DNF at 20%. I received a widget for this book so I figured I'd give it a try but it is really not my jam. It's been slow to start and full of unlikable characters. I haven't been able to get into it - despite their being a dead body, I just don't care.

Was she really such a good mother?! You must read to find out. I definitely couldn’t put this one down as it was Soo good and so many twists and turns!

2.5 ⭐️‘s
Rosie O’Connell grew up with a scam artist for a father. At times he involved her in those scams. After his death she vows to leave that life behind. Now married and with a six year old son, she sees an opening for him to have a better life than she did at the prestigious Woolf school. Getting him accepted isn’t enough for Rosie as she sets her sites on the “Golden Circle” a select group of mothers that work closely with the schools director, Amala. Soon Rosie’s world is turned upside down, but is it a good thing or a bad thing? Amala uses her power to get what she wants when she wants it no matter who she steps on or hurts in the process. When Rosie starts questioning Amala, her very life could be in danger, but is there more to the story than meets the eye? “To carry out the perfect con, you need to know your mark perfectly”, but how well does Amala really know Rosie? A bit on the slow side, this book is filled with unlikable characters, leaving the reader with no one to root for. Not at all what I was expecting, this book was a struggle for me to get through.

If your wearing a circle brooch, your good as gold. Or so Rosie thought. She quickly learns that not all that glitters is gold. This book was one wild ride! Not one likeable character (which is NOT a bad thing!) Lies, secrets and jealousy is what's on this curriculum! I absolutely devoured and loved it! Thank you so much!

A very relatable story about modern motherhood, the complexities of British private schools and the lengths some mothers will go to in order to secure their children's place in the most coveted schools. This book is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty's Big little lies as one mother worms her way into the upper echelons of the parental school society group despite coming from humble beginnings. Great on audio narrated by Kristin Atherton and the author. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

How far would you go to have your child fit in. How difficult it Must be to not have the resources, the connections, or the ability to fit in to the new life you crave so much. This novel reminds me of how life is for mothers today. Always struggling for their kids to have and be everything. All in all I enjoyed this book, it rang very true to life.

This was so good! I am a mom, so this book really spoke to me. It is easy to want to be in the in crowd, and obviously want the best for your children. The depths that these women go to to do these things is insane! Such a good read!

While a very fun popcorn read, I did not end up loving this one. I tend to have an issue when a book crosses the line between what is realistic and what is shocking for the sake of creating a shocking book. I think people who enjoy “rich people problem “books will like this one, and anyone who likes dramatic shows like Real Housewives. But I don’t, so this book didn’t work for me.
I actually really did enjoy the writing, the author has some nice prose and took care to develop the setting, the plot, and the characters. She’s definitely not a bad writer and I would read more from her in the future. But for me personally I prefer a more realistic plot.

Ms. Takhar has written a multi layered novel about a young, struggling family, and the wife’s desire to be successful and popular , along with achieving a a higher income.
The problem is that the wife has some issues with confidence. She believes that getting their son into the Woolf Academy ( where she went to school) will help them to achieve all that they can be as a family and members of the community.
At first she feels that the Academy thinks poorly of her son and her family. Her son is singled out for special help, it is suggested he needs counseling, even though he has never been difficult at home.
But then the tide turns. Her son is popular and smiling , and mom is part of the “Inner circle” sure, there is a lot of pressures, but things are improving , right?
Then bigger issues appear and the mother in this story does things we can’t even imagine in order to keep her new position.
Eventually circumstances come to a head and this time m9m is full of confidence!
I do recommend this twisty story,Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC

Rose O'Connell still lives in the neighborhood where she grew up. The place has evolved around her. She didn't fit in when she was young, and she definitely doesn't fit in now. She gets her young son a coveted spot at the Woolf Academy, a school located in a building that was once the public school where she spent her own childhood. After a member of the Circle, an elite group of mothers who control everything that happens at the academy, dies, Rose somehow manages to get herself a spot in the group. The other women are not welcoming and Rose's son is deeply unhappy at the school, but she refuses to let go or consider any other options for her family. I didn't like Rose at all and felt that the plot dragged. By the very end, I was starting to understand the point of the thing but, for me, it was too little, too late.

Absolute fire. The rollercoaster this author took you on was a wild one to say the least. I can't recommend "Such a Good Mother" enough.

This book started a bit slow for me, but it took off and I was invested.

Rose is struggling. Her marriage is a bit rocky, she's stuck in a job she doesn't love that is rather mundane, and her son is not happy at his new school he attends, the famous Woolf Academy. This school has a clique of mothers that run the place, known as The Circle. Rose feels like an outsider.
When one woman from The Circle dies unexpectedly, Rose has the chance to become a part of The Circle. But be careful what you wish for. Rose quickly learns The Circle is not as amazing as it seems.

I enjoyed the writing in this book, and there were some twists that I didn't see coming. My first book by this author, but will definitely read more from her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The writing in this book was good, it was a quick read, good fans of the prep school / mom drama genre. I really wanted to like it, but none of the characters were particularly endearing, many were annoying, and they just really distracted from the storyline. I would read more from this author but hopefully with a setting that provides room for characters you can get behind.

I was really excited to receive an ARC for this book through NetGalley.

Such a Good Mother is a story of privilege and scam that reminds you to be careful what you wish for.

Rose is a mother with a seemingly lackluster life. Living a shabby apartment above a town shop with her husband and son, Rose lives steps from the notorious and exclusive Woolf school. Her son snags a spot and she is quick to realize they do not fit in with their basic clothing and lack of money compared to the glamour kid, well dressed Woolf moms.

After a death of a mom in the inner circle, rose gets the sought after invitation to take her place but quickly learns everything is not as it seems…but just how far will Rose go to give her son - and her family- the best life possible.

This book took a little to get into as it built the foundation for the story. Amala makes a great enemy and the girl-power relationship between Jacq and Rose is outstanding. The other main characters could have been better devloped. While the plot was definitely far-fetched this was a fun read with a good twist at the end!

3-3.5 stars

Such a Good Mother had some interesting points, and a potentially intriguing premise, but did not deliver a fascinating thriller for me. I was missing a character to root for, and felt cheated by a twist at the end.

Rosie is a young mother to Charlie, a bank clerk, and wife of handsome Pete, but she is sly and conniving in order to achieve success. Rosie appears to be a shy woman living pay check to paycheck in an apartment across the street from the exclusive, private Woolf School. In her moments of stress and panic, Rosie reads Tricks of Confidence, the book, written in the late 1880s, that drove her father's career as a schemer. When Rosie enrolls Charlie in Wo0lf, she is embraced by the small inner circle of women who run the school, including securing donations from the parents of the children who attend the tuition-free school. As the plot unfolds, Rosie is willingly pulled into the web of these women, all with her underhanded father watching her from his grave. Helen Monks Takhar writes a good yet predictable story with strong yet mean and evil female characters. Good weekend read and a great discussion book.

Such a Good Mother just kind of went by for me. There was a murder and I didn’t much care who did it. I didn’t even much care to know who the victim was. There was this school. I didn’t care if the kid got in. I didn’t see the big deal. I didn’t understand why anyone would want to be a part of The Circle. I hate that we- women, mothers, anything associated with being female- is so trite and shallow. Even this lady is drawn in because that is just how we are! Please. What was the point?

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Such A Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was very excited to be approved for this as I've seen lots of hype for this book. I always love a good story about rich parents trying to fit in and this book was exactly that. Great read, lots of drama and definitely held my interest all the way through. I'm looking forward to adding this author to my list of must read!

I have a hard time cringing my way through books with unlikable characters. Every turn of the page was another “oh no, don’t do that” moment. The pressure cooker of societal pressures on women is very apparent in this plot. It was difficult to follow Rose trying to succeed both at home and at work while still dealing with her traumatic upbringing. The ‘how far will she go?’ storyline is certainly a trope, though the twists kept me flipping the pages especially toward the end.

In addition to the unlikable main character, the other area that I struggled with was character development of the other members of the Circle besides Amala. I had a time keeping track of who was who.

Escapist, this book is not. But, it was a pretty crazy ride, so I cannot say it was unsuccessful.

Helen Monks Takhar pulls off the perfect psych thriller about motherhood and family with Such a Good Mother. The novel follows working mom Rose as she vows to do everything for her son so that he may succeed and thrive in a prestigious school. As she gets pulled into The Circle--the innermost group of the school--she must decide what exactly she's willing to do to ensure her family's success (even if she's fighting against her family to get it). But how much of what she's doing is for her son? How much is for revenge? And how much is because she is truly her father's daughter--a con artist and a criminal? There was definitely a lot happening in this thriller, but it was easy to follow, had surprising twists, and a morally complex ending. Such a Good Mother was all around successful at exactly what it was--a family drama psychological thriller centred around social status and childhood trauma.