Molloy, Aimee--The Perfect Mother Informal Buddy Read starts June 6, 2018

[Brooke]

Laura: (view spoiler)[ I am also surprised there weren't any consequences for Collette. Maybe they never found out? The year time jump left out a lot of details, like how Francie & her husband were somehow able to afford a house and new baby after being close to broke. (hide spoiler)]

It was a pleasure reading with you again! See you again for Not That I Could Tell. Do you want to read it next week or delay by a week?

[Kaley]

Through Ch. 9

(view spoiler)[Ok, Winnie is acting super fishy. Like, she already knows what happened to Midas for sure. Because it’s only day 4 and she’s admitted to planting false stories because “someone’s going to pay for what happened and it’s not going to be her?” Also she is super not concerned with finding him, just with getting Joshua back... so it feels like she already knows he’s dead. (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Amy wrote: "Just finished through chapter 4

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I am also having a hard time keeping the mothers straight! Especially in regards to the fathers. I couldn’t tell you still 😂 (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Through Ch 11

(view spoiler)[What if Archie Andersen the stalker and Joshua are the same? It says Winnie’s MOM got the restraining order, so maybe he wasn’t like a legit stalker but they cared about each other the whole time and she wasn’t having it?? And then one of them cut her mom’s brakes or something... (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Through Ch 12

Sorry for all my crazy conspiracy theories, everyone 😂

(view spoiler)[I’m starting to think the first personPOV halters aren’t actually Winnie. Like instead it’s one of the lesser-known mommy group people like Scarlett or Gemma or Yuko. (hide spoiler)]

[Brooke]

Kaley wrote: "Through Ch 12

Sorry for all my crazy conspiracy theories, everyone 😂

[spoilers removed]"

Conspiracy theories are absolutely okay when reading mystery/thrillers! :-)

[Kaley]

Brooke wrote: "chapters 5-12

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that about (view spoiler)[Winnie not being the narrator. It makes me feel even more convinced that the theory works since I'm not the only one! But I definitely agree -- (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Brooke wrote: "Kaley wrote: "Through Ch 12

Sorry for all my crazy conspiracy theories, everyone 😂

[spoilers removed]"

Conspiracy theories are absolutely okay when reading mystery/thrillers! :-)"

Thanks! :) I figured if I throw enough of them out there, at least one has to be right, right?! Haha. My friend just finished this book too and she said to text her any theories I have, and I think she's now regretting it... :-P

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Very good book with realistic insight into being a new mother. If you took away the crime it would still be an excellent drama! Thanks for the buddy read everyone.

[Laura]

@ Kaley
I want to talk to you about your spoilers but then I 'm afraid I 'll give something away!

I love your conspiracy theories! Hehe at least you are more observant than some of us!!!

[Amy]

Finally finished!

(view spoiler)[I finally finished and read through everyone's comments. It's been fun reading with everyone! I never suspected Scarlet! I felt like it was a definite page-turner, but I also felt like the ending was a little less exciting than I was hoping for. I was hoping for a bigger twist or just something more than the person who abducted him being "crazy." I've read so many stories similar to this one, so I was hoping for something a little different in the end. I think there were a lot of little things I missed while reading that would have been "a-ha!" moments, though, but I never suspected her so probably missed out on a lot of those! I really enjoyed reading from the mom's perspectives! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Laura wrote: "@ Kaley
I want to talk to you about your spoilers but then I 'm afraid I 'll give something away!

I love your conspiracy theories! Hehe at least you are more observant than some of us!!!"

Interesting! I have a busy day tomorrow but I’m hoping to finish it the day after!

[Kaley]

Through Ch 13

Now I’m starting to think that (view spoiler)[Scarlett is just strolling around with a fake baby. It was conveniently covered up the whole time! I’m just trying to figure out what Scarlett’s motivations would be. Did she lose her own baby and tried to kidnap Midas to pass him off as hers, but something went wrong? Or maybe that’s why she says they need to keep moving (well, first person POV narrator says it, but I think it’s her) — because she does have Midas and knows she can’t stay near his mother?

Also, Francie is acting sketchy now too. She is WAY too emotionally involved. I understand being really upset, but I feel like she’s taking it too far... (hide spoiler)].

[Chava]

Geri wrote: "Chapters 8-15

Winnie has secrets. But I am not sure she is responsible for Midas’ disappearance. The author is trying to convince us she might. I still wonder about Midas’ father. Could he have s..."

So I've now progressed to chapter 17 and reading all the spoilers until then

(view spoiler)[ I find Francie so weird!! Her behaviour is really making me feel very uncomfortable. How she's talking to the police officers, really strange. I wonder if she's actually having some serious PND.

The groundskeeper bit was very surprising and felt really unnatural in the book. We hadn't been introduced to him in the book and then he just drops dead on us. I'm intrigued though (hide spoiler)]

[Chava]

Brooke wrote: "chapters 5-12

Wow. A few revelations later I still feel like I have no idea what happened. I'm enjoying the ride, though!

Francie is a bit obsessed with this. It was sad learning about her aborti..."

Brooke: (view spoiler)[ I totally agree with your points on Francie and Lowell. He is really off and she's just making me feel so uncomfortable. She's really going off the deep end. I feel for her too though, but she's clearly not well (hide spoiler)]

[Chava]

Laura wrote: "Through chapter 16
wow, this just keeps getting more and more complicated. I don't think Token is involved but he is connected to Winnie some how.

I saw some of the other guesses; Scarlett and Lo..."

Laura (view spoiler)[ that bit in the bar with "fake Archie" was totally messed up, what is she doing??? I agree with everything you said. As a mum of 4 (sigh) and couldn't do the mummy groups. The complaining and the gossiping and the attacks thinly veiled as "good advice", it drove me mad without the mummy groups, I can't imagine the pressure!! I can relate to all the dynamics described so well, the unsure mummy, the mummy on the brink of PND (of full blown PND for Francie, I think), the mummies who look to have it all so together but in reality are just all struggling big time with their first. Sigh. Glad that's behind me now LOL (hide spoiler)]

[Chava]

Laura wrote: "Chava wrote: "Sorry for the delay, my husband and 6 year old son both got admitted to hospital these last 10 days. Both are back home so hopefully nothing else happens and I can get some serious re..."

Yeah he's fine. The 6 yr old son isn't so much. He's come down with a high fever today and has been spending most of the day in bed. He did go out for ice cream though, so maybe not that ill after all LOL (btw it's winter here, I don't get the excitement about ice cream!)

[Brooke]

Kaley: (view spoiler)[ I also noticed Scarlet keeping the stroller covered, which is when I started suspecting her. I felt it was a detail that the author purposely included. And I agree with you 100% regarding Francie. She is way too invested and attached to this investigation. The police must have a lot of patience to be able to handle people like her! (hide spoiler)]

Chava: (view spoiler)[ Francie is a mess! I can't believe she actually did that in the bar. She needs to see a therapist to help her process that and the incident from high school. (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Through Ch. 16

Whaaaaat is going on? Now I’m starting to think that (view spoiler)[Lou/Lucille is the first person narrator. She is currently out of town which we know the first person narrator is as well.

Basically I have no idea what is going on! (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Chava wrote: "Laura wrote: "Chava wrote: "Sorry for the delay, my husband and 6 year old son both got admitted to hospital these last 10 days. Both are back home so hopefully nothing else happens and I can get s..."

Oh no poor little guy. LOL... ice cream does fix most things!

Hoping the fever is brought down soon!

[Vicki Willis]

Glad your family is doing better Chava.

I just got notification that my copy is in transit to the library, so I will start this week! I can't wait to read all the spoilers!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Amy wrote: "Finally finished!

[spoilers removed]"

I didn't suspect her either - I wasn't sure who to suspect.

I thought (view spoiler)[ Token would be too obvious (hide spoiler)]

Anyone else confused about the relationship with
(view spoiler)[ whoever Winnie's boyfriend was? I kept getting confused on the timetable and point of that. (hide spoiler)]

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Kaley wrote: "Amy wrote: "Just finished through chapter 4

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

I had the same problem on getting them confused. For some reason only Collette (horrible with names) was clear to me. I believe it was Frannie and Nell I kept getting confused.

[Christina]

I'm joining in from Team Lockhart since I have a couple of days until my next BR starts and I don't know what else to read at the moment.... so glad there are still people reading here as I couldn't even find anything else in the BR list I was interested in.

has it been a quick read for y'all so far?

hi Kaley :)

[Kaley]

Christina wrote: "I'm joining in from Team Lockhart since I have a couple of days until my next BR starts and I don't know what else to read at the moment.... so glad there are still people reading here as I couldn'..."

Hi Christina!

I’d say for me it’s been a fairly quick read! It has taken me more days than usual, but only because I keep falling asleep (not because of the story though... just because I usually decide I want to read before I go to bed when I’m too exhausted to do anything but sleep haha.) it definitely gets quicker the more into it you get!

[Christina]

Kaley wrote: "Christina wrote: "I'm joining in from Team Lockhart since I have a couple of days until my next BR starts and I don't know what else to read at the moment.... so glad there are still people reading..."

oh that's great! (not that you keep falling asleep of course, but I know what you mean - I mostly read at night too, and sometimes storylines are just too hard to follow before bed...)

[Christina]

Chapters 1-5

I have to admit I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book since I read The Couple Next Door in which another baby gets abducted from its crib only two months ago, but so far I am glad I spontanously decided to join this BR.

I'm already 100 pages in and would go on if it wasn't past 3am already.

there are quite a few of different characters which isn't throwing me off (yet), the main ones being:
- Winnie (view spoiler)[mother of Baby Midas (who got abducted from their home in the night of July 4th); child actress on cult tv show including gay characters + teenager pregnancy, pretty edgy back then; mother died on her 18th birthday, father apparently is bipolar; dealing with some mental issues herself, might "only" be postpartum depression though; had affair with a married man who seems to be Midas' father (hide spoiler)]
- Francie (view spoiler)[my favourite so far; struggles with breastfeeding; husband is an architect if I'm not mistaken (need the money from his upcoming project) (hide spoiler)]
- Collette (view spoiler)[ghostwrites books, currently for the mayor of NYC, but struggles with writing at the moment (hide spoiler)]
- Nell (view spoiler)[Brit; more or less forced to go back to work at huge magazine publisher (need the money anyway though); likes to drink; paid Alma to babysit Baby Midas for Winnie; came up with the idea to go out on July 4th (hide spoiler)]

I like the idea of them having their "mommy's group" and (view spoiler)[still meeting up regularly, but I wish they would be more open about themselves and their actual struggles with motherhood. each one of them probably thinks they're the only one having problems with their newborns while envying all the other mothers for their perfect lives with their perfect little babies, when in fact all of them struggle with something... (hide spoiler)]

oh and Token (view spoiler)[I doubt he's gay (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Christina wrote: "
Chapters 1-5


I have to admit I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book since I read The Couple Next Door in which another baby gets abducted from its crib only two m..."

I like your detailed character notes! I wish I had those when I started reading it...ha!

I'd say if you have a grip on them now though that you won't have a problem -- they get more clear as you go on since you're more used to them, so I think you'll be fine!

[Kaley]

Through Ch. 19

I still have no clue what’s going on. (view spoiler)[ I have no idea who to trust. Winnie says she didn’t get a drink with someone. Francie is sure she did. Is one of them lying? Has one of them (Francie) lost her memory or been gaslighted by someone ? Does Winnie have a secret evil twin? Really have no idea. (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Ch. 20

So I completely forgot that (view spoiler)[SCARLETT was the one who mentioned Winnie was depressed and planted that seed for making Winnie go out. I am 100% convinced of my “Scarlett is guultyand is the first person narrator” theory.

And my gosh, Token is Daniel!! Didn’t see that one coming!

Almost making me go back to the maybe Lou/Lucille had something to do with it... maybe she was jealous? Maybe Midas is Daniel’s/Token’s kid? So Lou wanted to make him go away? (hide spoiler)]

Eta: (view spoiler)[ I still feel like Scarlett and Lou could be the same person, but I feel like Token would have mentioned it at a meeting so I’m not completely convinced. (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Christina wrote: "
Chapters 1-5


I have to admit I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book since I read The Couple Next Door in which another baby gets abducted from its crib only two m..."

Christina wrote: "
Chapters 1-5


I have to admit I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book since I read The Couple Next Door in which another baby gets abducted from its crib only two m..."

The Couple Next Door was so different from this book! ( and better imo; I rated it 4 stars!)

I like your character sketches! Agree it would have been helpful at the start to do this.

[Kaley]

Finished!

(view spoiler)[ I’m so proud of me for figuring out the Scarlett thing so early on! This book definitely kept me on my toes though! (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

@Kaley

(view spoiler)[ You totally rocked figuring it out Kaley!Well done. It was fun to read your spoilers as you were reading. You are a great detective! (hide spoiler)]

[Kaley]

Laura wrote: "@Kaley

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Thank you! I had a lot of crazy different theories but at least one planned out! (hide spoiler)]

[Christina]

Laura wrote: "Christina wrote: "
Chapters 1-5


I have to admit I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to read this book since I read The Couple Next Door in which another baby gets abducted from it..."

well I started the book way later than y'all so I couldn't have given you a character breakdown before haha!

I honestly didn't like The Couple Next Door as much as this one so far - I disliked that we found out who was (view spoiler)[responsible for the baby's abduction. (hide spoiler)] of course more stuff was still going on, but I just couldn't get properly into it after that.

ETA: if you like thriller/mysteries that keep you guessing until the end, I can highly recommend Close to Home by Cara Hunter! honestly my favourite book I read so far this year!

[Christina]

Chapters 6-12

first of all, I agree with Kaley (from what you said when you were as far as I am now) and I think someone else has mentioned it as well - (view spoiler)[ I don't think Winnie is actually the narrator of the first-person chapters. someone is obsessed with Joshua, but it might not be Winnie. (hide spoiler)]

something is clearly off with (view spoiler)[ Nell. what happened to her in the bathroom of the bar? and does she have a secret identity? what happened in her past that her husband makes these little indications about?? I feel bad that she has to leave her baby at a day care already :(

Francie is getting way too deep into this. it's probably because she has dealt with losing babies before, but I hope she'll end up being okay. I'm really starting to worry about her.

I think Collette just should have told Teb she knows Winnie and Midas from the beginning. she's hiding more and more evidence of herself being part of the Mommy group which makes her look kind of suspicious to me to be honest. (hide spoiler)]

oh and I still don't trust (view spoiler)[ Token!! I can't believe Collette (+ Nell and Francie) shared the evidence with him just like that???? (hide spoiler)]

also, this has probably nothing to do with anything, but it annoys the sh*t out of me: why do the emails of The Village refer to the babies as she/her all the time???

[Kaley]

Christina wrote: "also, this has probably nothing to do with anything, but it annoys the sh*t out of me: why do the emails of The Village refer to the babies as she/her all the time??? "

Ha! I didn't even notice that. But probably because I was skimming those parts because I couldn't figure out why it was even included at all besides I guess helping us keep track of the babies' ages. So I just assumed it wasn't important and skimmed :-|

[Christina]

Through Chapter 19

WHAT is going on? (view spoiler)[ I was sure the first person chapters weren't actually Winnie's, but now I don't know what to think anymore... Is it possible she has a twin sister?? Or her mental health is just all over the place....

I'm also surprised about Nell... And Token is still weird but since he got the info about Nell in the mail I think whoever took Midas is trying to get the May Mothers to blame each other.

Francie is starting to remind me of one of my great aunts, and this isn't good at all. (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki Willis]

My hold came in today! Better late than never. I will be starting tomorrow. Just need to finish one up today.

[Kaley]

Christina wrote: "Through Chapter 19

WHAT is going on? "

I love that your thoughts pretty much perfectly echo my own at that point in time! (view spoiler)[And yikes about your great aunt if Francie reminds you of her! (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Vicki Willis wrote: "My hold came in today! Better late than never. I will be starting tomorrow. Just need to finish one up today."

Better late than never!!

[Christina]

Kaley wrote: "Christina wrote: "Through Chapter 19

WHAT is going on? "

I love that your thoughts pretty much perfectly echo my own at that point in time! [spoilers removed]"

I'm like 10 pages into Chapter 21 and at this point I suspect (view spoiler)[everyone to have an evil twin lol and I generally suspect Francie at the moment... (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki Willis]

I read through Ch. 4 and I am very intrigued.
Who was the prologue really about? That started a mysterious tone.
I like the Mom's group. It seems realistic to me.
I wonder (view spoiler)[why Nell would lie to the police. Getting drunk and not remembering is not a crime.
She was a terrible friend by taking Winnie's phone. A bitch move for sure. Especially if it had an impact on the kidnapping.
Also, who was Winnie talking to at the bar and where did she go? Was it Midas' father? (hide spoiler)]

[Christina]

FINISHED

okay. (view spoiler)[Scarlett. there already were theories that it was her, so I'm not that surprised. now I think I should read through the first-person chapters again! can't believe she stabbed herself though and nobody actually stopped her? I'm pretty sure police has to interfere if a suspect tries to kill themselves...

I'm glad Francie is doing better, less anxious, with another baby! just remembered she had miscarriages before, so this is even more beautiful! I also like that Francie, Nell, Collette and Winnie still hang out, and Winnie and Daniel/Token seem to be back together? (hide spoiler)]

once we officially knew who had kidnapped Midas, I had an idea for a slightly different storyline. well, same-ish storyline, but different kidnapper. (view spoiler)[it would have been so much 'fun' if it had been Francie since she was struggling with anxiety and it seemed super bad - imagine if she was schizophrenic and made herself suspect others because she didn't believe/realize she did anything wrong (sort of like Scarlett, but we may not have suspected her since she was one of the MCs). the only problem here would have been her husband and of course the other mums knowing Francie's baby boy, but this could have been so interesting too!! (sorry I just got really excited about this lol) (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki Willis]

Through Chapter 13

Am suspicious of everyone. She has done a good job creating something off about each one.
It is also interesting to me how she (view spoiler)[ detailed each husband in a different way. Some being more supportive than others. It helps makes the feelings for the moms deeper.

I am not sure about Winnie and Joshua. He doesn't seem real to me as far as she goes. Could he be connected to someone else instead?

Francie needs to get some meds and calm down. The whole experience in IKEA with Scarlett was very odd.
Obviously, her perfection is for show. Maybe she isn't as put together as the others think. Hence, her distancing herself.
(hide spoiler)]

So many possibilities. Almost too many to pick one.

[Vicki Willis]

DONE
What a wild ride. I did not put it all together.
The ending (view spoiler)[did seemed rushed and not consistent with all that happened. With all the messes everyone was in it didn't seem logical for all the HEAs. (hide spoiler)]
This was sure worth the read though and great discussion points!
Thanks everyone!