The title of Chan's novel sounds innocuous, not troubling at all. Still, it includes heavy and chilling threads of racism and sexism that currently run rampant in American life. In this novel, Frida Lui pays for having "a very bad day" with the revocation of her "motherhood, and she pays solely and unreasonably.
Chan is a skilled writer, drawing the reader into a " cruel dystopian world; in fact, the themes of the novel echo the work of Margaret Atwood. Chan is so engaging, though, that this novel is almost possible to put aside until it is finished. Thrilling and compelling!

I am a mother of three young children and this book is the stuff anxiety attacks are made of. Dystopian fiction with the grinding almost too real possibility of horror makes this novel so uncomfortable to read. I read through this book in two sittings making me feel absolutely ill nearly the entire time. This is sure to be a big hit with people who liked "The Push" and "Handmaids Tale". Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

** spoiler alert ** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchanged for my honest review. I really, really liked this book. It also made me super, mega ill over the possibility of 1% of what happens in this book happening in real life. The book is set in a future where parents (mothers especially) are surveilled and held to a standard which no human could possibly ever reach. As a parent of many children, the thought of having my children taken away for a minor parenting infraction was enough to make me sick. It begs you to think about the standards for what actually makes a good parent. I enjoyed some of the sci-fi/futuristic elements and sincerely hope we never see them come to pass in our lifetime. Overall I really enjoyed this book and raced through it. It was a great read; made you think; made you feel for the characters (which were well-developed); and I enjoyed the ending (even if it is not the most fulfilling version of what you hoped would happen).

Wow. I experienced the full range of emotions while reading this heartbreaking story. This book left me literally breathless at times and I know I will think about it often

I have some mixed feelings about this book. What the main character did was bad and she deserved to be punished. The school, as a punishment is not a bad idea. However, I did not like the way the women were treated at the school. The poor dolls. The idea of a person being put on a registry was truly horrifying.

I also did not like that the men's school was not as harsh as the women's school.

As far as for the writing of the book I sometimes got confused as to how much time had passed. It sometimes felt that at least 4 months had passed and then I found it had only been a month or 2. I had a hard time following how far she was progressing in her sentence.

I was sad at the ending.

This book was heartbreaking and astonishing, and manages to be a successful page-turner, an exploration of motherhood, and an examination of the child welfare system all in one,

What a page turner! From the start to the finish, I looked forward to reading this book any chance I got. This book is a perfect representation of how far the system will go if we the people allow it to happen.

Reading this book as a mother of a young child was an emotional rollercoaster! I did not realize until about 1/3 of the way through the book that it was dystopian fiction or at least based in an alternate reality of sorts, and once that became clear, I started enjoying the book more.

Frida is the mother of Harriet, and Frida has a very bad day of mothering that sets in motion a series of events and state interventions. Harriet is removed from her care temporarily so that Frida can attend a new program for parents who have failed as parents in some way; the program is the School for Good Mothers, and over half of the book is Frida's year at this school.

This book tackles so many issues related to modern day motherhood, and as a mother myself it was difficult to read. I struggled to connect with the main character or have empathy for her; the action she takes that results in her child being removed from her home, while not violent, is so irresponsible and poorly justified.

However, as the book went along, I softened my stance on Frida, especially as the details of the school and the mothers' experiences there are told. Can mothering be taught? Is there a standard for good motherhood? Can and should the govt be in charge of parenting? The focus on selflessness mothering was very good. This book could lead to great book club discussions and debates The fact that Frida is Chinese American gives the book more depth and allows for more points of view.

When the book ended, I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened next and I had come to care about the characters, which is always a mark of a good story.

Scary story. No parent is perfect, we do as best we can. But parenting if far behind me these day! I do see what's going on around me and feel very badly for the parents these days. Everyone is so judgmental! It has to be hard. I actually can envision a day when something like this story will happen. A number of us older adults fear the day is coming. Mass surveillance is getting nearer, just as social isolation and loneliness is becoming the norm due to covid. Coupled with wanting parents to be perfect, it looks like a perfect storm is brewing that looks a lot like this story.

This was such a depressing book to read. The mother has her child get taken away , then spends mind-numbing months at a school for bad mothers. She starts to embrace all the cruel bs the school teaches, but ultimately is denied her child’s return. She then attempts to kidnap the girl. Or does she? The ending is very confusing. It wasn’t clear if she goes through withe kidnapping. Maybe ambiguity was the point, but the ending was not satisfying for this reader.

The School for Good Mothers was certainly a strange book to be reading on Mother's Day! The author has delivered a biting satire of mommy culture and created a dystopian world that is sure to give any mom chills. We have all had a bad day, and even though it's easy to judge Frida for for her irresponsible actions, it's also easy to feel her pain. The premise is compelling and horrific and shines a blistering light on societal inequities and the expectations we place on parents. This book was disturbing, well written and thought provoking. My only qualm lies in the pacing. The plot seemed to run thin through the middle of the book after the author's world and premise were firmly set. I then began to feel that I was being beat over the head with the books premise. . I wanted to say enough already, I get it! Perhaps I wouldn't have felt this way if I had felt more strongly about Frida. I empathized, I fretted for her well being, and became angry on her behalf. Ultimately though, I just didn't like her all that well so it was hard to hang with her through the long haul. Still, I did enjoy this book and applaud the author's creativity, keen perspective, and spot on commentary.

This is a really solid read. Really solid. I feel like I connected really well with this story since I have a toddler and struggled with PPD/PPA early on. While I never left my son at home like Frida did Harriet, I could connect with her reasons why. Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, needing space to breathe.

The school is where things took a weird turn. A creepy turn. Incredibly inventive and stomach churning. Frida was very easy to empathize with. My heart breaks for her.

Perfect ending. Absolutely stunning.

Read the majority of this #ownvoices book over the course of two nights because I *had* to know how it ended. It's anther haunting postpartum novel to add to the list - but one that's set in an eerily familiar dystopia, is intersectional and clever, and leaves room for conversation. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Frida has "a very bad day" where she left her infant child home alone in order to get a break. The problem is, the neighbors heard her cry and reported it to child services. In an age where child services have been seen as too lenient, Frida is in for reprogramming when it is decided she is a danger to her child. She is sent away to a camp where she will learn to be a better mother strictly devoted to her daughter's care.

The premise of this book caught my eye and I had high hopes for it. In the beginning, the storyline held great promise, but the further I read, the more unbelievable the story became. While I understand the concept of Big Brother, this went overboard. Constant surveillance, brain scans to determine maternal instinct, robot children to practice "motherese" on. It was all a lot to swallow.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. The School for Good Mothers is a story about a woman (Frida) who makes a mistake with her young child. As a result of this mistake, child protective services step in and remove the child from her home. In order for Frida to get her daughter back she is required to attend The School for Good Mothers for one year. What follows is a year of hell for not only Frida, but all of the other mothers at the school as well.
This book has a bit of a dystopian feel to it, which is right up my alley. I loved this book. The only thing I would wish to be different/added is an epilogue following up on Frida and some of the other mothers, especially Lucretia. All in all, a great book!

I was really excited to read this book and had super high hopes. The book started off super interesting and then it just got too dark and creepy for me. The surveillance cameras to watch Frida in her home and then the school was just too over the top extreme for me. It was hard to read. I was satisfied with the ending however I had to push myself to finish the book to get there. This one was just not for me.

Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

The School for Good Mothers by Mezzanine Chan is a disturbing dystopian novel; sure to join The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World. I could not put it down, the story is riveting.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this searing novel by amazing author Jessamine Chan. Due to lack of sleep and exhaustion a very unfortunate thing happens to Frida at the beginning of this frightening novel. The consequences she faces because of one poor choice are devastating. I found this novel very hard to read because I was heartbroken for Frida. The writing is beautiful.

Title: The School for Good Mothers
Author: Jessamine Chan
Published: Coming January 2022!
Format: E-book from Net Galley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted a copy of this debut novel from Jessamine Chan in exchange for an honest review.

Can a mother who has done one bad thing ever learn to be good again? And who can define what good even is? How much control should the government have over one's parenting?
This debut novel from Jessamine Chan follows Frida as one seemingly small mistake gets her sent to the new state-run reformative School for Good Mothers in which they must spend a year learning to be good. Frida must fight with all she has for the possibility of keeping custody of her only child.
It was creepy, captivating, and kept me turning pages. It made me really think about all those people whose kids get taken away and whether or not the reasons are always justified.

Keep an eye out for this novel! You will want to snag yourself a copy!

#reviews #bookreviews #bookstagramfeature #friyay #fridayreads #fridayfeels #love #debutauthor #theschoolforgoodmothers #jessaminechan #bookstagrammer #bookreviewers #netgalley

This was an incredibly uncomfortable book to read, and I suspect that anyone who has recently mothered a child will find it triggering as well. Frida Liu has a "very bad day" that upends her life and ability to parent her toddler, Harriet. She is sent to a reform school, or a Mommy Bootcamp of the non-fitness variety, in order to learn how to be a good mother. This experimental "treatment" for unfit parents is brand new and amounts to a shit ton of surveillance, creepy technology, and some serious indoctrination.

Jessamine Chan addresses racism, classism, and sexism in parenting expectations and how we view "good" mothers, but without it feeling contrived. It is modeled around white, upper middle class motherhood, and Chan doesn't sugarcoat this. Some of the mothers are in the school for precisely the kinds of cases we hear about in the news, like leaving a child in order to attend a job interview or letting them walk home a few blocks by themselves. I think that is what makes this book so terrifying. It is realistic enough for us to know the dangers, and yet outlandish enough to have us questioning, "This couldn't really happen, right? Right...?" On an emotional level, it also plays on the very insecurities our society places upon mothers, and the very real guilt that we all feel no matter what we do. For instance, the mothers are taught that they should never feel lonely (and that loneliness is selfish) because what other company could they possibly desire than that of their child's? I wish I could say it's easy to block those voices out, but Chan adroitly drives home these damaging messages and their impacts on the mothers. As painful as it was to read, this was a phenomenal book and one that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.