A Fast Paced, Addictive Psychological Thriller packed with secrets, lies, betrayals, multiple POVs, and plenty of twisty popcorn thriller fun.

Goodreads | A Perfect Mother

Release date: September 10, 2026

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

My life is perfect. Bad things don’t happen to me. Until the day my daughter vanishes… 

I am the luckiest woman alive. I have a loving husband, who supports me in everything I do. A beautiful home, with comfy couches and art taped to the fridge. And Stella, my angel—my kind, gentle daughter. I’ve fought so hard for this life, and every day I’m grateful for it.

So it hits me like lightning, the moment I see my nanny stumbling towards me, blood drying on her forehead. She was attacked. Stella is gone.

The world spins. I fight to breathe. This can’t happen to me. Not now.

I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but as I sit in a daze on her bed, my eye falls on a threadbare stuffed cat, its eyes stitched with black thread. My blood freezes. Because I understand, now, who did this, and what they want from me.

And I know how far I’ll have to go to save my daughter, before my worst fears can come true…

A gasp-out-loud psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Not My Mother, with a twist you’ll never see coming. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley and Gillian Flynn.

Review:

A Perfect Mother by Miranda Smith was exactly the kind of popcorn thriller I needed: fast paced, twisty, addictive, and just ridiculous enough to be fun. Was everything that happened completely believable? Absolutely not. Was the plot earth shattering? Also no. But honestly, sometimes I don’t care! If a thriller keeps me turning the pages and makes me want to know what happens next, I’m willing to forgive a little far fetched nonsense.

I especially liked the multiple POVs, and the kidnapper’s perspective was probably my favorite. Getting that glimpse into what was happening behind the scenes added an extra layer of tension and kept me guessing. There were plenty of lies, betrayals, secrets, and revelations to keep things moving, and the pacing made this a very easy book to fly through.

That said, the characters felt a little underwhelming, and some of the twists pushed the limits of credibility. The writing and character development aren’t necessarily what I’d call standout, and the overall plot isn’t exactly going to blow my mind. But I also don’t need every popcorn thriller to deliver beautifully drawn characters and literary level writing. Sometimes I just want a wild, twisty story that keeps me entertained, and A Perfect Mother definitely delivered that.

Overall, I’d call this a 3.5 star read and a solid choice when you’re in the mood for a quick, addictive psychological thriller that doesn’t require you to think too hard about whether all of it could actually happen. Just sit back, enjoy the chaos, and have fun with it.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Kidnapping thrillers
• Multiple POVs
• Secrets, lies & betrayals
• Twisty, over the top plots
• Unreliable characters
• Getting the kidnapper’s POV
• Fast, addictive reads
• Popcorn psychological thrillers

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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