Book Review: The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Publish Date: May 1, 2018

I received an advance copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.

They call themselves the May Mothers—a group of new moms who gave birth in the same month. Twice a week, with their newborns in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, sharing the fears, joy, and anxieties of new parenthood.

When the members meet for drinks at a hip local bar on the 4th of July, it begins as a fun, light evening, but ends terrifyingly wrong for one mom, Winnie – her six-week-old Midas, was abducted from his crib.

Though none of the other members in the group are close to Winnie, three of them will go to risky lengths to help her find her son. In the days that follow the kidnapping, damaging secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are formed and fractured.

How fitting that this book centers around a new moms’ group called the May Mothers, and is being released on May 1^st!

This book is a universal story of motherhood and the struggles that women go through as a new mother. It hits all of the thoughts, fears, and insecurities of being a new mom. It’s a very vivid picture of motherhood told from many different perspectives.

The book goes through the spectrum of motherhood – birth stories, baby wearing, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, breastfeeding, returning to work, firstborn love, body image issues, and spouse relationships shifting due to a new baby. It had me recalling my own experiences as a new mom.

If you are a mom, you will relate to this book. If you are not a mom, you will definitely learn about it because the descriptions and feelings emitted from the characters paint a very realistic picture of modern motherhood.

The focus of the book is motherhood and centers around three characters – Nell, Colette, and Francie but is told in many points of view, including a mysterious narrator sprinkled throughout the book. This narrator’s story doesn’t make sense until the pivotal part where the character is revealed. This reveal tempted me to re-read these parts once I discovered out who it is, because it helped me to understand the story much better.

I loved the Brooklyn and New York City settings and the writing transported me to these places. I was expecting more of the plot centered around Winnie, the mysterious and beautiful mother whose son, Midas, was kidnapped on a hot July 4^th evening on a mom’s night out. Instead, the book focused on the other mothers in the group and their perspective, which made it an interesting read.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

The book is a slow burn, but this allows for strong character development within the mothers. The story has a nice twist and a surprise ending and is definitely worth reading. I recommend it!

This quote is a light and funny way that sums up the major theme of the book:

Side note: This book is being made into a movie starring Kerry Washington!