I felt like the author did an excellent job portraying the difficulty of becoming a first-time mother and the associated complex emotions. On top of the trials of motherhood, Brynn was dealing with her husband being arrested for the murder of a young woman and worked to figure out if her husband was framed since she didn't believe he could murder someone despite evidence to the contrary. This is a solid mystery. and I only guessed part of the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Solid 3.5* this book started out great, then I felt like it kept going off in different directions. On and on about one subject and I actually forgot what else had been going on. I feel like it couldn't make up its mind what kind of book it wanted to be, chic lit or thriller.....
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I really enjoyed this story, Brynn is a new mother who has been struggling with motherhood. Motherhood isn’t really going the way she envisioned it. Lack of support from her husband Ross, feeling like she can’t do it all, and resenting her baby. Then her whole world comes crashing down when her husband is arrested for the murder of a girl working at the local country club that the Nelson family frequents. She has to fight through everything she’s been going through to try to find the clue her husband has given her as he’s arrested. It’s a real look at new motherhood and the struggles that many woman go through, with the added side of a mystery that keeps you wondering through all the twists and turns.

Rounded up to 3.5 stars.

This book deals a lot with postpartum depression and the trials and tribulations of being a new mother. As someone who doesn’t have kids yet myself, it unlocked a new fear I didn’t know I had about not loving my child and falling into this spiral. The author does a good job of taking us on this ride and look into the first few months of motherhood while also dealing with some family drama.

I found the book to be slow at some points, but I did enjoy the suspenseful twist at the end, and the epilogue was a nice wrap up to the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 🫶🏼 Rounded up to 3.5 stars.

This book deals a lot with postpartum depression and the trials and tribulations of being a new mother. As someone who doesn’t have kids yet myself, it unlocked a new fear I didn’t know I had about not loving my child and falling into this spiral. The author does a good job of taking us on this ride and look into the first few months of motherhood while also dealing with some family drama.

I found the book to be slow at some points, but I did enjoy the suspenseful twist at the end, and the epilogue was a nice wrap up to the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 🫶🏼

Thank you to Julia Spiro, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Such a Good Mom.

As a new mom, Brynn Nelson is having a difficult time connecting to her newborn son. As a result, she is at times resentful of the baby, disappointed in what she perceived to be her bad mothering, and reflective of how much easier and more enjoyable life was before baby. She is the last one of her group of friends having children and the ease with which they all seem to parent adds to her questioning her abilities to be a good mom.

Then Cece, a server at the country club she frequents with her husband's family is found murdered and her husband, Ross, is arrested on suspicion of being the killer. Even as the evidence against Ross starts to build, Brynn still has feelings that everything is not as it seems. Especially as she thinks about the words that Ross whispered to her as he was being led away. That she needed to find "the orange sun" and that all would make sense.

As Brynn conducts her own investigation into Cece's murder she begins to learn things about Ross' family that make her realize that none of are the people she thought they were.

It's taken me a couple of weeks to consider how I was going to review this book. I really had a hard time connecting to Brynn. Though it appears she was suffering from postpartum depression, and no, I am in no way an expert, I do wonder if it was also a case of a lifetime of unrealistic or skewed expectations. There was evidence of this in the way that she judged her own mother's parenting style and held it up to comparison to her mother-in-law's. Also, the ideology that she had that parenting, especially a newborn, is easy. Parenting, despite all of the joys that come with it, is by no means an easy job. It's exhausting, it changes your life and in many ways the person you are, and also changes the way you as a person are perceived by others.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot and the twists of the story line and Spiro's writing style. As such, I will probably look to exploring some of her other books.

🌟🌟🌟💫

Both an examination of the intensity of the trials of new motherhood, and a Martha-Vineyards-based mystery, this book only partially scores on both fronts.

Brynn Nelson, our third person POV (and somewhat unreliable) narrator, is in her early thirties, and has not quite felt like herself since the birth of three-month-old Lucas. A traumatic birth, (followed by what looks to the reader like a severe case of postpartum depression), is proving harrowing for Brynn, who is feeling lost, alienated and alone, particularly as she has also felt her husband, Ross, pulling away from her since Lucas’s birth, and has confusingly completely failed to bond with her new son.

When the body of a young woman turns up on Norton beach, hints of Ross’s potential involvement opens doors wider, for Brynn, to a nightmarish tale of whodunit, made more complex by the emotive wandering and questioning of Brynn’s fragile state of mind, her loss of ability to trust those around her, and most of all, her loss of her own mental confidence and sense of self.

Suspenseful in parts, with a great, atmospheric setting, this reader found the pacing of this story a little too slow, and the characters either too unlikable (Brynn and Ross’s entire family), or not developed enough (Ross, and Brynn’s trio of close friends) for a truly awesome reading experience.

With an ending that, although predictable, satisfied this reader, overall this is an enjoyable story, that just missed the mark characteristic of a stellar read.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this story. All thoughts presented are my own.

Links:


https://booklymatters.com/such-a-good-mom/

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Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro ⭐⭐⭐⭐

St. Martin's Press
Pub Date: 4-29-25

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @juliaspiro for this eARC.

"Like most New England summertime destinations, Martha’s Vineyard was no stranger to tragedy, though it often hid deep in the island’s underbelly, safely tucked away from tourists, rarely disrupting their cycle of lobster rolls and blue-sky beach days."

Summer destinations are never as idyllic as they seem, especially for those who make these places their year-round home.

Brynn Nelson's postpartum world is rocked when her husband, Ross, is arrested following the death of a young woman. Suffering from depression and feeling disconnected from her husband, Brynn looks for clues to prove who did and did not kill Cecelia Buckley.

Although I've never given birth, Brynn's bouts of depression and self doubt following the birth of her son, Lucas, felt very real to me. This murder mystery kept me guessing until the end!

#suchagoodmom #juliaspiro #stmartinspress #netgalley

Such a Good Mom
By: Julia Spiro
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Summer on Martha’s Vineyard sounds like heaven. But when a body is found things heat up.
Brynn and Ross are new parents and Brynn is suffering from postpartum depression and Ross is getting more distant. She feels like she is losing herself. She misses her writing and her life before her baby.
When Ross is arrested for the murder of Cecelia, Brynn wants to find out what really happened. Does she really know her husband or is he guilty?
Triggers: Depression, Postpartum
Thank you Minotaur for the gifted e-ARC

While this one had an interesting back story and plot, it was probably 80% about this new mom's post partum depression, exhaustion, and guilt for not connecting with her child and her fear that she wasn't a good mom because of it. I found that, frankly, exhausting. So I am either not the right audience for this or I've just seen this as a plot driver a few too many times.

I really enjoyed this novel about motherhood, postpartum depression, family, and love which supported a delightful mystery plot. The plotting of this was so tight and twisty I really didn’t see the conclusion until the author revealed it! The Vineyard setting was quite accurately depicted and added to the enjoyment of this read. I will definitely look for the other two novels by this author.

Thank you to #netgalley, #stmartinspress and the author, Julia Spiro for this ebook arc to read. All opinions are my own.

We haven't all given birth but we have probably all experienced insomnia. In "Such A Good Mom" Julia Spiro tells the story of Brynn (the new mom), Ross (the husband and new dad), baby Lucas, and their extended family who live on Martha's Vineyard. Brynn's insomnia is so pervasive that it could probably be included as a character.

Brynn is so exhausted and miserable after Lucas' birth that she isn't even sure she wants to be a mother. Ross goes from being oblivious to worrisome. He has something to tell Brynn but he can't do it right then. Just imagine where your mind would go after a statement like that.

A murder occurs. Everybody knows everybody to some degree on the island so the news spreads quickly. Ross's behavior becomes increasingly worrisome.

Meanwhile, Lucas screams his way through seemingly endless nights and days.

Brynn wonders if Ross had something to do with the murder.

"Such A Good Mom" is a page-turner. I recommend it. It certainly won't put you to sleep if you have insomnia.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read "Such A Good Mom." This is my honest review.

This is an intense, suspenseful mystery.
It had me wondering what was coming and why throughout each chapter of this book.
When I was almost sure of "who did it", I was wrong. I was wrong over and over again.
That is what kept me anxiously reading until the final pages.
This young mom, Brynn is living the dream up in Martha's Vineyard with her husband and his family.
It is perfect and then their baby is born, and things begin to change.
Why is it so hard to be a mom? How do some make it easy? What is going on with Brynn's husband?
When a family acquaintance is murdered, things begin to change on the island and within this "perfect" family!

The drama is good and anyone who enjoys a quick drama will absolutely love this novel
Thank you to @NetGalley and to Sr. Martin's Press for this Arc and allowing me to read and provide my own review. Well done!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to receive this ARC because, as described, it seems like a book I'd really enjoy - murder mystery with a new mom as the protagonist set on Martha's Vineyard. I appreciated the honest depiction of post-partum depression and found that aspect to be very realistic and relatable. The mystery fell a but flat for me. I figured it out and wasn't that invested in the outcome.

"Such A Good Mom" by best selling author Julia Spiro is a great mix of family drama and suspense that keeps you hooked from the start. Brynn Nelson the MFC is a new mom that looks like she has it all, rich husband with a well off family, nice house and dream career as a writer. But deep down she is struggling with post partum depression, feeling adrift from her husband and missing her life that she had before getting pregnant plus on top of all that the story takes a gripping turn when her husband is arrested for murder. I thought the author did a great job of showing the challenges of being a new mother especially one struggling with post partum but I will say there was repetition in the book that does tend to get a little annoying at times even though I do understand why the auther did it. Other than that I enjoyed reading this book. This is my first book from this author and I would definitely be open to reading another book by her. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and to the author Julia Spiro for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the story: With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back.
Then her husband is arrested for killing a friend of the family, and Brynn isn't sure who she can trust.

This was a terrific book that had me engaged from page one. While there were times I found Brynn a little too whiney, she was a well-rounded character and her struggles were real. So often post-partum depression is not recognized by doctors, especially when people try to act like everything is fine, which is what Brynn did because she felt so inadequate as a mother already. How could she admit to a professional that she was floundering.
Ross was a less-likable person, and I'm sure the author painted him that way on purpose, making the reader more inclined to believe that perhaps he is guilty of murdering the woman whose body washes up on the beach at Martha's Vinyard.
The mommy-friends Brynn meets daily at the park are a nice mix of personalities and how everyone's lives interconnect in the dramatic conclusion to the story is a stunning surprise.
Such a Good Mom is an excellent story that I highly recommend.

The Nelson family. Rich prominent pillows of society or were they? This story is set in Martha's Vineyard, a beautiful backdrop for a story.

The story focuses on Brynn a new mom suffering with post postpartum depression. A writer, Brynn always balanced her life to perfection. Being married to the son of a prominent family she wanted for nothing. Until a young woman is found murdered and her Brynn's husband Ross is arrested for her murder.

This book had many twists and turns, it was a good story of ‘who done it". The story also focuses on the issue of postpartum depression and the effects associated with it; especially for a new mom who is trying to do everything herself while her husband is behind bars.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Julia Spiro and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

‘Bestselling author Julia Spiro's Such a Good Mom is a brilliant standalone mystery that's the perfect beach read. In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha's Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.’

Loaded with gobbs of family drama and unlikeable characters, Such a Good Mom had a respectable plot, but somehow didn’t manage to blow my hair back. This is my first read by Spiro, but I will absolutely read more of her work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this arc in exchange for review.

Pub Date Apr 29 2025

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. I would say that it falls into the category of books such as "The Last Thing He Told Me". There was a lot of character development of the main character who has just become a mother and is struggling with it and feels guilty all the time. This is definitely a cultural movement for the current millennial generation of mothers who are struggling to have it all with no village to speak of so a lot of readers who fall into that mother category will relate and enjoy that. On the flip side I can imagine non mothers, younger audience finding the details of being a mother in the book to be unrelatable as that was a big topic in almost all of the chapters. I enjoyed the 'mob family' vibes and drama that was underlying and the way the story was developed and how it ended. It's a perfect book club book and a quick read.

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro is a sharp and insightful exploration of motherhood, societal expectations, and the pressures that come with being a parent. The story follows a protagonist who navigates the challenges of balancing her personal aspirations with the demands of raising a family. Spiro's writing is both relatable and humorous, capturing the messy realities of parenting while also delving into deeper themes of identity and self-worth. I loved how the book blends wit with emotional depth, making it a compelling read for anyone who has ever felt the weight of expectations. This novel is a refreshing and honest take on modern motherhood that resonates long after the last page!

Trigger Warning: this book deals with the realities of postpartum depression & may be hard to read for some. The FMC has a newborn and at times feels like she does not even want to be a mother & basically wishes she never had him.

A murder happens and someone close to her (won’t spoil who) is accused, but she doesn’t believe they did it. She starts investigating while dealing with postpartum depression.

I felt the parts about her postpartum became very repetitive and I felt like the book should have been condensed a lot. The plot itself was good, but wasn’t super shocking. I would say overall this is good, but nothing mind blowing. I think women who have been through postpartum depression will really enjoy this as it is a major theme.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.