The Perfect Mother
Author: Aimee Molloy
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Harper
Published: May 1, 2018
Pages: 317 
My Rating: ★★

An addictive psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedly connected when one of their newborns goes missing. They call themselves the May Mothers—a collection of new moms who gave birth in the same month. Twice a week, with strollers in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, seeking refuge from the isolation of new motherhood; sharing the fears, joys, and anxieties of their new child-centered lives. When the group’s members agree to meet for drinks at a hip local bar, they have in mind a casual evening of fun, a brief break from their daily routine. But on this sultry Fourth of July night during the hottest summer in Brooklyn’s history, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is abducted from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but the May Mothers insisted that everything would be fine. Now Midas is missing, the police are asking disturbing questions, and Winnie’s very private life has become fodder for a ravenous media. Though none of the other members in the group are close to the reserved Winnie, three of them will go to increasingly risky lengths to help her find her son. And as the police bungle, the investigation and the media begin to scrutinize the mothers in the days that follow, damaging secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are formed and fractured.
A young mother's child is kidnapped. 
The concept for The Perfect Mother sounded so good. A young mother attends a mommy and me group when her baby is taken. I thought this was going to be a fast-paced thriller. It was anything but. The book was extremely slow and took me forever to get into it. 

The characters were bland and I honestly just didn't care. None of them were even remotely likable. However, I did enjoy reading about the mother's different struggles when it came to being a mom. This was the only realistic part of the novel and one of the only things that I actually did enjoy. Seeing how being a new mom can change your whole entire life.

Thrillers are supposed to draw you in where you are just dying to know "who did it" but this plot and build up just was not there. Not for one minute was I at the edge of my seat. The ending was completely obvious. When the story was finally over, I literally rolled my eyes and thought to myself seriously is that it? I was very annoyed honestly. 

The author's writing didn't lack at all and she wrote beautifully. Her language is very descriptive. I just think the plot and story were lacking. The build-up just was not there. Maybe, her other novels are better with their plots but this one was bland. I also found myself mixing up characters and felt the characterization was not exactly clear. It was hard to keep up with at times. Overall, this was a big letdown for me. My expectations were greatly disappointed.   
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AIMEE MOLLOY is the author of the New York Times bestseller However Long the Night: Molly Melching’s Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph and the co-author of several non-fiction books, including Jantsen’s Gift, with Pam Cope. The Perfect Mother is her first novel.