This was an easy read. I really love how the author wrote postpartum depression. I feel like all of her descriptions of motherhood, c sections, and the terrifying newness of bringing a baby home were right on the money.
This is more of a drama than a thriller, so good though. I was invested in the story Spiro was weaving the entire time.
Thank you so much netgalley and Minotaur for inviting me to read this one! Would recommend.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the audiobook and eBook!

As someone who really loves what I call "baby mama drama thrillers", I was so excited for this one!

I loved the post-partum aspect a lot and watching our main character, Brynn, navigate life after motherhood. That aspect felt very realistic!

In this case I actually cared more about Brynn and her motherhood struggles than I did about the actual mystery. Once the mystery started coming to a conclusion, it was told to the read very matter-of-factly and not revealed in a creative way.

I also struggled with the repetition of so many of the same points and lines over and over again, especially surrounding the reveal.

Overall, it was an easy and quick read, but not one that will stand out to me!

SUCH A GOOD MOM has a plot that appeals to me, more of a domestic thriller.
I did like the ambience, the setting and - in general - the cast of characters and the mystery.
However, Spiro's writing failed to hold my attention. I just didn't clique with it.
Also, I isually don't mind slow-paced mysteries when I'm invested in the story or, more importantly, with the author's writing. That didn't happen here with this book, unfortunately. I've struggled with the pacing and I wanted less drama and more chilling mystery.
The audiobook narrator is, in my opinion, decent enough. She does a decent job voicing all the different characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to this audio copy in advanced.

This is a serious book about postpartum depression with a murder mystery on the side. Brynn is a first time sleep-deprived mom, totally in denial that she is severely depressed, questioning her worth, her ability to be a mom, her marriage, her career, her own mother, her extended family, her baby son’s love for her and her husband’s loyalty. Ross has been less than a perfect father, not always aware how overwhelmed his wife is, but still obviously in love with her. Brynn and Ross are residents of Martha’s Vineyard, a relatively small place in the off season. Ross is employed by his father’s shady construction company, and of course, everyone on Martha’s Vineyard knows everyone. As if things couldn’t get worse, Ross is suddenly accused of murdering another islander. He insists he’s innocent, tells Brynn not to trust anyone(including his family), and to look for the “orange sun.”

Even as Brynn’s world is imploding, she does believe Ross couldn’t have killed anyone, and she tries to figure out who was really responsible.

The murder mystery is simple, but the story is still overwhelmed by Brynn’s state of mind. We get multiple flashbacks to Brynn’s awkward relationship with her own mother and stories of childbirth followed by the disappointment of motherhood. As much as you want the murder to be solved, you also want Brynn to break away and get the mental health support she really needs.

The audiobook is superbly narrated by Abigail Reno, who brings Brynn to life and allows us to empathize with her. But, overall, this is a sad book with a broken main character. 3.5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the narration.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors are mentioned, but a lot of tears are shed.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Not much is mentioned about the unique vegetation of the Vineyard.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

As a mother of two and someone with a history of post partum depression, the realness of early motherhood was beautifully captured. For Brynn, the sleepless nights, the changes in her relationship, losing her identity, and struggling to keep up with the daily basics is a enough to bury her, but then add in the fact that her husband has just been arrested for the murder of a young woman…how is she supposed to get through this? This explores the importance of support systems, friends, and admitting when we need help. The focus is on Brynn and what she is going through mentally and emotionally during this time of her life. The murder is obviously significant, but the story leans more strongly as women’s fiction novel vs mystery/thriller. I do wish there was more depth regarding the other mothers in the book and their relationship to Brynn throughout the book. Some of that seemed rushed at the end. It would have been a great through line/mirror/juxtaposition.

The narrator did a fabulous job! Especially for the emotional acting required.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Apr 29 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me an ARC Audio edition of Such a Good Mom.

3.5 Stars

I devoured this thriller about a newly postpartum mom whose husband is arrested for murder. Being 1 year postpartum with my second, so many things in this story were relatable and its a great insight into the mind of a new mother suffering from post partum depression. The setting of Martha's Vineyard gave this a beachy feel. The "who done it?" kept me going to see how it ended. However, by the end the twist was somewhat expected. While I enjoyed this story, it failed in some areas and won't be a reread for me. The narration of the audiobook was done very well.

I've read two other Spiro books, so naturally, I was excited to dive into this one. Full was a hit for me, and Such A Good Mom? Well, I devoured it. Spiro absolutely nails the absurd, soul-crushing pressure society dumps on women to be the perfect mom—because, of course, if you’re not hand-pureeing organic vegetables while running on two hours of sleep, you’re basically failing.

Some reviewers found the postpartum scenes intense, but let’s be real—what’s a good psychological thriller without a little emotional distress? If a book about motherhood doesn’t make you question your life choices at least once, is it even doing its job? Those moments were crucial to understanding Brynn, and Spiro handled them with just the right amount of grit.

I won’t spoil anything, but if you love thrillers that keep you engaged without needing a detective board and a PhD in plot analysis, this one's for you. It’s the perfect blend of “What fresh hell is this?” and “I physically cannot stop reading.”

Also, minor detail, but I now have an urgent need to vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. Not the point of the book, I know—but still, priorities.

3.5⭐️
Overall I enjoyed reading this in that I wanted to get to the end to find out what happened. But the book doesn’t know what it wants to be. Its description dangles that’s it’s a “perfect beach read” and puts it in the Women’s fiction category, however, it wants to be a mystery/thriller. A beach read it is not.

I liked the “mystery” part of the book the most even if it’s overly predictable. It does give an interesting examination of post partum depression. It goes into detail about scenarios the FMC brings up in her head as well as some frightening intrusive thoughts. There is a lot of prose dedicated to the mundane newborn activities that don’t drive the story forward.

I listened to the audiobook and that’s where the biggest problem was. The narrator Abigail Reno did a fine job with the recitation with one glaring issue… she said a majority of the geographic locations wrong. It was really frustrating to listen to when you’re a person who lives in the area that the book mentions. Massachusetts towns and locals are notorious for being stumpers for people not from here. It was disappointing that the narrator didn’t do even the small amount of research into how to say them properly and that the author approved the final copy of the audiobook.

I recommend the book to read but not the audiobook for the above reason.

I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Macmilliam 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

This book should come with a trigger warning if it doesn't. I kept thinking throughout the book that an expectant mom or new mom may not want to read this book. That being said, it was a good story. The author really did a good job describing PPD throughout the book. I liked the suspense and the mystery around whodunnit. I also really enjoyed the ending. Solid Read!

I managed to finish this audiobook in just one day. Wow. What an intricately woven story about a family and all of their secrets. I was quite surprised at the end and was not expecting it. Really enjoyed the very well developed characters. I also loved Bryns honest account of the difficulties of being a new mom and not feeling ok with sharing the difficulties with others for fear of judgement. This was a very down to earth and realistic suspense novel. Great narration. Phenomenal writing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc/alc.

This book was a delightful women's fiction/thriller novel. I think it will be a good book for fans of Elin Hilderbrand (like myself!), as she has made the decision to no longer write books set on Nantucket Island. While in no way is this the same as an Elin Hilderbrand book, I think it is a pretty good substitution. I also liked the story about all that mothers have to go through when raising their children. While I haven't had the pleasure of being a mother yet, this story really resonated with me as a woman in her twenties. I also enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Abigail Reno. I don't remember if I have ever listened to her narrate any audiobooks before, but I would definitely consider listening to more in the future. Furthermore, I definitely want to see what Julia Spiro writes next!

3.5 ⭐️

SUCH A GOOD MOM by Julia Spiro

Brynn is a new mom and is very overwhelmed by her baby Lucas. She’s deeply struggling with postpartum depression, and I felt Spiro gave a very accurate portrayal of a new mom who can’t focus, can’t sleep, is worrying about everything, and feels like she is doing so much worse than every other mother that she knows. To top it all off, her husband Ross is being accused of murder.

➕ I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an accurate portrayal of postpartum depression. The author did a really good job, but I can see it being *too much* for a lot of readers.
➕ I appreciated following Brynn’s evolution throughout the novel.

➖ The mystery element didn’t carry the book. There was a murder, but solving it felt extraneous to Brynn’s internal machinations.
➖ Ross, Brynn’s husband, was a bit too milquetoast to care much about.

While I thought the mystery element was rather weak in this novel, I did enjoy the writing and thought Spiro did an excellent job capturing the lived experience of postpartum depression.

I thought the audiobook narrator Abigail Reno did a great job conveying the turmoil that Brynn was going through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan Audio for an Advance Reader Copy and Advance Listener Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes April 29, 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars (Excellent)
Setting: Martha’s Vineyard
Genre: Mystery

Julia Spiro’s Such a Good Mom is a gripping, emotionally raw, and deeply immersive novel that masterfully weaves psychological suspense with an intimate exploration of postpartum struggles, marriage, and the weight of impossible choices. From the first page, Spiro draws readers into the sun-soaked yet shadow-laced world of Martha’s Vineyard, where the picture-perfect facade of summer life masks the harsh realities of loss, loneliness, and betrayal.

Brynn Nelson should have it all—a loving husband, a beautiful newborn, a thriving career—but instead, she feels like she’s drowning. Spiro captures the quiet unraveling of a new mother with devastating authenticity, painting Brynn’s sleepless nights and self-doubt in painstakingly real strokes. Her emotional turmoil intensifies when tragedy strikes: a family friend, Cecelia Buckley, is found dead, and Brynn’s already fragile world is shattered when her husband, Ross, is arrested for the murder. The novel effortlessly balances the intricacies of Brynn’s internal battles with the high-stakes suspense of the murder mystery, making it impossible to put down.

Spiro excels at crafting complex, relatable characters, and Brynn is no exception. She is raw, flawed, and achingly human, making her journey not only compelling but profoundly moving. The novel doesn’t just explore Brynn’s search for the truth about Cecelia’s murder—it examines her desperate search for herself amid the chaos of early motherhood. The setting of Martha’s Vineyard, with its stark contrast between beauty and hidden darkness, serves as the perfect backdrop for the novel’s tension and emotional depth.

What makes Such a Good Mom exceptional is its ability to intertwine a psychological thriller with a deeply personal, introspective narrative. It is not just a murder mystery; it is a poignant meditation on identity, trust, and the often invisible struggles of new motherhood. Spiro’s prose is both elegant and sharp, immersing the reader in a story that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling.

While the novel delivers a fast-paced mystery, it is its emotional resonance that truly lingers. Brynn’s journey is one that many will see themselves in—whether as a mother, a wife, or simply as someone who has ever felt lost in their own life. Such a Good Mom is an unforgettable read, and Julia Spiro once again proves her talent for writing with both heart and intensity.

Highly recommended for readers who love psychological thrillers with depth, emotional honesty, and a protagonist who feels real in every sense of the word. Such a Good Mom is not just a page-turner; it’s a deeply affecting story that stays with you long after the final chapter. #netgalley #suchagood mom #booked_this_weekend

Brynn and her husband Ross are spending the summer on Martha’s Vineyard with their newborn. She should be happy, but Brynn is weighed down with doubts. When one of their friends turns up dead in the surf, Ross is a prime suspect. How well does Bryn really know her husband? This is a pacy read that throws in enough red herrings to keep readers on their toes