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My BOTM Pick for November: Her One Regret by Donna Freitas; Retail $22.54
Back of Book Summary:
When successful Rhode Island real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes, leaving her baby behind in a grocery store parking lot, the news quickly makes national headlines. Lucy’s best friend, Michelle, is devastated, and terrified that Lucy’s life is at stake. But she knows something that could complicate the police investigation. Lucy had confessed something unspeakable: She regretted becoming a mother, so much that she’d fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. If the police and media were to find out, Lucy would become a monster in public opinion. Michelle is sure Lucy would never abandon her daughter. But could she be wrong? Could Lucy have been so desperate she chose to escape her life?
Donna Freitas has drawn from groundbreaking research to bring readers this unforgettable novel. Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten: the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.
My Summary
It is a truth universally acknowledged that no new mother is supposed to admit that she regrets the choice to become a parent, at least not out loud.
Lucy Mendoza has everything she's supposed to want — a thriving career, a handsome husband, and a beautiful, healthy baby girl. But when the Rhode Island mom vanishes from a grocery store parking lot, her infant daughter left behind to be found by shoppers, the national headlines tell a story of either a desperate kidnapping or something far more sinister.
Across town, Lucy's best friend Michelle has been keeping a secret from the police.
She knows something the police don't, something that could destroy Lucy's reputation and derail the investigation altogether. In late-night conversations over wine, Lucy had confessed the unthinkable: She regretted becoming a mother. The words had tumbled out between tears and laughter — half confession, half dark joke — but the fantasy Lucy described was chillingly specific.
What if she just disappeared?
What if everyone thought she'd been kidnapped?
As detectives circle Lucy's husband Marcus and the media turns Lucy into either a victim or a villain, Michelle finds herself caught between loyalty to her friend and the weight of what she knows. Did Lucy really walk away from her life? Or did something terrible happen to her? Every path leads to an impossible conclusion, and the truth Michelle uncovers will force her to confront her own complicated feelings about motherhood, marriage, and the stories women tell themselves to survive.
What starts as a pulse-pounding mystery becomes something far more unsettling — an unflinching examination of the one thing mothers aren't supposed to say out loud.
The Verdict
In a cultural moment where we're finally beginning to have honest conversations about the realities of motherhood — the postpartum struggles, the emotional load that still sits largely on the shoulders of women, the loss of identity that comes with new motherhood — Donna Freitas takes the discussion one step further into territory most of us still consider forbidden.
This November BOTM Club pick asks a question many women have whispered to themselves but would never dare say publicly: What if becoming a mother was a mistake?
Freitas, who holds a PhD in Gender Studies and Religion, isn't interested in easy answers or tidy moral lessons. Instead, she's crafted a thriller that operates on two levels. On the surface, it's a gripping page-turner about a missing woman and the secrets that might explain her disappearance. Underneath, it's a searing exploration of maternal ambivalence, the impossible expectations placed on women, and the brutal judgment society reserves for mothers who dare to express anything less than pure joy about their role.
What makes Her One Regret particularly powerful is that Freitas doesn't paint Lucy as a monster or a martyr. She's just a woman who made a choice that isn't turning out the way she expected — a reality that happens with careers, relationships, and countless other life decisions, but one we've decided is unforgivable when it comes to motherhood. The book's structure, which weaves together multiple women's stories and perspectives on motherhood, reinforces that there's no single "right" way to feel about having children.
Truth be told, this BOTM Club option isn't the escapist read I typically reach for when I need a break from the world. It's challenging, uncomfortable at times, and refuses to let readers off the hook with easy judgments. But it's also necessary, brave, and ultimately compassionate — not just to Lucy, but to all the women who've ever felt trapped by the choices they've made or struggled with feelings they're not supposed to have.
Value — Was This Box Worth It?
Was the November 2025 BOTM Club subscription worth it? Like some of my recent picks, this one comes in just a bit over the subscription price.
The BOTM Club starts at $17.99, depending on your chosen subscription (the first month of a subscription is currently $9.99), and the hardcover of Her One Regret currently retails for $22.54 on Amazon. That's a savings of about $4.55 (roughly 20% off retail if you prefer percentages).
But the real value here extends beyond the dollars and cents. This is exactly the kind of bold, conversation-starting book that BOTM does best, introducing readers to important voices tackling subjects that might otherwise stay in the shadows.
The Cost: $9.99 (This price is only for your first month).
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this book if you sign up today? Yes! But you will need to order it as an add-on.
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