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jesssalexander's review against another edition
2.0
This book is heavy handed with ominous foreshadowing and heavy foreboding. Par for the course with a thriller I suppose, but it carried the plot a bit more than necessary. I had a lot of feelings about Ruth, most of which ran along the lines of screaming WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING about her every decision. Bev Thomas is a psychologist herself and the patient-therapist dialogues were super interesting and definetly felt authentic. The protagonist, Ruth is a renowned psychotherapist dealing with trauma victims and also a mother of twins, now fully grown. She spends the entirety of her kids' childhood coddling the boy and basically forgetting her daughter exists (and her husband for that matter). By the time they reach adulthood, the daughter is self-sufficient and distant and the son runs away. (Ruth was NOT a good enough mother). The story begins when Ruth- now separated from her husband- gets a new patient who happens to bear a startling resemblance to her son who's been missing for a year and a half. Despite her training and her best judgement, Ruth makes a series of really horrible decisions that lead to more horribleness. The whole book is kind of a huge downer actually. I think Bev Thomas was too kind to Ruth in the end, maybe being a psychologist herself she wanted to be gentle. Maybe I'm spiteful but I think the ending would have been more satisfying if she'd had her license stripped rather than voluntarily stepped out of the field. Everyone was far too sympathetic! And the bit with the letter from Alaska in the end??? Is this a Disney movie or a suspense novel?
abilene's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the story itself but the book was just so slow & felt anticlimactic, even when the “twist” happened.
fizzy_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
panele_zi's review against another edition
3.0
Pagrindinė veikėja Rut Hartland - psichoterapeutė, turi du vaikus (dvynius), vienas dingsta, kitai taip gerai viskas sekasi ir yra tokia pamiršta motinos, kad išvažiuoja į kitą žemyną. O kur dar iširusi santuoka ir pacientas labai panašus į jos sūnų. Dabartis susipina su praeitimi, atgyja skaudūs prisiminimai, kaltinimai, klaidos. Labai stipriu trileriu nepavadinčiau, nes intriga atsirado gal tik paskutiniuose 50psl. Bet šiaip visai patiko.
marshaskrypuch's review against another edition
5.0
Each character in this novel is shown with all their flaws and strengths in achingly real scenes and images. Ruth, as the director of a trauma therapy unit, is supposed to heal victims of horrific crimes and circumstances who are living with emotional trauma, but she has suffered herself as well, and she has no one to turn to for her own healing. Reading this novel is like watching a car crash in slow motion: you know what's coming but you just can't stop looking. Brilliantly compassionate and satisfying read. Good to the last page.
starrwad's review against another edition
4.0
What a pleasant surprise. I did not see this one coming This was an incredibly heartfelt, moving novel. It could kind of be seen as a thriller, but it's much more than that. Hard to categorize.
The main character, Ruth, is a therapist. And they use a different kind of therapy that has to do with transference and countertransference, which is apparently different than cognitive behavioral therapy. Although it is fiction, I learned quite a lot about this type of therapy and how it could possibly apply to my life. It really kind of opened up my mind to look at the ways I am feeling and why I am feeling them, basically learning to be more mindful, and less "in my head."
The timeline is not really linear. The story kind of meanders from the story present to events in the past. It was a little confusing at times on the chronology of events, but that really doesn't matter to the overall story. At times there are parts that did not seem to necessarily fit ... Sections of the writing that make it seem like maybe parts were cut out but they didn't get it all and some remains. I read the ARC so I can't quote those parts, but hopefully they've been taken care of in the final published version.
As I read, I kept thinking that there were a bunch of unnecessary info dumps. But now that I've read the full story, I think that perhaps all the information you get is really necessary to draw a full picture and come to the conclusion of the book. And they might be "dumped," but they fit the feel of the novel, the character's voice/way of thinking.
This book is very emotional and raw. It deals with a lot of hard topics. For me, especially the trauma surrounding having twins, raising twins with the partner who is not really there, and/or as a single parent. And then there is the dynamic of the mother-child relationship. And it goes both ways whether you are the mother or the child. Child neglect. Being estranged from a parent/parents. Confronting some of that stuff in the past. That's hard. And this book kind of brings a lot of that hard-to-deal-with stuff to light. Some readers may need to be cognizant of those kinds of things before delving in ... Make sure you have the emotional bandwidth for that material.
The main character, Ruth, is a therapist. And they use a different kind of therapy that has to do with transference and countertransference, which is apparently different than cognitive behavioral therapy. Although it is fiction, I learned quite a lot about this type of therapy and how it could possibly apply to my life. It really kind of opened up my mind to look at the ways I am feeling and why I am feeling them, basically learning to be more mindful, and less "in my head."
The timeline is not really linear. The story kind of meanders from the story present to events in the past. It was a little confusing at times on the chronology of events, but that really doesn't matter to the overall story. At times there are parts that did not seem to necessarily fit ... Sections of the writing that make it seem like maybe parts were cut out but they didn't get it all and some remains. I read the ARC so I can't quote those parts, but hopefully they've been taken care of in the final published version.
As I read, I kept thinking that there were a bunch of unnecessary info dumps. But now that I've read the full story, I think that perhaps all the information you get is really necessary to draw a full picture and come to the conclusion of the book. And they might be "dumped," but they fit the feel of the novel, the character's voice/way of thinking.
This book is very emotional and raw. It deals with a lot of hard topics. For me, especially the trauma surrounding having twins, raising twins with the partner who is not really there, and/or as a single parent. And then there is the dynamic of the mother-child relationship. And it goes both ways whether you are the mother or the child. Child neglect. Being estranged from a parent/parents. Confronting some of that stuff in the past. That's hard. And this book kind of brings a lot of that hard-to-deal-with stuff to light. Some readers may need to be cognizant of those kinds of things before delving in ... Make sure you have the emotional bandwidth for that material.
emilija_kava's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
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.