“Such a Good Mom” by Julia Spiro has an intriguing premise—a new mom caught in a murder mystery—but ultimately falls flat. It starts off good, but by the fourth chapter I was utterly bored by the predictable plot, underdeveloped characters, and lack of suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There was a lot of promise to this book. I loved the setting, and I think it was great of the author to weave in some postpartum depression themes along with the murder investigation and the corrupt in-laws. But even writing all of that shows that it’s almost too much for one book. We never actually get to know anyone very well because it’s trying to cover so many topics. At times it felt exciting but mostly it felt slow to me.

A murder mystery set amidst a new mom's struggles with post-natal depression, this book is an unusual, though generally successful, combination of a couple of genres. Set on Martha's Vineyard, it also offers a fascinating picture of the various needs and motivations of the characters who call the island "home," whether part-time or full-time, old residents or new.

This is the first novel I’ve read that was able to weave in the realness of postpartum while not making it a story about motherhood. I read it at 17 months postpartum and it hits on how hard those early months are in such a relatable way. Thankfully, I didn’t have a murder to worry about!

While I think the overall concept is creative, it felt slow. The conversations between the MC and other characters felt shallow and unnecessary at times.

My favorite part was the epilogue! I love epilogues after stories like these. And as an aspiring writer myself, I felt seen in those pages. Thankful the author put motherhood in these pages in such a real way.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A murder happens on Martha’s Vineyard. A young mom dealing with some postpartum depression struggles to work through what may have happened with this murder. The reason this is so big for her is because her husband is arrested and wanted for murder. Before he is taken away by the police, he whispers something into her ear And hopefully she can use this information to set him free.

Good plot, interesting characters, relatable content of a new mom and feeling fuzzy and dazed.

This book covers a lot of ground for such a fast read. As another reviewer states, the chapter structure sort of keeps you sucked in. I loved it. Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this ARC

This book did an amazing job of showing what it looks for someone going through postpartum depression. Having experienced it myself, it made me feel very seen. There was also an issue with a murder and figuring out the situation surrounding that which was interesting, but it was the main character's challenges of dealing with new motherhood that I felt really made this book stand out.

Such a Good Mom is one of my top ARC reads of 2024. It was my first book by Julia Spiro and it will not be my last! I loved everything about this fast paced mystery set on Martha's Vineyard with a main character who is a very new mom.

Such a Good Mom is told by Brynn, who is struggling with everything about parenting a newborn. Her husband Ross seems to be pulling away, her mother in law is critical of her parenting, and she feels like she is losing herself completely. Sound familiar? Goodness, yes. (Except the MIL part, mine is a gem.)

So with all of this on her plate, Brynn is shocked by the news of a young woman on the island going missing and her husband is the key suspect. The so much evidence against him, Brynn is rattled but determined to find answers... whatever they may be. Thus she embarks on a journey to learn more about her in laws and the year rounders of the island she calls home.

If you love a quick mystery, stellar exploration of matresence (the many changes that result from becoming a mother), and have vs. have not vacation destination settings, this one delivers. Such a Good Mom was the very well executed merger of so many things I love in books and I hope you'll love it as well!

A captivating ontemporary novel of a new Mom with postpartum depression. the story commands your attention until the very last page.
Very engrossing read!

Can you have a beach read about postpartum depression? Apparently so! I felt like some of the post partum stuff was important but got repetitive after a while. Does the woman have other characteristics? Let's see them more. It felt a little sloppy in the editing, how some people's (including the baby) looks seemed to change and that was off-putting.

This book was a little slow for me. I enjoyed the murder aspect of the story. I also thought Brynn coping with that on top of postpartum added a layer of depth and struggle. It just felt at points the story went around in circles so many times about how Brynn was struggling. It felt like the story was slow to advance. Maybe this is just something I personally experienced as not having experience with dealing with postpartum myself and being able to relate.

I liked how this book showed the harder sides of post partum. I also liked how it didn't include any unnecessary extracurricular romance. The time line of the story was very quick and I ended up forgetting the age of the baby. I also thought it was a little inconsistent with how often she needed to pump compared to how often the baby ate. You'd have to pump every time you feed or your supply will drop quickly.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

If you are looking for a book with a great plot and character development, this is it. I enjoyed the pacing of the story and never felt bored. I finished it quickly too because the way the author constructed the chapters you want to know what is going on with the characters.

The ending was perfect and wraps everything up nicely. I can’t wait to read more by the author in the future.

This started off really well - I ate up the first third of the book. The Martha's Vineyard setting was interesting and added to the story. Things slowed down around the midpoint, and by the end, I was ready for it to be over.

This was more an examination of postpartum issues and determining one's worth than a mystery or a thriller, which this book advertises itself as. That's OK, you can do both, but I'd suggest focusing a little more on the motherhood/family angle when writing a blurb.

I liked the story - would I read more from the author? Yes.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Julia Spiro knows all the thoughts that run through a new mom's head. We listen to people telling us that we’re Such Good A Good Mom, but doubling it in our own head.
This is a complicated twisted story of paperbook writing mom, Brynn, executive husband Ross in his family business, and new baby Lucas who cries a lot. The in-laws are there to theoretically help.
As the storyline goes on it turns dark and sinister toward the end. I'm not giving anything away, but stay for the astonishing ending.
##JuliaSpiro #SuchAGoodMom #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

I thought this book would be more thriller and mystery but for me, I found it more about postpartum depression and I found myself scanning through the paragraphs to get to some action.


I ultimately did not finish this book.

3.5 ⭐️

I’m not a mom, but goodness I loved the relatability this book offered! It’s covering a lot about PPD and realities of being a new mom. I did expect some more of the thriller/mystery storyline but it remained enjoyable and I was happy to read about Brynn’s journey as a mother. There are some triggering elements I would encourage people to look into before reading. The reason for taking away stars is at times it did feel flat and repetitive.

A FMC with postpartum depression is a great idea. However, it almost seemed redundant at times. I understand that depression can feel like a bottomless pit. I suffer from it myself, and perhaps postpartum is much different, but for me, it almost fed into my depressive tendencies.

Such A Good Mom was not what I was expecting. The protagonist is Brynn Nelson. Growing up in the poorer area of Martha’s Vineyard she grew up knowing the Nelson family. Marrying Ross the eldest son was a dream come true. Everything is going great until the birth of her much longed for child. No way could Brynn predict she would be faced with postpartum depression. She feels like Ross is pulling away from her and not seeing her struggles. But her mother-in-law is always there helping. Thrown into all of this a young waitress is murdered and suddenly Ross is accused of it. Brynn is determined to help herself and help prove Ross’s innocence. But someone is determined for Ross to take the fall. Great plot twists.

This was an interesting mystery that also serves to bring attention to the issue of postpartum depression and the role friends and family can play in the mental health of women suffering from it.
Brynn , the heroine, is a young mother who is suffering from severe post partum depression and having trouble coping with caring for her son and her relationship with her husband. In the midst of this there is a murder of a young woman on Martha’s Vineyard ( the setting for the story). Based on some pretty shoddy evidence her husband Ross is arrested for the crime. Brynn then sets about to try to solve the murder and in the process reconcile her feelings about her husband.
The details of her investigation are interesting if a bit far fetched. There are plenty of twists and surprises to keep the reader engaged.
As in most family dramas it always seems as though if the characters would just speak honestly with one another, things could move a lot easier but that is not the way life works. It does make for good reading !
I felt for Brynn’s plight with regards to her depression. Not many women are really prepared for the emotional and hormonal aspects of having a newborn and are often the hardest on themselves. Recognition and support services are key.