Set on Martha’s Vineyard, this domestic thriller follows Brynn, a new mom juggling a fussy newborn, postpartum recovery, and a writing deadline—when her husband is suddenly arrested for murder. The mystery itself had some thin spots, and Brynn felt a bit naïve at times, but the portrayal of early motherhood was raw, honest, and the strongest part of the book.

I listened to the audiobook and thought Abigail Reno did a great job bringing Brynn’s exhaustion and unease to life. Her narration added depth to the character and made it an easy, engaging afternoon listen.

Thanks to Julia Spiro, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the listen!

This is my top book of 2025! I couldn’t put into words how relatable as a postpartum mom. But then to add this crazy story and how her life changed with a crime her husband was in jail for. I loved this book so much!’

DNF @ 51%

I really felt for Brynn and the pain of struggling with postpartum depression. The commentary on the difficulties of being a new mother was my favorite part of the book. The sheer amount of invisible labor mothers do is endless and it was painfully relatable to see it going unnoticed in Brynn's case. Unfortunately the actual mystery wasn't intriguing me. By the 51% mark I'd hope for the stakes to feel higher but despite the murder that kicks off this story I was struggling to stay invested. If you're a fan of character-driven, slower burn mysteries this could be a great one to pick up.

The narrator did a fantastic job of helping me become invested in Brynn's inner world! I would love to read more from this narrator.

This novel had the perfect mix of family drama and mystery. Brynn is a new mom trying to figure out life with a new baby and how her writing career will fit with her new reality. Just when she feels like she's starting to figure some things out, her husband is arrested for the murder of a family friend. When all eyes look to her husband as the suspect, Brynn starts to doubt his innocence herself, asking herself if he is capable of such an act. Left with no other options, she decides to start looking into the case herself. Afterall, it's either get to the truth and find out who really killed Cecelia, or watch her husband pay the ultimate price for a crime he didn't commit.

Brynn is a woman who has it all...money, career, handsome husband and a beautiful new baby boy. Postpartum depression is doing quite the number on her and her husband is always tied up late night dinners with clients for the family construction business. Most dinners are at the club where the whole family has gotten to know the new server, Cecelia. Suddenly though Cecelia turns up dead and the person accused is her husband. Brynn must find the clue that her husband eludes too to save her marriage and the family name.

The description lead me to believe that this book was a mystery. Well it is, but that is maybe only 1/4 the content. And that was really predictable.
The majority of the book is about Brynn's postpartum depression which she fails to go get diagnosed. She flashes back to reminisce about her life pre-baby, her horrible birthing experience and first mom experiences. It is full of self doubt. I can see this maybe being helpful to those now moms out there. For me, it all seemed horribly repetitive and whiny. I forced myself to finish it because I needed the mystery confirmed which was entirely anti-climactic too. Save yourself the time, don't read.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Somewhat predictable on the mystery but still enjoyable. The main character felt very real and that definitely added to the story. Overall a decent read.

Such a Good Mom has two main themes embedded in the plot: 1) How to be a good mother by society’s standards, and 2) A murder. The focus on how to be a good mother and Brynn’s struggles with postpartum depression and negative thoughts is strong and written well but I’ve never been a mother so my personal relatability was lacking a little. I found myself more interested in the murder plot line and would have liked to see it more developed and detailed. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers in a heartbeat!

Brynn was so excited to become a mother. It’s a moment that she has dreamed of. However when she was giving birth, something shifted within Julia. She was no longer excited for her journey into motherhood and struggled with a case of postpartum depression. Julia became hyper fixated on the frequency that she breastfed and took the baby’s temperature. She consistently felt like she was a failure as a mom when observing society’s standards for motherhood. She also observed her friend’s being wonderful mothers to their children and felt like being a mom just came more natural to them which also left her feeling jealous.

If that isn’t enough for Brynn to manage, the murder of Cecelia Buvkley on Martha’s Vineyard has shaken the whole community. Her husband is being accused of the murder and Julia is determined to prove his innocence.

This one definitely hit me in the feels. It was marketed as a mystery/thriller but it’s more women’s fiction with a mystery. The mystery element I personally found to be too predictable; however, that didn’t stop me from enjoying this as much I did.

The MC Brynn was very relatable. As she is looking into this murder her husband was arrested for she’s also struggling with postpartum depression. Her anxiety, guilt, and constant second guessing herself as a mother hit home for me.

With this being set in a small beach town and well developed characters this will make the perfect beach/pool read this summer!

Are you ready for an engaging read? Check out Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro. It was a great read. It's available this summer.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrator was good, and the storyline moved along quickly.

Thank you netgalley for the prerelease audiobook.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for sending me an ARC of Such a Good Mom, as well as NetGalley access to the ebook and audiobook. I switched back and forth between reading and listening to this book over just a few hours, as I had to know how it would turn out ASAP!
Set on Martha's Vineyard, Such a Good Mom follows first-tune mother Brynn as she navigates life post-baby. While she loves her baby Lucas, she is struggling and lacking support from her husband, Ross. His solution is for his mother to spend more time helping out, rather than doing more around the house himself because he is working extra hours. After a seemingly accidental death is ruled murder - and Ross is taken into custody as the suspect, Brynn is thrown into a search for what really happened and if her husband was involved.
This was the perfect vacation read for me - enough drama in an idyllic setting to get me invested and just twisty enough to keep my attention, even with the gorgeous beach views trying to distract me! I have not read the author before, but I plan to look into her backlist.
I think this may be a tougher read for someone who has more in common with the main character Brynn - for instance a new parent struggling to balance the demands of a baby with their previous child-free life. Brynn is in a rough mental state for much of the book, and I can imagine that being a hard place for a new parent to spend time.

3/5 Stars! Thanks Netgalley and Macmilan audio for this audiobook of Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro narrated by Abigail Reno.

Very easy book to follow and as much as I really appreciate the brutality of motherhood, I can't say that I REALLY connected on that level. Only because I am a mother to kids with special needs....some of the stuff mentioned were things where I didn't experience and sorta wished that I did. Anyways, post partum is real and I'm glad that was addressed.

Such a good murder mystery story plot going on. It was pretty good for me but also slightly predictable. I started it but was not too eager to find out what the next thing was going to happen. I did speed up the story to kinda just get it over with.

Narrator was good but I was just not hooked on the story. Thanks!

This was a great audio! Enjoyed the narrator’s pacing; the storyline was easy to follow listening along. The setting of the book is what drew me in at first, but I really appreciated the brutally honest look at motherhood.

This was an interesting read that details the main characters experience with post partum depression. The main character really struggles with this and it is detailed a lot so note that it might be triggering to some readers so please proceed with caution.

A murder takes place and her husband is accused. On top of everything else she is already coping with, she begins to investigate to try and uncover what happened and prove him innocent, but how will she do that when she is so sleep deprived she can barely keep track of her own day?

Overall, I thought that this one was good. It felt like it was a little long at times and a bit repetitive. It has the unreliable narrator trope, so it kept me on the edge of my seat, second guessing what was happening.

It’s likely that this review is a case of it’s not you…it’s me.

I went into Such a Good Mom for the murder mystery. From the synopsis, I was intrigued, but, after reaching the 50 percent mark and only a small portion of the book being about the murder and the rest about Brynn’s struggles as a new mom, I was beginning to think I missed a crucial part of the plot summary. After going back and reading the description, it’s clear that Such a Good Mom is intended to be both, but, unfortunately, that just wasn’t what interested me. This book has an audience that it will appeal to, and the writing is engaging, but this one ultimately just isn’t for me.

I just finished Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro and here are my musings.
Brynn is struggling with motherhood and being a wife. Her husband has been withdrawn and she can’t manage to do her job around the baby… When a waitress at their country club is found murdered, then tragedy hits her home… Her husband has been arrested for the crime.. It looks like he did it but Brynn isn’t so sure and she will stop at nothing to find the truth.

This one was really well done. I loved the narration. It really brought me into the story and held my attention. I felt the postpartum aspects of the story were handled with care and accuracy so that was a big plus too. It was loaded with family drama and the thriller side of it felt like the secondary story which was a bit of a bummer.

Brynn was the star of the show. Her whole character was what kept me going through the whole story. The pace was a bit slow for a thriller but Brynn kept me engaged. It was a really clever story. I didn’t figure out what happened so the ending hit me hard. I was like what the SHEET!!!! I love it when I am kept guessing….

This is definitely a different type of thriller to my norm but I enjoyed the heck out of it!! The writing was great, the other characters were a bit flat but all in all… I great book, well narrated and I was entertained.


4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio and @minotaur_books for my ALC and ARC!

Solid 3.5 star mommy mystery. Fourth trimester feelings were honest and relatable. Revelations and twists kept me interested. I’d check out more of this new-to-me author’s books in the future! Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillion Audio for the review copy!

In Such a Good Mom a new mom, a local in Martha’s Vineyard, gets involved in solving a murder when a local woman is found dead and her new mom’s husband is a suspect. It is a mix of a psychological thriller with a taste of women’s fiction mixed in, dealing with postpartum issues and the stress of being a new mom. It was twisted, with lots of background details to set the stage. I also liked seeing what life is like on the island for the locals. At times the whining was over the top and made me more interested in the murder than the day to day struggles of the new mom. But I was invested until the very end to find out what really happened.

All in all, this novel—with its character-driven narrative, deceptively simple premise, and evocative small-town island setting—embodies the essence of an ideal beach read. Beneath its breezy exterior, it tackles weightier themes that would make it an excellent choice for book club discussions. While I anticipated part of the final reveal, it did little to diminish my enjoyment; in fact, I welcomed the moment with a quiet sense of triumph rather than disappointment. Ultimately, I found the story thoroughly engaging. If you’re in the mood for a slower-paced, thoughtful mystery with a light touch, this one is well worth your time. A solid 4-star read.

This book seems to be more women’s fiction than mystery/thriller. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but the murder mystery seems secondary to Brynn’s postpartum depression. This aspect of the book is very well done and realistically shows the devastating effects postpartum depression can have on new mothers.

I loved the setting of Martha’s Vineyard and enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job conveying Brynn’s exhaustion and frustration and her narration elevated this story.