A slow burn with an intense plot, Helen Monks Takhar "brings it" with this page-turner. Following the main character Rose, and her struggles to meet with demands of her sons elite school while also juggling her lifetime feelings of inadequacy and wanting the best for her child, I empathized with her mother's heart-- despite the many twists of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book.

Rose O’Connell is struggling to keep up with her life. Her relationship with her husband is going through a rough patch and her son is not liking the new school he attends, the famous Woolf Academy. This school has a close knit group of mothers that basically “rule the school”. Rose is an outsider to this group known as The Circle. When one of The Circle’s members unexpectedly dies, Rose has an opportunity to join the prestigious group. As she gets deeper into The Circle she realizes that everything is not as perfect as it seems.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent and I really got into the story. At the half way mark the pacing really picked up and it held my interest perfectly. There were definitely some intense twists. This is my first book by this author and I was impressed. I will definitely look into this author’s other books.

Many thanks to Random House for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Part "Primates of Park Avenue", part "The Herd" and all teeth, "Such a Good Mother" is a tense and dramatic story on motherhood, relationships, and the pressure women face in our modern parenting world.

As soon as this book began, it gave me chilling Stepford wives/mean girls vibes and I could not put it down once I began. I was initially drawn to the main character, Rose, but as the story unfolded I couldn't help but feel my stomach twisting with every decision that got her deeper and deeper into trouble.

Definitely an entertaining read. Wouldn't classify it as a "thriller," and didn't love how some of the plot points wrapped up - but enjoyed it nonetheless! I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you for the ARC! A really great page-turner.

This book follows Rose O’Connell who’s been going through a rough time. Her relationship with her husband is rocky and they’ve been struggling to pay the bills. She feels like her luck might be changing when she manages to get her son into a prestigious school, but she soon finds that both she and her son don’t fit in with the rich families whose children attend. That all changes when she is invited to join the inner circle of mothers who run the school by their beautiful and adored leader, Amala. Thanks to Amala’s social status and Rose’s connection to her, The O’Connells begin to thrive both at the school and financially. But Rose soon learns that in return Amala expects unconditional subservience, and her constant demands become more and more extreme.

I loved the group of women Rose found herself working alongside in the inner circle. They were all awful and unlikable, but I loved reading about how awful and unlikable they were. I was obsessed with Amala. The story very slowly shows Amala for who she truly is under her glamorous surface, and I thought it was delightful finding out what new, sketchy thing she’d do to achieve her twisted little goals. Rose was an interesting character to me. I just wanted to shake her and yell at her to leave the circle before it was too late. I thought that she was unlikable, but complex. I think some people might find her frustrating to follow because of how naive she is, but I was fine with it. I liked watching her discover what life is really like within the circle. I was just as surprised as she was when I learned how great the benefits of being in the circle were. I was just as surprised as she was when she learned about the dark secrets Amala and her inner circle held. I cared about the people she cared about. I was surprised by all but one plot twist, and that’s saying a lot because there were a whole lot of twists.

In short: I was completely immersed. I read it in one day.

I think my only “complaint” (and it’s barely a complaint at all) is that I think there were one too many plot twists. I can think of one in particular that I think was a little more extreme than it needed to be to serve its purpose. It really isn’t a big deal though. What’s really impressive is that from what I can remember, Helen Monks Takhar managed to pull off that many twists without leaving any plot holes and having just the right amount of foreshadowing. I’d have to reread it to make sure that’s true, but if I’m remembering everything correctly, the way she fit everything together was excellent.

I highly recommend this. It’s my favorite thriller I’ve read this year.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a crazy- ass mother of a book! One twist after another, nothing I saw coming, just getting more depraved by the page (in a good way). Perfect summer beach reading.

4/5 
Fiction, 320 pages
No Spoilers Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for multiple reasons!

There are several different themes at play here, and the author just nails each and every one of them. There are also many twists and turns, most of them unexpected, but each very believable. The result is a story that evokes strong emotions and is very relatable.

First, we have bullying. The main character, Rose, was bullied as a child, and those experiences have stayed with her to this day. I found this to not only be spot on, but it also allows those of us who have experienced bullying to really feel for and relate to Rose. It also provides excellent context for understanding the decisions she makes throughout the book.

The second theme is that of a parent, in this case Rose, doing anything they can for their children. I could almost feel her determination to do just that. Rose's willingness and drive to provide Charlie with the best comes across as being very genuine.

The next theme is that of entitlement. You've got the members of the circle basically running the show at the school and pretty much expecting to get everything they want and their way at that! They don't care about anyone but themselves and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

The story is full of twists and turns, most of them unexpected. It is also rife with drama. There is so much going on that it can sometimes get a little confusing trying to keep everything straight, but it is well worth the effort as none of it seems far fetched. In fact, it is all very believable.

Things I liked: 
* Rose's backstory
* All the realistic drama
* How some of the characters were contorted/twisted
* Rose's very relatable struggles
* How there were several twists that caught me completely off guard
Things I didn’t like: 
* The level of complexity was a little high at times for my liking 
* I felt like it took a little bit of time for things to get going

I would recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat.

I have just read Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar

I am not quite sure where to start with this review, as the description states that it is a Thrilling novel about modern Motherhood.

I really had a hard time getting through this one, as it was in my opinion more about mothers wanting power, treating each other poorly, and control.

The characters were quite annoying to me - each and every one of them, and the storyline just not one that compelled me to want to read on.

I did preserve at finishing the book, only since I did commit to reading and writing a review.

I am sure it will appeal to many readers in general, but just not for me.

Thank You to NetGalley the Author and Random House for my advanced copy to read and review.

#SuchaGoodMother #NetGalley

This was just "okay" for me. I had a hard time connecting/caring about any of the characters. This is a dark, twisty ride that did pick up suspense and twists and turns a little more than halfway through, but by that point I already lost a lot of interest.

This book started off with a bang, and just kept giving you jaw dropping moments. The prologue was equally mysterious and intriguing. The story is engaging as well as relatable on some level. I really connected with Rose in the beginning. I’m a working mom, the main caregiver to my two children, and the person that takes care of most thing – doctor’s appointments, school things etc… I really connected with Rose’s inner turmoil about how to solve her family problems that keep her up at night. This is something I do on a daily basis! There are a few twists in there that I didn’t see coming, but again, were jaw dropping moments. The author did a great job at giving each character a distinctive voice, and making you either love or hate a specific character.

I found this to be only an okay read. I did not feel any mounting suspense that left me page turning to see what happens next. The characters were all rather unlikeable and poorly developed within the storyline. A slightly unpredictable ending was the best part of the book.

I had a difficult time connecting with the characters in this book or caring about the storyline. Books about mean moms/prestigious schools and groups are hit or miss for me and this one was just okay.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366769

A thrill of a novel, and a delight to read. I never saw the end coming, and can’t wait for the next one!

Pretty intense plot that had some crazy twists near the end…one was quite shocking! Definitely some intense female characters!!

Special thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Random House Trade Paperbacks and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of Such a Good Mother!

The cover caught my eye and then the synopsis! I do love a good thriller/suspense novel so I was very excited to read this one about a mother truly trying to fit in - however, this story just fell short for me. While it was a page turning I found the story to be a bit confusing and not overly satisfying in the end. Had good twist but not one of my favorites so far this year

A richly characterized novel divided between a thriller and a character study.

Such A Good Mother was slow to start, but I held tight as I identified with Rose- a poor mum trying to get her son the best education she could manage. I also identified somewhat with Pete, his hesitation and difference to a wealthy education, instead preferring the simple things in life.

I really enjoyed this novel and knowing the backstory made me enjoy it all the more. Many thanks to Mrs. Monk Takhar, Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this arc in exchange for an honest and fair review.

A good thriller with mean moms. Misfits considered lower class try to find their place among high class jerks. So many shocking moments. So many unlikeable characters. A wicked, fast read.

A twisty read about a mom who will do anything to fit in with the inner circle of Queen Bee's running her son's prestigious school. She is insecure and uncertain about her place in the world, being stuck in a dead end entry level bank teller job, and her son has trouble fitting in with his posh peers. So when she is invited into the Circle she thinks it's the answer to her prayers. However the women running the Circle are beyond awful. While the main character was annoyingly insecure and naive, I raced through this to find out what would happen.

Helen Monks Takhar’s SUCH A GOOD MOTHER is a dark and twisting thriller, the story of a mother who would do anything to fit in and to ensure her son Charlie’s future at the prestigious Woolf Academy. Rosie O’Connell, a working mother, has more responsibility than one woman deserves. Her son is struggling at school, her marriage is shaky, and her house is in shambles. If she could only win a spot in the elite group of ruling parents called The Circle, then her problems would be solved. Rosie soon learns that the school motto “Magis el Magis,” meaning “more and more,” is the high price one pays to wear the coveted gold circle pin. The author spins a tale full of death, disloyalty, and deceit.
This is a story of sacrifices and trade-offs. The writing is strong with characters who are striking and memorable, ones who still wander through my thoughts and lead me to ask, “How can someone who looks so good on the outside have within her a soul that is so bitter and ugly?” And what if the very thing we fight so hard to achieve becomes our curse? At the back of the book are a list of questions for book club discussions. Do not miss the Author’s Note, a discourse on the power of negative events in early childhood and the damaging effects of guilt and hopelessness. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Dark tale of the lengths some people will go to for their children. Rose and her husband are doing the best they can to raise their son right. They are barely making ends meet with both of them working, living in a small apartment and trying to give their son the best start possible. When the fancy school in their neighborhood has an opening for their young son they jump at the chance, at least Rose does. Being a child of a con man, Rose understands the dark side of people more than most, but she doesn’t realize the extreme dark side of the school and the women who are in charge. Smart thriller that’s not to be missed.