The Good Son is a perfect thought provoking book club book! Although there were parts that dragged, overall I enjoyed the story.

This book centered on a crime in a small town. It was compelling and thought-provoking. It was a stark reminder of things not always being as they seem. This was my first Jacquelyn Mitchard book and it won’t be my last.

Release, Renewal, Redemption
Stefan [17yr old] is released from prison for killing Belinda. He does not remember the event. Now he must return to 'normal' living. He feels he doesn't deserve to be free. He does begin a 'The Healing Project' which is a platform for people to do something for their victims or theri families.
Stefan's mother, Thea, has questions about the incident. When she and Stefan left the prison, they were run off the road by a hooded man. Who is this? There are many other incidents over the next months. Thea realizes she hadn't ever read the police documents so she receives these and learns more about the event.
Well written, tense, dramatic--read!

Thea is picking her son up from prison, that's how this story unfolds. This book was part mystery and part family saga. Did Stefan murder his girlfriend Belinda? How is a family of an accused murdered treated? What if you still live in the same town with the mother of the murdered girl? It was interesting, to see that side, to understand both sides of a tragic death. Can you redeem yourself after being in prison for murder? Not just with your family but within a community? It was a though provoking read. I enjoyed it but I felt it was a little long and drawn out, with that said, the ending was worth the read.

Thea Demetriou greeted her son, Stefan, at the prison gate when he was released from prison after killing his long-time girlfriend in a drug-induced rage. Hoping for a better future, her wishes are destroyed when a person dressed in black, face in the shadows of a hoodie, tries to run them off the Wisconsin road during a blizzard on their return home. Their lives are complicated by the girlfriend’s mother a long-time friend, who has started a campaign to bring domestic violence to the forefront. Protester gather outside their home and its impossible to have a private life. Theo is forced to take a sabbatical from her job as a university professor. The figure in the hoodie continues to haunt the family in both person and on the phone as Stefan struggles to return to a normal life and tries to determine a way he had atone for what he did by helping others. Michaud has proven she is capable of bringing domestic fiction to life. She’s created a taunt, love-filled story as she brings forth a family who know the guilt of a crime but want to move forward.

THE GOOD SON begins on the day Thea Demetriou picks up her son Stefan who is being released from prison after serving his sentence for killing his girlfriend Belinda.
Stefan has no memory of that fateful night since he was under the influence of a mixed cocktail of drugs. Following Belinda’s tragic death, her mother Jill forms a group to help stop violence against young women. A fervent group of supports demonstrate in front of the family home on a regular basis. Now with Stefan due to return to the family home the picketers arrive in full force along with the media. All along Thea has been getting calls from a young woman asking about Stefan. This young woman tells Thea she doesn’t know what really happened that night. While Thea’s husband Jep has told Thea to stop answering the various crank callers there is something about this young woman that gives Thea pause.
THE GOOD SON is a good thriller. The suspense built nicely throughout the story. There was a fair amount of hype for this novel which can be a disadvantage. My expectations were quite high and I was excited to read the book. While I thought it was a good solid storytelling I didn’t think it was exceptional.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced digital edition of this book.

I hadn't read anything by Mitchard previously and was pleasantly surprised to find yet another author to add to my list to check out. This is a masterful book The opening line is one of the best ever. As a mother of boys, I totally related to the mother of this particular son and felt her pain and confusion acutely. The plot is light: there is definitely more of an introspection aspect to this particular book but the issues raised are so thought-provoking. I am still thinking about this book long after I finished it. Excellent read, if a bit repetitive. I can imagine I would have enjoyed it more as an audio. The ending was EXCELLENT! I didn't see it coming and that's quite unusual for me. Loved the very real characters. Thanks for the review copy.

If I judged a book based solely on it’s opening line, this would be one of the best books I have ever read.

“I was picking my son up at the prison gates when I spotted the mother of the girl he had murdered.”

Oof – that’s a doozy of an opening line, am I right?
I wish I could say the story lived up to its promised potential from that powerful beginning and premise. I had a certain expectation of what the story would be about – I assumed it would be about how parents continue to love their children no matter what, how they question what they did or wrong or the warming signs they missed, how they support their child’s re-entry into society after being released from prison, etc. While the story does explore those themes it also becomes a bit of a tedious mystery which distracted me from those big and complex themes. I wanted more of the human/family drama then the mystery with a few a jump scares. I had to read this book quickly because I needed to figure out the mystery – although I guessed at it pretty early on.

Jacquelyn Mitchard is a great writer. Even though I read her book The Deep End of the Ocean twenty years ago I still remember it vividly. I will definitely read more books by her but this one slightly missed the mark for me.

Thanks to @harpercollinsca and @netgalley for the e-ARC.

The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard explores the relationship of a mother and son following a traumatic crime and the resulting consequences. Ideas about forgiveness, restitution, and love are all treated with the weight they deserve before the plot of the book begins to take a change.

Can we ever really atone for the worst mistakes of our life??

That is the question explored in this heartbreaking story about regrets, guilt and forgiveness as a family tries to recover and heal in the aftermath of a tragedy. Stefan was sent to prison for the drug-induced murder of his girlfriend of which he has no memory.

When he gets released there are lots of people up in arms. While his family is trying to be supportive, it is his mother, Thea that struggles potentially most of all and is getting harassed by mysterious phone calls from someone claiming to know more about what really happened that night.

Told from Thea’s perspective, I thought the premise was really good for this story. I empathized for Stefan and his mother deeply, but I felt it dragged waayyy too long! I appreciated the struggles and pain the family was going through but I wish it would have been faster paced. Getting to the end of the mystery was a slow torture.

Recommended for fans of other stories about second chances and families dealing with tragedies like Reminders of him, A good neighborhood, or No hiding in Boise. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

This is the type of book that I love. It is so thought provoking. I felt really wrapped up in this mother and son story. I loved the suspense and the building of the characters. It was very hard to put down. Loved it!

A slow-paced but gripping read. The characters were compelling, and the small town setting really adds to the narrative.

Slow burn for sure....so if you want a fast paced read - not your jam. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the writing styles of Jacqueline Mitchard (my first book of hers I've read). Most important is the never ending love and belief a family can have for a loved one...even in the most difficult of times. Really enjoyed this book!

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦:
The story immediately gripped me. It piqued my curiosity in the best ways, a domestic drama mixed with what felt like suspense...what's not to love? The character development was enough to make me feel deeply for them and have immense empathy, especially for Thea. I really enjoyed the ending, it felt like a perfect wrap-up to the story.


𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦:
I normally struggle with slower paced storylines, and this one was no exception. I felt the middle of the story was dragging and overall felt like the book could've been much shorter, without taking anything away from the story. Although the beginning and the end was a bit thrilling, I wouldn't recommend this book if you're solely looking for suspense.

I believe many will absolutely love this book, especially for those who enjoy slow-burn domestic dramas.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. I was intrigued by this book the moment I read the synopsis. I have two sons so I kept putting myself in Thea's place. I kept wondering how I would feel and I could definitely relate to Thea giving a different perspective than usual with relating to the victim of the crime. I did enjoy this book but it did get a little long at times. About half way through the book, I did guess the big ending twist just not all the details that went along with it. It was a good book that you should enjoy.

Quite intense with realistic dialogue. It was fun trying to figure out who the real "bad guy" was. I think the ending was a bit too tidy, meaning the way everything just perfectly aligned to make an eventual happy ending, but it wasn't so odd that I didn't enjoy the book.

The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard tells the story of Thea and her son Stefan. Stefan has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for murdering his high school girlfriend. He returns to live with his mom in his hometown. He's greeted with protestors who believe he wasn't punished enough for the crime he was convicted of. Thea receives mysterious phone calls telling her Stefan better not tell anyone what happened. This leads Thea to investigate while also struggling with the return of her convicted killer son. Family drama galore. Read and enjoy!

This book was different than others by the author in my opinion. An intriguing story and kept me turning pages

👪 BOOK / REVIEW 👪

I enjoyed #thegoodson by @jacquelynmitchard so much more than I anticipated! I got a copy from @_mira_books_ and wasn't sure I was in the right headspace for a heavy book. My sweet friend @joannasbookshelf loved it, so I grabbed the #audiobook so I could get some work done around the house AND get some reading done. I thought this was a well thought out and complex read. The characters felt real and the situation, while devastating, was written very tactfully and full of heart. The ending was a bit of a surprise because I thought I knew what actually happened half way through the book, but I thought it was a nice way to conclude this novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What happens to a family, community and parents when an adult child commits murder? When that son is released from prison the threats and harassment to his family intensifies. Insightful, understated good character development and a big twist near the end that changes everything.


** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.