Her First Child by Sheryl Browne
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Psychological drama, Suspense
Read: 10th December 2022
Audio links:
Published: 8th December 2022
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
A perfect mother. A loving daughter. A secret that could destroy them both.
New mother Eve is overwhelmed with love for her baby son, Kai. As she swaddles him in a fluffy white blanket, she shudders at a memory of her own childhood. She hasn’t seen her heartless mother Lydia in years, and she hasn’t told a soul about what really happened the night her baby brother died in the squalid little house she grew up in…
When the phone rings in the dead of night, Eve’s heart pounds as she hears the voice at the other end. ‘Hello Mother’, she replies, an ice-cold chill creeping down her spine. She grips her son’s tiny frame close to her trembling chest as she reluctantly agrees to let her mother visit.
But when Eve has to make an emergency call from Kai’s bedroom early one morning, she curses herself for allowing her mother back into her perfect little family.
‘Kai was fine when I checked on him a few hours ago.’ Her mother says, breathlessly as she watches her daughter’s face change from fear to rage.
Why was Lydia in Kai’s bedroom during the night? And as Lydia pleads her innocence, could it be that she’s not the most dangerous mother in this family?
Fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife, will absolutely love this gripping and addictive thriller. Her First Child will have you hooked from the very first page!
MY THOUGHTS:
I can't believe this is my tenth book by the masterful Sheryl Browne! I knew from past experience that I was going to be in for an enjoyable ride...and I wasn't wrong. HER FIRST CHILD, at first glance, appears to be the usual domestic thriller trope but the further we get into the story, the more we discover that it is anything but. Browne loves to take diverse topics and build her cleverly woven tales around them, creating thrilling yet emotive plots that will keep readers turning the pages long into the night.
New mother Eve has the perfect life with her perfect husband, perfect home and perfect job as a GP. It's all she has ever wanted and more than she ever thought she deserved. Her son Kai is just two months old and Eve is understandably very protective of him...even moreso when her own mother Lydia arrives unannounced and rather unwelcome, bringing with her long forgotten memories of her horrific childhood and a past she prefers to keep buried. Her husband Dom can't understand Eve's behaviour but then she's never shared her past with him either...and he can't understand why she feels she can't confide in him. But the longer Lydia is here, the greater the risk she will let something slip. And Eve can't risk that...for her past, her childhood, is far too painful.
Eve's childhood was one of anger, abuse and fear. Her father was a controlling man who used coercive abuse to control her mother and by default controlling her also. Her mother's weapon was silence. She wouldn't speak to Eve, almost pretending she wasn't there. Her childhood home was not a happy one, filled with emotional and psychological abuse that she had to tiptoe around. And no one was there to love her or protect her...no one except Chloe. She was her only solace; her only friend. Chloe knew everything about her - all her secrets, her pain, her fear and her sadness - and still she remained.
But now Eve is an adult and Chloe is still her best friend, living just a few doors down with her husband Steve and two children. Neither woman is thrilled when Lydia arrives and when she is found in her son Kai's nursery, Eve is immediately suspicious. Whatever reason she is here for, Eve does not want her mother anywhere near her son. Ever. On that she is clear. Which only serves to confuse Dom even further. Why does Eve hate her mother so much? Why doesn't she want him near Kai? And why won't she tell him anything about her childhood? She refuses to talk to him so Dom can only draw his own conclusions...that she doesn't trust him enough. But is it really that simple?
And then he discovers Eve had a baby brother, Jacob, who died. But what he can't fathom is how. And no one - not Eve, not Chloe and not Lydia - will tell him. All Eve will say is that she doesn't want her mother anywhere near their son. Surely, that speaks for itself?
But like all domestic psychological thrillers, just when you think you have it all figured out and can see the reveal a mile away, along comes another twist and another and another which turns everything about-face and upside down that will leave you reeling with whiplash.
HER FIRST CHILD is filled with secrets, lies and trauma on a massive scale that you can really sympathise with. It tears at your heart that you just want to take the child, throw your arms around them and whisk them away to safety. But then we wouldn't have this story to tell, would we? I mean, this book has it all - family drama, bullying, coercive control, emotional and psychological abuse, jealousy, trauma, lies and oh so many secrets. And then there is the illnesses - real, imagined and mental - which just propels readers into a tangled web of lies, trauma and secrets.
The characters were well developed and mostly unlikeable, with Chloe being the top of my list. I really loathed her. She had this passive aggressive thing going and a secret jealousy for someone who was supposed to be her best friend...and then went on to count the ways. I just wanted to slap her into the middle of the next millennium. But each of them had their own level of awfulness to contribute.
There is definitely more than meets the eye in this tale of domestic suspense and psychological drama. Browne has peppered clues all the way through, drip-feeding us little by little and ending with a bit of a surprise twist, leaving readers wondering. It really does need you to think about it at the end...I was left scratching my head at first. I thought I had it figured out long before the reveal but then I questioned myself. And then it becomes clear...sort of. lol
I thoroughly enjoyed HER FIRST CHILD and all its nuances. It definitely left me wondering...maybe a little too much? But thank you Sheryl for clearing it up for me. I wasn't wrong after all.
I would like to thank #SherylBrowne, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerFirstChild in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
When she's not writing Sheryl can usually be found messing about on the water in her little narrowboat, Aquaduck, which she says she can generally be found falling off and she admits to being a bit accident prone.
Sheryl lives in Worcestershire with her partner and a variety of disabled dogs, of whom she says "my furry-friends give me back much more than I could ever give them. I really wouldn’t be me without them." According to readers of her thrillers, she also apparently makes an excellent psychopath.
Stina, you're a star! Thank you so much for sharing and your support. As you're dealing with a lot right now, it means the world that you found time to do that. I'm so pleased you enjoyed Her First Child. Take care. :) x
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