rverhelst377's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bags_and_bookz's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Bav Thomas for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.
I was intrigued by the premise of the book. Well-experienced and well-known psychotherapist, Ruth Harland, finds herself in a tricky situation. One of her new clients looks like her disappeared son and against a better judgement, she continues to work with him. She fells into the trap of her own trauma.
I believe that most of the characters are very well-developed and the flow of the story is quite smooth. The narrative goes back and forth in telling Ruth's story. The transition between past and present is always flawless. There is no misunderstanding on what is when and where.
I wasn't satisfied with the ending, as I feel like there were not enough explanation regarding Dan's story, but overall it was quite entertaining.
What I learn is that if your child gives you his/her favorite book to read, you'd better read it!
I was intrigued by the premise of the book. Well-experienced and well-known psychotherapist, Ruth Harland, finds herself in a tricky situation. One of her new clients looks like her disappeared son and against a better judgement, she continues to work with him. She fells into the trap of her own trauma.
I believe that most of the characters are very well-developed and the flow of the story is quite smooth. The narrative goes back and forth in telling Ruth's story. The transition between past and present is always flawless. There is no misunderstanding on what is when and where.
I wasn't satisfied with the ending, as I feel like there were not enough explanation regarding Dan's story, but overall it was quite entertaining.
What I learn is that if your child gives you his/her favorite book to read, you'd better read it!
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas is a character driven psychological mystery.
Ruth Hartland is a psychotherapist with an NHS trauma unit. She takes on the tough cases and her newest client, Dan Griffin, is clearly in need of careful handling. She is initially struck by his uncanny resemblance to her missing son, Tom, whose disappearance she has kept from her co-workers. Despite her realization that she is not maintaining a professional distance, Ruth continues treating Dan. Will she help Dan make peace with his traumatic past? Or is Ruth on a collision course with disaster?
Ruth is a caring, compassionate therapist and she is highly respected by her peers. What no one knows is how difficult her personal life has been since the birth of her twins, Carolyn and Tom. Over the years, she has struggled to help Tom who, unlike his popular and smart sister, has never quite fit in. Ruth's compulsive need to make things better for her son puts a huge strain on her marriage to David. Tom's disappearance right before his eighteenth birthday hangs over Ruth as she tries to settle into her new "normal". After meeting Dan, she is overwhelmed with memories of her son's childhood leading up to his disappearance. On some level, Ruth realizes she is in over her head with Dan. Yet she passes up numerous opportunities to be completely honest about their sessions. Ruth also has stunning lapses in judgment, including not being more vigorous in obtaining her new client's medical records.
A compelling character study of a therapist and patient in crisis, A Good Enough Mother is a gritty mystery with an clever storyline and interesting characters. Ruth is a frustrating narrator due to her inability to recognize her fallibility with Tom and Dan. Each revelation from Dan results in a corresponding memory about Tom. The deeper Ruth is drawn into her past, the less effective she is as therapist. Bev Thomas's slow parceling of information keeps the pages turning until a staggering choice late in the story culminates in tragedy. I enjoyed and highly recommend this engrossing, suspenseful mystery to readers of the genre.
Ruth Hartland is a psychotherapist with an NHS trauma unit. She takes on the tough cases and her newest client, Dan Griffin, is clearly in need of careful handling. She is initially struck by his uncanny resemblance to her missing son, Tom, whose disappearance she has kept from her co-workers. Despite her realization that she is not maintaining a professional distance, Ruth continues treating Dan. Will she help Dan make peace with his traumatic past? Or is Ruth on a collision course with disaster?
Ruth is a caring, compassionate therapist and she is highly respected by her peers. What no one knows is how difficult her personal life has been since the birth of her twins, Carolyn and Tom. Over the years, she has struggled to help Tom who, unlike his popular and smart sister, has never quite fit in. Ruth's compulsive need to make things better for her son puts a huge strain on her marriage to David. Tom's disappearance right before his eighteenth birthday hangs over Ruth as she tries to settle into her new "normal". After meeting Dan, she is overwhelmed with memories of her son's childhood leading up to his disappearance. On some level, Ruth realizes she is in over her head with Dan. Yet she passes up numerous opportunities to be completely honest about their sessions. Ruth also has stunning lapses in judgment, including not being more vigorous in obtaining her new client's medical records.
A compelling character study of a therapist and patient in crisis, A Good Enough Mother is a gritty mystery with an clever storyline and interesting characters. Ruth is a frustrating narrator due to her inability to recognize her fallibility with Tom and Dan. Each revelation from Dan results in a corresponding memory about Tom. The deeper Ruth is drawn into her past, the less effective she is as therapist. Bev Thomas's slow parceling of information keeps the pages turning until a staggering choice late in the story culminates in tragedy. I enjoyed and highly recommend this engrossing, suspenseful mystery to readers of the genre.
myaf12097's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tonimarshall84's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The first 250 pages were a slog, very slow, no rhythm a bit all of the place. The last 75 pages were really good though
sde's review against another edition
4.0
Received an Advanced Readers Copy.
Good thriller that gets into the mind of the main character, a therapist whose son is missing and marriage recently ended, largely because of family dynamics involving said son.
If you don't like books where you are constantly cringing and mentally telling the main character, "Don't do that? Why are you doing that?" don't read this book!
The author is a mental health provider in Britain, and the book gave some insight into how their system works. The book talked a lot about underfunding and limited staff, but it still seemed way more functional and responsive than anything we have here in the US.
Good thriller that gets into the mind of the main character, a therapist whose son is missing and marriage recently ended, largely because of family dynamics involving said son.
If you don't like books where you are constantly cringing and mentally telling the main character, "Don't do that? Why are you doing that?" don't read this book!
The author is a mental health provider in Britain, and the book gave some insight into how their system works. The book talked a lot about underfunding and limited staff, but it still seemed way more functional and responsive than anything we have here in the US.
traceyh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sassispring's review against another edition
4.0
The author wrote from the first person perspective and appears to have drawn from her years of experience working in psychiatry. It is an eloquently written story that weaves the main characters personal life and professional life in a entanglement mash of boundaries broken. It starts off slow, picks up the pace, heads quickly to the peak and crests - the ending is excellent, it's how it should be. Recommended reading for anyone who enjoys a drama about real life written in a fictional manner.
lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Setting: UK
Rep: n/a
This was a tense and gripping book that kept me turning the pages due to the atmosphere the author created. It isn't action packed and there's a lot of going back to the past but I was still hooked, eager to see what was going to happen.
Rep: n/a
This was a tense and gripping book that kept me turning the pages due to the atmosphere the author created. It isn't action packed and there's a lot of going back to the past but I was still hooked, eager to see what was going to happen.