Had a hard time getting into this one. The characters are just there but the story around them isn't reeling me in. I usually love anything court room. But this one didn't do it for me.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I love good courtroom drama and I also love psychological thrillers. Yep I love the twists and turns.
This story starts off with Luz, a young nineteen year old mother stabbing and killing the baby’s father.
She claims that her husband Travis came home very late and very drunk. He immediately became abusive to her and she feared the safety of their baby. She was planning to leave him and was boxing up her things and was rechecked what she packed so was reopening boxes using a knife. When Travis saw her, he was irate, they struggled and she used the knife she had in her hand.
She claims self-defense … but was it? Perhaps since she was planning to leave, she may have killed him for his insurance?
Although the killing took place on a US Army Military base, Luz is brought back to her home state of California for the trial. Her lawyer Abby Rosenfeld just has a baby and should be on maternity but Abby is drawn to this case and wants to continue as the defense attorney. As the trial continues more secrets are revealed. I was totally glued to my chair turning pages trying to guess what was going to happen next.
Thought I knew but … I was wrong.
I do love courtroom drama but the courtroom theatrics of acting out the murder scene seemed a bit over the top. Would THAT really be allowed?

This story was a surprise read for me. I liked it more than I thought I would.⭐⭐⭐⭐
I am now looking forward to the next Lara Bazelon story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing (US & Canada) ~ Hanover Square Press for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 11, 2021

3-4 stars. An okay read, but a bit too implausible and slow paced for my taste. I thought it was an intriguing premise, but it just lacked in execution for me. I almost set down, but was able to finish, so I had to give it 3-4 stars. I do think the legal courtroom aspect was fun anc there were parts that did intrigue me. Overall, I think I would recommend to those who enjoy courtroom thrillers and don’t need the fast paced, dizzy twisty and turns, and shocks! It’s well written and does captivate at times!

Will make sure to buzz around and usa low Amazon reviewer number on release date.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for a review. It is character driven with. It the most loveable characters. I could not get into the story; maybe others will.

"There is nothing like the judgment we visit on mothers."
There is so much at stake. Beginning with Luz on trial for stabbing her abusive husband to death, which she states is to apparently save her baby. Abby is her defense attorney with a newborn at home also and escapes her maternity leave to find justice for Luz.
A lot of unethical lines are crossed. Beginning with Abby, when she creates a question mark in a stigma barrier women are trying to break through. Her co-defender, Will loses his moral compass with an inappropriate defense tactic. Then we find multiple secrets hidden in Luz marriage that created an irreparable relationship and deadly consequences.
All-in-all as the title suggest, you realize Luz and Abby are both on trial in and outside the courtroom. With their mothering skills under scrutiny, we will define what is a good mother.
You must appreciate the courtroom scenes, which infer peeling the layers of Luz, evaluating the evidence, closing arguments and the jury process helps you respect the author's technique in choosing how to unravel this case.
Thank you NetGalley & Hanover for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Here is the story of a young woman who goes on trial for the stabbing first degree murder of her husband, who happens to be a Sargent in the military.

Defender, Abby Rosenberg is a hard charging Los Angeles federal public defense attorney and she is due to give birth any day now. Untimely, yes, but her new case is a biggie taking away all her focus from herself. Her client is a 19 year old immigrant named Luz Rivera Hollis. After her crime, she was taken into custody at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany and sent back to LA after allegedly stabbing her husband, Sgt. Travis Hollis, to death. Now Luz is charged with first-degree murder. Abby isn’t quite sure that her client grasps the gravity of the situation. Instead the new mother’s entire focus is on getting to be with her 2-month-old daughter, Cristina. Abby manages to get the judge to set bail and release Luz to her grandmother, and then she's off on maternity leave.



Abby’s new baby son is her new joy, but she, like all new mothers is frustrated with never ending monotony of sleepless nights and feedings. She upsets and angers her partner, Nic Mulvaney, by announcing that she wants to go back to work earlier than planned. Another big reason for early departure from motherhood is that she’s not about to hand over control of Luz’s case to Will Ellet, a wet-behind-the-ears former JAG attorney with 19th-century views on womanhood.

Author, Bazelon is well versed in courtroom procedure and unfolds one surprise after another while deftly exploring motherhood and the rigid expectations that come with raising a family, not to mention the condescending treatment of women in a largely male workplace.

As a new mother, Abby sees herself in Luz, who is willing to do anything to protect her little girl, against her actions that could be considered self-defense or coldblooded murder.

A tense courtroom drama worth a read.

A Good Mother is a complicated story. Luz stabbed her husband and is defended by Abby. Both women are new mothers. Will, the assisting attorney, has a different relationship with Luz. One part of the book that was implausible, was the reenactment of the scene between Luz and Travis, her husband, during the trial. It had physical violence. I know this is fiction, but I don't believe that would ever be allowed in a courtroom. A few times the plot became a bit muddled and it was hard to follow.

Not one likeable character (or "good mother"). It was an interesting peak into a federal courtroom, but ultimately it was too hard to get invested due to the characters--I felt very removed from the story.

This was hands-down the best legal thriller that I’ve read in ages! The female protagonists are smart and gutsy, and the storyline is original and truly fascinating!

A Good Mother is about two mothers: one is a defense attorney the other is accused of first-degree murder.

Luz is on trial for first-degree murder for killing her husband Travis. Abby is the defense attorney assigned to prove that Luz committed the act as self-defense. Abby is known for her unorthodox methods for retrieving evidence in a case against Rayshon. She is a brilliant lawyer who goes above and beyond to provide a solid case fir her clients. Shes willing to sacrificing her own personal relationship to make sure she represents her client.

Judge Dars is the federal judge assigned Luz’s case. He wants a fair trial. Abby wants to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Luz acted in self-defense. Abby and Dars worked together on the case against Rayshon with him being the federal judge she needs reassurance he will not compromise the case.
Abby is faced with many conflicting situations regarding her mental state of mind after returning from maternity leave early as well as her not guilty verdict in the high profile case against Rayshon.
There are biases and opinions that get addressed throughout the court proceedings. Secrets get exposed, lies are told, and lines are crossed while working the case. The story is told from the defenses side with the prosecutor pleading her side in court.
They are faced with roadblocks and obstacles. The suspicions stack up against them. Abby is persistent in her agenda to discount every possible obstacle.
This is a complex story with multiple characters and legal jargon. The judge himself is condescending towards women and directs his objections towards Abby.

The author is working with a variety of angles of which the reader has no prior knowledge of. I suggest you sit back and watch it unfold. While the case was complicated as well as Luz’s history. I enjoyed the process for evaluating evidence from both sides. The author dug back in both Travis’s past as well as Luz’s. There was no hiding from these people.
I felt at times that everyone was on trial not just Luz. Everyone’s character was analyzed and questioned. It was quite compelling.
This story is about taking risks. There are unorthodox risks of which are necessary to the outcome. The moral compass in the story ranks high.
The author illustrates the way relationships are tested. The way some characters bond differently with Luz while other find compassion.
What transpires from this case is an unlocking of Luz’s upbringing and the circumstances leading up to her choices she made when she murdered Travis.
It was interesting to read the process in which every individual who handles the case gets selected. It’s much like the tactics of a criminal profiler.

I am by no means a legal expert. With that said some of the terminology took away from my understanding of this case.
This was an okay story. This is Lara Bazelon’s debut thriller. I enjoyed the process of cross examining witnesses and the court proceedings. The personal relationships outside of work helped establish the characters perspective on the case against Luz. These relationships tied in well. What I didn’t like and thought had no place or relevance to the case against Luz was mentioning her heritage, culture, or race. It had no reflection towards the charges against her. At one point I had expected the case of Rayshon to play a bigger part in the story since there were multiple scenes referencing this to Abby and Dars. A big deal was made in regards to the judge I was disappointed with the way Abby handled that situation. If Abby wanted to be treated with respect her using her femininity was unethical. I was disappointed with Abby’s character fighting for womanhood and motherhood yet discounting these with bad choices. She would preach one way and do something entirely different.
I’m not entirely sold on the idea that A Good Mother is the right title for this book.

Good premise but the book falls a little flat. In addition the characters are not likeable. .

If you enjoy a book with despicable characters with no redeeming qualities. If you enjoy a book with minimum mystery and no suspense. If you enjoy a book with a flat ending. Then this is the book for you. It was not a book for me. Giving it a very generous three star.

I think my biggest issue with this novel was that I kept waiting for a big reveal, for Luz to open up and share a shocking secret that revealed a huge plot twist, but it never really happened. There was a surprise, sure, but if you paid attention you knew at the very least what it was going to pertain to, and the twist was written in a way that to me it almost felt like an afterthought. It was a decent legal story but I had my hopes up for it to be something bigger than it was and it never really happened.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Good Mother.

I love police procedurals and/or courtroom drama as much as the next person so I was pleased when my request was approved.

The premise sparked my interest; a young Latina woman is accused of murdering her abusive military husband in cold blood. An ambitious public defender will do anything to save her client, but at what cost?

The narrative started out fine but my first clue A Good Mother was going to be a disappointment was when Abby, the public defender, performs a demeaning act in order to get the judge sitting on the case to recuse himself.

She calls it 'empowering' but her act is belittling and degrading to all victims of sexual assault and violence.

I can tell you right now, I did not like Abby.

Then, it got worse. How much worse?

When Abby's co-counsel, Will, began an illicit and inappropriate relationship with the client.

I can't begin to tell you how many shades of wrong this is; perpetuating stereotypes that the client is a hot and feisty Latina woman who is so stunning that nearly every man in her orbit need to have her; that she comes from a broken childhood and that's why she has poor relationships with the opposite sex; that Will is so desperately in lust and in love with her despite there no being any rapport, chemistry or exposition on his and Luz's relationship other than a client/attorney one.

And that scene where Luz and Will acted out her final moments with her deceased husband?

Would such a theatrical display be allowed in court, much less a federal court?

No, I could not ever believe such a dramatic and violent demonstration would ever be permitted.

There were many scenes I could not suspend disbelief for and this tempered any enjoyment I may have received from reading A Good Mother.

The writing wasn't bad and some readers might enjoy this but I did not.