I didn’t enjoy this book and I had to force myself to finish it.
This read like a B movie scripted by a goth teenager who just discovered angst and adjectives.
All of the characters are one-dimensional.
The main character is self absorbed, selfish and exhausting. Are we supposed to believe that at one point this hot mess was a strong, independent woman? I saw zero evidence of that.
The flow of the story was constantly interrupted by inconsistencies and contradictions-one character is noted for the truck he drives, then two paragraphs later, it’s a car. Brynn laments that no one would mistake her for the babysitter because she and Lucas look alike, but one the same page, the author states that Lucas looks like ROSS and Brynn can find no trace of herself in him. In another scene, Brynn walks into her in-laws’ house and finds them seated in club chairs flanking the fireplace. But her father-in-law then gets up from the COUCH. 🤦🏻‍♀️
The ending somewhat redeemed the narrative arc-the story progressed more smoothly when there was dialogue. But there was too much melodrama and handwringing and not enough payoff. Details were very few and there was no build up. Everything concluded with a whimper, not a bang.
Also, I have to say, as a mother of 8, I am all too familiar with the thankless nature of motherhood. Sometimes it’s a grind and a lot of times it’s exhausting, frustrating and mind-numbing. And birth traumas and postpartum depression are definitely real. This novel does nothing to address any of that. It’s just a long list of complaints.

A compelling synopsis, but everything about this fell flat for me; I found it painfully predictable and dull, and the culmination of the story is over the top implausible.



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

This was a great thriller. I even woke up in the middle of the night wondering what would happen next! Brynn is a new momma who is struggling with motherhood when her husband is arrested. Brynn works very hard to put the pieces of the puzzle together to try to find the truth. You will not be disappointed with this one!!! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.

Set in idyllic Martha’s Vinyard, a new mom is dealing with the overwhelming upheaval a newborn can bring to your world, when her husband is arrested for murder. Brynn starts looking into what happened and what lead her to this place in her life and the book is a thrilling tale of will-she or won’t she stand by her man. I thought I had the end figured out but there was a small twist I didn’t expect and it made for a good read!

Trigger Warning: this book deals with postpartum depression and may be hard to read for some. I probably would not have read this book if I had known how prevalent the PPD in the main character would be. While I recognize that this is a reality that many new mothers go through, it is not something I enjoy reading about. Our main character has a seemingly perfect life, but is still unhappy. Then, a murder occurs and her husband is accused. She starts investigating the murder while dealing with postpartum depression. The overall plot was good, even if it was somewhat predictable. I think that this would be a good book for the right reader.

Such a Good Mom, by Julia Spiro, is set on Martha's Vineyard and is about a new mother struggling to cope with the massive shift in everything after the arrival of a baby. I love reading books set on MV, as my husband has strong connections to the island and I've been many times. It's a very special place and always makes an interesting backdrop. I also loved the murder mystery aspect and the will-she-or-won't-she-stand-by-her-man dilemma faced by Brynn when her husband is arrested for the murder of a family friend. Definitely a page turner!

I really like the vineyard setting of this book and the fact that this is a domestic thriller. The writing was decent enough, in my opinion. A few sentences that sounded way too cliché or even cringy, but other than that it's a very readable book.
I wouldn't say the ending is unexpected - especially for more hardcore mystery/thrillers readers, but it fits the plot and the characters's actions.
I'd say this book can resonate better with a female audience and especially with new moms.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel.

This book really caught my interest, due to the post partum depression angle. Our protagonist clearly has undiagnosed PPD, and that affects most of the decisions that she makes in this book. She has a hard time caring about life, and resents her son for throwing her personal life into chaos. On top of it, her husband is arrested for a crime that he says he did not commit, and she has to figure a way out of it.

This book really had me at the offset, and it was an easy read for me. I looked forward to picking it up again and again, and related to the new mom in the story, due to my own history. I think a lot of women will relate to this, and it explores the world of PPD, and also the guilt that those with PPD go through (which feeds their PPD). The mystery also really was good, and not too far fetched. Overall, a really great, enjoyable read!

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TW: PPD and PPA

3.25 Stars and a DNF at 53%

When I first read the description for this book, I figured I would be hooked. The book sounded intriguing, and it had a great title (Especially for a reviewer who is also a new mom). However, the storyline fell flat because of grammatical Errors throughout it. It seems like the publisher never did a proper spellcheck, because there was incorrect grammar and spelling throughout this book. I actually had to book early (Chapter 17) because I couldn’t read anymore of it. I wish this offered the best of luck, but this book just fell flat.

Better editing would provide a better read. New author to me, and poor editing so I don't know if this is her standard fare or an outlier. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

TW: postpartum depression.

Brynn and Ross have a great life and just welcomed a new son, Lucas, to their world. Ross is next in line at Nelson & Sons construction, but everything turns to crap when he’s arrested for murder. While Brynn is in the darkest point of her life dealing with postpartum depression, learning how to do life as a new momma with a newborn, she starts investigating the case. Along the way, she finds herself again all while getting to the bottom of it!

I overall enjoyed the book, I did however find it predictable, I pegged it. I did find that the postpartum depression was a little repetitive, but I do understand that it is a real thing that women go through and probably have the exact same feelings repetitively, so I do respect how the perspective into the condition was highlighted.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Such A Good Mom!

Such a Good Mom is a atmospheric thriller set on Martha's Vineyard. When the main character's husband is arrested and accused of a murder of a local woman, she must use his cryptic clues to figure out what it happening behind the scenes, all while trying to keep her sanity as a new mom. I especially liked the descriptions of new parenthood in this book, and the thriller plot was intriguing and moved quickly

I enjoyed this domestic thriller set in Martha's Vineyard, a perfect setting for murder and the community of whodunits.
I loved it.

Finally read this over Christmas break and it was such a good read. Love that it touched on real topics woman struggle with and at some point the story went off track but not for long in my opinion. Definitely a good read for a book club.

I received a free copy of, Winter Magic In Port Berry, by K.T. Dady, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Brynn should be so happy, living in Martha's Vineyard, having a loving husband, and a new baby, but then someone is dead, and her husband is the prime suspect. This book had a lot going on. Murder, postpartum, and more, it was a good read.

Honestly, not a bad thriller, but the whole book just falls apart at one point and never gets itself back on track. I liked the idea of looking at a woman's post-partum depression, but the whole murder to solve thing just felt like a weird combination since there was a lot happening and you didn't have a lot of time to focus.

"Such a Good Mom" focuses on Brynn Nelson who is still reeling after the birth of her son. She's not really able to put into words what is wrong with her, but taking a shower and even sleep seem beyond her. She knows she used to love her husband, but now she feels frustrated by everything he does. When a murder takes place though, Brynn is left investigating because she does not think the person accused could have done it.

It was a bit exhausting being in Brynn's head so much, and honestly that's just because Spiro just writes her repetitively after a while. I thought that Brynn was not very developed and neither were a lot of the other characters after a while.

The book takes place on Martha's Vineyard, but we get a different side to it in this book because Brynn and her husband are "natives". They grew up there and she doesn't want to ever leave even though it's hard to make a living there year round. Brynn's husband is in construction and she's fighting to get back to writing.

The why behind the murder didn't make sense and then who did it and why was so obvious I kept waiting for Brynn to catch up. I think that Spiro just should have stuck with one theme. If she wanted to write about how hard motherhood is, that would have been fine. That honestly were the best parts of the book. The tossing in of the murder and cast of characters did not work really. It felt like an afterthought after a while. And I have never been pregnant, but even I knew that she was dealing with post partum depression and her refusing to acknowledge it was weird after a while. It just felt like there were so many different things happening in this one it took a while to sort through.

This was such a good book! I didn’t know what was happening most of the time (a rare and magical experience when reading for me!) and I love that. Usually I can see the “twist” a mile away. The plot was great, characters were well thought out and executed, and the story kept me thoroughly engaged. My only complaint is that sometimes Brynn was too ignorant for her own good and she really seemed a bit self centered, thinking that she was the only person who felt the way she did about motherhood. She bordered on whiny in parts. I would have liked to see her have those moments removed. It would stay more true to the badass mama who happens to be struggling with new motherhood. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and didn’t want to put it down!

While I liked how this book brought attention to post partum and the real post partum feelings, thoughts and beliefs, that’s about the only thing I like about it. The story line was drawn out and at times boring. I found the main character to be whiny and blaming of everyone else… just didn’t love it

“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.