The premise of this book had me hooked. The writing was also really good. Unfortunately there was nothing I liked about the main character, Brynn. I get that she was a new mother suffering from postpartum depression. But it was just too much of it for my liking. It took away from the mystery/thriller aspect of the story.

This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com today.

Families can be everything. And all too much. Julia Spiro tackles the family dynamic in this novel about a family business, secrets, and the woman trying to unravel it all. It’s a powerful reminder that everything is not always what it seems.

Brynn married into the Nelson family. Way back when, she and their son Sawyer had a short romance during the summer before college. Once at college they went their separate ways. After all, Sawyer was Martha’s Vineyard royalty, and Brynn was from the other side of the tracks.

When Brynn came back to the island later, she ran into Sawyer’s older brother Ross. A spark was kindled, and eventually, Ross and Brynn married. The Nelson family was thrilled, and welcomed Brynn as though she had always been one of their own. Especially when Brynn became a mom and made the Nelson’s grandparents.

Brynn, though, was not herself post-pregnancy. Unable to accept or ask for help, Brynn floundered. With Ross gone long hours, and Brynn alone with the baby Lucas, she began to become more angry and distanced from both Ross and Lucas. She begins to wonder things a new mother shouldn’t wonder. She begins to wish she’d never had a baby.

Then tragedy strikes the island when a young waitress is found dead, washed ashore. Worse, Ross becomes the only suspect in what is now a murder. Brynn is devastated and confused. She believes in her heart that Ross is innocent, but as the evidence begins to mount, Brynn is not only questioning her fitness as a mother, but also her entire marriage.

Such a good mystery. Touches on so many things that a lot of us feel as new parents. The post-partum depression, way more than baby blues, has a way of distorting a new mom’s thinking and functioning. I loved that this was a focus of Brynn’s character and woven into the story so seamlessly. The mystery of the murder and Brynn’s desire to amateur sleuth her husband out of jail was touching. Crazy, but really good.

Enjoyed this one very much. Great vacay or beach read.



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Dubbed as domestic suspense/murder mystery but I would argue more of a relatable women's fiction story set on Martha's Vineyard that follows a new mother in the throes of postpartum life who tangentially gets involved in solving the death of one of her fellow mom friends. The mom content was extremely relatable and was what I connected with most in the story - the rest was all just filler for me. Good on audio and worth a read if you like murder light, high emotion domestic dramas. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Less of a suspense/thriller than a womens fiction and commentary on motherhood and PTSD. I could entirely connect with the descriptions of motherhood. I love books that have the new mother trope as part of the the mystery.

This was a pretty good book! It took me a little bit to get into, but I think the setup was important. I liked where the book went and how it got there. I had my guesses about where I thought the plot was going to go, and unsurprisingly, I got it wrong. Although I do think my guesses would have still made a good book ;)

The execution of this book was great, and normally I've been in more of a cozy mystery phase, this is a solid mystery that I enjoyed!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Brynn should be the happiest she's ever been. She has a new baby, a loving husband and lives on Martha's Vineyard. But postpartum issues and a tragedy send her reeling. She decides to get to the root of the problems no matter the cost. Good read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

Such a Good Mom was more of a slower paced mystery versus the thriller I was expecting but I still found it very enjoyable. The writing kept me engaged throughout. As a mom myself, I really appreciated the depiction of postpartum depression and the focus on all the changes that women and their lives go through when they become moms. It felt real and authentic. While there wasn't a huge shock factor at the end, I was still interested and enjoyed how things were wrapped up in the end.

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro is an interesting book. The thriller aspect of it is fine - the mystery and twists are fairly well done and while a bit predictable, still enjoyable. Where the book and Spiro really shine is in the handling of postpartum issues, both physical and mental. Spiro expertly captures the mindset of a new mom, and writes about it with great skill and care. While it is difficult to read, it is important because it is an all too familiar reality for many mothers, and those things need to be discussed more. That is what will most stick with me from this book - not the whodunnit or the twists, but the value of writing about postpartum experiences and needs. That is where Spiro really succeeds here.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the book #SuchAGoodMom by #JuliaSpiro. This book is filled with secrets, conspiracy and murder all happening at Martha’s Vineyard. Brynn is a new mom who is struggling with juggling everything with a newborn. She is slowing falling apart. But things get worse when her husband is arrested for murder. As she digs for the truth, she has to decide if she trusts her husband or will she walk away from it all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Such A Good Mom" by Julia Spiro is a page-turner that keeps you captivated from beginning to end. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard, this murder mystery weaves a compelling tale of family dynamics that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Spiro's writing is masterful, creating a vivid atmosphere that captures the essence of the island while intertwining the complexities of family life. The characters are meticulously crafted, each with depth and realism that make their stories both relatable and intriguing.

As the plot unfolds, Spiro expertly weaves a narrative that is both thrilling and thought-provoking. The twists and turns keep you guessing until the very end, making it impossible to put the book down.

"Such A Good Mom" is not just a murder mystery; it's a deep dive into the intricacies of familial relationships and the lengths to which people will go to protect their loved ones. It’s a perfect read for anyone who loves a gripping story with well-developed characters and a setting that feels like a character in its own right.

Highly recommend to those who enjoy a blend of mystery and drama set in an idyllic location. Julia Spiro has truly delivered a gem with this novel!

3/5 stars

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

I enjoyed this one overall. The mystery was solid, and I am always here for a rich-people family drama. This was a quick read -- I read it in only 2-3 sittings and in basically one day. Parts of it felt repetitive and predictable, while there were some surprising twists. I enjoyed the present-tense parts of the story, more than the flashbacks and internal monologues of the FMC. These made the story feel a bit disjointed, and while sometimes related to the overall plot, I think they could have been included in a different way.

I don't generally love post-partum stories, so this one was a little tough for me. Sometimes the motherhood stories are a struggle; I don't have kids but I would like to, and these types of stories are unrelatable and anxiety-provoking to me, despite their likely truth. Just not my thing!

Overall, this one was entertaining, just not my favorite! I'd try this author again in the future for sure.

As a woman who has struggled with motherhood, I often found this book to be difficult to read as it dealt heavily with the lonely, harder side of being a mom. There were so many feelings and scenarios that I related with which left me feeling overwhelmed.

But as much as I connected with themes of motherhood, I wasn't too enthralled with the mystery of who killed Cecelia. It definitely took backseat to Brynn's struggles as a mom. I didn't necessarily guess who the murderer was, but I wasn't shocked with the reveal.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I thought I was really going to like this book after I read the first chapter because it was so well done. However, I quickly became bored when it felt like nothing was happening beyond rehashing tired stereotypes of an overworked mom and a husband who doesn’t get it. I ended up DNFing

Know that this leans hard on the issue of post partum depression. Brynne should be on top of the world with her new baby and husband Ross at their home on Martha's Vineyard but she isn't. Everything is shaded with grey and she's exhausted. And then the body of Cecilia washes up on shore and Ross is arrested. What can she do but investigate? The question of who killed Cecilia takes a back seat to Brynne's mental health issues but that's a worthy thing. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I love that this author picked a lane and stayed in it. She knows and loves Martha's Vineyard and that's the setting for the stories she tells. It makes it atmospheric and this was no different. This time, a struggling new mom is pulled into a murder mystery that hits too close to home.

First of all, I'd really like to applaud the author for tackling this theme of motherhood, birth, and demystifying it. That said, I picked up the book expecting a mystery, but the internal thoughts and the repetitions didn’t let me enjoy it as much as I wanted to. The mystery felt more like a subplot than the main focus, which wasn’t very clear from the premise. I kept reading, expecting twists and turns, but they always seemed to stay in the background, with the lens zooming in on Brynn and her internal struggle. That could’ve been okay—if it weren’t for all the repetition.

I wanted to love it but unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, Julia Spiro, and Minotaur Books for the e-Arc.

I was engaged in this story from the first couple of chapters, and the tension built nicely as the novel progressed towards its climax. The main character, Brynn, suffering from post-partum depression and struggling with her relationship with her husband, is a fully-fleshed character who commanded my sympathy, but I also felt impatient with her at times. The climax and ending of the novel were a little bit disappointing--the suspense seemed to lag slightly and the story wrapped up kind of suddenly. Aside from this, though, I enjoyed the mystery and the character development, especially the exploration of Brynn's ambivalence about motherhood and struggles with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and anger. Her own personality and career felt subsumed by her infant's needs, and neither her husband nor the medical community recognized her desperation or did enough to support her. The story also portrays the division between the wealthy 'summer people' on Martha's Vineyard and the local population struggling to afford life on their island. All in all, this is a solid mystery with a great sense of place and well-developed characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur and the author for the arc!

An emotional & heavy-ish story about postpartum depression, gender roles in marriage, friend groups, mom guilt and juggling life caring for a newborn with a subplot of mystery & a dash of family drama. I would probably not classify this one as a “thriller” so much … as it leans more heavily towards women’s fiction with just a side of murder mystery to keep things interesting.

There is a lot going on in this book! Between the deep dive into the MC’s postpartum exhaustion & hardships … and a husband arrested for murder in the middle of it all … it was a little tiring for this reader. I do feel that the things the MC was going through contributed nicely to her being an unreliable narrator … but I felt it was just a little too heavy on the PPD side and I was a tad bit put off by the unbalance.

Having said that, the murder mystery aspect of this one, although predictable for me, was still a solid plot and engaging.

Being a new mom trying to deal with all the changes that come with focusing on a helpless baby and then having a murder and accused spouse to deal with is a lot more than anyone normally has to face, thankfully. But this is what Brynn is faced with, and she does a great job of handling everything being thrown at her! Sadly, the balance between being a mystery/thriller and "women's fiction" (what is that even?) is off kilter. To give proper due to the rollercoaster Brynn is on, the mystery/thriller portion of the story suffers. Character development to make it a solid who-dun-it is never achieved. I appreciate the recognition of the impact of post partum depression, but am not sure this was the best way to include it in what is supposed to be a thriller. So, if you are looking for a book focused on the struggles of being a new mother with the added layer of murder, this will be a good read for you! Just don't go in expecting a suspenseful page turner of a thriller!

I have to be so honest...i DNFed this at 72%. it is SO slow. there's not really much of a plot other than how tiring and isolating motherhood is. the main character is insufferable and won't stop complaining about how she hates being a mom but she won't accept help from anyone for anything.

to be 72% into a book and not have ANY care to know the outcome is crazy and very rare for me but i just couldn't keep wasting my time with it