The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a debut novel all about one mother's mistake and the consequences she faces due to that mistake. Frida Lu is a recently divorced single mother, barely making it through the day, and she leaves her young daughter home alone one day. A neighbor reports her, and her daughter is taken away. She will do anything she can to be able to see her daughter again, and she ends up becoming a student at a strange new government program where she is trained to be a good mother by taking care of an AI version of her daughter. This story was very unique, but it was also hard to read. The government program was overly harsh, unforgiving, and really only taught the mothers to obey the system. I didn't enjoy the story, but I thought the book was well-written; and the author did a good job highlighting the bias that parents will face in regards to their race, gender, background, etc. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital copy. All opinions are my own.

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

A debut novel by Jessamine Chan - This is a cross between Handmaid's Tale and Orange is the New Black. New mom Frida Liu is sent to a camp for a whole year after she left her baby home alone for 2 hours - a new concept from Child Protective Services to prevent “poor parents” from making careless mistakes. They are treated like prisoners, have to keep their child “dolls” alive, and constantly tested/observed to make sure they are not distracted from their duties as a parent, ever. Other parent’s mistakes include one that coddled too much, a child fell out of a tree on their watch, or being late to pick them up from school. This is a dark, dystopian , slightly exaggerated world in which “perfect” moms look down on other struggling moms, where they are not allowed to make the tiniest mistakes now that they have a child - because it only matters that they are a mother. Also, the fact that these mothers were forced from their babies for a whole year for the betterment of their kids safety (for non-violent offenses) was maddening to read.

If you liked The Handmaid's tale, you would probably love this. It’s thought provoking, eerie, and yet only slightly dissimilar to the society we live here in the western world where parents are judged and put down constantly. After reading this, it opened my eyes much more about even criticizing how someone raises their child (unless it’s hurting them of course!). A solid first read for 2022!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

The School for Good Mothers//Jessamine Chan
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"How she felt a sudden pleasure when she shut the door and got in the car that took her away from her mind and body and house and child"
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When Frida has a bad day and leaves her young daughter alone for more than two hours, she is reported to CPS. As punishment, she is sent to a reform school where she will "learn to be a good mother" or lose her daughter for good.
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This book will appall you for many reasons - but without providing spoilers, it's most clearly a commentary on the expectations society places on mothers. While my reading experience was enjoyable I was also so sad meeting the women in this story. At the school they are "learning to be good" - told that they are narcissists if their child does not come first at every turn - that being a human and needing self-care is putting your child in danger.
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I found myself quite often thinking about the transgressions the mothers are sent to the school for. Some of them are genuinely bad. Some of them I can see happening if you're not well-rested or getting help from a partner. I would love to imagine that in a tired stupor I wouldn't make a mistake but I know that's not true and motherhood is inherently imperfect, but so often it doesn't feel that is allowed in the court of public opinion.
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This story is only helped by Chan's smooth, easy-to-read writing style. I could barely put the book down,
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There were some sections, especially when Chan was writing about Black or brown mothers and fathers that felt quite cringy (shoutout @moerreads). I think it was done to comment on Frida's ability to pass as white and her advantages, even in TSFGM - but I could see it turning some people off.
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A dark, compulsive debut, TSFGM is going to divide people - you can put me firmly in the love camp.

A depressed, anxious, tired mom makes one mistake and her life is upended forever. This dystopian satire will break your heart. It definitely made me think as there are so many things about parenthood, and motherhood in particular, that "we" feel are "must dos" or rules or are black and white (especially in an upper-middle class lens), and yet, when they were all presented together in this way you see that obviously no one can ever live up to that expectation that is in your or anyone else's head.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the electronic advanced copy. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book.

Frida has been placed in a one-year, government program to 'help' abusive/negligent mothers before potentially reuniting with their children. Unfortunately, because this is dystopian, the program more likely causes mothers to barely hang on to their sanity.

I did not like this book. Ugh, I said it. The School for Good Mothers was needlessly drawn out and too far-fetched, even for its dystopian genre. Why would the program be run by women who didn't have kids? What would lead up to the creation of this program when the rest of society outside the program is written as being normal?

Frida gets put into the program because she has left her 18-month old daughter alone for over two hours. We are supposed to sympathize with Frida's poor choice, for her "bad day"... but nope, I will sit atop my judgy pedestal here to say: that is not okay.

The author, Jessamine Chan, makes a lot of social commentary on all the things happening in this society: unfair treatment/expectations of women, racial issues, class issues... and it's too much. I think a bit more focus in one area would have highlighted issues better in the book.

Not my personal favorite, but there is a lot here to discuss- I see it as being a hit in a book group.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-ARC copy of this book. "The School for Good Mothers" will be published on January 4th, 2022.

I couldn't put it down. It's an amazingly well written for a debut book and as someone who reads as much as I do I am very picky about what I read. This is a must read and I will eagerly look forward to more books from this author. Will have you fli[pping pages as fast as you can to see what happens next. Happy reading!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC to review.
CW: child endangerment, child abuse, suicide, suicide ideation, kidnapping

What a ride this book is! The dystopian elements of this book felt more haunting than similar elements in other books I’ve read because it was set in present day “regular” America. It made the events of this book feel even more insidious than they were on paper. Overall, I’d give this book a 3.5 stars out of 5 because the ending felt like a disservice to the carefully crafted storyline up until the last 15 pages.

One Very Bad Day

It took me no more than one chapter to glean that this blockbuster novel did not take place in our present American society. It depicts a dystopian world, one that could be ours, but thankfully, is not. It could be our social order and culture because it is a story of a mother of Chinese descent who leaves her eleven-month-old daughter alone for two hours. It is a world where the neighbors will tell on you if they see any infraction. At the beginning, I thought it would mirror a Nazi inhumanity where you turn in your neighbor of their heritage. But it is not.

It is a story of our America where parents are surveilled by the “state,” and those that have power from police officers to judges and so-called “counselors” can apply horrific punishment. Frida Liu loses her child, Harriet, because of the aforementioned incident of leaving her alone – a lapse in judgment. Frida, with no prior criminal record, is sent to a school, not to prison, where they try to convince her she is a narcissist and selfish mother. The School is very well organized. There is a strict curriculum, no deviations are aloud. This school for mothers doles out punishments daily; one of the saddest is taking away the monthly phone call to your child. Frida, who is the main character, is educated and a writer. She is separated from her husband, who has a mistress and now has custody of baby Harriet. The author delves into soul and intellect in almost every scene.

The “school” is dreadful, many counselors who make life-changing decisions for these mothers, do not have children of their own. Chan hammers their philosophy until we have no doubt how it is almost impossible to leave there and regain custody of your child. The procedures are detailed. It is quasi-experimental, particularly the AI dolls who are taught to respond to the mother’s teaching techniques. It is troublesome and does not seem far from reality. Much of the novel seemed convincing, taking children away from their mother – for any infraction.

The depth of the novel is revealed in Frida’s background with her own parents and the commonality of pain felt amongst the heterogenous “students.” Highly recommended.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

There's a current trend in speculative fiction of creating a world very similar to ours where one aspect of our society's gone a little too far, and this fits right in with that. Needless to say, I loved this, and it's written in a very page-turning way. You're fighting for its characters, and it's frustrating to see them failed by a system that supposedly has their best interests in mind, regardless of if those are actually their best interests.

This feels like what Black Mirror wants to be instead of how too often it's just "what if phones but too much".

Since I had my daughter 18 months ago, I find it very difficult to read books with this subject matter. While I recognize that this book is incredibly well written and will be massively popular, I'm in the position of being unable to read it because it is too triggering for me. However, I will be recommending it to many readers that I know and I hope it is a huge success!

Like a Handmaid's Tale (but 100% better) for mothers. Haunting and deep and will stick with me for a long time

Ah, what a gut punch of a novel that I really didn't much care for. This book is outlandish and cruel, but with an interesting dystopian angle. Jessamine Chan has concocted a terrifying future where mothers who are not exemplary are taken to a "school" for a year to learn how or be. If they fail, they never get to see their children again. Yes, it's got a touch of Handmaid's, but mostly, it's too depressing to be a worthwhile read. The twists are pretty bonkers and I often had to stop and ask 'what in the world am I reading?' Sometimes the book moves super fast, sometimes at a glacial pace. If you are looking for some depressing dystopia this may be the book for you but if you are a parent, I think you may want to stay far away.

🎉📚The final book of 2021 (58): The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

💬Reader’s Digest Version: All mothers have terrible days with their kids, but most are able to rebound and start again the next day. Frida’s one bad day with her daughter, however, threatened her rights to continue being her parent.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: This book..to put it mildly..completely destroyed me…in more ways than one. As a mother, the thought of having my rights to parent my children potentially ripped away from me due to one mistake is inconceivable. I found myself torn between frustration with Frida and fierce sympathy for her situation. It also made me think about how sometimes I can be quick to judge the actions of other mothers…as I would tell myself I would never make the same kinds of mistakes that Frida did..that I’m not “that type” of mom.

This book served as a reminder that society has bred into us a sometimes unconscious urge to judge other mothers. It’s almost an automatic reaction for mothers to size one another up..to silently judge who is doing a better job.

This book is the dystopian mother’s nightmare. It made my skin crawl and it really made me think. Lovers of dystopian fiction..make sure to check this one out when it comes out on 1/4/2022!

A dystopian tale a book about motherhood stress mistakes punishment in the near future.I’ve read so much about this haunting painful story and it lived up to all the word of mouth.Perfectfor book club discussion,#negalley#simon&schuster.

Wow...what a thought provoking book. This novel would be PERFECT for a book club (SO much to discuss).

What I liked/worked for me:
1. Frida is a dynamic character. As the reader, I wanted her to "win" throughout this story, but at the same time, I hated some of the choices she made.
2. Chan did a great job depicting how complicated motherhood is and how one "bad" decision can change everything.
3. The whole dystopian school for good mothers vibe was compelling and thought provoking.
4. The ending left me with a TON of answered and unanswered questions which I love.

What I didn't like/didn't work for me:
1. The middle of the book (sections where Frida is at the school) really dragged and felt repetitive. I really wish fifty-ish pages were cut from the school section and added to the ending because SO much happened at the end and the pacing felt rushed compared to the rest of the book.

Overall--a wonderful debut novel.

Heads up that this book is filled with trigger warnings: foster care trauma, miscarriage, infidelity, suicide, suicide idealization are some off the top of my head. If any of that is triggering for you, I'd steer clear of this one.

Whoever said this was The Handmaid's Tale meets Orange is the New Black was spot on.

I enjoyed this book in theory but the pacing was slow and tedious at times. It certainly made me think, it made me uncomfortable at times. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with "literary" novels, this book was a solidly good book, but not one I would necessarily re-read or recommend to friends.


Thanks to.Netgalley for the ARc

In this dystopian novel, a harried mother leaves her toddler alone for several hours an as result, accused of child abuse, is faced with either the permanent loss of her child or a year's detention in an institution for learning "good parenting skills" Her confinement and the "teaching methods" are chilling. It is a compelling read with non stop pacing and raises questions about the balance between governmental protection and overreach.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel for my honest opinion.

This book started off with a bang for me. Love me a dark book about motherhood! I did a little head scratch when Emmanuelle showed up. I didn't expect this kind of sci-fi element. The majority of the book was spent with Frida at the school for good mothers and honestly it kind of dragged on for me. As a mother it kind of stressed me out as well. My son fell off the playground in 2nd grade and broke his arm. I would definitely ended up in this institution!

The ending was good. Believable, I think that's the only way it could have gone. Overall I mostly enjoyed "The School for Good Mothers" with my only complaint being that it got a little repetitive with the lessons Frida was learning.

I really wanted to like this. I was intrigued by the concept. A time when joy should be ever present—it isn’t. The birth of a child. Amazing. Except when other things surround and overtake you. This happens to Frida Liu, whose husband refuses to give up his mistress. When motherhood and government inflexibility become dangerous opponents, Frida is a casualty. Frida comes to the government’s attention and things take a scary turn. As Frida is embattled on various fronts, her story becomes even more troubled and dystopian. Sounds fascinating! However for me the story didn’t reflect the potential it promised.

A Simon & Schuster ARC via NetGalley

I appreciate NetGalley allowing me to read & review this ARC. I was so psyched to read it.

The premise for this book was awesome. The beginning of the book was solid. I was immediately drawn into the story and wanted to have Frida learn her lesson, but also to have some glimmer of hope at some point.

I was torn between being mind blown at Frida’s poor judgement and feeling like she could be a good mother. Perfect beginning of a book, providing fodder for book club discussions. As a parent, we are stressed and sleep deprived sometimes....at our wits end. However, most do not put their child's welfare in such jeopardy. What should be the punishment? Will the child ever truly be safe with the irresponsible parent?

Frida’s punishment was pretty extreme and I didn’t think it was beneficial at all, especially when the whole time her prognosis was so grim. Like what’s the point!? Frida's ex-husband seemed to think she could be better, I just couldn't wrap my head around why things ended the way they did after 1 year of treatment. I wasn't even outraged, I just needed more substance and less repetitive.

I will say, this book had a excellent dystopian feel and posed lots of good questions regarding parenting, recidivism, forgiveness and healing, the role that all of these things have on a person and their growth potential.

I loved the 1st 25% or so of the book. Unfortunately, it ended up being repetitive and exhausting. It just fell flat for me.

I’m really disappointed because I really thought this was going to be an awesome book. I couldn’t wait to read it. It could’ve been a great cautionary tale but it wasn’t.

The characters were interesting but the overall story just didn’t do it for me.

This is not a quick read. It took me over a month and a half to push through this one.

Given the 2 star review I have opted not to share on retail sites, as I'm hoping to see this author hone in on her skill and deliver on the next book because she certainly had a creative mind. Just needed to truncate a bit and focus in on key points because she drove her point home early in the book and the repetitiveness wasn't necessary.