Safe in My Arms - Sara Shepard

Safe in My Arms is the new novel from Sara Shepard.

The Silver Swans preschool is the place the yummy mummys want to send their children. Three moms have just enrolled their children. But they don't fit the mold and it seems someone doesn't want them at the school. Vitriolic notes are found in their kid's backpacks telling them quit the school.

The three meet each other and band together - they're determined not to be drummed out of the school. The thing is though....Andrea, Lauren and Ronnie all do have secrets that they don't want brought to light. And the person leaving the notes seems to know those secrets....

I quite liked the three moms, although I admit to having a soft spot for Andrea.
Each of the women bring a different mindset and skill set to the friendship. The reader becomes privy to what their secrets are as the story progresses and three new plot lines are added to the book. Things at the school escalate and the three friends seem to now be suspects. So.....they decide to investigate on their own. I did find I had to suspend disbelief in a number of situations, including the police investigation into the crime at the school.

Shepard is the author of the successful teen series Pretty Little Liars. I'm not aware of any other adult books that she's penned, but I could be wrong. For me, I found this book to have a simpler style of writing. The tone was what I would call light suspense, not the edge of your seat suspense. Shepard does throw some turns into her tale as the end draws near. And kudos for doing it for all four plotlines. I did find the wrap up went on too long for me as the explanation for everything that has gone on is detailed in the run up to the final pages. And she throws in one more twist. Not sure that last one worked for me.

In the author's notes at the end, Shepard says that "As I wrote this story, much of the world felt unstable, uncertain and in flux, though as a result, I felt even more inspired to acknowledge the struggles of motherhood and how it's not always about being the 'best' or 'perfect", but accepting where you're at and cutting yourself some slack." Safe in My Arms was an interesting vehicle to carry this message.

A good book for the beach, but not as suspenseful as I had expected.  See for yourself - read an excerpt of Safe in My Arms.