you like well-written and surprising psychological thrillers then read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for my gifted copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2020 The Glass House Online Magazine rated it really liked it

Who Would You Call To Help Hide a Body?

If you killed someone - who would you call to help you hide the body? Let's face it, we all have that one person we would turn to if all hell broke loose. What if your husband went missing? Who would you turn to?

Firstly - a quick apology. This review for the blog tour a *little* late - due to unforeseen circumstances (mainly getting stuck in China on the way home for a Christmas holiday - where I promptly forgot you are blocked from all social media..) but Who Would You Call To Help Hide a Body?

If you killed someone - who would you call to help you hide the body? Let's face it, we all have that one person we would turn to if all hell broke loose. What if your husband went missing? Who would you turn to?

Firstly - a quick apology. This review for the blog tour a *little* late - due to unforeseen circumstances (mainly getting stuck in China on the way home for a Christmas holiday - where I promptly forgot you are blocked from all social media..) but I was determined to publish the review as soon as I could. My first review of 2020 - and what a cracker of a book to start the year with.

The Mothers by Sarah Naughton explores the connections between a group of mothers who originally met at an NCT meeting. Despite their very different personalities and backgrounds, pregnancy brought them together and secrets will knit their lives together in a way no one would expect.

When a husband is missing and a friend's house looks like a crime scene, what secrets do the group hold close to their chests that could solve it all?

I enjoyed this book, but I can't really put my finger on why. I can't say I truly liked any of the 'mothers' or that I truly felt a connection with any of them, but I did sympathise with them. I did connect with the idea that motherhood often throws you together with women you would never normally be friends with, but with so many relationships to navigate and secrets to uncover, I didn't find myself attached to any one character. I even found myself disliking certain characters more with each turn of the page, but that was most definitely deliberate - and there is nothing I love more than truly hating an obvious villain.

Despite not exactly knitting myself to one (or even two) of the characters, I found the plot engaging and the twists well-conceived. For the first time in a while, I think I may have liked a book more for the plot and writing, than the characterisation - which although was quite a surprise, makes a truly refreshing change.

Told in two timelines, Naughton weaves the tales of the five mothers with the storyline of that of the Detective Inspector Iona. I think the sexuality element of the detective felt a little out of place at times, with Iona often focusing more on her female companion than the case in hand, but I think that was more to do with my own frustration for the plot to move forward. However, although the book is a slow starter, it certainly picked up and again, although I guessed the ending before the twist, I was still left satisfied by the ending.

I have to admit that The Mothers is the first of Sarah J Naughton's books that I have picked up - but the pacing, plot and clever writing has me intrigued enough to want to pick up her other work.

Many Thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers and Trapeze for inviting us on this Blog Tour.

Reviewed by Emma-Claire Wilson for The Glass House Book Club ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2020 Celeste Ní raois rated it it was amazing

Shelves: celeste-2020-eeading-challenge

Five Women.
They meet at their NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they're all pregnant.

Five Secrets.
Three years later, they are all good friends. Aren't they?

One Missing Husband.

Now the police have come knocking. Someone knows something.

And the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells.

Well, where do I start with this review only with I LOVED it. This book mainly centres around 2 characters Bella and her husband Ewan. The chapters alternate between present time and over th ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2020 Kerry L rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-i-want-a-copy-of

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2019 Lavender rated it liked it

Shelves: psychological-thrillers, netgalley

„Five Women. Five Secrets. One Missing Husband.”

Five women met when they were pregnant and stayed in touch. They became close friends despite the fact that they have totally different personalities. The story is told in two timelines. In the present there is Iona, a police detective, who soon gets a feeling that something is not right with the story the wife and her friends tell about the missing husband. The past timeline is told from all of the women’s POV. We learn how they met, became friend ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2019 No Books rated it really liked it

I loved The Mothers!
Naughton has written such an enchanting tale, wrought with tension and suspense and she really had me believing that the mothers club didn’t like each other!
The Mothers is the story of 5 new mothers who met at their antenatal classes and although they’re vastly different people, they vowed to stick together forever, whatever. When tragedy strikes one of the mothers, will they band together to save her or throw her under the bus?
Naughton’s characters are vibrant and clever ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 08, 2019 Angie F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Five star suspense from beginning to end. This is a fantastic read with such spellbinding moments of tension I had to remind myself to breathe. All leading to a momentous conclusion. I loved every minute.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 03, 2020 Serena Louise rated it it was amazing

The Mothers

This is my first of Sarah’s books and I can say won’t be the last. I was drawn to this book by the blurb and the length of it as it curled just under 300 pages for a quick, thrilling read.

We’ve got a cast of characters from the mums themselves to their partners and children. I’d say it would be difficult to keep track of them if you were to put the book down and step away from the story for a while. Even after reading in two sittings, sometimes I had to remind myself who was who.

We h The Mothers

This is my first of Sarah’s books and I can say won’t be the last. I was drawn to this book by the blurb and the length of it as it curled just under 300 pages for a quick, thrilling read.

We’ve got a cast of characters from the mums themselves to their partners and children. I’d say it would be difficult to keep track of them if you were to put the book down and step away from the story for a while. Even after reading in two sittings, sometimes I had to remind myself who was who.

We have Bella, Jen, Skye, Electra and Chrissy. Their partners Ewan, Eliot, Pedro, Jack and Russell. We also have the detective in charge of the investigation, Iona.
All the mums are friends without that much in common but with a solid bond through motherhood. Each one faces a different battle, be that grief, mental health, domestic violence, child abuse accusations and relationship difficulties with their babies father and his sexual orientation. It focussed on something different for each woman and it came across well developed, in depth and interesting as they had their own individual lives and worries but still had each other.
The story is told in two timelines. We have the present day told through Iona’s POV which outlines her investigation and interviews of all of the above, then we have a countdown timeline of the events leading up to the present day from the Mothers Club in chunks of 6 months, beginning with two years, then eighteen months and so on. This dynamic adds a great sense of pace and tension as we creep toward the truth of Ewan’s disappearance.

I was able to keep on track of the characters but sometimes Skye and Electra did blur into one a little and their physical descriptions didn’t stick with me fully, except for the blonde dreadlocks on one of them. Otherwise they all came across as fully formed characters.

There is a really good twist at the end that I didn’t see coming, I DID guess what happened to Ewan, I thought it was a little obvious by one of the last lines in one of the chapters further into the book, but the additional twist on top was refreshing and came out of the blue. I really enjoyed racing through this.

I did dislike the obvious diversity thrown around. In one chapter, Iona, who’s lesbian, gets told to go to a diversity panel because she is a ‘gay woman’. There were a lot of instances where her sexual orientation was thrown up to us as if it was trying to be inclusive but it felt like it was just trying too hard to get us to have a diverse main character who was also female. It was given to us all the time by telling us whether or not Iona could ‘fall in love’ with this person or that. There was also a lot of mentioning that characters were ‘black.’ It stressed the point of diversity too much instead of just letting the characters be themselves, their sexual preference or ethnicity was not crucial to the story at all but the police chapters were rammed with this constant worry of showing inclusivity.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this novel and I’d pick up another of Sarah’s! I raced through it in two sittings over a period of 24 hours and throughly enjoyed it. I would recommend. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 17, 2020 Clare Robinson rated it really liked it

Five women who on the surface seem to have little in common. They all have very different personalities and very different lives. Meeting when they are all pregnant at the same time their friendship continues as they meet regularly to drink and discuss their lives. When one of their husbands go missing secrets threaten to spill out that could change all of their lives for the worse forever.

I don't want to say too much about the plot in order to not inadvertently spoil anything but needless to sa ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2020 Cal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Mothers by Sarah J Naughton is a unique, thrilling and gripping read that had me hooked almost from the very beginning. This is the story of five women, all mothers, all with their own secret that they’re desperate to keep hidden. I was drawn into the lives of these women from the outset, soon becoming invested in each individual story. And when the reserved Bella’s husband goes missing, the police soon begin to look for answers. Will they be able to find the missing man? Or is there more to ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 09, 2020 Hannah Wingfield rated it liked it

This was the best psychological thriller I have read in a long time (I didn't guess all the twists, yay!) and I loved the exploration of women's friendships, especially when all they had in common was the ages of their children. BUT the ignorance about autism in this book is outstanding! Minor spoiler about how autism comes up in the book (view spoiler). From the stereotypical "symptoms" to the assessment process and, most ridiculously of all, the ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Mystery

11 users

Fiction

10 users

Thriller

6 users

Adult

5 users

Contemporary

4 users

Thriller > Psychological Thriller

3 users

Mystery > Crime

2 users

See top shelves…

About Sarah J. Naughton

Sarah J. Naughton

93 followers

See also Sarah Naughton

Sarah worked as an advertising copywriter for ten years before her first book was published in 2013. A supernatural thriller for teens, The Hanged Man Rises (Simon and Schuster) was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. A second thriller for teens, The Blood List (Simon and Schuster) came out in 2014. Her first adult thriller, Tattletale (Trapeze) is due out in March 2017.
S ...more