Book Review: Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker

She wanted a child. So she took one.

Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want... except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim - heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop - she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.

Meanwhile Kim is demonised by the media as a 'scummy mummy', who deserved to lose Tonya and ought to have her other children taken too. Haunted by memories of her own childhood and refusing to play by the media's rules, she begins to spiral, turning on those who love her.

Though they are worlds apart, Mummy and Kim have more in common than they could possibly imagine. But it is five-year-old Tonya who is caught in the middle...

CALL ME MUMMY. IT'LL BE BETTER IF YOU DO.

Welcome to the blog! If you're looking for an exciting new read, or a twisted Mother's Day present, I'm pleased to tell you that you're in the right place. A huge thank you to Netgalley and Viper Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

When a woman, known only as Mummy, spots 5-year-old Tonya being ignored by her mother, she decides to make motherhood happen for herself by snatching the little girl in broad daylight and keeping her a prisoner in her lavish home. She gives her everything she could possibly want... a million miles away from that 'scummy mummy' of hers. But all Tonya wants is to go home. 

This disturbing and twisted tale delves into some very dark themes indeed. Prepare yourself. Call Me Mummy also explores the darker side of the press and social media, and how it can affect the families that are unwillingly thrust into the limelight. 

It is mainly told from the perspectives of Mummy and Kim, Tonya's real mother, as well as snippets from little Tonya herself. The short and snappy chapters built up the tension really quickly, and had me racing through the book, desperate to see how things would pan out for everyone involved. 

The thing I found clever in Call Me Mummy, is that I felt sympathy for both characters - yes, even the abductor. I'm not sure I should even admit this, but at times I almost wanted Mummy and Tonya to be happy together. Both Kim and Mummy experienced harrowing childhoods, and adulthood hasn't been much better for either of them. My head was a whirling vortex of emotion and internal conflict as each horrendous secret bubbled its way to the surface.

This book is heartbreaking at times, but always exciting and unputdownable, with a writing style that is utterly fantastic. And can we just stop for a moment to appreciate that stunning cover?

Huge congratulations to the fabulous Tina on this explosive debut thriller, which lands on 25th February in ebook, audiobook and hardback, with the paperback release coming in September.

Roxie

@RoxieAdelleKey

About the author

Tina Baker, the daughter of a window cleaner and fairground traveller, worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years and is probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV. After so many hours watching soaps gave her a widescreen bum, she got off it and won Celebrity Fit Club. She now avoids writing-induced DVT by working as a fitness instructor.

Call Me Mummy is Tina's first novel, inspired by her own unsuccessful attempts to become a mother. Despite the grief of that, she's not stolen a child - so far. But she does rescue cats, whether they want to be rescued or not.

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