17-year-old Stefan is accused and convicted of the death of his long-time friend and girlfriend Belinda. His mother Thea tries to deal with the fact that the man she raised has done something she never would have expected of him, while still loving and supporting him through his prison sentence.

Living just around the corner is Belinda's mother who Thea used to count among her friends. With their relationship shattered by violence, Belinda's mother creates a group that protests and objects to violence and abuse, encouraging girls to report their young boyfriends before it comes to death. The Good Son has twists and turns that keep you engaged and guessing throughout.

As reader of Jacquelyn Mitchard books, I eagerly awaited this new novel. It is a family drama that poses the
question....How much can you know someone. How much can you love someone ? It is clear from the beginning that despite any accusations, a mother will always stick by her child. There are some twists and turns that make
it an interesting read. But the main theme is loyalty and love. An interesting read.

Stefan is returning home after his stint in jail to live with his parents. The details about his crime are fuzzy, then there's a mysterious caller, a series of creepy events at the house, and a guy who keeps showing up with threats. There's a rich aunt, a connection to the governor, another mysterious death in the past, the victim's mother, and a group of empowered females protesting and making Stefan feel awful. He decides to repent and forms an organization to help empower people to heal after an event that leaves them remorseful. And with all this, it kind of fell flat. I saw through a few twists well before they were supposed to be revealed and I felt like the pacing was off. Not Mitchard's finest work.

I found myself skipping sections to get through this book. It ended up being a decent story, but didn't hold my attention.

This is the first book by Jacquelyn Mitchard that I have read, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t know what to expect since lately, I have been reading a lot of contemporary romance and psychological thrillers. So it was a nice change of pace for me.
There are two stories told here. One is about Stefan and starts upon his release from prison for murdering his girlfriend three years before while he was high on drugs. We learn how challenging it is for him to integrate back into a society based on people’s (family, friends, and strangers) feelings and assumptions about him.
The other story is about his mother, Thea, who struggles to understand how her son committed his crime and tries to protect him from the threats he is currently facing.
As a mother of one, a son, just like Thea, I identified with her story the most. Although my son is legally an adult, I often wonder if I have prepared him enough for life or if I have made the road for him too easy. I am also aware that my son does engage in behaviors, some of which I may not necessarily approve. Is that how I raised him? I know that I will love my son no matter what, but if he were ever to commit a horrible, violent crime, would my feelings still be the same? These are some of the thoughts that Thea has, and I completely understand every single one of them.
This book was well thought out and clearly written. It spans well over a year, so we get to know the characters very well. If you are interested in what life can be like for someone getting out of prison or what their parents may be going through, set in a fictional format, I would recommend this book.

A mother's love is unconditional, but so complex. How to love a son who has committed a murder? How to go from being a respected member of the community and a teacher in a small college to the mother of a monster? Thea Demetriou must wrestle with all these questions when her son Stefan is released from prison after 3 years for murdering his dear friend Belinda. Secrets abound in this fast passed thriller. I was left breathless. I will recommend for purchase in my small community library and see it as a definite book club choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Jacquelyn Mitchard's new novel, The Good Son. This is a book that will break your heart, give you hope, and keep you up all night.

Thea is a respected professor whose life begins to fall apart when her 17 year old son is convicted of murdering his girlfriend in a drug fueled fit of passion and rain. This is a side to Stefan that Thea has never seen, and she is forced to accept the conviction as truth over the years that Stefan spends in prison.

When Stefan returns home, he is 20 years old and ready to turn his life around with The Healing Project, which he creates to offer criminals a chance at redemption, forgiveness and healing. He is faced with obstacle after obstacle but he remains committed to the cause, and Thea is unwavering in her support and love.

As events unfold and more sinister characters show their true colors, we question what we think we know...

I was so excited to learn that Jacquelyn Mitchard had written a new book and thrilled to have received an advanced copy. The story is a combination of domestic drama, suspense and literary fiction. Mitchard’s skill at writing is evident throughout with strong, lyrical prose and advanced vocabulary. I actually found myself looking up words in the dictionary, which doesn’t happen too often! The story is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming with engaging, well-rounded characters and a lot of mysterious drama that keeps the plot moving along nicely. There was a major twist at the end which I did figure out fairly early on and was not surprised by the outcome. Nonetheless, this was a fantastic read and will please fans of suspense and general fiction. This will be a 2022 book club favorite!

Wow. This book hit me in multiple ways. The book is about a mother whose son has done the unthinkable - in a drug-fueled rage, he killed his girlfriend. The incident was considered accidental and he spent no more than 2 years in prison, with the book starting with Mom showing up at the prison to pick him up and take him home. The story is about redemption and perseverance and familial love, but also has a twisty and captivating mystery at the heart of it. The end is amazing - the twist comes at about 5 pages from the end - it wasn't so important after all - and the book ties up all the ends neatly and with hope. I *really* enjoyed this book and I think many of your patrons who enjoy mysteries, family dramas, women's literature and book club picks will as well (at least - many more might enjoy it too!!).

This story is about a mother’s love for her only son after he served time in prison for a violent crime. It begins with the mother, Thea picking up her son Stefan from prison. The author shows the reality of life after prison and the struggles of finding a job. Thea receives mysterious calls from a girl who claims to know what happened the night Stefan killed his girlfriend Belinda. Thea’s search for the truth may end up harming her or her son but she needs to find out if her son is innocent. I highly recommend this book.

Flashback to my 30th birthday in 1999 when I went to the bookstore to buy the first ever @OprahsBookClub selection, Jaquelyn Mitchard’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯. I devoured that book, and over twenty years later, I still count it as one of the most memorable I’ve ever read.

I have to say that the author’s latest is just as powerful a read. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget what I read in these pages.

At its heart, The Good Son is a treatise on crime and punishment, forgiveness and redemption. As a reader, I was left asking myself so many fundamental life questions such as:

Do criminals who hurt someone deserve redemption?

What does it mean to love someone who commits an unspeakable crime?

How does one move forward from a violent crime. Do they? Should they?

I think a page-turner that stays with the reader and brings about so many essential life questions has the makings of a classic. This one is all of that and more. Read it!

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before its January 18 publication date. Mark your calendar; you’re going to want to buy this one when it’s available.

How does a family, a mother move on from their son murdering his girlfriend? After the visits to the prison are over and their son returns home, Thea tries too hard to make Stefan's life "normal" again. What she doesn't realize is that she cannot "mother" away her son's pain and anguish over what he did. She cannot get rid of the protesters outside their home or the hooded "unabomber" that has been stalking them and breaking into their home anymore than she can stop the phone calls and texts from the mysterious Esme who claims to have been there the night of the murder and who knows "what really happened." Will Thea be driven mad by all of this? Will her marriage to Jeb survive? What if the mysterious caller, "Esme" is telling the truth and her son really didn't kill Belinda?
Jacquelyn Mitchard gives the reader insight into the emotional and mental turmoil of a family that has experienced a horrific event. How Belinda's death has affected each member of the family, from the good son who went off to college and got lost in drugs and became obsessed with his girlfriend, to the father who shuts down and takes more and more trips away from home, to Stefan's mother who can't help but love her son, while at the same time can be afraid of him. When the truth of that night is revealed, it answers many questions, but leaves the reader with a sense of "how could this have happened in the first place?" and "what if this happened to my family?"

Stephen has just been released from prison for killing his girlfriend. Thea thought she knew her son. She never would have thought he would have done something so evil. But that doesn't mean she's willing to give up on Stephen. With protesters, strange phone calls from a girl saying she was there and knows what really happened, and someone threatening her family, will Stephen be able to get a fresh start? And what does the girl mean she knows what really happened? Could Stephen be innocent?

The Good Son is a gripping suspenseful read! Thea is a woman willing to go to great lengths to protect her family! From the first chapter to the very last page this book held me hostage! The rich writing and descriptive details make for a lively book! You can't help but follow as Thea tries to find out the truth and protect her family at the same time! Wonderful read! Happy reading everyone!

I haven’t read many of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s novels (although I recall Deep End of the Ocean — I looked it up and it was 1997, which shocked me!), but I am happy that I received a copy of The Good Son from Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

This story relates the experiences of Stefan, a young man who went to prison for apparently murdering his longtime girlfriend when he was blackout stoned on a cocktail of drugs that he can’t even remember taking — let alone the murder of the girl he loved (some might say obsessively). His mother, Thea, is a college professor with some similar personality traits: she admits that “…my personality was such that once I got involved with something it was like hearing a fragment of a song…having no choice but to sing the whole thing in your head, over and over, for days, until something blessedly intervened…” Thea and her husband Jep raised Stefan to be a hard worker as they were: “Getting what you wanted…was just a matter of setting your eyes on the prize and refusing to surrender…when I followed my process, it always led to resolution–not always the resolution I wanted, but some resolution.”

When Thea brings Stefan home from prison, they are confronted by an angry community, led by the mother of the victim (who had been Thea’s good friend prior to the murder). The media painted Stefan as a symbol of white privilege, and friends and neighbors turn their backs on the family. Thea has to come to grips with how she sees people in general, as well as trying to deal with the increasingly creepy and threatening messages and actions that confront them daily. Her view of people in general is that they “…are usually good when it suits them, and often some will make a special effort to be good when there’s a special need. But most people aren’t naturally inclined to goodness, particularly if it gets in the way of something they want.” There is also the issue of just who Stefan is after his time in prison. He is tormented by guilt for the actions he cannot remember, and works hard to try to make amends and make something of himself. Thea realizes that there are secrets she had no clue were part of their lives, and during her forced sabbatical from her teaching job, she explores both the specific incident that got Stefan sent to prison as well as her feelings about the world in general.

I didn’t guess the ending (no surprise — I rarely do), and the well-written story took me away from worries about the pandemic and the end of democracy. I liked it a LOT. Four stars.

On the whole I enjoyed The Good Son; the story is fast moving, and the characters are engaging. My one complaint was that the end seemed to drag on more than it needed to. I felt like it could have ended about 100 pages sooner and I would have been perfectly satisfied.

Beautiful and sad. I was torn as I read, about how sympathetic I should be towards some of the characters. I'm not sure I loved the what we learned at the end, but that's okay. I enjoyed the ride there.

The Good Son is an unforgettable novel that awakens every nerve in your body. Even though it is fiction Jacquelyn Mitchard is such an exceptional storyteller that the plot seems so realistic that you want to just help the down-trodden along. As the "good son" and his parents try to survive in an unforgiving worlds while trying to find answers of what really happened, the twists and turns just keep you in suspense. You need to read this one.

This is one of the best books I've read so far this year, I've always been a fan of the author, but this one just knocks it out of the park. It's a family drama, yet also a mystery/suspense story & the combination makes it so compelling.

This was a provocative title in that the protagonist, Thea, is the parent of a son who was convicted of brutally murdering his girlfriend. Stefan killed his girlfriend, Belinda, while under the influence of drugs, and while he has no memory of the crime, admits his guilt. Thea remembers Belinda and Stefan's relationship as childhood best friends becoming lovers, and struggles to reconcile that image with the horrifying ending. Belinda's mother has galvanized the community portraying the relationship as abusive all along, painting Stefan as a controlling abuser who killed her daughter as she was struggling to break free from the relationship. Because Stefan was a minor, 17, under the influence of narcotics, he was sentenced to only three years, which further outraged the community. From the time of the murder, Thea's home has been regularly picketed and vandalized by protestor's demanding harsher punishments for Stefan, and her job as a college professor has been derailed by the publicity. The book opens with Stefan's release from prison and his desire to atone and rebuild his life. But from the beginning, there are two mysteries - who is the woman texting Thea that she doesn't know the entire story, and who is the shadowing figure who clearly means Stefan harm?
While I found the end of the book disappointing, I think this would be a good book club selection, as there are multiple discussion points. The concept of vigilante justice - is Belinda's (the victim) mother justified in rallying the public to protest Stefan's release? Do the parents of a murderer deserve to have their lives judged as well? Stefan attempts to rebuild his life after his release, but even family members are loath to have him around. He's 20 years old- does he have the right to continue, to rebuild, even in repentance? At what point is justice served? While I have read better novels, there is a lot to ponder in this one. The plot has some weaknesses, but the mother's emotions are real and keep the reader interested.

I thought I had read all Jacqueline Mitchard's books, realized I have missed some, so going back to catch up and read those, I enjoy her books! I was excited to see new book was coming
thrilled to receive the ARC!

only seconds, life in reverse

Book shows and proves the strength and fury of a mother's love!!
A second chance, a new direction,
after repentance, can you accept the forgiveness, the new life?

As a mother of a son, I really enjoyed this book!