book club thursday - reading challenge

Welcome Readers

My name is Cyn and each week we (me and my BFF Ann from Romancing the Readers) blog all about books and book related topics on something we call Book Club Thursday(BCT). Learn more about me and BCT here

Our feature today is:

These weeks are when we read/review a book that fits a theme from our "challenge" list:

READING CHALLENGES

Read a book published before 2010

Read a book published in the month (not year) you were born

Read a book set in your home state

Read a book with a cover you don’t like

Read a book you once gave up on

Read a book with a clever title

Read a new to you author

Start a new series

Read a hardcover

Read a trade

Read a “small-town” romance

Read a book with a favorite trope

Read a historical set anywhere but the USA

Read a book you keep meaning to read

Read a book that taught you something

Read a Trifecta book (sounds, cover, title must all be same theme)

Anger Management (a book that PISSED you off at some point)

Anything Goes (read ANYTHING you want)

Just Because (you read this “just because”…state the reason)

Bird- Beast – Fish (atypical animals are part of the story)

Land-Sea-Sky (features bodies of water, mountains, planes etc)

Double Dip (can re- do any challenge)

An Apple a Day (medical main character(s))

Recommend By (say who / what )

I Tried, But… (one you couldn’t finish and why)

Second Chances (an author you are giving a “second” chance to)

Hot for Teacher (main character(s)is a teacher)

Read a historical set in the USA

The Great Outdoors (main character(s) work outdoors)

AKA (author with a pseudonym)

BOO! ( book with a ghost)

Survivors (books with hard subject matter)

* completed challenges

I picked:

Read a book with a cover you don't like

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE SUMMER—SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING SCANDAL’S KERRY WASHINGTON

An addictive psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedlyconnected when one of their newborns goes missing.

A night out. A few hours of fun. That’s all it was meant to be.

They call themselves the May Mothers—a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for some much-needed adult time.

When the women go out for drinks at the hip neighborhood bar,they are looking for a fun break from their daily routine. But on this hot Fourth of July night, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but her fellow May Mothers insisted everything would be fine. Now he is missing. What follows is a heart-pounding race to find Midas, during which secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are destroyed.

Thirteen days. An unexpected twist. The Perfect Mother is a "true page turner." —B.A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors

First off, I really liked this book but yeah...that cover! Not. A. Fan.

So, I had been eagerly waiting for this book to come out since it was widely talked about/anticipated since the start of the year.

I got it the day it came out, started it and much to my dismay I came across a printing error that made some paragraphs unreadable. I flipped through the book and saw this happened in multiple instances.

Luckily I was able to replace my copy pretty much right away.

Although I have a four eyeglasses rating, it's closer to 3.5 - so yeah, I'm generous and typically round up on my ratings.

Maybe I was expecting a bit more based on all the buzz the book had generated. It will be interesting to see this on the big screen; and yes I am very interested, despite not being a fan of book to movie adaptations.

I will also say, The Perfect Mother poses quite a few questions/social commentary concerning motherhood. I'm not mom however I think mom's deserve their me /alone time and should NOT be judged for wanting or having it.

Although I figured out most of the plot points, I didn't quite have it all.

And I felt let down and somewhat confused with the Epilogue - it just didn't quite mesh with the rest of the novel.

Overall though I would recommend this novel- it's a solid smart thriller.