Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I so wanted to love this book as I have others by this author. But...this is a convoluted overwritten mess!! Easy to see twist wasn't enough to save this.

“I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he had murdered.”

Nearly three years after being convicted for beating his girlfriend, Belinda McCormack, to death while high on a cocktail of drugs, 20 year old Stefan Christiansen is released from prison. Despite everything, his mother, university professor Thea, is determined to support Stefan and encourage him to rebuild his life. She knows it won’t be easy, though Stefan remembers nothing of the crime he confessed to he is tormented by remorse and self-loathing, and the family is subject to sustained harassment, not only from supporters of a campaign spearheaded by Belinda’s devastated mother, Jill, but also a hooded figure and an anonymous caller.

Unfolding from Thea’s perspective, Jacqueline Mitchard presents a provocative narrative that explores the themes of guilt, redemption and unconditional love in The Good Son.

Thea is an sympathetic character, contemplating myself and my ‘good son’ in such a situation is unnerving. I thought Thea’s inner conflict was well articulated as she struggled to reconcile her love for her son with the crime he committed. While I didn’t always agree with her actions, I felt her character behaved consistently. I liked that Mitchard explored the stigma Thea faced as the mother of a murderer, though I wondered if she went quite far enough.

In the main I felt Mitchard’s portrayal of Stefan’s character was believable, his mercurial attitude in the weeks after his release seemed genuine and appropriate to his age. His struggles to rejoin society were thoughtfully represented, raising issues I’d given little thought to. I found myself torn between sympathy for, and a kind of impatience with, Stefan, a dynamic which I think was skilfully exploited by the author to illustrate the maxim that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

While I think the premise of the story is powerful, the execution was quite uneven. The pacing was an issue for me, the middle third dragged, and it definitely affected the suspense related to the identity and motivations of the family’s stalker. I’m conflicted with regards to the ending too. I think the novel would have been stronger had Mitchard chosen another, less melodramatic and arguably more authentic, path.

Though not without its flaws, I did find The Good Son to be a thought-provoking read, and I do believe it would be a rewarding choice for a book club, as it explores issues sure to stimulate a lively discussion.

This is a great read full of mystery mixed with a strong family feel, you will be kept thinking and hoping!
Thea is eager to help her son Stefan rebuild his life and start the next chapter on the outside, prison has been hard on everyone.
Thea starts to look into what really happened the night that Belinda lost her life, it appears that there’s more to the story. It’s hard at times to hear about Thea’s struggles, she loves her son, wants to give him a chance to move on with his life, but is confused by the threats and negativity aimed towards him.
Life is challenging and full of confrontation, Belinda’s mum Jill is aiming her anger towards Stefan. Jill has been a long-standing family friend, she starts a group to address abuse among young people, protests are held and Stefan has to keep focused to move on from his mistakes.
I’m impressed by the strong characters and how perceptions were written into the storyline. The twists and turns will keep the reader turning the pages, in this touching look at life after prison, family and friendships!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this well written book, the emotions and characters jumped off the pages!

Thanks to Harlequin Australia HQ, NetGalley and Jacquelyn Mitchard for the opportunity to read this compelling book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I did enjoy it, I fell into it from the start and it had me turning the pages, but there were times when I lost that pull to keep reading but I knew that I always needed to get to the end to find out what happened all those years ago when a young girl lost her life to her best friend and boyfriend. This is a compelling and intriguing story with strong characters and some twists.

Thea is waiting outside the prison to pick her young son Stefan up after he has served his time for the drug fueled murder of his girlfriend Belinda, she has never lost faith in Stefan who had always been a good son, never in trouble and that day all those years ago will never go away for Thea. Thea knows that life will not be the same but what happens is also not what she was thinking would.

Belinda’s mother Jill who was one of Thea’s very good friends has started a group to fight abuse against young people and there is a never ending group of protestors outside their home, this does not make life easy for Stefan to move on but he does the best he can and Thea is there by his side to help as is Stefan’s father Jep. But there are phone calls and a stalker that push Thea to think that there is more to what happened that night than has ever come out and she is not going to give up trying to find out the truth.

I picked this book up because I thought the blurb was so good and I really was not sorry I did, it did captivate me as it dug deep into the emotions of a mother and her son who had always been so good until he wasn’t but there was a lot that went on in Stefan’s young life there were things that Thea found out that changed her thinking and the ending was a real twist. There are a lot of characters that added a lot to this story family, friends and other people. This is a book that I would recommend even if at times it seems to be drawn out but it was a book that I needed to get to end.

My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review.

As Thea waited in the pre-dawn light in the carpark of the prison, she spotted Jill across the carpark, also waiting. Jill was the mother of Belinda, the girl Stefan killed, and Stefan was being released today. Why was Jill there? But then she was gone. Stefan and Thea began their journey home as a storm hit. There was time for thoughts, for memories, for discussion. Stefan was only seventeen when he went to prison; now twenty, he had conflicting thoughts, as did his mother. Would people forgive him? Would he be able to move forward from the soul-destroying loss of the young woman he loved?

Stefan struggled, as did Thea and Jep, her husband and Stefan’s father. But gradually, as Stefan moved forward, so did his parents. Thea’s best friend Julie was an amazing support and Stefan could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. But there were forces determined to stop Stefan and combined with his guilt and lack of memory of the event, they all wondered what their future would be. And who was that voice at the end of the phone?

The Good Son is my first read by Jacquelyn Mitchard and I found it to be overlong and drawn out, with even the ending like pulling teeth. The story of love and loss, of retribution and forgiveness, and of taking a second chance at life and making the most of it, The Good Son had some well-drawn characters. A poignant look at life after release from prison, and the paths that lead away from the prison gates. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The good son is an incredibly captivating read. I really liked the writing style and found myself reading it in one sitting. It covers a difficult topic very well. 5/5 stars

A beautifully written story about very tough situations - great, well portrayed characters. If you like a gritty, indepth, emotional read, this is one I recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Good Son has been a tough read at times because of the topics that are central to its plot however it has also been an intriguing story that drew me in. The story is told from the point of view of ,Thea Christiansen, whose son Stefan is released from prison at the start of the bookafter serving nearly three years for the involuntary manslaughter of his girlfriend Belinda. Despite his crime, Stefan is a character that I liked and felt myself cheering for as he adjusted to life back in the real world, a life that is far from easy for him or his family. This book looks at his journey and that of his mother in the face of aggressive community protests incited by Belinda’s mother Jill, whose sole reason for living seems to be to make life as unpleasant; as possible for Stefan. The story is shocking at times, intensely emotional and sometimes harrowing. Themes including guilt, remorse, hatred, resentment, healing and manipulation all have a place in this story, but at its heart is the love a mother bears for her child. I can’t say I enjoyed reading this story. For me the subject matter was confrontational, though I’m also enormously glad the story was told and that I got the chance to read it as it has given me plenty of food for thought on topics that are either ignored completely in our society or swept under the carpet.

Having heard so much about this book I was quite excited to have the opportunity to read and review it. It is exciting, thrilling, chilling and keep me reading and on the edge of my seat.

The issues in this book are full on and even a bit dark, the things this family have endured are heartbreaking and get right into your sole. It is intense and I just couldn't stop reading as I wanted to know how it would all end,

My only gripe is that it's a rather long drawn out book and sometimes dragged on but once you got past those parts in the book it was a good read.

All in all a good book with some thrills and chills.

“I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he had murdered.”

Wow, what an opener! The Good Son gets off to an absolutely gripping start that propels you into the life of Thea, who welcomes her son, Stefan back home after a three-year stint in prison for the brutal murder of his childhood friend and girlfriend, Belinda.

Stefan was 17 when he committed the crime in a drug-fueled haze. During his imprisonment, the community and media have rallied against Stefan and no one but his family is happy to see him return home. With protests outside their house, and people reluctant to associate with the family, Stefan’s attempts to settle in and start again are often thwarted. Thea herself struggles with the reality of what her son has done and her attempts to reconcile that with the young man she sees trying to move on from his time in prison. When Thea & her son begin being threatened by a mystery caller & a mysterious hooded figure, it becomes clear that the family are at risk of more than just community outrage. What’s the truth behind these threatening figures & how much danger is Stefan in?

I really enjoyed that this story was told from the perspective of the mother having to deal with her own guilt, come to terms with what her child has done and now flounder a bit as her son attempts to start again.

From the opener, I expected this to be a really compelling read and mostly, it was. Though I think it lagged somewhat in the middle and suffered from a little repetition at times, the story lifted at the end to build to a rapid & gripping conclusion, which I have mixed feelings about but won’t spoil for future readers.

Overall this was an interesting and engaging read and one that domestic thriller lovers will especially enjoy.

The Good Son is the fourteenth stand-alone novel by best-selling American author, Jacquelyn Mitchard. On a charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, Stefan Christiansen has served almost three years for beating to death his girlfriend, Belinda McCormack, an act of which he, under the influence of a cocktail of drugs, has no memory. If his mother, Thea Demetriou is under the impression that the worst is now over, she is seriously mistaken.

Belinda’s heartbroken mother, Jill, once a friend of Thea’s, now heads SAY, Stop Abuse Young, a campaign that targets dating violence amongst teens. Members come from all walks of life, but especially young women of high school and college age; they maintain a picket in front of Thea’s home, and their harassment of the Stefan’s family has been, and continues to be, relentless.

All along, Stefan has denied any violence to Belinda, but accepts he must have killed her, is filled with remorse and sorely misses her. But even as Stefan, still suffering his own grief, tries to ease himself back into life outside, they are subject to vandalism and theft, Stefan is assaulted at work, a hooded figure in aviator sunglasses occasionally stalks them, Thea’s phone sporadically receives text messages that threaten and warn, and tearful calls expressing guilt and fear.

Intelligent, but obsessed with Belinda at seventeen, Stefan’s time in prison has made him insightful and surprisingly mature: the project he starts up to show his contrition is born of the observation that victims are given the opportunity to forgive, but offenders have no established avenue to express their remorse in a meaningful way.

Mitchard deftly demonstrates the far-reaching effects of a single violent act, even after justice is said to have been served. Offenders and their families may endure harassment, anger, and vigilantism. The stigma of their situation results in a reluctance to seek justice for trespass.

The repercussions on family members’ careers, the loss of all but the most genuine friends (whose loyal advocacy is essential for acceptance), the careful consideration of the effect of public and media appearances, and the dilemma of dating (do I really want to date someone who wants to date a person with my reputation?) are all aspects that are unlikely to have been hitherto thought about.

Mitchard gives her characters wise words and insightful observations: Stefan’s father, Jep tells Thea “You know, whatever doubts we have, we’re the counterweight. Against what anyone else says. We have to be the one thing he can count on” and Thea tells a TV journalist “A person has to be seen as more than the worst thing he has ever done.”

From the first intriguing sentence to the very last line, this is a novel that keeps readers totally captivated considering the aftermath of violent crime from a perspective not previously contemplated. Part human drama, part crime thriller, Jacquelyn Mitchard’s latest is a powerful and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

I enjoyed The Good Son which wove together life after prison for Stefan and his family after Stefan went to jail just seventeen for accidently killing his girlfriend, and a mystery of what really happened the night Belinda was killed. It potrays life for Stefan, his Mum Thea and Belinda's Mum Jill. Thrown in is a mystery girl and a guy in a hoodie. I enjoyed the characters, the relationships and the mystery.

Jacquelyn Mitchard’s new novel, like most of her novels, is about family, but ‘The Good Son’ is darker than her previous novels. When I began it, it reminded me of Lionel Shriver’s powerful ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ in that it asked many of the same questions. The central one, ‘Can you still love your teenager if he becomes a viscious murderer?’ is one most readers will thankfully never have to face. But many have to deal with lesser, but still heartbreaking, behaviours in their offspring; drug-related crimes, criminal acts which fall short of murder. Stefan, the 17-year-old son in Mitchard’s novel, appeared to have murdered his girlfriend in an act of passion, which separates him from Kevin, the terrorist, in Shriver’s book. From the start we can see that Stefan is horrified at his own actions, but doesn’t deny them although his drugged state at the time meant he has no memory of them. He is a character we can like, and feel for, unlike Kevin. The novel begins as Stefan is released from prison, and the real story is the nightmare he and his mother have to live with, as the mother of the murdered girl, and neighbors and strangers and reporters point their accusing fingers and send their hate mail. Jacquelyn Mitchard is a fine writer and one of the most experienced novelists in the US today. This is her best novel since the classic major bestseller, Oprah Bookclub, ‘The Deep End of the Ocean’. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an Advance digital review copy.