Review: What a Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 370

Received: Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

Release Date: May 1, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

An unsettling, emotional and suspenseful novel of the unshakable bonds of motherhood, in which Michelle Mason not only loses her memory after a deadly car crash, but can't find her 16-year-old daughter, the one person who may know what happened that day. But the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of everyone, even herself. A dramatic portrayal of the fragile skin of memory, What a Mother Knows is about finding the truth that can set love free.

My Review:

I picked this book on a whim, it has a short synopsis but it intrigued me because I'm always a fan of family books, and this book had such an interesting premise. Michelle can't remember anything from the time of the accident, she has been in a coma for months and wakes up to a completely different reality. She has caused the death of someone and her daughter is now missing.

I was really taken with Michelle's character for most of the book, she doesn't care about herself all that she cares about is finding her daughter and bringing her home to where she belongs. I really felt for Michelle's character, she is someone who tries her best for her children but has a job that takes up a lot of her time. It was amazing to read about how a mother will do anything for her daughter, she goes to any length to find her missing daughter, as other people tell her to leave it be and focus on herself, Michelle does anything but focus on her self.

I liked the back and forth from before the accident to after Michelle wakes up, it gives readers a lead up to the reveal of what caused this huge accident and everything that came before it. I am a fan of books that as a reader you find things out along with the character of the book, but I felt there were hints along the way as to what had happened.

The most difficult part of this book for me was how everyone kept so much information from Michelle in order to protect her and let her figure out things on her own. I'm not a fan of walking on eggshells around a person to make them feel better, everything needs to come out and I felt that the worst person for doing this to Michelle was her husband. He helps her through things but protects her from the truth thinking that she won't be able to handle it.

This book was engrossing, learning little by little about this accident as Michelle slowly gets her memory back, but Michelle also learns new things about herself and her family. This book really shows a mother's love for her children and it's what I absolutely loved about it. Leslie Lehr writes a beautiful story about realizing when your children grow up and change, yet still having that love for them.

Stay tuned later today for an interview with Leslie.