We haven't all given birth but we have probably all experienced insomnia. In "Such A Good Mom" Julia Spiro tells the story of Brynn (the new mom), Ross (the husband and new dad), baby Lucas, and their extended family who live on Martha's Vineyard. Brynn's insomnia is so pervasive that it could probably be included as a character.

Brynn is so exhausted and miserable after Lucas' birth that she isn't even sure she wants to be a mother. Ross goes from being oblivious to worrisome. He has something to tell Brynn but he can't do it right then. Just imagine where your mind would go after a statement like that.

A murder occurs. Everybody knows everybody to some degree on the island so the news spreads quickly. Ross's behavior becomes increasingly worrisome.

Meanwhile, Lucas screams his way through seemingly endless nights and days.

Brynn wonders if Ross had something to do with the murder.

"Such A Good Mom" is a page-turner. I recommend it. It certainly won't put you to sleep if you have insomnia.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read "Such A Good Mom." This is my honest review.

This is an intense, suspenseful mystery.
It had me wondering what was coming and why throughout each chapter of this book.
When I was almost sure of "who did it", I was wrong. I was wrong over and over again.
That is what kept me anxiously reading until the final pages.
This young mom, Brynn is living the dream up in Martha's Vineyard with her husband and his family.
It is perfect and then their baby is born, and things begin to change.
Why is it so hard to be a mom? How do some make it easy? What is going on with Brynn's husband?
When a family acquaintance is murdered, things begin to change on the island and within this "perfect" family!

The drama is good and anyone who enjoys a quick drama will absolutely love this novel
Thank you to @NetGalley and to Sr. Martin's Press for this Arc and allowing me to read and provide my own review. Well done!

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

I was excited to receive this ARC because, as described, it seems like a book I'd really enjoy - murder mystery with a new mom as the protagonist set on Martha's Vineyard. I appreciated the honest depiction of post-partum depression and found that aspect to be very realistic and relatable. The mystery fell a but flat for me. I figured it out and wasn't that invested in the outcome.

"Such A Good Mom" by best selling author Julia Spiro is a great mix of family drama and suspense that keeps you hooked from the start. Brynn Nelson the MFC is a new mom that looks like she has it all, rich husband with a well off family, nice house and dream career as a writer. But deep down she is struggling with post partum depression, feeling adrift from her husband and missing her life that she had before getting pregnant plus on top of all that the story takes a gripping turn when her husband is arrested for murder. I thought the author did a great job of showing the challenges of being a new mother especially one struggling with post partum but I will say there was repetition in the book that does tend to get a little annoying at times even though I do understand why the auther did it. Other than that I enjoyed reading this book. This is my first book from this author and I would definitely be open to reading another book by her. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and to the author Julia Spiro for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the story: With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back.
Then her husband is arrested for killing a friend of the family, and Brynn isn't sure who she can trust.

This was a terrific book that had me engaged from page one. While there were times I found Brynn a little too whiney, she was a well-rounded character and her struggles were real. So often post-partum depression is not recognized by doctors, especially when people try to act like everything is fine, which is what Brynn did because she felt so inadequate as a mother already. How could she admit to a professional that she was floundering.
Ross was a less-likable person, and I'm sure the author painted him that way on purpose, making the reader more inclined to believe that perhaps he is guilty of murdering the woman whose body washes up on the beach at Martha's Vinyard.
The mommy-friends Brynn meets daily at the park are a nice mix of personalities and how everyone's lives interconnect in the dramatic conclusion to the story is a stunning surprise.
Such a Good Mom is an excellent story that I highly recommend.

The Nelson family. Rich prominent pillows of society or were they? This story is set in Martha's Vineyard, a beautiful backdrop for a story.

The story focuses on Brynn a new mom suffering with post postpartum depression. A writer, Brynn always balanced her life to perfection. Being married to the son of a prominent family she wanted for nothing. Until a young woman is found murdered and her Brynn's husband Ross is arrested for her murder.

This book had many twists and turns, it was a good story of ‘who done it". The story also focuses on the issue of postpartum depression and the effects associated with it; especially for a new mom who is trying to do everything herself while her husband is behind bars.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Julia Spiro and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

‘Bestselling author Julia Spiro's Such a Good Mom is a brilliant standalone mystery that's the perfect beach read. In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha's Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.’

Loaded with gobbs of family drama and unlikeable characters, Such a Good Mom had a respectable plot, but somehow didn’t manage to blow my hair back. This is my first read by Spiro, but I will absolutely read more of her work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this arc in exchange for review.

Pub Date Apr 29 2025

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. I would say that it falls into the category of books such as "The Last Thing He Told Me". There was a lot of character development of the main character who has just become a mother and is struggling with it and feels guilty all the time. This is definitely a cultural movement for the current millennial generation of mothers who are struggling to have it all with no village to speak of so a lot of readers who fall into that mother category will relate and enjoy that. On the flip side I can imagine non mothers, younger audience finding the details of being a mother in the book to be unrelatable as that was a big topic in almost all of the chapters. I enjoyed the 'mob family' vibes and drama that was underlying and the way the story was developed and how it ended. It's a perfect book club book and a quick read.

Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro is a sharp and insightful exploration of motherhood, societal expectations, and the pressures that come with being a parent. The story follows a protagonist who navigates the challenges of balancing her personal aspirations with the demands of raising a family. Spiro's writing is both relatable and humorous, capturing the messy realities of parenting while also delving into deeper themes of identity and self-worth. I loved how the book blends wit with emotional depth, making it a compelling read for anyone who has ever felt the weight of expectations. This novel is a refreshing and honest take on modern motherhood that resonates long after the last page!

Trigger Warning: this book deals with the realities of postpartum depression & may be hard to read for some. The FMC has a newborn and at times feels like she does not even want to be a mother & basically wishes she never had him.

A murder happens and someone close to her (won’t spoil who) is accused, but she doesn’t believe they did it. She starts investigating while dealing with postpartum depression.

I felt the parts about her postpartum became very repetitive and I felt like the book should have been condensed a lot. The plot itself was good, but wasn’t super shocking. I would say overall this is good, but nothing mind blowing. I think women who have been through postpartum depression will really enjoy this as it is a major theme.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brynn is suffering from postpartum depression. a woman is found murdered and she wonder if her husband had anything to do with the murder. good story.

WOW! An amazing story about family drama and the pressures that society puts on people to do everything right. The writing is refreshing as Julia Spiro doesn't sugar coat the struggles that new moms put on themselves. I loved this story.
As the main character, Brynn, is sinking into the darkness of post-partum depression and the pressure to turn in the manuscript her publisher is demanding her husband is arrested for the murder of a local woman. Does she believe her husband is innocent and will she help him prove he did not do it?
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. I am honored to have read such a great story. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I'm unsure what this book wants to be, a diatribe about early motherhood or a thriller? I wanted more of the latter and it felt like every bit was overlaced with a story that would've benefited by being marketed differently. The thrill of this was highly predictable and the resolution left me pretty unsatisfied. Just feeling "meh" about this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Bryn has a new baby and is suffering fr9m postpartum depression. She struggles with no sleep, diapers, night feedings, husband working long hours, and she’s an author and the words won’t come. And then a woman is murdered and they arrest her husband. She is convinced he didn’t do it. Can she find the truth? Who can she trust?

I really tried to get into this one but I found the FMC to be highly problematic and I found the story to be very slow. I was not able to get into it and found myself never wanting to pick it back up. I had to DNF this one.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It felt pretty hard to get into for me and I didn’t find the main character enjoyable. Maybe it’s because I’m a new mom myself, but this wasn’t the right book for me at this time.

Although I couldn’t relate to this new mom’s struggle with a cranky baby, I felt her pain and exhaustion. This writer did a fantastic job describing Brynn’s life. Really good mystery with an ending that I didn’t see coming!

This book was so healing!! This author skillfully conveys what it’s like to suffer through a traumatic birth and be so angry with your partner for not having to bear the same identity upheaval that comes from becoming a parent. Spiro really digs in to the dark depths of a new mom’s mental health, and as a mom myself, I felt seen and justified. There were times I felt there might be too much complaining or that the FMC was repeating the sentiment that she felt like a bad mom or that she wasn’t a good mom unless she was struggling — but that is the genius of this book. That is the true experience of post-partum depression. Even if a mother wants to rise above those thought loops and self doubt, the cycle keeps repeating. Brynn is a strong, smart, complex character and the characters surrounding her are interesting and diverse. The mystery keeps the book from getting too bogged down by new motherhood, and all loose ends are tied up nicely by the end.

I will absolutely recommend this to people who have already had children, especially anyone who has dealt with PPD or a birth story that didn’t go the way they hoped. I will read other books by this author and recommend Julia Spiro. Such a Good Mom was a quality read. Readers might enjoy it if they enjoyed Catherine Newman’s Sandwich. Thankful to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for the egalley!

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Brynn appears to have to have it all: new baby, husband, career, and a house on Martha's Vineyard. But behind closed doors, it is a different story: exhaustion from motherhood, motherhood and career swallowing up Brynn, and a husband that is becoming more distant as the days go by. One day, a family friend is found dead and her husband is arrested for the crime. Brynn is determined to find out who the real killer is, even if it means it is her husband, and even if it means adding to her already exhausted life.

There were moments of connection and disconnection for me. While I could not relate to the setting, I could relate to the exhaustion of motherhood. I will say that the overall suspense was good, and I wanted to turn the pages more to find out who was the murderer - plenty of twists there to lead the reader in different directions.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a Good Mom* by Julia Spiro is an engaging mix of family drama and suspense that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Brynn Nelson’s journey as a new mom struggling with postpartum life and postpartum depression and anxiety is portrayed with real depth, making her an incredibly relatable character. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard, the story takes a gripping turn when Brynn’s husband is arrested for murder, pulling her into a tense mystery.

Spiro does a great job balancing the emotional challenges of motherhood with the suspense of a murder investigation. The twists keep you guessing, and the steady pace makes it an easy page-turner.