A most anticipated thriller of the season: Vanity Fair, Pop Sugar, Goodreads, The Cut | A New York Post “Must-Read” | One of Vanity Fair’s Smartest and Most Innovative Thrillers of Summer | A USA Today “Book You Won’t Want to Miss”| An Indie Next Pick | A Library Reads Pick | A Kirkus Best Book of 2018 | A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018 | A Bustle Gift Guide Pick | A Kirkus Best Thriller of 2018 | A Bookish Best Gift Pick —
“I was hooked ... and stayed up late to finish. What do you call a book like that? Oh yeah: a page turner. And it’s a rare and wonderful thing.” — New York Times Book Review
“An electrifying thriller—and a subtle, savvy skewering of the endless expectations of modern motherhood.” — People , Book of the Week
“Whip-smart.... Very much in the mold of recent best-sellers like The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window, but it’s also a sharply drawn take on the cult of modern parenting and the particular pressure women face—from within and without—to pull it all off, flawlessly.” — Entertainment Weekly
“A gripping page turner that explores the pressures of modern motherhood, as well as a mother’s absolute worst nightmare. I could not be prouder to be bringing this thriller to the big screen.” — Kerry Washington
“A desperate, thrilling mystery that you’ll think you have all figured out – until you realize you don’t.” — Marie Claire
“A riveting psychological thriller that takes a sharp, insightful look at motherhood, The Perfect Mother explores the pressures, the hopes, the fears, and the secrets between a group of friends who realize how little they know one another when a crisis strikes. A fast-paced, twisty, engrossing read—I loved it!” — Megan Miranda, author of All the Missing Girls
“A fresh addition to the psycho-thriller shelf.” — Washington Post , “6 Beach Reads That Will Bring You More Pleasure than Guilt”
“Utterly page-turning.” — Parade
“Molloy, a master of clever misdirection, deftly explores the expectations, insecurities, and endless judgement that accompany motherhood in this fast-paced thriller featuring a bevy of strong, smart, and realistically flawed women who, refreshingly, have each other’s backs when it counts the most. Mesmerizing.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“A novel about internalized sexism, specifically as it relates to motherhood.... Each protagonist has a demon of her own to fight, and with it a new angled on the fundamental question of how a woman can reject the world’s beliefs about who she should be.” — Los Angeles Review of Books
“For a charmed group of new moms, a girls’ night out ends in one mother’s worst nightmare. In twist after masterful twist, secrets and lies begin to unravel; The Perfect Mother is a tense and riveting page turner with an ending you won’t see coming.” — Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
“Keeps readers guessing... bound to press familiar hot buttons and unnerve many readers.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“I raced through The Perfect Mother , desperate to find out what would happen. Both the writing and the characterization are excellent, and it was so easy to identify with these women and the pressure they are under. I absolutely loved it—a true page turner!” — B.A. Paris, author of The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors
“A captivating and deeply insightful page-turner, The Perfect Mother is both a riveting mystery and a satisfyingly sharp social commentary about what it means to be a good mother.” — Kimberly McCreight, author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her
“Readers who can’t get enough of suburban suspense along the lines of Liane Moriarty B. A. Paris will want to give this a try.” — Booklist
“For lovers of cunning narrative suspense in the vein of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl , this debut novel.... Will keep readers turning the pages.” — Library Journal , starred review
[A] promising first novel.... The mystery of Midas’s disappearance may be the skeleton on which Molloy’s plot hangs, but it’s her characters’ anxieties that give the story life and substance.... Her clever narrative structure heightens tension while spotlighting the solitary struggles of motherhood.” — Publishers Weekly
“Impressive and satisfying.... This gripping and fresh novel will provoke as much thought as it does excitement.” — BookPage
“Perfect for fans of Gone Girl . If you’re looking for a dose of suspense combined with wry observations about modern motherhood, this is it.” — Working Mother
A riveting psychological thriller that takes a sharp, insightful look at motherhood, The Perfect Mother explores the pressures, the hopes, the fears, and the secrets between a group of friends who realize how little they know one another when a crisis strikes. A fast-paced, twisty, engrossing read—I loved it!
A fresh addition to the psycho-thriller shelf.
Whip-smart.... Very much in the mold of recent best-sellers like The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window, but it’s also a sharply drawn take on the cult of modern parenting and the particular pressure women face—from within and without—to pull it all off, flawlessly.
I was hooked ... and stayed up late to finish. What do you call a book like that? Oh yeah: a page turner. And it’s a rare and wonderful thing.
New York Times Book Review
A gripping page turner that explores the pressures of modern motherhood, as well as a mother’s absolute worst nightmare. I could not be prouder to be bringing this thriller to the big screen.
A desperate, thrilling mystery that you’ll think you have all figured out – until you realize you don’t.
An electrifying thriller—and a subtle, savvy skewering of the endless expectations of modern motherhood.
Utterly page-turning.
A fresh addition to the psycho-thriller shelf.
For a charmed group of new moms, a girls’ night out ends in one mother’s worst nightmare. In twist after masterful twist, secrets and lies begin to unravel; The Perfect Mother is a tense and riveting page turner with an ending you won’t see coming.
Readers who can’t get enough of suburban suspense along the lines of Liane Moriarty B. A. Paris will want to give this a try.
A novel about internalized sexism, specifically as it relates to motherhood.... Each protagonist has a demon of her own to fight, and with it a new angled on the fundamental question of how a woman can reject the world’s beliefs about who she should be.
Los Angeles Review of Books
Perfect for fans of Gone Girl . If you’re looking for a dose of suspense combined with wry observations about modern motherhood, this is it.
A captivating and deeply insightful page-turner, The Perfect Mother is both a riveting mystery and a satisfyingly sharp social commentary about what it means to be a good mother.
Impressive and satisfying.... This gripping and fresh novel will provoke as much thought as it does excitement.
Perfect for fans of Gone Girl . If you’re looking for a dose of suspense combined with wry observations about modern motherhood, this is it.
Readers who can’t get enough of suburban suspense along the lines of Liane Moriarty B. A. Paris will want to give this a try.
I raced through The Perfect Mother , desperate to find out what would happen. Both the writing and the characterization are excellent, and it was so easy to identify with these women and the pressure they are under. I absolutely loved it—a true page turner!
Keeps readers guessing... bound to press familiar hot buttons and unnerve many readers.
The details of motherhood and child care are never glossed over or ignored, even when the women start to investigate the crime on their own. It's gratifying to see Winnie's friends rally around her, especially since they are perfectly willing to break the rulesand even the lawto help their friend and rescue her baby. Forget girl power, we're talking mother power here, and there's nothing quite like it…I was hooked…and stayed up late to finish. What do you call a book like that? Oh yeah: a page-turner . And it's a rare and wonderful thing.
The New York Times Book Review - Katherine Heiny
02/05/2018 In this promising first novel from nonfiction bestseller Molloy (However Long the Night), the May Mothers, a parenting group, gather at a Brooklyn bar for an adults-only Fourth of July celebration. The outing’s organizers—Nell Mackey, Colette Yates, and Francie Givens—are intent on showing harried single mom Winnie Ross a good time, so they arrange for Nell’s nanny, Alma, to watch Winnie’s son, Midas, and delete the baby monitor app from Winnie’s phone. Drinking commences and Winnie wanders off, leaving her phone and house key with Nell, who misplaces them. Shortly thereafter, Alma calls Nell to report that Midas is missing. When the NYPD fails to find him, the media turns its attention to Winnie and the other May Mothers, prompting Nell, Colette, and Francie to launch their own increasingly reckless investigation. The mystery of Midas’s disappearance may be the skeleton on which Molloy’s plot hangs, but it’s her characters’ anxieties that give the story life and substance. Molloy doesn’t fully earn her book’s big twist, but her clever narrative structure heightens tension and creates uncertainty while spotlighting the solitary struggles of motherhood. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Weed Literary. (May)
A most anticipated thriller of the season: Vanity Fair, Pop Sugar, Goodreads, The Cut | A New York Post “Must-Read” | One of Vanity Fair’s Smartest and Most Innovative Thrillers of Summer | A USA Today “Book You Won’t Want to Miss”| An Indie Next Pick | A Library Reads Pick | A Kirkus Best Book of 2018 | A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018 | A Bustle Gift Guide Pick | A Kirkus Best Thriller of 2018 | A Bookish Best Gift Pick
★ 2018-02-20 A mommy group attempts to get to the bottom of a baby's disappearance in Molloy's debut."Bad things happen in heat like this." The May Mothers is a group of Brooklyn women whose children share May birthdates and who enjoy bonding over the trials and tribulations of new motherhood. There's gorgeous and brash Brit Nell Mackey, ghostwriter Colette Yates, sweet-natured Southerner Francie Givens, and Token, which is the nickname they've given the sole stay-at-home dad in the group, whom they assume is gay. Then there's single mom Winnie Ross, an otherworldly beauty who sets herself apart but seems devoted to her little boy, Midas. When Nell suggests a moms' night out without the babies, Winnie is reluctant to go, but Nell won't take no for an answer, even offering to provide a babysitter. They drink the night away at a local bar, and before they leave, Nell receives a phone call from the babysitter with the news that Midas is missing, taken from his crib while she slept. Against the sweltering Brooklyn summer, the ladies, horrified at the mounting sensationalism of the case, use their various skills to dig into Winnie's secretive past, hoping to bring little Midas home. The narrative rotates among the moms, offering insight into their varied lives, and readers will think they've got this one figured out, but the surprises, and revelations, come fast and often. A bonus: Emails sent to the May Mothers by a website called The Village—where they all registered—precede each chapter, doling out smug, one-size-fits-all advice on babies' milestones.Molloy, a master of clever misdirection, deftly explores the expectations, insecurities, and endless judgement that accompany motherhood in this fast-paced thriller featuring a bevy of strong, smart, and realistically flawed women who, refreshingly, have each other's backs when it counts the most. Mesmerizing.