I was very excited to read this one but unfortunately was not impressed. The postpartum aspect had a lot of potential but it was a weird combination with the thriller aspect and I felt like each was lacking. A lot of the book seemed to drag on and felt way too repetitive. Ultimately this was a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. It was a well written book and I enjoyed the characters, their growth, and the storyline. I would definitely recommend this book.

New mom Brynn is exhausted and overwhelmed. When a murder occurs and her husband is accused she has to solve the mystery of why.

This book was ok. I was wanting more out of the mystery portion of the story as it adds up to easily. Most of this book deals with PPD. It’s relatable but I felt like it was so focused on that portion the actual mystery going on was not as thought out and I kept wondering when certain parts were going to be over so it would get back to the actually mystery portion.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

Wow! I do not know where to start! This is a emotional rollercoaster but was an insane ride too!
Anyone who has had a newborn knows the first few months are insane, stressful, emotional and everything in between! Brynn is a new mother, an author, and she's about to go through a lifetime of changes in a moment's notice! While Brynn is out with a group of parents at the park, she hears about the death of one of the servers from a popular place. Then her husband, Ross, text her an ominous text and she assumes it's about the murder and automatically thinks that there is something that is connecting the two. While her mind is reeling and she cannot get her husband to answer the phone, she drives to his workplace and tries to figure out what's going on. However, at the moment when Ross is barely going to tell Brynn what is going on, the police chief arrives and arrest Ross for the murder of the server. Before they take him away, he tells Brynn to look at them and gives her a clue to the information proving his innocence. When the truth emerges and they suspect her husband of murder, she attempts to revisit the clues. Then, after speaking with the police chief, who possesses evidence incriminating Ross, Brynn feels lost. She must discover what he is talking about and try to find out who did it so she can know who is responsible!
This book is one wild ride! I read the book and then listened to the audio and it was insane the second time around! I was hooked from the beginning, and the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat! I loved it! This is a wild emotional rollercoaster!
The narrator fit Brynn very well, and brought the story to life! It was an outstanding performance, if you are on the edge of getting the audiobook, then just go ahead you will be in for a treat! Thank you Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books/ St. Martins Publishing for this adventure!

I have some mixed feelings about this one. While I found the premise to be very entertaining, the MC suffering postpartum depression, and thus making her an unreliable narrator with memory and judgment lapses, took me out of the story a bit. While I do appreciate a story about early motherhood and the toll that can take and focusing on the hardships and fears of PPD, some of what she was doing was unnecessary and making her issues worse. I couldn’t help but be distracted by it.

There was a lot of repetitiveness, and also inconsistency. There are things that are factually incorrect, and I feel like if a book is going to focus on motherhood, labor, and the postpartum period, it needs to be factual. But with that said, there are also things that are spot on. Who else hasn’t tried to recreate every single thing that you did after your newborn slept through the night for the first time?

So while there were aspects that didn’t work for me, I did love the mystery. The Martha's Vineyard setting was great with a well fleshed out murder mystery that I was really invested in. I would be curious to know how this book works for non mothers or new mothers. As someone who hasn’t had a newborn or breastfed in over 7 years, I felt far enough removed from some of the harder aspects and it wasn’t as tough of a read for me.

3.5 stars

Really enjoyed this mystery/thriller novel with plenty of drama and women's literature mixed in. The female main character is very relatable as a new mom, with plenty of nerves and stress to go along with it. As she is thrown into an even bigger mystery she must fight to save her family and find out the truth.

I enjoyed this woman's fiction/thriller by Julia Spiro, about a young mom and wife caught up in the mess and secrets of her In-laws on Martha's Vineyard. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an early and honest review.

Brynn gives an accurate reflection of the feelings of being a new mom: loosing your sense of self, overwhelming responsibility and exhaustion and the complete feelings of failure and helplessness. In that, the author does a great job and is totally relatable. There were a few things that grew frustrating- the CONSTANT mention of breastfeeding followed by pumping, by more feeding, by more pumping. Even for a needy child this was a bit much. There also were some details that didn't quite jive, the editor should have caught them, but overall a good book.

As far as the thriller/mystery of the book, it was an easy and fast read. Interesting to see how it all would come together, and the questions of wondering how a well respected member of a community would suddenly be viewed was interesting to ponder. Everyone from his wife, to his family, to friends of his wife, everyone was involved.

Decent and entertaining book with some rough edges, but I would recommend it as a fun, fast vacation read. I would read more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up

I had a hard time writing this review. I was looking forward to reading a good murder mystery, unfortunately more than three-fourths of the story dealt with the main character dealing with her postpartum depression. I am in no way belittling postpartum stress. It is real. But it also became tedious to read. There is a mystery, but it was almost secondary. This book just missed the mark for me and this review is only my opinion.
I received this ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Minotaur Publishers and voluntarily read and reviewed this book. 3.5 Stars.

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro is a recommended domestic drama. It is a highly recommended, detailed account of postpartum depression which marginally includes a so-so murder mystery. Read it if you are interested in the deep dive into postpartum depression.

Romance author and Martha’s Vineyard resident Brynn Nelson and her husband Ross have a newborn son, Lucas. After having a c-section, Brynn is exhausted, sleep deprived, and struggling with the demands of constantly nursing and caring for a newborn, while at the same time Ross seems more distant and distracted. When Brynn learns that Cecilia, a well liked waitress at the club the Nelsons frequent, is found dead she is shocked. Then Ross is arrested for the crime and she needs to uncover the truth, including a clue from Ross told her to look for "the orange sun."

First, Such a Good Mom is not really a summer beach read. It is at its heart and core is an emotional, realistic, and brutally honest description of postpartum depression. It must be said that Spiro did an excellent job describing the struggles of new mothers and postpartum depression. It's been awhile, but all those feelings and struggles came crashing back. Some of the emotional, descriptive passages capture experiences many will understand and they may help others. Expect some social commentary along the way.

The murder mystery really feels like an afterthought in the plot and takes a backseat to Brynn's struggles with a newborn and her depression. It's not entirely believable that she would start any investigation. In summary, the mystery is rather simplistic, basic, and predictable.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

⭐⭐⭐💫

Such A Good Mom
Author: Julia Spiro
Source: Netgalley
Publication Date: April 29, 2025

Such A Good Mom” by Julia Spiro, will be published on April 29, 2025, follows the life of Brynn Nelson, a young woman grappling with postpartum depression. Despite her struggles, no one, not even her husband, seems to recognize her need for help. Brynn’s friends are wealthy and gossipy, and her marriage is on the rocks. The story takes a tragic turn when a young waitress is found dead behind a trendy restaurant, and her husband is arrested for the murder. Unintentionally, the story of the murder mystery takes the backseat to the novel’s primary focus: a dysfunctional family, murders, and intricate setups within the same household. Brynn’s newborn baby adds to the upheaval amid the chaos, making the story a rollercoaster of emotions. Overall, “Such a Good Mom” is a mediocre read exploring depression, motherhood, and secrets set in Martha’s Vineyard.

#Suchagoodmom @netgalley #minotaurbook @” #postpartum #depression #newnmom #smalltown #secrets

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.

Genre: Mystery

On Martha’s Vineyard, a first time mom in the throes of newborn life has her world crumble when her husband is accused of murder.

This was a good beach read especially since it was set on Martha’s Vineyard. It accurately portrays the stress and emotions first time moms go through while mixed in with a murder mystery. The twist was a little predictable but I enjoyed the plot and quick, easy pace of the book.

Big thanks to Minotaur books for the widget to read this upcoming mystery! Anticipated pub: April 29th!

Let's start with that COVER HELLO. It's gorgeous! And yes, I do judge a book by its cover, zero shame, lol.

I went into this story blind, judging by the title I figured this would be about a mom. I loved this story. Maybe it's the time in my life right now-- my sister is expecting her first kid (I have zero) but I FELT SO MUCH for Brynn. Her struggles and emotions are SO well written that I really couldn't help but want to wrap her in a big hug and tell her it's going to be alright. I found I cared more about Brynn and the outcome for her than I did the murder mystery.

The murder mystery aspect of this story felt slightly lacking to me. Like, sure, this is a nice island girl that everyone seemed to love, but I never felt like I knew her or connected with her, which was honestly fine since she's just a minor part of the story, really. But the mystery never really grabbed me like so many usually do. I kind of didn't really care about who murdered her (terrible, I know).

Everything in this resolves but it felt kind of forced. For me, this was a winner due to how Brynn is written and how well her emotions are conveyed to the reader.

Pre-Read notes

This book isn't exactly what I thought it would be, but so far it's got great character development and the mood is just so gray and heavy, it makes a big I pact on the story. Sort of like how ppd can cast a gray pall over a new mom's entire existence.

Final Review

It didn’t make sense that Ross was right there with her and yet he wasn’t there at all. He didn’t share even a shred of Brynn’s suffering. The only disappointment he ever seemed to show was in her disappointment with everything. And Brynn had started to hate him for it. p13

Review summary and recommendations

This wasn't what I was expecting (domestic thriller or suspense) but I had fun with it and didn't have any quibbles. Recommend this one for fans of women's fiction, light suspense, mom stories, or unreliable narrator. For more of Spiro's fiction, try FULL. If you like a good domestic suspense, RABBIT MOON(my review!) is a huge favorite of mine. For some goose-bump-y women's fiction, I love CACKLE(my review!). Happy reading!

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The setup for this book is excellent. Spiro's descriptions of the fmc, an unhappy new mom with likely ppd, are so compelling and relatable that I immediately sympathized and supported the fmc. It was a really nice way to start a domestic suspense novel!

2. Spiro gives her readers serious proprietary in this book and I *love* it. She once heard Henry tell someone that Ross’s wife wrote “chick lit,” and even though she’d used the term herself before, proudly, with the self-awareness that her mostly female readers were the most voracious and discerning readers in the world, she knew that Henry hadn’t been using the term positively. p38

3. And the two of them had kept talking and talking and talking. Right up until Lucas was born. And then they had stopped. p83 I love Spiro's phrasing, a little edgy, and it always hits me in this amazing emotional spot!

4. As much as motherhood challenged her, she inexplicably wanted the burden of it to be hers and hers alone, as though she could find some solace in wearing her suffering as a badge. Help was something she couldn’t naturally accept. If she wasn’t struggling, she didn’t feel like she was being a good mom . p125 I do like that the narrator digs deep into the fmc, and shows us all sides of her. And unlikable narrator that earns reader empathy is a valuable element, and hard to write!

Rating: 👶🏻🤰🏾👶🏻🫄 /5 good moms
Recommend? yep!
Finished: Apr 6 '25
Format: accessible advance digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
💄 women's fiction
👠 scandalous suspense
🔪 (lite) domestic thrillers
👥️ unreliable narrator

Thank you to the author Julia Spiro, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of SUCH A GOOD MOM. All views are mine.
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It was a like a love letter for new moms/or really moms at any point in their journey (even before giving birth etc.) There were so many deep and thoughtful points made or discussions had that made me feel seen and heard in my own motherhood journey. This is a timely book and for me at least, while the mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading, I was personally more invested in Brynn's own transformative experience as she grew to love and appreciate her son more and more with each passing day.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's/Minotaur for allowing me this arc to enjoy.

3.5 stars.

The body of a woman washes up on an island community.. New mom Brynn is very disorganized trying to take care of baby Lucas. However , Brynns husband Ross is arrested for the murder and Brynn tries to find the real culprit while uncovering some dark family secrets.

I liked how this book brought post partum depression to the forefront. I wish that it focused more on the murder. The first part of the book made Brynn to be whiny and self centered. ME me me. I did like how her character evolved but I found her annoying .

This was a mystery where postpartum depression was the main character. Brynn Nelson has recently had a baby. She is struggling with managing her emotions and everything else. She keeps trying to tell herself that everything is fine - just fine. Neither she nor her friends believe that is true.

When her husband Ross is accused of murdering a young college student who works on the island, Brynn feels even more stress. She wants to believe that her husband is innocent of the crime except she is so angry at him because of her depression that she is finding it hard. It doesn't help that her in-laws seem to have written him off.

Still, Brynn begins to look into the case and finds some glaring holes in it and some possible suspects really close to home.

I learned more than I ever needed to know about postpartum depression and life on Martha's Vineyard while reading this story. The mystery almost took a distant second place. I also had some issues with the timing of the story. The first 90% of the story seemed to take place over just a couple of days. The last 10% neatly wrapped everything up and, by the end, more than a year had passed.

A struggling new mom looks for answers when a local woman is found dead and someone close to her is accused of the murder.

Although this story is a murder mystery, I found a lot of the focus to be on the struggles of postpartum depression. I'm not downplaying the struggles of PPD. However, I felt like this aspect of the story was super repetitive and could have been condensed to focus more on the premise of the book.

The murder mystery plot was good with some unexpected surprises. If you like domestic thrillers, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

Was a good story but nothing real shocking. Book deals with post partum depression on top of everything else going on.

thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. A well written mystery that kept me turning the pages. A trigger warning for new moms with depression may need to be given.