The Perfect Mother

Book: The Perfect Mother
Author: Aimee Molloy

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.-Goodreads
Review: A group of new moms go out for a relaxing girls night when the unthinkable happens: a baby is stolen from his crib while the babysitter is sleeping. Did someone steal the baby or did Winnie, the mother, orchestrate the entire abduction because she was suffering from post-partum depression? While Winnie fades from the circle of moms, three of them find themselves increasingly involved in the investigation. 

This book reminded me of Big Little Lies. Told in alternating narratives, we primarily follow three of the "May Mothers" during the night of the event and the weeks afterward during the investigation. There are a few chapters written from Winnie's POV. This is being marketed as a thriller but I found it read more as fiction that focused more on women, motherhood and friendship. I think where the story lacked a little was that 2 of the main narrators had very similar personalities (working moms who weren't ready to go back to work) and none of the characters were true 'friends.' They all just met a few months earlier because they were having babies in the month of May and their relationship mostly revolved around being new mothers. 

Overall, I liked it. I was interested to see how everything would play out (and I didn't guess the ending, always a huge plus!). 

Grade: 3/5