“Such a Good Mom” by Julia Spiro
New Mom and a mystery
I found this to be an easy read. I did get frustrated from time to time with all the ‘new mom’ ‘new baby’ chatter when what I was wanting to hear was the ‘mystery clues’. I do recommend this story to anyone contemplating adding the new mom/baby routine into their lives. A lot of food for thought for you. But a bit too much memory lane for myself. I did skim some of that chatter a few times to get to the mystery. Happy Reading ! !

Unfortunately not for me. Not really too much about the mystery and more about the postpartum depression. It's a bummer because this sounded so interesting and just ended up not being for me.

👩‍🍼 T R A I T O R T H U R S D A Y review 👩‍🍼 featuring “Such A Good Mom” by Julia Spiro!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Brynn Nelson is really struggling. She has a new born baby, a distant husband and terrible writer’s block when attempting to write her next book. From the outside they look like a picture perfect family, until a buried family secret rocks them all.

A server from their country club in Martha’s Vineyard is found murdered and the prime suspect is Brynn’s husband Ross! Not only is Brynn suffering from post partum depression, but now her world is being shattered into a million pieces. Could her husband AND the father of her child actually be responsible for this?? Or is Ross being framed?? After all, blood isn’t always thicker than water.

Ross gives Brynn clues to figure out the truth, but as she begins to spiral with questions and emotions she realizes that she cannot trust anyone. Even herself.

The constant fog of being a new mom and figuring out her inlaw’s secrets drags Brynn down to an all time low. Reality and the truth start to blur together as Brynn gets put through the wringer when trying to solve this mystery!

💗 I really enjoyed this book! I thought the mix of strained family dynamics, a murder mystery and the challenges of motherhood was an interesting twist that screams raw and emotional!

Thank you kindly to @juliaspiro @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on April 29, 2025!

This was a gripping mystery novel set in Martha's Vineyard. The story revolves around Brynn Nelson, a new mom, a loving husband, and a successful career. However, Brynn is struggling with the challenges of postpartum life and some difficulties in her marriage.

Things change when a family friend is found dead, and Brynn's husband, Ross, is arrested for the crime. As Brynn struggles with sleepless nights and the demands of motherhood, she is thrust into trying to uncover the truth behind Cecelia's death. Her journey is faced with uncertainty, as she tires to figure out who she can actually trust.

The author weaves in suspense and also explores of the pressures of motherhood and marital trust. The novel also dives into identity, resilience, and just how far someone will go to protect their family. This was a good read that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. I would recommend to all my friends.

My overall rating was 3.5 starts

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

No, this book didn't do it for me at all.

I understand postpartum depression can take many shapes and affect a new mom in so many ways, but this was too.... everything.

Brynn is having a hard time with her newborn not sleeping. Her day job before motherhood was as an author of a couple of books. Her hubby seems to be there, but not really helpful and she resents him, she resents the baby, her own mother, a little bit her mother in law and herself. A lack of sleep alone can do that, but add hormones and you are in deep trouble.

Add to that the fact that a waitress from their club on Martha's Vineyard has been found dead, a woman who had shared a special relationship with Brynn's father in law, but he's not the one on the hot seat, AKA in jail, but rather Brynn's hubby.

Throw in some very pregnant friend, a gay couple from the playground and a few others such as an old boyfriend who happens to be her brother in law and you get the picture rather fast, right? Too much. For someone who is supposed to be an author in the story, she's definitely not using her head to solve this one. No one would go walking into the police station saying I know he didn't do it, give me more info. Right? Without a lawyer no less she goes off on this kind of mission.

I ended up skimming the last half or actually skipping most of it and the ending didn't make me want to go back and read it carefully.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

Set in Martha's Vineyard, Brynn is struggling with the demands of being a new mother, as well as a wife, and a writer. It is the beginning of summer and just as Brynn thinks she might be reaching her breaking point, tragedy strikes their small town when a family friend washes ashore, and none other than her husband is arrested for the murder. On top of her struggles as a new parent, Brynn now finds herself looking for clues to help solve the murder. Brynn finds her stride as a mom and starts to re-find herself as a person as she also finds clues to help solve the murder. Such a Good Mom is a perfect spring/summer beach read!

Sadly, this book was just not for me. I thought it was going to be more of a mystery even though the title is, Such a Good Mom!
This book is mostly about Brynn's postpartum depression and not much around the murder. I just found it to be a bit boring and predictable and I wasn't so interested in reading about Brynn's postpartum depression.

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

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I read this along with the advanced audiobook copy I received and just struggled. Not because the book isn't good, but because the content was so raw and real for me. (PPD)

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

This book is about a mother who is experiencing postpartum depression and a murder that her husband is the prime suspect for. Her husband is from a well-to-do family on Martha's Vineyard, where this book takes place. It doesn't take long for news of his arrest to get out around the island. Brynn, our protagonist and mother, begins to investigate the murder of Cecilia Buckley because she just cannot believe that her husband killed her. There was a lot of focus put on Brynn and how she feels as a new mom with postpartum depression. I felt this got repetitive at times. I wanted more focus on the mystery, but that could just be me as mysteries and thrillers are my favorite genres. There were some twists and turns when it came to the mystery.

3.5 stars
I did enjoy this book, but I wouldn’t say it’s a standout for me. The mystery aspect just didn’t wow me, but I did relate to the motherhood struggles that the main character experienced.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Apr. 29, 2025
With a newborn baby and a beautiful home on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But she can’t seem to shake the darkness that has befallen her since the birth of her son and her husband, Ross, is being more secretive and distant than ever. When a young woman, Cecilia, is found dead on the island and Brynn’s husband is arrested for the crime, things quickly go from bad to worse. Brynn is convinced her husband didn’t do this, but evidence to the contrary is piling up. Brynn wants to prove to everyone that Ross is innocent but even she has doubts. Is the man she married capable of killing someone?
Julia Spiro’s new novel, “Such a Good Mom” fits into the recently developing genre of “murder among the uber wealthy”, where someone dies among the world of the uber wealthy, and everyone closes up ranks. I have read many novels with this premise as of late and there are piles of Netflix shows that carry this premise, too (such as “The Perfect Couple” and “The White Lotus”), but that doesn’t mean that the novels are pedestrian or unimaginative. In fact, Spiro’s novel is an obsessive read that I devoured.
Brynn is a new mom and is struggling with all that that entails. Her in-laws are Martha’s Vineyard elite, so you know right away they’re shady and suspicious. Brynn is a relatable protagonist, especially for anyone who has ever faced the challenges of motherhood, and it is easy to build a quick connection with her.
There are twists and turns aplenty and although I figured out the “who” pretty quickly, the complex “why” eluded me until the final pages. Spiro crafted a well-developed plot with multi-layered characters, making “Mom” an easy-to-read page turner.
“Mom” is Spiro’s third novel (although it was a first for me), and she shows no signs of slowing down. I was grateful to be a part of Spiro’s book journey and look forward to seeing what else she has in store.

The cover of this book is what really drew me in. I love the pretty beach and the woman walking on it. Then the title intrigued me! It is my first book by this author and I listened to the audio version, which was well done and kept me interested.

Brynn is a new mom and she is experiencing severe postpartum depression and anxiety that is untreated. Her husband and her have felt disconnected and he is busy working so much. A family friend is found dead and soon her husband is arrested for the murder. He tells her he is innocent and not to trust anyone. She spirals into a frenzy trying to clear his name al while dealing with being a mom and those emotions.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The mystery in itself was such a good story. I wish the book focused more on that. I think Brynn’s excessive chatter about how difficult it is to be a mom was a little much. I appreciated and related to some of it, but there was so much and I was more interested in the mystery of if her husband was innocent or not! Other than that I loved Brynn’s character and she was such a good mom, even with her doubts!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"Such A Good Mom" by Julia Spiro was an interesting story, part family drama & part murder mystery.
There are alot of twists & the revelation of who the murderer was, was very unexpected.
I would definitely read another book by Ms. Spiro.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Such a Good Mom is a single POV mystery/thriller. Brynn is a new mother struggling to adjust to her changing life, when her husband is arrested for a crime she knows he couldn’t have committed. At least she thinks she knows, she’s not too sure about anything except that she’s just so exhausted and overwhelmed!

This was a great mystery that was also about the struggles of new motherhood. Or maybe it was a book about the struggles of new motherhood that happened to contain a mystery. Either way, I really enjoyed it and flew through it! I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.

Read dates: 03/12/2025- 03/13/2025
Goodreads review: 03/13/2025
Instagram review: 03/14/2025
Blog review: 04/29/2025

Brynn is a mom struggling to get back the joy and excitement he had before her baby was born. She is exhausted and emotional in the aftermath of childbirth. I thought it was a well done book on postpartum depression even though the book is also about a murder. I think this book has a realistic portrayal of depression and how it impacts all areas of one's life. It was overall very well done.

Such a Good Mom is a book with a lot going on,

Bryn is suffering from post partum depression and is questioning her life.

She has a life that many would envy but as we know post partum depression can be and is devasting.

Then a murder takes place and Bryn decides that she will investigate because surely the police cant be right about who did it.

The two stories intervweave well though I found the book dragged at times but that could have just been me on that day.

The ending brings it all together and Such a Good Mom is well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review Such a Good Mom.

This was an awesome book! Brynn’s turmoil over feeling disconnected from her baby just leaped off the pages. Anyone who has suffered from postpartum depression could relate and recognize the signs. Adding the mystery of who murdered her friend stirred up even more angst. This is such a thought provoking story. The writing is amazing. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Brynn Nelson is suffering from postpartum depression with no help from her husband.

She is totally exhausted and then finds out her husband is accused of murder.

He wouldn’t do something like that? How can that be?

Brynn doesn’t need anything else added to her stressful life, but she has to decide if she will look for the murderer or let her husband be accused since she found out some things he may have done.

We follow Brynn at the beginning of the book as it leads up to her husband’s arrest and all she went through with the baby.

Will she find out who the murderer is when she can’t keep track of her own day and never get her next book written?

She doesn't know who to trust, especially since her husband tells Brynn from his jail cell to not trust his father.

Lots of tension and a good read even though it got bogged down at times with information from the past.

The secondary plot about postpartum depression was very well done and made women aware of it.

Mystery fans will be turning the pages to find out what happens. Will you figure out who the murderer is? 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Such a Good Mom was the perfect beach read. Fast-paced, murder-mystery, and keeps you hooked from the first page. Julia Spiro writes from the perspective of someone who actually lives in the area she's writing about and that was evident here. Additionally, she nailed some of the nuances that come with new motherhood. Couldn't recommend this one enough.

Brynn Nelson leads an idyllic life on Martha’s Vineyard, where she and her loving, successful husband, Ross, have recently welcomed their new baby boy. However, as Brynn struggles with postpartum depression and exhaustion, the police arrest Ross for the murder of Cecelia Buckley, a young woman connected to the Nelson family. Brynn's world shatters as she endures sleepless nights trying to uncover the truth.

While I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of this book, I found a considerable amount of redundancy. I initially expected the story to be more of a thriller, but it turned out to focus more on the main character’s mental state after giving birth and her emotional journey as she attempts to solve a murder while coping with postpartum depression and exhaustion.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.