Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

Two women meet in a Dublin café on a winter afternoon – an encounter that will change both their lives forever.

Tess has no idea who this woman Maeve is, or why she has approached her like this, out of the blue. She says that she has important information about Tess’s younger son, Luke, and she insists that Tess needs to listen.

As Maeve’s story unfolds, Tess has the strangest feeling that she knows her from somewhere – but she can’t locate her in any of her memories. As the evening darkens and the café around them seems to grow still, Tess listens in growing distress. The safety of the life and family she has created begins to come apart at the seams.

The fractured lives of mothers and children are woven together in this multi-layered narrative, reminiscent of the creation of a patchwork quilt.

I really loved the story. Some of the parts were hard to read due to the sensitive nature of sexual abuse. It does not detract from the story. Will recommend to others.

I really enjoyed all of the different viewpoints, however it made it really hard at times to figure out which story I was following and where I was in the timeline. I cannot even begin to imagine what these women went through being institutionalized when they became pregnant unwed. The fact that their children were ripped from them and often sold made this so much worse to imagine. There was a lot of emotion in the stories, but I really wish that there would have been less jumping around. I know why the author did it, but it was very ineffective in many parts. I would definitely love to read more from this author in the future. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This was quite a complex story with a lot of different characters and some heavy subject matter, so when reading this it's best to be prepared.

What I liked about the story is it makes you look at generations of parents and parenting in general and how much are parents responsible for how their grown children behave.

Catherine Dunne is a new-to-me author who I know has had a lot of success abroad, so I was excited to check this out. I was very drawn in by the title too. Overall, I liked the book, but felt it moved kind of slow. There are a ton of characters (and name changes) so it's hard to keep straight at times. Reading it is like putting together a puzzle. I would have liked more about the act of mothering (what the title implied) than about unexpected pregnancy. I didn't feel like I really knew many of the characters deeply since there were so many of them and only so many pages to explore.

Discovering Catherine Dunne's A good Enough Mother was such a blessing. As someone with Irish roots- I absolutely love a story set in Ireland and a Irish Author. I admit I don't read nearly enough works from this part of the world. There is something about experiencing a place you long to go through story that makes it feel as if you have been there in some capacity, life, time.

When I requested this book it was because of the title and the Cover. I honestly can not remember if I had even read the synopsis. I instantly took this as a book I would need and love. I liked that I could ponder whether this book would tell me that she was A good enough mother- or she questioned if she was.

What a different spin on a story frequently told. Seeing this from the parents perspective and the nuanced connections involved was very interesting to ,me.

Part mystery, crime drama and deeply emotive, I would read more by Miss Dunne.

The stories of Tess, Maeve, Eileen, Betty, Joanie woven together into a compelling tale. While it’s not always a comfortable read, it is an engaging one and one I would recommend.

A beautifully written story that will make you feel emotional.

I will definitely be reading more from Catherine Dunne.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of different POV's and this one had just the right amount! The plot was very well written and very engaging. When I first started reading this book, I was pretty nervous because my mother and I do not have a very good relationship, but this book was just what I needed!

This was a great read and I was not able to put this book down. I will absolutely recommend this to everyone!

A phenomenal book. I’m so glad I sat down to take it all in and savour the heart aches. Catherine Dunne is great writer and I hope to read more by her in the future. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

A book of women a book of heartache that connects women over generations.Catherine Dunne writes with such force such emotions.The women are so real I was so touched so moved a story that will stay with you.#netgalley #agoodenoughmother

This is one of the books that make me feel like I've been cheated after I finish reading.
From the very beginning, I was captivated by each character's story arc, the author's ability to set every time period apart from the rest through social norms and used language was admirable. This is actually the reason why reading many POVs wasn't confusing as usual with this style. After two sentences, you could easily grasp which character was talking.
I also liked how the main point was the same in all timelines. In one way or another, all the stories revolved around motherhood, either with how a character became a mother or how they were navigating the dynamic of parent and child.
The reason I felt cheated was the ending. After reading the whole thing, being invested in all the characters and rooting for them, it just suddenly wrapped up. I was left questioning what the purpose was in the first place.
It supposedly tied it all together and showed the link between all characters, but it didn't really offer an.... Ending?
Like, okay. Everything and everyone are connected to each other, what next?
It basically resembled a story with a beginning, middle, and no ending, which was frustrating to me.
However, all in all, it was a good book, emotional, ensnaring, and definitely well written.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for letting me review this book! 🙏 I normally enjoy books with less POVs, so this one was a little harder for me to follow. I enjoyed the writing style though, so I'd be interested in other books by this author.

A Good Enough Mother is a gripping and emotional novel that starts with an ordinary encounter in a Dublin café. On a winter afternoon, two women, Tess and Maeve, meet, setting off a series of events that will change their lives.

Maeve approaches Tess with urgent information about Tess's younger son, Luke. Though Tess feels an odd familiarity with Maeve, she can’t place her in her memories. As Maeve’s story unfolds, Tess’s sense of security and her family’s safety begin to unravel, drawing her into a web of emotions and revelations.

The narrative weaves together the lives of mothers and children, creating a story like a patchwork quilt. This book handles sensitive topics, including sexual assault and the removal of children, with great care and compassion. The book validates the feelings and experiences of the women involved, providing a respectful exploration of these tough themes.

While this is not my usual type of read, I found this book compelling, well written, and the plot is very engaging, making it a standout novel. The authors skill in addressing potentially triggering topics ensures that readers can navigate these difficult subjects with understanding and empathy.

A Good Enough Mother is a powerful and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Catherine Dunne, and Betimes Books for the eARC.

I didn’t get into this book until about halfway through. I found the first half to be slow and I was confused how it fit with the description. I had a hard keeping the characters sorted in my head so I feel like some of the impact was lost when all of the connections were revealed. Even with those struggles I found I wanted to know how it ended. Overall it is a good story that reminds us how unwed mothers and their children were treated in our near history and the ripples that still has in their lives today.

"A Good Enough Mother" by Catherine Dunne is a gripping narrative set in Dublin that intricately explores the lives of Tess and Maeve, two women whose paths cross unexpectedly in a café. This encounter unravels deep secrets and challenges the fabric of Tess's carefully constructed life.

Dunne masterfully crafts a multi-layered story, reminiscent of a patchwork quilt, revealing the fractured and intertwined lives of mothers and their children. The novel delves into themes of motherhood, trauma, and the harrowing experiences in Ireland's mother and baby homes. Through the perspectives of Tess, Maeve, and other characters, Dunne sheds light on the pain, resilience, and love that define their journeys.

The book's strength lies in its historical accuracy and emotional depth, making the characters' experiences profoundly real and affecting. The narratives of Maeve, Betty, and others are woven seamlessly, creating a compelling, thought-provoking read that honors the memories of those who suffered in these institutions.

Dunne's storytelling is powerful, drawing readers into the complex lives of her characters and leaving a lasting impact. While the inclusion of COVID-19 might not appeal to all readers, it adds a layer of contemporary relevance to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Betimes Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is great read. The characters were engaging and I couldn't put the book down. I would recommend this book for a book club or a friend.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Catherine Dunne and Betimes Books for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I will be honest and say I didn’t read the description so I had no idea what I was getting into. This isn’t a typical book that I would normally choose and for that I am grateful to have been able to read and review it.

It was such a powerful and emotional take on pregnancy, motherhood and the history of how unwed mothers were treated in earlier years.

While I have always know these mother/baby places existed, I had no idea just how awful they were and what these poor women had to endure. The trauma so many experienced with gruelling labours and their babies stolen from them.

I loved the way the author intertwined all the characters and how it all came together in the end. It was a page turner in wanting to see how it all played out. The different POV’s were well done and were easy to follow. The character development was well done, so well done that I felt like I was there with them.

It would have been a 5 star from me but the authors threw in Covid and lockdowns and that’s when she lost me. I read to forget about things like Covid and have zero interest seeing it in books. While I understand it was written during Covid which is why I’m sure it was included I would have preferred not to read anything more about that time (just my personal opinion)

I would absolutely recommend as the rest of the book was amazing and I’m looking forward to reading others by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found this book hard to get through. The stories were so disjointed and there was a lack of character development that made it hard to care enough to see what happened next. The ending felt very abrupt and tacked on to make it current to the times but it didn’t need to be there. Overall, this felt more like a series of interconnected vignettes than a novel.

The plot of this book was quite different what I thought it would be based on the blurb, and that threw me a bit.
The number of different POVs and timelines was a bit much for me, and because of that I found it difficult to get into.
Of course with there being five characters, only so much time can be spent on each perspective. At times I would be engaged in one POV (usually Maeve's) only to jump to a different character too soon (at least it felt too soon for me).
This was a well-written and emotional story but I don't think it was for me. However, I do think the main issue here is that the description doesn't do a great job of conveying what this novel is really about.