This book was real and raw for me as a mom. The thoughts and feelings Brynn had as a new mom are so common but unspoken. I loved how her journey with motherhood paralleled with her navigating her world as her husband gets arrested for murder! I say this time and time again, I love a book with dramatic rich people. When done well it adds a flair to the book.

I would say to all moms new or veteraned this book is a raw fictional take on motherhood and identity. Brynn does have some intrusive thoughts that maybe triggering for some.

I was entertained and sucked into this book the whole time. I loved the audio. Thank MacMillian Audio for this ALC.

This domestic thriller delivered a gripping plot and a solid twist. While I prefer a faster pace, the slow unraveling of Brynn’s life kept me hooked. The author captured the exhaustion and isolation of postpartum life so well—it took me right back to those tough newborn days.

The Martha’s Vineyard setting added to the intrigue, its idyllic beauty clashing with the darkness creeping into Brynn’s world. As she struggles with doubt and the shocking accusations against her husband, the tension builds steadily, making it hard to put down.

Though the pacing lagged at times, the mystery was well-crafted, and the emotional depth made it stand out. A compelling, atmospheric read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

DNFing this one at 32%. Bryn's postpartum depression is so vivid that it is triggering me. I may pick this one back up because I am truly engaged, but for now, I am tabling it.

My first book by this author, but certainly not my last. I am a huge Elin Hilderbrand fan, so I knew this book was right up my alley. A murder mystery, taking place on the small, picturesque island of Martha’s Vineyard. Everyone is connected, and there could be a lot of motives, so who did it?
I love the small town feel with an air of mystery. This is a perfect summer, beach read

This author also writes heavily about postpartum and the experience of becoming a first time mom. There were so many times listening that I actually said oh my God or oh wow out loud because of how much it brought me back to a place you almost forget exists once you’re on the other side. At one point in the book, she describes the fact motherhood has you forgetting how hard it actually was at the time. I love being a mom and have more confidence, but I would say most women and I certainly was one of them, were so sad and so unsure for so long in the beginning. Always second-guessing and questioning every decision that got us here and are we enough. I think so many times women are afraid to recall motherhood truthfully because we grow to love our children so much that we feel guilty for ever feeling any other way. Makes complete sense, but it is also refreshing hearing someone else write about it, it felt like talking to a best friend!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book.

This one was fast paced, the narrator was great, and the story was full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this one and feel like anyone wanting a quick thriller, this is the one!

SUCH A GOOD MOM was a great story that kept me up late at night. It is an emotional read but also one I won't soon forget. Thank you so much for my gifted ALC.

I read the excerpt from the Minotaur sampler and was looking forward to this book because it starts off with a bang. Unfortunately, it focused entirely on the protagonist and the mystery was insignificant. Yes there is a murder but the story is told from Brynn’s POV, she is completely focused on herself. I understand that she’s experiencing postpartum depression which is an important topic but she’s also extremely self-centered and exhausting. I have never disliked a character so much.
Personally, I feel that if this novel was listed as women’s fiction and/or the synopsis was written differently, the target audience would not be the same. This is not a mystery thriller in my opinion; Poor Cecelia is completely lost in this story until the few chapters.
I do believe the plot had potential as a mystery and it was well-written.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received an advance audiobook copy of Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro from netgalley.

I really liked this book. The narration was well done and enjoyable to listen to.

Such a Good Mom has a little of everything. I could totally relate to the struggles of new motherhood and all the comes with it.

There's plenty of mystery and suspense. The twists will blow your mind. Definitely a recommended read.

4.5 stars! I know this book has mixed reviews, but I thought it was great if you appreciate a good domestic thriller. I'm also a sucker for any novel set on Martha's Vineyard, so that helped. That being said, I can see how those who have not personally experienced pregnancy and/or motherhood may not find Such A Good Mom and it's female main character (Brynn) relatable, but for those who have, Spiro writes in searing honesty about the experience of new moms.

Brynn is struggling juggling the responsibilities of a new baby with her job as a writer on an idyllic and affluent island. Like may in the postpartum phase, she experiences brain fog, negative thoughts about her altered body, and feels increasingly distant from and misunderstood by her husband. Perpetually exhausted and at her wit's end, her life crumbles when the dead body of a young woman on the island is discovered, and her husband is subsequently arrested for murder.

Brynn's journalistic instinct kicks in, and she decides to investigate whether her husband is really guilty, or he is being framed by someone else on the island. However, her chronic fatigue and "baby brain" make her a bit of an unreliable narrator, as she is constantly second guessing herself, her husband, and her life's choices. I loved the plot twists combined with the raw and emotional insight into the trials and tribulations of mothers, which really resonated with me and made for a compelling read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled to get through this one due to the emphasis on the FMC’s battle with postpartum depression rather than the actual mystery plot line. The cover and synopsis led me to feel the book would be a good summer beach mystery, but the subject was much heavier than anticipated. As someone who was diagnosed with PPD and failed to emotionally connect to with my firstborn infant, I can attest that Spiro’s portrayal of these struggled are incredibly realistic. I think there was a good premise here, but the murder mystery plot just lacked enough originality to hold my attention. However, I will definitely give this author a second chance!

The audiobook narrator did a nice job portraying the FMC’s anxieties, struggled, and captured the suspense of the mystery well.

I absolutely loved this book! If I hadn’t been able to figure out who did it way before the book ended, I would have for sure given it five stars. Even with figuring out the main plot, I felt like there were still plenty of small twists and turns to keep me entertained. I would definitely recommend this book to others!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC audiobook.

This was a miss for me. A woman dealing with postpartum deals with her husband being main suspect in murder. The premise sounded amazing, but missed the mark for me to be a great thriller.

#ad many thanks to StMartins Press for my advance copy & @netgalley for the ALC

Umm. Hmm. Okay. I liked? This book - the mystery intrigued me, the writing was great, and so were the characters. But most of this book is focused on postpartum, gender roles, chapped nipples and being a new mom.

The book would have been fantastic if it didn’t keep going on and on about these issues. I’d say the book is 75% about being a new mom - which was relatable - while the other 25% focuses on the mystery. Seriously I must have read/heard the word “nipples” at least 5000 times.

You might enjoy this one more if you’re looking for more of a women’s lit type of book with a light murder mystery. If you’re expecting a mystery/thriller well, you will get that too but you’ll also get a bunch of repeating troubles on motherhood.

I don’t even know how to rate this book. There’s so much that’s great about it but also a lot that isn’t.

Will def check out future books by this author however because I enjoyed her writing. The audio was perfect however and the narrators really did a great job.

If you are looking for a story that is about a mother struggling with postpartum depression (and maybe even anxiety) this is the book for you. The struggles of postpartum motherhood and mental health challenges are well depicted. But that is pretty much all the book is about. The FMC is struggling with postpartum when her husband is arrested for murder. She struggles with her feelings towards him and motherhood. She is resistant to help and trusts very few people. The book was more about her struggles than the murder, which I was not expecting. I wanted a little more from the murder aspect of the story, which was fine, but predictable and not the main focus. I think if you want a story about mental health challenges, especially as a new mother, this book will check all of your boxes. It was just not what I was looking for and became repetitive and frustrating to me (not the depression, but the constant descriptions of her challenges.)

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I liked the premise of this book.

New Mom Brynn lives on Martha's vineyard with her husband. She's a successful woman with a busy life, but she is now suffering from post-partum depression.

When her husband is accused of murder, she is stunned - he wouldn't do that, would he? She decides she needs to find out who the real murder is, but she's barely functional.

I struggled a little with the book, as it's not really a mystery, and is more women's fiction. It is certainly not a beach read, as it brings up a lot of difficult situations. Brynn is unable to really bond with her baby and regrets having given birth at times. There is a lot of information about caring for a newborn, and it's repeated several times. I think women who have struggled with depression like this would appreciate this book, but for me it dragged.

I listened to the book and I think the narrator did a good job with the places and people. She sounded very sympathetic of Brynn's situations.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I did want Brynn to resolve her issues of postpartum depression, anxiety around motherhood, and being somewhat estranged from her parents, and all that took some time!

The story is set on Martha’s Vineyard. Brynn’s husband Ross is part of a family construction business and his father, mother, and brother are somewhat overpowering and definitely have insinuated themselves in Brynn’s life, especially his mother Margo. A murder occurs on the island shortly after Brynn and Ross become parents, and Ross is arrested for the crime. The author did a good job of setting up that mystery and I was in the dark until shortly before the reveal.

The narration was really top notch! I loved the audiobook and highly recommend it. Motherhood changes women, some more than others, and I could identify with Brynn on several levels.

Four sparkling stars! I enjoyed the book.

I received a copy of the digital ALC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Collen Chi-Girl on GR
3 STARS
Pub Date Apr 29 2025
Macmillan Audio
Author: Julia Spiro; Narrator: Abigail Reno

I love a good audiobook and enjoyed most of this one. I'm not sure if it's really a beach read or a mystery/thriller, but what Julia Spiro nails is suffering in young motherhood with postpartum depression. The FMC Brynn grew up on Martha's Vineyard, but without the moneyed family like many of the islanders. Her parents are hardworking teachers who eventually had to leave the island in order to retire on the nearby mainland and they don't seem to emotionally support her.

Brynn is married to a local man, Ross, who comes from the very wealthy families we hear about. She is a new mother and going through severe postpartum depression. It's so bad that she should've sought help, but how often do we care for others and not for our own very serious problems and needs. Because of her severe PPD and feeling abandoned by her sweet but unhelpful husband, Brynn's world is pretty tough and therefore, we readers live through it too through her POV. Her constant self-doubt, complaining, imagined and real reasons for negativity and depression, are hard to listen to during the entire novel. Nothing about this is a beach read because of this, so I'd highly suggest the publisher relabel this.

Brynn must have been an amazing person at one time because she has THE BEST AND KINDEST pack of friends anyone could imagine. They're supportive and wonderful in every way, and one of them is a mom of 3 who obviously floats through young motherhood with positivity and delight. Brynn and her husband barely speak to each other, but when they do, Ross is always complementary and loving, however, he isn't a true partner who sees what his wife is going through and joins in at home to take part in his baby and wife's lives. He does offer on occasion "to help her" by unloading the dishwasher, or watching his baby so Brynn can shower and feels like he did amazing things. For this generation on a hip island, Ross has a very 1950s viewpoint of fatherhood. He does enlist the help of his Mom, which gives Brynn much needed breaks by watching their baby. Brynn just can't seem to pull it together with the help of her friends and MIL, and is very angry with Ross without communicating to him what her expectations of this family journey are and what she needs from him. This became spiraling, repetitive, depressing, and annoying, because I expected a mystery or thriller, and also because like many other mothers, I raised my child without my parents, in-law's, or adult siblings nearby, while all my friends had their own busy lives and children. BUT, I didn't suffer from PPD (just sheer exhaustion), and I had a husband who jumped in whenever he was home. Motherhood isn't easy as we all know.


Eventually the story switches to a mystery when a local woman is found drowned, and of all people, her husband, Ross, is charged with her murder. Could things get worse for Brynn!? She begins doubting how well she knows her husband and her imagination of what he did/does is pretty awful. . Her fragile mental state is core to ongoing feelings and her lack of reality. I think I would've enjoyed this story just as a female literature story of this time period in a young mother's life, even without the mystery. But I hung in there and used some suspending disbelief as the ending unfolded.

Thank you to Macmilliam Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

3.5 stars

I picked up this book because of my familiarity with the setting of Martha’s Vineyard and found a compelling mystery. It’s the story of a new mother struggling with postpartum depression with a thriller wrapped in.

Brynn has been struggling with motherhood, with the connection with her baby, the sleep depravation, and feeling like enough. She resents her husbands ability to be a part time parent while he works but when a young woman is found dead at the beach and her husband is arrested for the murder she doesn’t believe he did it and wants to prove it.

I thought the mystery was very compelling, although their marriage has been difficult after the birth of her baby Brynn doesn’t believe he did it.

The representation of postpartum depression was well written, you could feel the struggle and difficulty through the page. The book went into detail about the intrusive thoughts and the struggle that mothers feel. I wish there was more of an emphasis on the mystery and less on the struggle. This book was advertised as a beach read and I think the heavy subject matter wouldn’t fit in the category of beach read.

I felt like the narrator did a great job with her tone and pacing but my biggest issue came with the location pronunciations. I am from the area and it was jarring to hear the narrator mispronounce various places.

This was a great mystery that dealt with some difficult subject matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC.

Let me start off saying that my feelings for this character are not a reflection on how I feel about Postpartum Depression. It is real, and women's feeling while going through it are valid and should be understood and heard more. I have been through it, twice, and I have had friends who have had it. each of us had various degrees of it, some had it lightly, and some had it horribly, so I want to again say, I do not discredit anyones time dealing with PPD.

SO. Such A Good Mom dealt heavily with PPD, new mother Brynn Nelson had just had a baby and suffered heavily with it. Her and her husband live on Marthas Vineyard, and like most of the permanent residences there, they have no worries about money. A friend of the family is found washed up on the shore, and to make matters worse for Brynn her husband is arrested for the murder.

Sounds good right? But the story lost me before I got to the half way part. First if all with all the struggles she has with her baby and PPD she sets out to clear her husbands name and find the really killer. I did find that a bit of a stretch, but that isn't where the book lost me, what lost me was the thriller part of the book, it seemed to get lost right along with me. The main concentration seemed to me her being a mother, which honestly just did not hold my attention. I was wanting to read a thriller, that was what I signed up for. Brynn was constantly whining about the baby, which yes can happen when you are faced with PPD, but girl, you are wealthy , you have every means to get help, help that many women have absolutely have no access to. There was no reason for her to suffer or solve a murder for godsake.

I lost all concern for her, and at this point wasn't even fond of her. I also felt that the writer overused the PPD to make Brynn look unreliable to the reader. I just think the entire PPD situation could have been better handled. I did finish Such A Good Mom, but have to admit, I did fast forward here and there just so I could fin out who the killer was.

Such A Good Mom had great potential, I just wished we had less motherhood and more thriller.

Such a Good Mom is a book appropriately categorized as Women's Fiction, with a description that reads as a Thriller. I felt like this genre mashup was going to be excellent. Unfortunately, the blend isn't nearly as seamless as it should have been. I felt like I was pulled between two different books, not in a good way.

The book follows the story of new mom Brynn who's struggling with PPD. Much of the book is heavily focused on her experience readjusting to life with a newborn, which would have been great representation of an overlooked topic had it not felt so surface-level. You hear a lot about breastfeeding struggles, exhaustion from not sleeping through the night, and the loneliness that comes from feeling like you're doing everything on your own. As a mom, I could connect with much of what was said, but it didn't have the depth or punch to make it read as believable.

The thriller side of this book felt forced and underwhelming. A wealthy family full of secrets, a twist I immediately predicted, and too many cliches to count. And in the middle of this scandal, you continuously hear all about how much Brynn is struggling with motherhood.

The story felt disorganized and disjointed. It wanted to be great, but it majorly missed the mark.

Abigail Reno's 5-star narration made the story tolerable, I think this would have been a DNF had I read it.

Pub Date: April 29, 2025

2.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC of this book!