As a parent, this one struck close to home. As an American, this one struck close to home.

I don't think that anyone will be able to make a good argument that what Frida does is okay. It is not. Even in depression, even in post-partum what she did should have had consequences. However, what happened and what she needed (therapy, a break, understanding and grace) were so far apart it is terrifying.

In this (hopefully) alternate-reality novel, The School for Good Mothers, Frida has a "bad" day. CPS is called and Frida is enrolled in their pilot program - The School for Good Mothers. It is a year long program with no contact with her child and at the end an all or nothing verdict - return to being a mom or complete loss of parental rights.

The swing of emotions throughout the book were wild. Outrage, understanding, disgust, more outrage, sadness, anger, dismay - the thesaurus is not enough. Particularly, once you learn how there is also a School for Good Fathers and then, of course, the disparity in expectations.

I know this novel will not be everyone's cup of tea all the way through - and the writing style sometimes was not my favorite. In fact, I had to reread the last three pages several times to make sure I understood how the story ended. But, on my review scale anything that is going to give me all the feels, leave me thinking about it long after the pages run out, and make me want to talk about all the parts is a five star book for me.

Frida Liu had a very, very bad day. She had been struggling with her workload since her baby, Harriet, doesn’t seem to let her get any writing done. Plus, she has been emotionally stressed out over her ex-husband recently leaving her for his 20-something pilates instructor mistress. She cannot catch a break, and she made a devastating, unforgivable mistake. To get back on track, Frida must undergo a year of training and education at a new institution CPS and big tech have collaborated on. She must learn to be a good mother.

Holy crap this book. You’ll never want to put it down — unless you hit the occasional spots that make you want to hurl it at the wall. I do not think everyone will enjoy the ride and personally I have no freaking clue how any mom can get through this. It was an emotional rollercoaster that had me, a mere childless auntie, in alternating bouts of rage and sobbing. So many things that happen to Frida are completely unfair and unjust — but at the same time she’s a perfectly flawed character you occasionally think, “well ok you deserved that one, lady.”

I feel like this review itself is a rollercoaster and I just would advise looking into the trigger warnings, detailed synopsis and reviews, before jumping into it. Also just like clear your schedule too. Once I started it and got about 70 pages in, I had to know how it ends.

TW: endangerment of a child, child abuse, suicide, substance abuse

Read if… you binge watched Handmaid’s Tale and Orange is the New Black and loved Klara and the Sun and My Year of Rest and Relaxation.