"The School for Good Mothers" by Jessamine Chan is a chilling dystopian novel that explores the complexities of modern parenting, surveillance, and the immense pressures placed on mothers. The story follows Frida Liu, a single mother who, after making a regrettable mistake, is sent to a state-run facility where women are retrained to be "good" mothers. What unfolds is a nightmarish yet eerily plausible exploration of a world where every maternal instinct is scrutinized, judged, and controlled.

Chan’s writing is sharp and unsettling, immersing readers in Frida’s anguish as she struggles to meet the impossible standards the authoritarian system sets. The novel paints a bleak but thought-provoking picture of a society that demands perfection from mothers while offering little understanding or support. Frida’s emotional journey—her love for her daughter, her guilt, and her desire for redemption—is heart-wrenching, making her both relatable and deeply sympathetic..

The School for Good Mothers is a haunting and timely novel that challenges societal norms and asks what it means to be a "good" mother. It’s perfect for fans of dystopian fiction with a sharp, feminist edge.

This was a tough read. I honestly almost wanted to DNF it a couple of times.

The story centers around Frida, the huge mistake she made as a mother and the extreme consequence of those actions.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction, it felt that close to reality. It made me question a lot about the pressures mothers deal with (internal and external).

Read this!

This experience of reading this book was challenging. I enjoyed it, probably because the author was skilled in dealing with it, but it was uncomfortable to see how some of the mothers were treated.

An excellent story with a unique, scary story line that will terrify anyone who has had one of those "less than perfect" parental moments. Jessamine Chan skillfully tells us a story of a time we hope never comes.

Way ahead of the conversation re: how we talk about mothers, good mothers, and the moralizing of carework. Jessamine Chan is brilliant

The premise of Chan's novel is incredible: what if a far-reaching (over-reaching, in fact) government stepped in to "re-educate" mothers deemed not to be living up to adequate parenting standards? Within this, Chan examines the impossibility of parenting standards to begin with--particularly those placed on mothers, and particularly when compared to those placed on fathers. The novel also raises questions of punishment, motivation via carrot vs. stick, and what it even means to be a "good enough" mother in the first place. This is one I'll be thinking about for a long, long time.

Set in a near-future world where motherhood is scrutinized and regulated, the novel follows Frida Liu, a devoted mother who is sent to a rehabilitation center for failing to meet the strict standards of parenting. Through Frida's journey, Chan adeptly examines the pressures and contradictions inherent in modern motherhood, as well as the intersections of race, class, and gender. Through complex moral and ethical questions, readers are challenged to consider the true meaning of motherhood and the importance of individual agency. A powerful and thought-provoking novel that offers a timely meditation on the bonds of family, the pursuit of perfection, and the resilience of the human spirit.

This book was so unsettlingly odd in the best way. You can really feel the tension and anxiety. If you weren’t afraid of big brother before, especially as a mother you will be now.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This book was not for me. I had high hopes based on recommendations from friends but as a mom it was difficult to stomach. The book would have been salvageable with some sort of a happy ending but instead it remained terrible

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Oh, this book was so not for me. I truly appreciate the social commentary the author was trying to make about the unrealistic, unobtainable pressures we place on women, but outside of that I just felt the whole plot to be frivolous and silly. Robot baby dolls with blue goo and the most repetitive writing style I’ve read in a minute. Just a very big “no thank you” from me.

I found this dystopian novel really disturbing; however, it does feel rooting in our current culture of judgement and "mom-shaming." Although the main character does engage in an act that potentially put her child in danger (and therefore some sort of monitoring seems appropriate), I found I had empathy for her for making a mistake that was not ok, but also understandable. This mother needed support, not punishment. Some parts of this book were difficult to read, and may be triggering for some. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review..

The School for Good Mothers was a story that has stuck with me ever since reading it. I've thought about it in so many varying situations and have recommended it many times to friends. I simply cannot wait to read more by Jessamine.

The School for Good Mothers begins as a fairly straightforward exploration of responsibility and expectations of motherhood and eventually becomes more dystopian as the narrative moves on. "The School" Frida finds herself at — after her very bad day in which she makes a mistake that endangers the safety of her daughter — is a Big Brother-like prison in which she and other mothers are meant to learn how to become not only good mothers but perfect mothers while being constantly surveilled and goalposts constantly moving. The offences committed by the mothers that find themselves there range from innocuous to violent, yet the curriculum is the same and the expectations they are to meet are often impossible by even the most devoted parents. Following Frida's perspective throughout is powerful and you feel her frustration and bouts of hopelessness. Somewhat slow to build, but a cleverly developed narrative.

School for Good Mothers

I was SO excited for this book. The synopsis sounded like a creepy, modern day take on the Stepford Wives. That s NOT what this book turned out to be. Still I had high hopes for it.

The story follows a thirty-something woman names Frida, as she attempts to overcome the consequences of what she calls her, “very bad day.” After her marriage dissolves, Frida is resigned to co-parent with her ex-husband and his seemingly perfect new wife. A lapse in judgment calls into question her ability to care for their toddler, Harriet. After the police and social workers get involved, the Court mandates that Frida take a residential parenting course at a government run “school.” If she completes the course successfully, she may just have a chance to get Harriet back. But… is the school designed for her and the other mothers to fail?

Although this story was not what I expected, I was drawn in immediately. The writing was so vivid that it was easy to slip into the mind and emotions of the main character. I found myself being afraid with her and for her. When she was nervous, my heart rate increased. It is not east for an author to drag a reader in so completely, but I think Chen did a fantastic job with that.

The setting of the story felt pretty nondescript throughout. From Friday’s home, to the police station, the courthouse and even the campus of the school; it all felt a bit generic. I am not sure if this was done purposefully, maybe to illustrate that it could happen to any woman in any corner of the country; as there is quite a bit of social commentary in the book. In general, the setting was a thin backdrop and the story could have taken place anywhere. The characters are what brought this story to life. Frida is not a likable character necessarily, but I found myself rooting for her even when she made it hard.

The mothers that we meet at the school are widely varied and add so much texture to the story. We also meet a few male characters, but I didn’t find that they added much to the overall story, except to stand in contrast to how the mothers were treated. They added a dash of conflict that was short lived and fairly bland.

This book is billed as a thriller, so I kept waiting for the big thrilling reveal and I was grossly disappointed when I was not given that. There was no bi mystery, even though Chen makes the reader believe that there will be. Maybe this was a conscious choice on Chen’s part, but it was incredibly frustrating as a reader.

I gave the book 3 stars. Although there were things about it that I enjoyed, ultimately it was just barely okay and the ending left me scratching my head.

This slow-burning dystopian drama builds the suspense gradually, as our familiar world begins to turn dark and troubling. It begins with intrusive surveillance, directed at a frazzled mother who leaves her baby alone for a couple hours--something she calls a terrible mistake, and for which she truly feels remorse. When Child Protective Services intervenes, they introduce a pilot program that installs cameras everywhere in our protagonist's home. She fails to satisfy the agency's demands for sufficiently committed motherhood and is sent to what appears to be a reeducation camp. Things spiral into a darkness of absurdity and thought control after that. Chan's debut novel is a well-crafted exploration of the hostility and attempts at social control directed at mothers who don't meet society's model of total sacrifice and erasure of identity to satisfy the needs of their children. She evokes at times the style of George Saunders in the absurdities encountered during her "reeducation". The barbs are particularly stinging after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as pregnant mothers become subject to the state's disregard of their own health for the sake of their unborn children.

Excellent, compelling reading, but I can’t say I loved the book. It was deeply disturbing (I guess the point?). Really a lot to think about how we treat mothers in our society.

DNF'd this one at about 42% and never came back to it! I know the goal of the book was to make the reader feel confused and disoriented and to keep them guessing but it just didn't work for me.

I’m not even sure how to rate this. As a new mom this was intense and disturbing. Obviously a well written and a creative story, but I felt sick while reading and am still sick after finishing it. Netgalley gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book fucked me up.