This book is so different from other books I've read. A bit dystopian, a bit satire on parenthood...wow, I was hooked from the beginning. The world the author creates felt real and terrifying! Frida makes a mistake, a big mistake--she leaves her 18 month old alone for two hours. Because of this big mistake, she is sent to a school for parents who have made mistakes too. There they are forced to interact with lifelike dolls and are scrutinized closely. If all goes well, they may get to be reunited with their child. If not, they lose their parenting rights. What happens when people are pushed to the brink? I was at the edge of my seat, hoping and wishing it would work out for Frida. Recommend this one!

It took a while to get going on the "over-bearing state" part of the story but this book had me hooked from the very beginning. Every single emotion was palpable and intense. The social worker made me furious. The way motherhood is judged made me feel so uncomfortable. Everything about this book is so raw and unflinching. The setting and characters were so vivid, the story played out like a movie in my mind. I loved that the supporting characters were there to build the story but I didn't get lost in their numbers and remembering who they were.

Great, really effed up dystopian of a not-far-off world. I felt completely engrossed in this debut and had no idea where the story was going to take me. Would definitely recommend to fans of light sci-fi and literary fiction.

Frida, the single mom of 18-month-old Harriet has just had a very bad day - and that bad day will ripple out to change the lives of everyone around her. A gut-punch of a book for anyone, but especially for new moms, this was a terrifying glimpse into how our ideals of motherhood can cause harm not just to mothers, but to children, their families, their communities. Best read in small doses to make ample time for angry crying.

This is a book that all mothers can both relate to, and be horrified by. Imagine that your one mothering mistake changed the course of your entire life - that's the basis of this story. Frida made a bad decision one day and was sent to The School for Good Mothers to learn to be better. While there we're introduced to this nearly dystopian look at what a "good mother" should be - someone who never takes their eyes off their children, who should be able to calm them in seconds flat, who doesn't need anyone in their life but their children, etc. This novel felt like all of righteous society coming together saying THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LIKE. And it's also every mother's personal critic hanging in her ear. I really enjoyed the book, specifically the premise of it. I will admit that about 3/4 of the way through I got a little bored and was just ready for Frida's time at the school to be over to find out her fate, but nonetheless it was definitely worth the read.

This book will be featured on the January 5, 2022 episode (#20) of Reading Through Life podcast.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to review The School for Good Mothers. Unfortunately, I do not believe this book was my cup of tea. That’s not to say that this book wasn’t beautifully written and wonderfully composed, as it was. It just felt like a consistently dull, let heart wrenching pain for the entire duration of the novel.

The commentary on the unfair expectations set for mothers by society, that all mothers will inevitably make mistakes, that things don’t always go to plan… it resonates throughout the pages.

I don’t think that I was in the best place to read this novel when I did, so this review may be a bit biased, but I was not prepared to just find myself in an abyss of sadness for the entire duration of the novel. It was a steady stream of misery, and I was not the greatest fan. However, I have no doubt that I would be interested in reading other works by this author; they are incredibly talented.

⭐️ 3.5

This debut novel is simply chilling as a parent. A dystopian society where one lapse in judgment with your child can land you in The School for Good Mothers for one-year. At the school, mothers are taught by women clad in pink lab coats. These instructors school the mothers on when is too much coddling, kissing, hugging, what tone of voice is appropriate and basic manners to demonstrate around your own children. The accused women are trained on life-like robotic children who record everything for the judge and juror to decide if you will get your children back at the completion of the program. The stakes are high for these mothers as ALL they want are to be good moms and their kids back.

This novel was uncomfortable to read as it draws attention to the disparity between men and women and the challenges with parenting across race, religion and class. Highly recommend if you enjoy The Handmaids Tale type story. WOW what a novel!

"I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good."

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the advance reader copy.

This book gave me Handmaid's Tale vibes with motherhood being on trial. It reaches to the core of modern-day pressures on mothers and holds up the lens in a dystopian hellscape. I imagine this one is going to resonate with those who are and those who love mothers.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of The School for Good Mothers. 4 stars for this emotional, terrifying, dystopian Handmaid’s Tale meets Orange is the New Black novel. Chan’s writing is taut and doesn’t back. We meet Frida, a mother to an 18 month old daughter who *just needs a break*. I too am a mom to a 2 year old, and I get it. Only, she made a critical mistake and CPS was called (no children are harmed in the book). The family judge decides that she will be entered into a new school that will teach mothers how to be better mothers. Chan does an excellent job of spotlighting the gray in-between of morality. Who should be considered a good or bad mother? What thoughts make you a bad mother? Are mothers held to a different standard than fathers? Frida creates unlikely friendships while navigating a surveillance system (think dolls and brain scans). I found that the “lessons” being taught were ones that society pushes on mothers and ends up being the voices in our heads. Every decision I make for my daughter, from TV watching to eating fruit snacks, I weigh and think about what is right or wrong. I think this novel will be an excellent book club choice, especially for all parents/guardians. So much to discuss!

This was the BEST book I’ve read all year. Absolutely obsessed with this story lining and I’m so happy it didn’t tie up the expected way. Love love love!!!

I’ve been dying to read this book for a couple months now, applying for arcs everywhere online. However, now that I’ve been approved, it’s just not living up to what I hoped it would be. I’m a little over 1/2 way and struggling to finish. I’m not sure if it’s the writing style or the story. Both are lacking. It’s really just not keeping me engaged. When/if I should finish I will update my review but for now I’m moving on.

I knew this was going to be a special and interesting read when I first read the synopsis and learned about the inspiration for The School for Good Mothers. Jessamine Chan did not disappoint and delivered a great story. I have to admit that the beginning of the book quickly hooked me but then the first couple of chapters detailing the events prior to our main characters nightmare did slow down the pace for me. I lagged a bit in getting through it but had a good feeling about where this book was going to go. And that was absolutely correct. The dystopian and secretive nature of the school was captivating, infuriating, and thought provoking. As a reader, you are instantly shaking your head at the emotional and mental brutality of this supposed reform school. The administration's (instructors included) matter-of-fact and condescending lessons and beliefs about what a woman and mother should be like immediately sent a boiling rage in my stomach. The language the mothers must use to refer to themselves was also so key to the tale, especially once you get to meet the fathers and learn about how they are treated. The author did a fantastic job of painting the environment for us and guiding us through the turmoil, despair, and desperation that hacks at Frida. Each chapter carries so much weight and as you continue to journey alongside Friday and some of her peers, you really do start praying that maybe things will be okay in the end for them. Every time marker feels heavy. Even as someone who is not a mother, imagining missing so much of your child's life feels like torture.

What I loved about The School for Good Mothers goes beyond the setting, the writing about the main story thread of getting back Harriet, and the way Friday, the instructors, the other mothers are leveraged. While all that is largely the center, the author shines a spotlight on important and often difficult topics like how race, culture, class, income, and gender roles play into perceptions and expectations of parents. There is no shying away. There is no beating around the bush. Mothers with darker skin are treated differently and looked at more harshly than mothers will lighter skin. Those experiencing hardship and poverty in their lives don't get that factored into what they are able to do and provide for in their children's lives. Women are much more vilified when mistakes happen. This isn't make believe. This is how reality often plays out and what the book spotlights clearly. Mental health and stigma also play a role in the stories of our main character and the other mothers. It is not romanticized or dramatized. It creeps in and hits hard. The School for Good Mothers feels more than anything like a critique or long form reflection on the world we live in, inequities of life as we know it, and the societal expectations and pressures that are forced on people. That made it especially compelling to read and continue reading.

Overall, I think there is a lot of weight to this book and a lot to think/write about still after finishing The School for Good Mothers. The dystopian, science fiction-esque nature is well used to make the story shine and emphasize main points. Thoroughly enjoyed reading and would highly recommend it to others.

If you are old enough, you may remember the movies (one was a remake) of The Stepford Wives---well, it just occurred to me that this book is the same plot, but instead of the women becoming the Perfect Wife, they are becoming the Perfect Mother's.

I'm not finished with this book, and my opinion may change, but I doubt it. This book has just made me more disgusted (and more bored) by the page. So I may end up adding to this review or not. EDITED TO ADD: I did manage to finish this book, and my conclusions have not changed one bit. Can't win 'em all I guess!



If you are looking for a dystopian novel, this is not it.

" (dys·to·pi·an
/disˈtōpēən/adjective
relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice.)."

If you are looking for a HORROR novel, this is the one for you.

If you are looking for a book that resonates with the somewhat reverse bigotry -then this is the novel for you.

Are you woke? Then you will love this book.

A book cannot be dystopian if these things take place in "real" life already. What do you think it's like for women in jail for child abuse? This place is a jail that also teaches. Prisons (long term) do that too. And that may be where you find the horror creeping in. There is only one thing that would make this dystopian (the children), and even that is a stretch in this day and age.

By today's standard these women and, I presume, men have broken laws, laws meant to protect children. Although nowadays, I believe we go a little too far with what can be claimed as abuse.

The characters are nothing to be sympathetic for. The women are flat and lifeless. But, on the other hand, the co-parents of Harriet are about as PC, correct as you can get without losing your 'self.'

Which are better at raising a child?

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

3.5 stars. This was a tough one for me. While the book did suck me in with its Orange is the New Black meets Black Mirror vibes, it opens with the MC leaving her <2 year old child at home alone for 2+ hours. While I want to root for her during her time at a terrifying dystopian school for bad mothers, it’s hard to sympathize with such an unlikeable character who did something objectively wrong and I find myself instead on the side of her seemingly wonderful ex-husband and new girlfriend. I also look for a little more dystopia in a dystopian fiction. The book’s world is so true to reality that the main premise of the novel (the school for mothers) seems too far-fetched.

All in all, I did enjoy reading The School for Good Mothers. It was unsettling and dark, while never addressing that darkness head-on or resolving it. I felt like some parts of the book really dragged along despite finding myself coming back to it to find out what happens next.

This is one of those books where if you like it, it'll be your favorite book of the year. But for me, it unfortunately fell a little flat.

The School for Good Mothers will be published January 4, 2022.
Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I was wholly unprepared for how devastating this book would be--if I were a parent, I imagine it would feel much worse to read about Frida's child being taken away from her and the lengths to which she must go to get her back. From artificial (but oddly sentient) surrogate children who pee blue liquid to chanting about their faults as parents and having their ties to the outside world severed, this feels very much like The Handmaid's Tale meets Orange Is the New Black. Chan's excellent debut also skewers stereotypes and problematic assumptions of parenting, including the different standards for mothers and fathers and parents of different races.

If you can stomach it, read this in the new year.

I made it to the 25% mark before I completely gave up. The book was too slow and I could not bond or find any likable quality with Frida.

A cautionary and frightening tale. Frida's "bad day" - when she left her daughter Harriett alone for two hours- leads to a spiraling nightmare when she is sent to a state run re-education facility for parents who have been found to endanger, neglect, or harm their children. Frida's ex Gust and his new wife Susannah have Harriet, which is preferable to foster care but Frida doesn't agree with Susannah, in particular, and her various beliefs, which only compounds her problems. The school purports to teach parents skills using very creepy dolls which respond, or not, to their putative parents. The women who run the facility withhold precious video calls home for things judged inappropriate or poor parenting and at one point, Frida has not seen or spoken to Harriett for five months- and then she's blamed for Harriett's reactions. Frida, who is American born Chinese, must also look to her own childhood and cope with assumptions about her (the fact that she is not a fluent Chinese speaker is seen as a minus) and harassment of her doll for its "heritage. " There are some heartbreaking scenes here involving not only Frida but also others in the program. It's a tough read in spots with an outcome the reader might see coming but which still....Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A great debut and a worthy read.

As a mom to a toddler, this book didn’t just strike at my chords, it broke all my strings. I was overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness, despair, and desperation at times but I could not help but keep flipping the page to follow along Frida’s story. I really enjoyed this journey that Chan takes us on and I think her storytelling is absolutely phenomenal. The contrast between the fathers and the mothers was highlighted perfectly and I do sense some heavy social commentary from that. As well as the painstaking contrasts between Gust/Susanna and Frida. Looking forward to this book’s launch and reading what others have to say about the book.

There’s a reason this book is on a lot of lists of most anticipated reads for 2022. It’s a forceful debut, that questions a lot of modern parenting and the state systems in place that are supposed to protect abused children.

While the circumstances of Frida’s losing custody of her daughter are a bit far fetched, the reform school she is sent to seems like something that could happen in an dystopian near-future. It’s heartbreaking, hard to read, and also so important.

Definitely a book to avoid for some parents; I struggled with it and I’m not one. But it’s certainly compelling and well-written

This book is disturbing. It doesn’t have blood and guts as a horror flick but it is horrific. The book centers around Frida, a Chinese American mother who left her toddler daughter alone for hours and is sent to a school to learn mothering,

The “education” she receives at the school is mental and physical torture. As I read the book, I kept wondering how the author came up with this. My biggest disappointment with the book is the ending. Readers will have to decide for themselves by the end what is right and wrong. For me right and wrong became relative terms.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing a review copy of this book via Netgalley.