4.0 (1 rating)
Not My Mother A Completely Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Jaw-dropping Twist
“Wow… A fantastic, gripping read. As soon as I started reading it I knew I was going to love it, it grabbed me straight away and I couldn't put it down. I finished it in 2 sittings, staying up very late and then getting up very early as I just wanted to know how it was all going to finish.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What if the person you trust most in the world is lying to you? I’d heard of the Baby Caroline case, of course. When a baby is snatched from her mother’s arms, the whole country knows about it. I knew about the parents left lying by the swimming pool, the open window in the nursery. But I never dreamed it had anything to do with me. Today, my beautiful daughter turned one. We were unwrapping gifts and blowing out candles when the knock came at the door, and they took my mother away. The police say she’s not really my mother. That she stole me, thirty years ago. When I visit her, desperate for answers, she looks me in the eye, and says nothing. I can barely breathe. Is my whole life a lie? I have to find out, but the more I learn, the more scared I become. And soon I start to wonder, am I losing my grip on reality or is my own daughter in terrible danger? An absolutely gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell. See what readers are saying about Not My Mother: “Absolutely addictive and gripping… Filled with twists and turns which will knock you sideways… It had me on the edge of my seat biting my nails and staying awake late at night to find out what happened next… I LOVED it” Bookworm 86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Wow!… I devoured this in just one sitting and have been completely pulled in and addicted to this one… a magnificent masterpiece… a rollercoaster read and one I’ve thought about long after finishing…
Pages: 350
ISBN: 9781800193093
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4.0
1 rating
Rachel S.
Apr 6, 2026
It is Marion’s daughter Ava’s first birthday and shockingly police turn up and arrests her mother, Eileen, claiming she is actually called Sarah and she is wanted for the kidnap of baby Caroline and the murder of her father thirty years ago.
Everyone had heard about the kidnapping of baby Caroline, it was notorious at the time and no one was ever found. But is Marion really Caroline? She starts to think that it is highly possible, the way her mother shielded her and she wants to talk to Amelia who is claiming to be her mother. Going to visit her in secret.
As the story progresses we find out more about what happened thirty years ago from Eileen’s point of view. It is quite sad what Eileen went through.
This is really fast-paced, with secrets from all sides, betrayals and twists and turns but the suspense of who, what, when and why was so utterly gripping I could not read it quick enough.
I was pleased with how this ended and it tied up any loose ends.
Miranda Smith writes in a way that will grip you from the first page and it doesn’t let you go. She is such a great author.
Merged review:
It is Marion’s daughter Ava’s first birthday and shockingly police turn up and arrests her mother, Eileen, claiming she is actually called Sarah and she is wanted for the kidnap of baby Caroline and the murder of her father thirty years ago.
Everyone had heard about the kidnapping of baby Caroline, it was notorious at the time and no one was ever found. But is Marion really Caroline? She starts to think that it is highly possible, the way her mother shielded her and she wants to talk to Amelia who is claiming to be her mother. Going to visit her in secret.
As the story progresses we find out more about what happened thirty years ago from Eileen’s point of view. It is quite sad what Eileen went through.
This is really fast-paced, with secrets from all sides, betrayals and twists and turns but the suspense of who, what, when and why was so utterly gripping I could not read it quick enough.
I was pleased with how this ended and it tied up any loose ends.
Miranda Smith writes in a way that will grip you from the first page and it doesn’t let you go. She is such a great author.
Everyone had heard about the kidnapping of baby Caroline, it was notorious at the time and no one was ever found. But is Marion really Caroline? She starts to think that it is highly possible, the way her mother shielded her and she wants to talk to Amelia who is claiming to be her mother. Going to visit her in secret.
As the story progresses we find out more about what happened thirty years ago from Eileen’s point of view. It is quite sad what Eileen went through.
This is really fast-paced, with secrets from all sides, betrayals and twists and turns but the suspense of who, what, when and why was so utterly gripping I could not read it quick enough.
I was pleased with how this ended and it tied up any loose ends.
Miranda Smith writes in a way that will grip you from the first page and it doesn’t let you go. She is such a great author.
Merged review:
It is Marion’s daughter Ava’s first birthday and shockingly police turn up and arrests her mother, Eileen, claiming she is actually called Sarah and she is wanted for the kidnap of baby Caroline and the murder of her father thirty years ago.
Everyone had heard about the kidnapping of baby Caroline, it was notorious at the time and no one was ever found. But is Marion really Caroline? She starts to think that it is highly possible, the way her mother shielded her and she wants to talk to Amelia who is claiming to be her mother. Going to visit her in secret.
As the story progresses we find out more about what happened thirty years ago from Eileen’s point of view. It is quite sad what Eileen went through.
This is really fast-paced, with secrets from all sides, betrayals and twists and turns but the suspense of who, what, when and why was so utterly gripping I could not read it quick enough.
I was pleased with how this ended and it tied up any loose ends.
Miranda Smith writes in a way that will grip you from the first page and it doesn’t let you go. She is such a great author.