Very consciously literary. The story might have been improved with a dollop of humor, or maybe not, as it would ease the constant pressure on the protagonist. One could classify this as dystopian chick lit.

I was really drawn to the premise of this book and really enjoyed the concept and idea. I felt there was a lot of satire in this book that ties in well with the dystopian genre and speculative nature of this book. The idea of having a big brother type approach to the school played out differently across the classes in the group and really opened up a lot of unique thoughts and relations to our present world . I found this book to be thought provoking. The only struggle I really had was that it needed a good editor. By the end, I was just wanting it to reach the end. I felt that the subject matter had been depleted and that it just ended up feeling a bit repetitive and obvious. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I think this was definitely an interesting read.

One bad decision changes Frida’s life forever. She works from home with her daughter, Harriet. One day Frida decides to leave Harriet home alone just for a few minutes to grab a coffee & work documents. Minutes turn to hours, & neighbors report Harriet crying.

Harriet is taken by CPS and sent to live with her biological dad & his wife. CPS monitors Frida until she has the chance to join a reform program, The School for Good Mothers.

Friday is sent away with other women charged with child abuse & neglect. Frida has to prove that she is a good mother & she can be trusted with her daughter again. After a year, a judge makes a final custody ruling.

Did Frida do enough to change the government’s opinion of her? Will she get Harriet back?

What a stunningly prescient, and horrifyingly REAL novel. This should be required and immediate reading.

This book was hard to get into, mostly because the opening premise seemed difficult to buy. Would a mother really leave her child and forget? Unfortunately, I didn't get farther into the actual meat of the book.

I am so creeped out by this book. I could absolutely see this happening in this political climate. Sort of like The Handmaids Tale of motherhood.

This is the kind of book I can’t stop thinking about and will tel everyone about but I’m not sure if I can actually recommend it. Whew! Not for the faint hearted.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an egalley for review. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan was such a difficult read. It was compelling and well written, but the circumstances and consequences were so terrible that I had to keep putting it down, just to keep going back to find out what happened. Imagine if you were caught making a parenting mistake, and were judged by that one instance and sent to a school to learn to be better. But, it’s more like learning to be “mother” before all else including an individual thinking person. It’s a very interesting look at cultural differences towards motherhood as this is mentioned a few times with Frida’s background and some of the instructors.

First, thank you to NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The state decides what makes a good parent, and the littlest offense can get your children taken away from you. Maybe for a few months, maybe for a year, maybe for forever! Maybe you did do something wrong, or maybe someone is just angry with you and has turned you in. Either way, kiss motherhood good-bye.

Don't have feelings, they might be the wrong ones. But have feelings, because being numb is not acceptable. Don't be too happy, but don't have a bad day. Most importantly, NEVER feel secure in your ability to parent., because "I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good."

This book is a MUST read. It takes place in the not too distant future, and sadly, one can see this day coming. A select group of people decide how we must behave and how we must thing. If we can't live up to their expections, then we aren't meant to be parents. And, once you have been sent to the School, the chances of ever seeing your children dwindle as the weeks go by.

The characters, the mothers, we know them, we have seen them, we are them. They are real and their reactions believable. So many times I cried in this book, at the horrors they were going through, and the horrors that so many parents who get caught up in the system go through.

I hope and pray that this book stays a work of fiction.

From the way kids are dressed, to what we feed our children, to our preferred methods of discipline, most mothers these days are keenly aware that others are judging our parenting, and many of us judge ourselves in an equally critical manner. But what happens when we make a serious error in judgment? What allowances are made for a mother who is overwhelmed, alone, and likely suffering from postpartum or another type of clinical depression?

Jessamine Chan's The School for Good Mothers is like a classic -- think Handmaid's Tale or 1984 -- yet, rather than striking a dispassionate tone, it evokes an abundance of emotions and sparks legitimate frustration in how our society determines what's best for children and families, how women are "punished" for their infractions, and how, too often, mental health treatment isn't prioritized, made available, or even encouraged for those who need it.

Frida Liu is already alone and isolated as her ex-husband starts his new chapter with a another woman, when the "state" swoops in after a "very bad day" and sentences her to a year with other "bad" Pennsylvania mothers in a bleak boarding-school-meets-women's-prison institutional setting. The days and lessons are regimented. The bad mothers are shamed and graded on their improvement, or lack thereof. Not only are they constantly scrutinized, but the robotic children on whom they practice mothering skills record every word, touch, and emotion they pick up from their pseudo moms. Little brother and little sister are watching.

With its use of technology in an attempt to teach parenting in a measurable, controlled environment, the story carries a distinct, dystopian shadow. At the same time, though, there is an old-fashioned, pre-liberation expectation about the role of women and mothers in the lives of their children, and the standards are impossible to meet.

At the institution, attitudes are traditional and "alternative lifestyles" and fraternizing are frowned upon. Relationships are a test. Isolated, scared, and lonely people are brought together and expected not to develop attractions and longings. Attachments and feelings are only for a mother to have for her child.

The author's characters are varied as is our empathy, based on individual personalities and the severity of child abuse. Chan's Frida struggles to meet the personal and professional expectations of her Chinese immigrant parents. At the same time, she doesn't want her daughter to become disconnected from that very heritage. The other inmate mothers have race and class struggles of their own, and we wonder if and how many of them will succeed in the future.

We are left with a lingering question. Regardless of cultural norms, family expectations, and even gross misconduct, how can anyone truly and measurably judge a mother's own unique and particular love for her child?

Book received for free through NetGalley

This book took a little bit of time to get into and was uncomfortable, as a mother, at points. That said oh my goodness. I felt for the characters so much. I’m not a cryer and I was tearing up for the last ten percent. Such a good book although I wish a bit it could all be tied up with a happy bow.

I’d rate this book 5 stars. The writing was excellent. The characters were so real and relatable. The subject was terrifying. What these poor people were subjected to was so scary. It was so well written that is was believable. From the childlike dolls to the mental torture, it was hardly a pleasant book, but in the same token it was hard to put down.

It was one bad day. That's what Frida asserts after leaving her toddler home alone and ultimately getting caught. But this one bad day turns her life upside down. In this dystopian-esque future parents are being monitored more than ever and when Frida verges on losing her daughter she gets sent to an experimental boarding school where parents are going to be taught how to be "good".

My opinions on The School for Good Mothers are all over the place. It was an easy read and the plot itself was intriguing enough that I didn't want to put the book down. At the same time though I don't think that the concepts within this story were executed the way they could have been. Mothers are court ordered to be sent to a boarding school that seems more prison like than a school where they're supposed to learn how to become good mothers. These mothers have all been sent for different reasons ranging from seemingly minor to things like beating their kids. In a Handmaid's Tale-esque way they are being trained by women who have no kids but have somehow developed a rubric that can be used to score the successes and failures of parenting. From a surface level description it seems like it could be a stellar read, a unique novel that could take on the popularity of The Handmaid's Tale but unfortunately I think that Chan doesn't develop any of the critiques or nuanced opinions that are expressed throughout the book.

Over the course of the book Chan touches on a few times how parenting can have cultural differences but it never really went more in depth than Frida realizing how her own family differed from others. Since Frida was an Asian American character I think that this could have played a more pivotal role in the story but most of the nuanced takes were pared down and instead the book held a bigger focus on Frida and her relationships. Frida was a messy character and I liked that about her. I liked how honest this book could be in that sense but it never took it to the level that I hoped to see. We were thrust into this dystopian world that in every other aspect aside from these new schools seemed exactly like our world. Considering how prevalent technology is and how easy it would be to spread a story like what was happening to these parents it was difficult at time to suspend my disbelief because as far as I was concerned, this not so distant future wasn't much different than present day.

Another aspect of this that I felt fell flat was the way that the mothers and fathers were treated differently. I know that when it comes to the current court system there are a lot of ways that children are being failed and a lot of ways that parents are being failed. However, there was no discussion about why the parents were treated differently. No reasoning behind the decisions that were being made by higher ups. There were just too many aspects of this that ended up not making sense. I felt like Frida was so self absorbed and while she was focused on gaining back custody of her daughter there were too many parts that ended up underwhelming me because I didn't understand Frida's choices and motivations. When she started to get involved with one of the fathers I found myself losing all hope for the story to turn around and that's exactly when things did start going downhill.

In the grand scheme of things, The School for Good Mothers was an easy read and I think that for fans of The Handmaid's Tale there may be some interest in picking this up. Unfortunately for me I thought it lacked the nuanced discussions that it should have had and the story forced me to suspend my disbelief too much to even accept the dystopian nature of the plot. I'd be interested to see what else Chan writes in the future though as I haven't entirely written off her storytelling.

This phenomenal novel seized me by the throat and held me captive in sustained sympathy and horror. Its portrayal of a believable near-future in which women's mothering mistakes land them in a newly created jail for "bad mothers" is chilling and seemed all too realistic, even with the animatronic children they are given to "practice" on under noisy, impossible conditions. The satire is biting as the women are forced to repeat that they are bad mothers "learning to be good" over and over, to women counselors who have no children and no idea what mothering looks or feels like (while the worst mother, someone who kept her children in a hole, keeps getting top scores on the parenting evaluations they give the mothers).

The plight of the introverted, Chinese-American protagonist in this jail-like school are hauntingly believable. Her white husband left her for a sexy vegan blonde while she was still postpartum; she suddenly found herself having to share custody in a tiny apartment while parenting alone half the time and to maintain a job. One very bad day she makes a terrible decision to put her toddler daughter in an exersaucer and leave her home alone while she goes to the office. By the time she gets home, neighbors have called the police over the child's protracted screaming and the police are there. Once she's arrested for neglect, her life snowballs out of control. An intense surveillance state, again an exaggeration of our own but one that is within the realm of possibility, installs cameras in her apartment and watches her every move, judging her for cleaning too much and not enough, for not having friends, for not getting her daughter to interact well with her over video
calls, etc. Even with her guilty ex-husband testifying on her behalf, the system is stacked against her, and likely because these new "schools" are being created, the entire system is eager to convict her and sentence her to school.

The book is an indictment of all we expect of mothers, of how harshly we judge their every misstep, and of how close we are to a world in which our parental rights can be severed on a whim. I highly recommend this novel.

The book is an indictment of all we expect of mothers, of how harshly we judge their every misstep, and of how close we are to a world in which our parental rights can be severed on a whim. I highly recommend this novel.

Wow! When a mother makes an incredibly bad decision regarding her baby she is sent to a new program for mother’s that were deemed unfit to keep their children. This new program is supposed to reprogram mothers and teach them the correct way to raise their own kids. This is a look into what could possibly happen in the future. This is a different and interesting read.

I'm so sorry I finished this book. I almost gave up at about 25%, then again at 50%, then decided that there must be something I was missing so I plodded along. (Shakes head!!)

Some critics have compared it to Handmaid's Tale, and the premise is (unfortunately) more plausible in the short run and has the same chilling effect as Atwood's novel. The similarity stops there. Frida had a very bad day and did the unthinkable. She left her 16 month old daughter along while Frida left the house for a couple of hours. Neighbors reported the cries, Hannah was taken away, and Frida was sent to a recently developed retraining facility designed to turn "bad mothers" into "good mothers". Frida's classes include how to speak motherese, how to instill empathy, how to defend against pedophiles, how to protect a child from danger, and much more. The mothers are given android children on which to practice their skills. Fascinating, right?

However, the narrative is too focused on the minutia of classes and daily life and too focused on Frida's infinite amount of whining. Yes, she's lost her child. Yes, her husband has found happiness with another woman. Yes, the school is cruel in its "coursework" and punishments. Yes, Frida is struggling to understand some cultural differences between the way she was raised and what's considered "good mothering" by the teachers at the school. All this is actually compelling and should have sucked me right into the story, but Frida just keeps whining about it over and over. Even more distressing is the total lack of hope in this story.

This is a book that started out strong with an amazing premise that was believable and heartbreaking. I don't really know what went sideways, but I cannot recommend this to anyone. This might be the lowest rating I've ever given. I just feel sad about that.

SPOILERS ---- Some mothers commit suicide, and many more are contemplating it (including Frida). The AI children are just plain creepy and it takes WAY too long for Frida to become attached and for the child to respond. There seems to be a randomness to the "curriculum" -- one minute the leaders are punishing the mothers, the next they are planning parties. ??? BIG SPOILER -- after all this, after seemingly endless lessons, punishments, regrets & atonement from Frida, several moments of enlightenment, Frida still loses custody. Then she runs away with Hannah in the last 2 pages. WHAT??!! By that point, I didn't care and any emotional attachment had been lost many pages prior.

This book seriously broke my heart. I can see a future where this is a reality. One mistake can already damn a mother to a lifetime of hell, I’m sure it will just get more and more militant. I’m a good mom but we’re just human. We have moments of doubt, anxiety, anger, fear, love, despair, and any emotion possible! I’ve already been investigated by CPS twice, for pissing off someone who called and complained. Each time I felt overly scrutinized and like my every judgement was under a microscope. This isn’t too much further down the road! Even the best mother is still a woman, a worker, a daughter, sibling, aunt, friend. We juggle so much already and society keeps demanding more from us. Wonderful story about an all too human mother and her trials in a dystopian future world!

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a speculative fiction novel about Frida Xiu, a frustrated, overworked mother who leaves her baby Harriet home alone for two hours. After neighbors call the police, Frida is held to account for her "very bad day." As a consequence of being a "bad mother," Frida must attend a school to rehabilitate and re-educate women on how to be good mothers.

The school setting in the novel gave me some Orange is the New Black vibes. I wasn't expecting contention between the mothers and thought it felt a little forced at first. As the novel progressed, the instructors at the school were fostering competition, so the infighting made sense. The writing is often sparse and blunt which is appropriate for this story. The plot is unique and interesting, and Chan did a fantastic job creating a mood. Page after page left me feeling infuriated at the injustice these mothers faced. Frida’s low self-esteem became my low-esteem, and I felt her dirtiness and grunginess. I think Chan does best in the story by bringing up multiple points about motherhood that our society does not talk enough about. She really taps into the sense that motherhood is a cult and that mothers are expected to sacrifice their identities for their children in the way that fathers are not. I appreciate the way that she incorporates details about the father’s school, and how it is significantly easier for the fathers to regain custody of their children, even if their offenses were egregious. The instructors speak of parenting as if there is a one size fits all approach, as if there is one right way to soothe a child after being teased or falling off a bike.

I was struck by Gust’s (Frida’s ex) relationship with Susanna (his side piece turned partner) and how Susanna’s restrictive diet for baby Harriet is not considered abusive. Harriet was wasting away in front of Frida’s eyes when Frida was actually allowed to Skype with her daughter, yet Susanna and Gust face no consequences. I am also struck by the irony of taking mothers away from their children; wouldn’t that be more harmful than some of the transgressions? It is such a flawed system, yet it doesn’t seem so far off given the news article that inspired the novel.

I had a few questions as I was reading that I hoped would be addressed: does society simply accept this system? Are judges receiving kickbacks for sending women to these institutions? What was the catalyst that made these schools a necessity? Although these questions aren’t directly addressed, I found that I didn’t care by the end. The School for Good Mothers had other redeeming qualities that those questions were no longer important to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys speculative fiction or novels that muse on women’s rights and issues.

"I am a bad mother, but I'm trying to be good."
Mezzanine Chan's novel had me from page one, one my favorite genres is dystopian, and this book does not fail. The state, aka big brother monitors parents and enforces a punishment for the smallest infraction. The protagonist, a working mother, left her toddler alone for two hours, and the State claims that Frida's negligence was because she prioritized work over caring for her daughter, Harriet. "Believe me, I couldn't be more ashamed. I know I put my daughter in danger. Frida is sent to a compound in all appearance looks like a University and it is here that she undergoes training to be a " good mother".
Although this novel is dystopian, Jessamine does not fall into a formulaic form, and I've been engrossed into the story, and I said to myself, I can read one more chapter and then I will go to bed. Well, one chapter turns into another and another. My only complaint was that I was a bit lost in the beginning of the novel, so after reading a couple of chapters, I went back to the beginning and than everything made sense. Normally, I would not take the time to revisit the opening chapters, but I'm glad I did. However, I believe some readers may DNF the novel due to the slow opening.

I was hoping that this book would be similar to Vox or Handmaid's Tale, but ultimately I think I came in with too high of expectations. I just could not understand the main characters' perspective, perhaps since I am not a mother myself? Who knows. Regardless, I really struggled to connect with the main characters and the plot, being honest. I found the dialogue to be stilted and the characters just did not seem steeped in reality. Perhaps I am just not a good reviewer of this book since I do not have kids? Unclear.

As a mother, this was a tough read. Tough as in it was difficult and it creeped me out, which was maybe the intent. Frida has a bad day and CPS takes her kiddo. She is launched in to a retraining program for "bad mothers learning to be good." There are creepy dolls, a creepy guy, lots of racism, lots of sexism, and some generally awful things happen to both kids and mothers. The premise is compelling, but the reading experience left me feeling gross.