Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC. I’ve read several of Anya Mora’s books and really enjoyed them, and this one was no exception to that rule. It’s a great story and the audiobook made it all the more enjoyable. Definitely give it a listen!

While the story was very entertaining there were a few plot holes that were hard to over look and it was repetitive with the main characters inter monologue. Those things aside, it was an entertaining listen.

I enjoyed every bit of this book. Twists and turns. A little bit predictable as are so many books these days, but so worth the time to read/listen to.
It's a story about a woman who has no record of life until she was 18, so everything before her 18th is non existent but gradually it all comes to life in back stories.
Great ending which I wasn't expecting.

While I didn’t love this book, I did finish it to see how it would end. What I enjoyed was the sisterly love and sacrifice. However, I didn’t find any character likable, the plot felt like something I’ve read before and the ending… anticlimactic. I really just kept waiting for this to get good.

3.25⭐️

Overall I like the basic premise of this book. It was a very fast read as I listened to the audio on 2.5x speed (as it was still very clear at that rate) so it only took a little over 3 hours to consume.

The issue was that it was so repetitive! One particular concept about the FMCs baby was said so many times that if you said it once and took the rest out you would have cut the book by a 1/3rd. Also, the “twist” wasn’t a twist at all. It was very apparent early on and often, what was going on. So when the “gotcha moment” came.. it wasn’t one at all. I don’t want to be more specific as not to spoil it for others.

Despite being annoyed at the above, I didn’t mind listening to it while I got some household tasks done. The only time I got angry at it was the end which seemed unfinished and lacked the full information that most readers would want to know. You have a whole good setting something up (even though you easily figured it out) but then the epilogue doesn’t give an update on said major part?

I’m just really surprised at the lack of editorial support for this one. I’m going to mention something else in case it’s read by the author and other authors. Unless you set a character up with a condition to have bile reflux or, stop using the descriptive of “bile rose into my esophagus”. It’s not a thing. Well it’s at least not a typical thing without a reason. Being nervous is not a reason. Bile is not typically in the stomach. It’s not a literary replacement for stomach acid. And in this book the author uses the phrase twice in only a few pages (remember I said reparative?).


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Bookouture Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Good Bad Mother is a domestic psychological thriller with ingenious twists and mounting deception. The story follows Amelia, wife of Timothy Sterling and mother of Clover. The Sterlings are the prestigious and rich family in the cutters island. So why does Amelia live in fear? Turns out she has a past that she desperately needs to keep buried. One that could easily shatter her present and ruin her future.

But it was easier said than done because someone close to her is sending her cryptic letters and Amelia feels trapped in the web of lies, deception, betrayal and chaos of it all.

One by one everything that she built was tumbling like dominos. It's only a matter of time when all is finally out in the light.

This was a riveting psychological thriller seamlessly creating well woven elements of surprises and curiosity. The story is fast-paced and gripping, whether it's the past events or present situations you won't feel one dull moment in the narration. The narrator was superbly talented. The author's masterful writing style and plot execution is utterly memorable and engrossing. The characters are well fleshed. Overall this is an amazing book and should be on your next reading list.

The Good Bad Mother is an excellent choice for fans of McFadden and anyone who enjoys a lot of twists and dark secrets. Fast-paced & duel narrators makes for a great listen. I very much enjoyed listening to this story.

This is a twisty tale about the secrets we keep, the lies we tell, and it begs the question, can anyone really reinvent themselves and out run there past?



Thank you from Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC!

The story explores of the life of a wife and mother who appears to have everything under control—until she doesn't. The mystery surrounding her seemingly perfect life draws you in, leaving you questioning the secrets behind her calm exterior. As we follow her through the first four chapters, one thing is clear: her life isn’t as seamless as it seems. Her life is filled with tension, mystery, and emotional turmoil—especially as her emotional state begins to unravel, with Clover’s nonstop crying leaving you wondering what's really going on. When someone from her past shows up will this be the end of her happy curated life? The story just kept pulling me in and my brain kept working to find out who was messing with her. This was a gripping mystery that had me nonstop listening to find out who was haunting her days.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7300832955

Check out this review on Fable
https://fable.co/review/6c53ed1a-af89-4346-adad-1eb24870bfa2/share

This was so fast paced and twisty! I really really enjoyed the story. The authors writing kept me hooked. I loved the dual timeline. The only reason I didn’t give it a full 5⭐️ was because I felt like the ending didn’t wrap up everything. I wanted to know what happened with Hazel and Timothy! Overall, I really enjoyed this and I can’t wait to read more from this author!!

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The story flowed well with really good characters and actually can't fault it tbh.

Amelia is living a life that isn't fully her own she has a past that her husband isn't aware of. She has married into a very well known family who live a lavish lifestyle she has until a certain point managed to go under the radar that is until there is a family photograph published and her whole life begins to turn upside down. The past can't stay hidden forever. Everyone eventually will find the truth for Amelia. This has a massive impact on her daily life with her best friend questioning if she needs to seek some help purely based on the fact she didn't have all the facts so when you have nobody else who knows your life how can they possibly understand the immediate response, maybe you need to seek some help from a doctor you have just had a baby!

While she tries to understand who knows about her past, who is coming for her, she begins to feel more and more isolated, lacking the ability to trust in anyone. With almost nobody who truly knows her, she is really on her own she can't share the torment she is being out through because her entire life is to protect her daughter. It doesn't help when her husband Timothys family are not overly happy about this relatively quick moving relationship, new baby and marriage which adds fuel to her fire having to deal with the knowing they really wanted him to marry his ex girlfriend. She feels like an intruder in her own life...

In her early years she had woken to the smell of smoke in the house where she lost a sister, her life from a child continues to be filled with various twists and turns that cause her to make the decision she does to do whatever she must to protect herself and then her daughter.... Will she get out alive? Will she figure out who is digging up her past before it's too late???

The narration on this was absolutely perfect. I felt immediately that I could envisage this plot, and the characters were brought to life very well. Pitch, tone all delivered fantasticly well so that it draws you in waiting to hear the next part. I was intrigued and held my interest throughout from beginning to end.

I simply had to give this 5 stars because I really enjoyed everything about it and there wasn't anything I could find not to like so to rate any lower would be unjust given all the work that goes into writing and this most definitely provided me with entertainment for a couple of days.

With thanks and gratitude to Netgalley & Bookouture Audio for this ARC in return for this review. Wishing Anya Mora & team best wishes for publication later this month! 🙏🏼🎧⭐️❤️

I was a "GOOD/BAD" reader/listener for a "GOOD BAD MOTHER".

1) WHY "GOOD"?

I always enjoy audiobooks with full-cast narrations, and narrators Lauryn Allman and Penelope Rawlins gave brilliant performances.

2) WHY "BAD"?

I am an impatient reader/listener and dislike slow-paced books with repetitive text and prolonged angst.

For example, at the beginning of the audiobook, the mom protagonist lamented her fears of having her real identity exposed for two hours.

"What happens if they find out my real name?"

"Will they discover what I did?"

IMHO, these emotions/fears/vulnerabilities could have been revealed in the book's first 15 minutes.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Wow, such a twisted family hiding so much; it was hard to put down.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Bookouture Audio for this ARC.

#GoodBadMother #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast paced thriller. I really liked the layers of lies and mysteries from the past that are slowly revealed to the reader. I loved how there were chapters from different points in time and from different points of view. This really added to the book as a whole and made it so thrilling. I loved the twist at the end and thought it worked well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Setting: Cutters Island
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Good Bad Mother is a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. Twisty, chilling, and emotionally charged, this novel weaves an intricate web of secrets, lies, and maternal instincts pushed to the brink.

The protagonist’s life in the exclusive Cutters Island seems picture-perfect on the surface, but the tension simmers beneath every polished interaction, every carefully placed smile. When her baby vanishes in the dead of night and a fire engulfs her home, the past she’s desperately tried to bury threatens to consume her. The layers of deception unravel with each chapter, revealing a story that is as heart-wrenching as it is thrilling.

What sets Good Bad Mother apart is its seamless blend of psychological depth and relentless suspense. The protagonist is deeply flawed yet fiercely compelling, making you question everything you think you know about morality, motherhood, and survival. The writing is razor-sharp, with each twist landing like a gut punch, keeping you breathless until the final, jaw-dropping revelation.

Fans of The Housemaid, The Girl on the Train, and Verity will be absolutely hooked. This is not just a thriller—it’s an emotional rollercoaster that will haunt you long after you turn the last page. A must-read for anyone who loves dark, gripping psychological suspense! #netgalley #goodbadmother

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed this story and the undertone, covering some heavy domestic topics quite well. The characters evolved nicely, as did the storyline.

I loved some of the characters and hated some of them-appropriately for the story!

My only twinge of eh, was that it’s a bit repetitive when it came to laying down the groundwork early on.

The reveal was well played out; I guessed one aspect of it but still loved how it came together.

Overall, I can highly recommend Good Bad Mother!

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance listener copy.

I really enjoyed this thriller! It was pretty good! The audiobook was good as well. I listened to it in one sitting. The storyline kept me hooked. Some of the twists surprised me. I seen some of it coming, but not all. This is my first book by this author. I’ll definitely have to check out some other books by her! If you want a quick thriller that’s hard to put down, then definitely check this one out!

Such an amazing read, my first by this author but certainly not my last. A story of the challenges of motherhood, past secrets and guilt! It drew me in literally from the beginning and kept my attention by making me continue to guess what’s going on. Amelia has buried secrets & lies from her past, that she is trying to keep buried. Suddenly letters begin to appear threatening to reveal what she is trying to keep hidden. Her paranoia threatens all her current relationships, including with her new husband Timothy and her awful in-laws. A must read that I highly recommended. Absolutely amazing narration, they really brought the characters to life. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Good Bad Mother is a fast paced, super quick popcorn thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me on the edge of my seat. There were so many secrets, lies. The twists and turns were perfectly placed and revealed at the right time. Some things were predictable but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. It was a truly entertaining read.

The characters are absolutely despicable and flawed which made it for an even more addictive read. The plot was fun and the major twist did catch me off guard. I don't want to reveal too much, you'll just have to read it for yourself!

Overall, this was a super fun and entertaining read. Never a dull moment, kept me hooked and intrigued from beginning to end.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @bookoutureaudio & @anyamora for my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to give a book a bad review but I also think it is important to be honest. This book was so repetitive. All of it was just so cringe. The characters had no depth and the writing was a bit juvenile.
The twist at the end saved it from a one-star review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the audio ARC of this title.

This book was good. The parts I liked outweighed the parts I disliked. It had a slow start and I felt there was a lot of repetitive thinking on the protagonist's end but once the family dynamics kicked in, I was hooked. I would love to have had more of that. The narrator did a fine job.
All in all, I round it up to 4 stars.
Thanks to the publishers for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.