The School for Good Mothers
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- Create Date：2021-12-30 18:21:19
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Jessamine Chan
- ISBN：1982156120
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Summary
In this taut and explosive debut novel， one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance。
Frida Liu is struggling。 She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices。 What’s worse is she can’t persuade her husband， Gust， to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress。 Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her。 Harriet may be all she has， but she’s just enough。
Until Frida has a horrible day。
The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida — ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words， mothers who only have one lapse of judgement。 Now， a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion。 Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet， Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers — that she can learn to be good。
This propulsive， witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect” upper-middle-class parenting， the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other， and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter。
Frida Liu is struggling。 She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices。 What’s worse is she can’t persuade her husband， Gust， to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress。 Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her。 Harriet may be all she has， but she’s just enough。
Until Frida has a horrible day。
The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida — ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words， mothers who only have one lapse of judgement。 Now， a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion。 Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet， Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers — that she can learn to be good。
This propulsive， witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect” upper-middle-class parenting， the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other， and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter。
Reviews
Keathe （RomanceBooksFan） Steigert
，
When Frida is reported to authorities for leaving her 18 month old alone in her home for a few hours， her life is turned upside down by a new rehabilitation program being tested in her area。 The School for Good Mothers demands almost unacheivable perfection from the students in their parenting of strange android-like children。 The racial and gender biases are intense within the program， and the standards for being a 'good' parent are ridiculous at times。I appreciated where the author was trying When Frida is reported to authorities for leaving her 18 month old alone in her home for a few hours， her life is turned upside down by a new rehabilitation program being tested in her area。 The School for Good Mothers demands almost unacheivable perfection from the students in their parenting of strange android-like children。 The racial and gender biases are intense within the program， and the standards for being a 'good' parent are ridiculous at times。I appreciated where the author was trying to go with this premise。 The book certainly will stay with me， and I it has definitely caused me to think long and hard about some of the issues with the current state of the children and youth program， but something about it just didn't sit well。 Perhaps that was the objective of the author， but this one wasn't my cup of tea。Thank you so much to Simon & Shuster for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
KKEC Reads
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The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine ChanPublished: January 4， 2021Simon & SchusterPages: 336KKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this novel for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Jessamine Chan’s short stories have appeared in Tin House and Epoch。 A former reviews editor at Publishers Weekly， she holds an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and a BA from Brown University。 Her work has received support from the Elizabeth George Foundation， the Bread Loaf Writers’ The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine ChanPublished: January 4， 2021Simon & SchusterPages: 336KKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this novel for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Jessamine Chan’s short stories have appeared in Tin House and Epoch。 A former reviews editor at Publishers Weekly， she holds an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and a BA from Brown University。 Her work has received support from the Elizabeth George Foundation， the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference， the Wurlitzer Foundation， the Jentel Foundation， the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center， the Anderson Center， the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts， and the Ragdale Foundation。 She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter。“I am a bad mother， but I am learning to be good。”Frieda is a single mother co-parenting with her ex-husband， who had an affair and decided to end their marriage。 When Frieda makes a terrible mistake， her works as she knows it completely crumbles， and she finds herself attempting to explain; but no one will listen。 Now， Frieda must claim to be things she isn’t， say something she doesn’t mean- for the slim opportunity that she will get her daughter back。This book hurt my heart for so many reasons。 Frieda is such a beautifully sad character。 Gust was surprisingly not an entire piece of garbage， considering。 Also， I was not too fond of a lot of this book。 The writing is beautiful， and the story is well told。 The characters are represented well。 But my god。 The atrocities these women faced。 I did enjoy the fact that this novel focused on the unrealistic standards we hold women， especially mothers， too。 A mother should live for their child。 Nothing else matters。 Mothers lose their identities in motherhood。 Frieda suddenly wasn’t a woman who made mistakes， and she was a bad mother。 She was a narcissist。 The mental and emotional abuse is unreal。The home was terrifying。 The dolls， terrifying。 The brain scans， the examinations， the keepers in pink- scary hearing these women share their stories， and yes， some were bad， and hearing the treatment was enough to make me need a timeout。 Frieda is a beautiful character。 The things she represents， the love she has for her daughter， her desire to be good， and good enough。 I found her complex yet simple。 She wanted the things most people want out of life， to be a good mom， take care of her family， make her parents proud， find love， be happy， be accepted。 Be good enough。 I loved how Chinese culture was lightly woven throughout this novel， and I loved Frieda’s parents; her dad melted my heart。 The way race， ethnicity， and culture are discussed in this novel are essential。 Representation matters and Emmanuelle was a way of representing so much。Jessamine Chan wrote a beautiful story about family， culture， tradition， and motherhood。 Jessamine Chan also turned the floodlights on the unreal expectations that are placed on mothers every single day。Did Frieda mess up？ Yes。 Should she have been reprimanded？ Definitely， but the things she was put through。 The things that were taken away。 The things she witnessed。 Wow。This is a heavy novel with a lot to unpack。 But it is powerful， necessary， sad， and scary。 Jessamine Chan isn’t holding back- she’s kicking 2022 off with an emotionally captivating story that will grip you from page one。 强大的。 母親。 永恆的愛。 好媽媽。 。。。more
Shelby
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I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review。Postpartum depression can be tough enough on a mother; now imagine having postpartum depression， a divorce， and having your adulterous ex-husband moving in with his mistress， who now thinks she has a larger say in how your child is parented。 This is what Frida's life has become。 Frida， a first generation child of Chinese Immigrant parents， recently moved to Philadelphia for her white husband， only to have he I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review。Postpartum depression can be tough enough on a mother; now imagine having postpartum depression， a divorce， and having your adulterous ex-husband moving in with his mistress， who now thinks she has a larger say in how your child is parented。 This is what Frida's life has become。 Frida， a first generation child of Chinese Immigrant parents， recently moved to Philadelphia for her white husband， only to have her husband leave her for his mistress not long after she became pregnant with their first child。 Frida is now trapped in a city she never wanted to live in - far from her family and friends - in order maintain her court-appointed custody agreement。 Ultimately， this leads Frida to having one very bad day - leaving her infant daughter alone for less than two hours while she ran to the office to gather the files she forgot to bring home the day before。Child Protective Services are called。 Harriett， her daughter， is placed in the custody of her father and Susanna - his mistress turned girlfriend， and psychological evaluations and supervised visits become Frida's life until her trial date。 In the end， the Judge determines that Frida is a Bad Mother but gives her the choice。 Frida can either lose custody， or complete a new government funded training programs for bad mothers for a chance to regain custody rights。 Frida chooses the later， requiring her to sign an NDA of this experimental program。 Failure to maintain the NDA， or complete the program， resulted in being added to a registration list and loosing all future parental rights。I am not a mother， but I could not help but feel a connection to Frida in this dystopian novel。 The School for Good Mothers， was eerily reminiscent of the "Handmaids" training program from "The Handmaid's Tale。" Childless women in pink coats dictate the "correct" way to provide motherese by providing each women with a doll。 The only kicker is， the dolls were sentient AIs。 They could feel love， fear， and pain - which they experienced numerous occasions by the hands of the trainers。This novel was thought-provoking and gut wrenching: but should come with a few triggers warnings。 。。。more
Lauren
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Frida Liu’s life has begun to spiral out of control。 Her seemingly wonderful husband cheated on her and has started an entirely new life with his mistress， a wellness obsessed younger woman。 Frida has prestigious degrees and a job in academic writing， but is constantly behind deadlines and struggling to keep her work from home status。 She loves her young daughter Harriet， but Harriet is also a source of stress - the screaming， the crying， the pickiness - when she has to essentially be a single w Frida Liu’s life has begun to spiral out of control。 Her seemingly wonderful husband cheated on her and has started an entirely new life with his mistress， a wellness obsessed younger woman。 Frida has prestigious degrees and a job in academic writing， but is constantly behind deadlines and struggling to keep her work from home status。 She loves her young daughter Harriet， but Harriet is also a source of stress - the screaming， the crying， the pickiness - when she has to essentially be a single working mother。 Frida has no friends， feels intensely judged by other moms， and is lonely。 All of this culminates in Frida’s one very bad day: overwhelmed and stressed with life and Harriet， Frida leaves her daughter in an “ExerSaucer” jumper while she leaves to get coffee… then goes to work… then answers some emails。 Frida’s neighbors call CPS on her， and the authorities take Harriet in。 Thus begins a fundamental altering of Frida’s life。 She now has to be subjected to temporary loss of her child， psychological evaluations， and supervised visits。 After all of these， a judge officially determines that Frida is a Bad Mother。 She can either lose custody of Harriet forever， or spend an entire year in a new program the government is developing: a reform school for bad mothers。 The story takes place in a very， very slight dystopia - the government doesn’t actually have a school for bad mothers where they’re assigned a humanoid doll to mother， but it’s not an inconceivable premise by any means， especially when you hear their arguments that bad mothering leads to crime， addiction， prison， and other societal ills。 This book was so good， so well-written， so realistic， and so， so difficult to read。 The subject matter is intensely emotional and dark， and even those far from motherhood can put themselves in Frida’s shoes。 Frida （and so many other mothers of color worse off than her） are trapped in an almost Kafkaesque hell of bureaucracy， never-ending meaningless tasks and grading rubrics， and government ideas of what it means to be a mother completely removed from the reality of motherhood。 It fits right in with 1984， Handmaid’s Tale， and so many others while capturing the endless difficulties of being a mother， being a woman， being raised by immigrants， and having a career。 Chan really nails the intersectionality of all of these topics and that cold， empty， hopeless feeling that dystopian fiction imparts。 Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley！ 。。。more
Liz Hein
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3。5 stars
BookBagDC
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This is a story about society's expectations about motherhood。 Life is not going well for Frida Lu。 Her husband has left her for his younger mistress。 She's struggling with raising their young daughter， Harriet， without much support and in the face of an often unsympathetic boss。 Things become overwhelming for Frida one day， and she leaves Harriet home alone to quickly grab a needed file from work。 She ends up being away from home for a few hours， leaving Harriet on her own the whole time。T This is a story about society's expectations about motherhood。 Life is not going well for Frida Lu。 Her husband has left her for his younger mistress。 She's struggling with raising their young daughter， Harriet， without much support and in the face of an often unsympathetic boss。 Things become overwhelming for Frida one day， and she leaves Harriet home alone to quickly grab a needed file from work。 She ends up being away from home for a few hours， leaving Harriet on her own the whole time。The world of this book is familiar to our present reality in most ways but one -- the state has taken a new， intrusive interest in the quality of parenting。 There is an elaborate system for people -- neighbors， ex-spouses， or even strangers -- to report parents who they view as doing an inadequate job。 When those reports come in， the state intervenes and takes aggressive action to decide if a parent should be able to continue parenting their child。 Frida is caught up in this system， and sent to a new government-run institution that seeks to redeem “bad mothers” through an invasive program that controls all aspects of the inhabitants life。 Frida believes she will do anything to be reunited with her daughter， including enduring the belittling， often arbitrary， and regularly emotionally abusive program。 But Frida finds that endurance may not be enough in face of the state’s unyielding certainty that they know what makes a good mother。This book was terrific。 Although at first blush it may seem unimaginable， the author does an excellent job of making the path to the world of the book plausible。 Through this set-up， the author offers thought-provoking critiques of expectations of what in today's world constitutes "perfect" parenting， what defines a relationship between a parent and child， the impact government policies and processes can and do have on families， and how much of this intersects with gender， race， and class。 The author deftly portrays Frida's struggles and her efforts to achieve her goal of being reunited with her daughter while battling to survive an often arbitrary system。 The book is heartbreaking in places -- a testament to how well the author created the novel's world and main character。 Very highly recommended！ 。。。more
Kate
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I need to start this review by saying that The School for Good Mothers is an exceptional social horror book - but too triggering for me personally as a mother to really enjoy all of the literary elements。 Overall， it took my breath away （though not in a good way）， and it felt like a true and somewhat accurate， albeit exaggerated commentary on motherhood in today's society。 While I would rate this book 5 stars based on concept， writing， characters and story， I think I would personally give it a I need to start this review by saying that The School for Good Mothers is an exceptional social horror book - but too triggering for me personally as a mother to really enjoy all of the literary elements。 Overall， it took my breath away （though not in a good way）， and it felt like a true and somewhat accurate， albeit exaggerated commentary on motherhood in today's society。 While I would rate this book 5 stars based on concept， writing， characters and story， I think I would personally give it a 2 star rating given that this is the scariest book I have ever read。 There were so many parts that made it uncomfortable to read， and the ending had me in tears。 This is really a book you will just have to try for yourself， and I would recommend giving it a chance。 I will warn you， especially mothers， that this book might not be for everyone。 I want to give a huge thank you to Simon & Schuster， the author and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 #netgalley #TheSchoolForGoodMotheres 。。。more
Rebecca
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I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 That。。。 was so weird。 Totally could have been an episode of Black Mirror。 Super strange concept， but something I can totally see happening in the future。 I wish they'd given just a tiny tiny bit more of what happened at the end！ I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 That。。。 was so weird。 Totally could have been an episode of Black Mirror。 Super strange concept， but something I can totally see happening in the future。 I wish they'd given just a tiny tiny bit more of what happened at the end！ 。。。more
Kaitlin Barnes
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**Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。**This book is extremely chilling and depressing， so perhaps it wasn't the best choice to read over the holidays， but I enjoyed it and I'm giving it 3。5 stars。 The book focuses on Frida， who loses custody of her daughter and is sent to a reform school for mothers。 Most of the book takes place at this school， and at the end， you discover whether Frida has made herself "worthy" of getting h **Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。**This book is extremely chilling and depressing， so perhaps it wasn't the best choice to read over the holidays， but I enjoyed it and I'm giving it 3。5 stars。 The book focuses on Frida， who loses custody of her daughter and is sent to a reform school for mothers。 Most of the book takes place at this school， and at the end， you discover whether Frida has made herself "worthy" of getting her daughter back。 I thought the author did a fabulous job of incorporating real-life issues of racism and classism into the school， and I also loved the way that she contrasted the school for mothers with the school for fathers。 It was a great commentary on how society views each parent differently。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Frida is a newly single mom who is struggling and makes a mistake that sends her to the school for good mothers。 A state run school to help mothers become better mothers during a year long program。 Very Handmaidesque。 Dystopion， dark， broody， depressing。 I thought the story line had so much potential but at the very core didn't have much compassion for the main character which in turn made the story drag on。 *Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Frida is a newly single mom who is struggling and makes a mistake that sends her to the school for good mothers。 A state run school to help mothers become better mothers during a year long program。 Very Handmaidesque。 Dystopion， dark， broody， depressing。 I thought the story line had so much potential but at the very core didn't have much compassion for the main character which in turn made the story drag on。 *Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dennis
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I am struggling with how to review this one because the writing and the premise of this book are good， but I didn't enjoy it？ I don't know， just hear me out！ I was really excited to read Jessamine Chan's debut dystopian novel， The School for Good Mothers because I was hearing that it had Handmaid's Tale vibes。 In today's current political climate， these types of books are great self reflections on how we need to keep in mind what is happening in our society。 When Frida Liu leaves her daughte I am struggling with how to review this one because the writing and the premise of this book are good， but I didn't enjoy it？ I don't know， just hear me out！ I was really excited to read Jessamine Chan's debut dystopian novel， The School for Good Mothers because I was hearing that it had Handmaid's Tale vibes。 In today's current political climate， these types of books are great self reflections on how we need to keep in mind what is happening in our society。 When Frida Liu leaves her daughter Harriet home while running to work， she is contacted by Child Protective Services。 Frida is now at the mercy of the government after her daughter was reported to the agency due to Frida's apparent "neglect and abandonment。" After being deemed unfit， Frida is being watched by the government， and soon after is enlisted into a program for mothers who need to be taught how to become better mothers。 Will Frida live up to the test？The book sounds really good， right？ Well， sadly this book is extremely repetitive and slow， with only the insight from Frida， rather than any world building to how the government has become this authoritative。 This book may be dystopian， but it really sounded more of a book about divorced parents。 I didn't really resonate with where the book was trying to go。 I wish we had more of a bird's eye view of how society was handling this type of controlled government behavior。 However， I did enjoy the social commentary about being Chinese American in Philadelphia and the struggles Frida had with her ex-husband Gust。 Frida is a very strong protagonist and I felt for her throughout the book。 The School for Good Mothers is dark and emotional， sad and provoking， and most importantly， ended very powerfully。 The final chapters really saved this book from being a 2 star read into a 3 star read。 。。。more
Amy Brown
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Review to come
Vincent Sylvestre
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“When Frida was pregnant， her mother said that having a daughter would be like having her own real doll。”I don’t know。 The writing was good。 The concept was good。 I think the biggest issue I had with this book is the fact that we get right into it on page one， and from that moment until the end， we’re never given time to breathe。 Very rarely do we get to witness “quieter” moments that would allow us to feel closer to the main character。 Of course， the point of the story is that it’s a major disr “When Frida was pregnant， her mother said that having a daughter would be like having her own real doll。”I don’t know。 The writing was good。 The concept was good。 I think the biggest issue I had with this book is the fact that we get right into it on page one， and from that moment until the end， we’re never given time to breathe。 Very rarely do we get to witness “quieter” moments that would allow us to feel closer to the main character。 Of course， the point of the story is that it’s a major disruptive thing that happened， and Frida’s focus is solely on getting her daughter back。 But， still， once she got to the school， I feel like we could’ve seen more casual conversations with the other mothers， for example。 Subplots that would render the big important scenes more impactful。 Instead， it read like every new chapter was simply introducing a new aspect of the school—we were reading about the education， the classes， the grades， rather than learning more about the people， the victims。（Mild spoiler alert:） The last chapter was incredible， and does exactly the opposite。 It packs an emotional punch that was， in my opinion， missing from the rest of the book。Still， if you’re looking for a serious， not-so-improbable dystopian read， you should give The School for Good Mothers a try。 Don’t let this review dissuade you from reading the book—it might just be me！Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advance copy。 The School for Good Mothers will be published on January 4， 2022。 。。。more
Stephanie （abookandadog）
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It took a while to get going on the "over-bearing state" part of the story but this book had me hooked from the very beginning。 Every single emotion was palpable and intense。 The social worker made me furious。 The way motherhood is judged made me feel so uncomfortable。 Everything about this book is so raw and unflinching。 The setting and characters were so vivid， the story played out like a movie in my mind。 I loved that the supporting characters were there to build the story but I didn't get lo It took a while to get going on the "over-bearing state" part of the story but this book had me hooked from the very beginning。 Every single emotion was palpable and intense。 The social worker made me furious。 The way motherhood is judged made me feel so uncomfortable。 Everything about this book is so raw and unflinching。 The setting and characters were so vivid， the story played out like a movie in my mind。 I loved that the supporting characters were there to build the story but I didn't get lost in their numbers and remembering who they were。 This book was disturbing in all the best ways。 I hate to compare yet another book the The Handmaid's Tale but if you liked that one， this had great potential for you as well。 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher/author for this review copy in exhange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Mo
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3。2I think this is a really strong debut book It was interesting and I enjoyed the way it was written。
Cheryl
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This is a book that led me through a whole range of emotions - horror at Frida’s ‘very bad day’， anger at how she was later treated， and tears at the end。 It’s an oppressive dystopia that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale， with everything very much stacked against women and them being to blame for everything that might go wrong with their children。 The bad mothers are rounded up and sent to school to learn lessons on how to properly care for their children; a lot of these make you think and I d This is a book that led me through a whole range of emotions - horror at Frida’s ‘very bad day’， anger at how she was later treated， and tears at the end。 It’s an oppressive dystopia that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale， with everything very much stacked against women and them being to blame for everything that might go wrong with their children。 The bad mothers are rounded up and sent to school to learn lessons on how to properly care for their children; a lot of these make you think and I definitely felt like I’d fail many of the tests they have to face and pass in order to stand a chance of seeing their children again。 It was a great premise and I was completely hooked from start to finish。 The only downsides were the descriptions of Frida’s relationships with Will and Tucker; these didn’t really add to the storyline aside from making it appear that she craved male attention。 The ending was also quite abrupt and left me wondering how it would all have concluded。 Overall though， a great book that I’ll definitely be recommending to others。 4。5 Stars。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Varsha | restlessfiction
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Thank you so much for this opportunity to review The School for Good Mothers。 Unfortunately， I do not believe this book was my cup of tea。 That’s not to say that this book wasn’t beautifully written and wonderfully composed， as it was。 It just felt like a consistently dull， let heart wrenching pain for the entire duration of the novel。 The commentary on the unfair expectations set for mothers by society， that all mothers will inevitably make mistakes， that things don’t always go to plan… it reso Thank you so much for this opportunity to review The School for Good Mothers。 Unfortunately， I do not believe this book was my cup of tea。 That’s not to say that this book wasn’t beautifully written and wonderfully composed， as it was。 It just felt like a consistently dull， let heart wrenching pain for the entire duration of the novel。 The commentary on the unfair expectations set for mothers by society， that all mothers will inevitably make mistakes， that things don’t always go to plan… it resonates throughout the pages。 I don’t think that I was in the best place to read this novel when I did， so this review may be a bit biased， but I was not prepared to just find myself in an abyss of sadness for the entire duration of the novel。 It was a steady stream of misery， and I was not the greatest fan。 However， I have no doubt that I would be interested in reading other works by this author; they are incredibly talented。⭐️ 3。5 。。。more
Sarah
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An exceptional book - shocking in a way that builds almost non-stop suspense for what could possibly happen next， a horror story in its own way， and with an ending that made me exclaim。 A very nice surprise！
Kat M
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It was just okay。 I thought it was going to be more literary fiction but writing wise it was like a thriller but a very slow paced one that could have been edited down。 Most of the book I spent feeling increasingly anxious and angry at what Frida was going through even though it。 was honestly hard to have as much sympathy for her as I was meant to， since I did think her "lapse" was fairly bad and more than just a mistake。 the characters were fairly cliche and I didn't feel much resolution by the It was just okay。 I thought it was going to be more literary fiction but writing wise it was like a thriller but a very slow paced one that could have been edited down。 Most of the book I spent feeling increasingly anxious and angry at what Frida was going through even though it。 was honestly hard to have as much sympathy for her as I was meant to， since I did think her "lapse" was fairly bad and more than just a mistake。 the characters were fairly cliche and I didn't feel much resolution by the end， but it was interesting to think about the way race played into how Frida was judged。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review。 。。。more
Caralyn Rubli
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I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway through GoodreadsI really don't know what to think of this book。 It made me mad for all sorts of reasons。 It's a crazy ride。 I did not like the writing style。 I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway through GoodreadsI really don't know what to think of this book。 It made me mad for all sorts of reasons。 It's a crazy ride。 I did not like the writing style。 。。。more
ShanKL （ShopCoffeeKids - Instagram）
，
This debut novel is simply chilling as a parent。 A dystopian society where one lapse in judgment with your child can land you in The School for Good Mothers for one-year。 At the school， mothers are taught by women clad in pink lab coats。 These instructors school the mothers on when is too much coddling， kissing， hugging， what tone of voice is appropriate and basic manners to demonstrate around your own children。 The accused women are trained on life-like robotic children who record everything fo This debut novel is simply chilling as a parent。 A dystopian society where one lapse in judgment with your child can land you in The School for Good Mothers for one-year。 At the school， mothers are taught by women clad in pink lab coats。 These instructors school the mothers on when is too much coddling， kissing， hugging， what tone of voice is appropriate and basic manners to demonstrate around your own children。 The accused women are trained on life-like robotic children who record everything for the judge and juror to decide if you will get your children back at the completion of the program。 The stakes are high for these mothers as ALL they want are to be good moms and their kids back。 This novel was uncomfortable to read as it draws attention to the disparity between men and women and the challenges with parenting across race， religion and class。 Highly recommend if you enjoy The Handmaids Tale type story。 WOW what a novel！ "I am a bad mother， but I am learning to be good。" Thank you Simon & Schuster for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Devon
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Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of The School for Good Mothers。 4 stars for this emotional， terrifying， dystopian Handmaid’s Tale meets Orange is the New Black novel。 Chan’s writing is taut and doesn’t back。 We meet Frida， a mother to an 18 month old daughter who *just needs a break*。 I too am a mom to a 2 year old， and I get it。 Only， she made a critical mistake and CPS was called （no children are harmed in the book）。 The family judge decides that she will be entered into Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of The School for Good Mothers。 4 stars for this emotional， terrifying， dystopian Handmaid’s Tale meets Orange is the New Black novel。 Chan’s writing is taut and doesn’t back。 We meet Frida， a mother to an 18 month old daughter who *just needs a break*。 I too am a mom to a 2 year old， and I get it。 Only， she made a critical mistake and CPS was called （no children are harmed in the book）。 The family judge decides that she will be entered into a new school that will teach mothers how to be better mothers。 Chan does an excellent job of spotlighting the gray in-between of morality。 Who should be considered a good or bad mother？ What thoughts make you a bad mother？ Are mothers held to a different standard than fathers？ Frida creates unlikely friendships while navigating a surveillance system （think dolls and brain scans）。 I found that the “lessons” being taught were ones that society pushes on mothers and ends up being the voices in our heads。 Every decision I make for my daughter， from TV watching to eating fruit snacks， I weigh and think about what is right or wrong。 I think this novel will be an excellent book club choice， especially for all parents/guardians。 So much to discuss！ 。。。more
Jalia Shelley
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Creepy dystopian thriller！ Frida is a young single mother who is exhausted。 On what she calls her very bad day， Frida leaves her toddler daughter alone for 2。5 hours。 As a result of her lapse of judgement she is sent to a government run program to become a good mother。 Frida must attend the camp for a year with very little phone contact with her daughter or risk loosing all parental contact。 Extremely dark tale that is impossible to put down。 Thank you NetGalley for this excellent book。
Stuart Mcdonald
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3。5 stars。 This was a tough one for me。 While the book did suck me in with its Orange is the New Black meets Black Mirror vibes， it opens with the MC leaving her <2 year old child at home alone for 2+ hours。 While I want to root for her during her time at a terrifying dystopian school for bad mothers， it’s hard to sympathize with such an unlikeable character who did something objectively wrong and I find myself instead on the side of her seemingly wonderful ex-husband and new girlfriend。 I also 3。5 stars。 This was a tough one for me。 While the book did suck me in with its Orange is the New Black meets Black Mirror vibes， it opens with the MC leaving her <2 year old child at home alone for 2+ hours。 While I want to root for her during her time at a terrifying dystopian school for bad mothers， it’s hard to sympathize with such an unlikeable character who did something objectively wrong and I find myself instead on the side of her seemingly wonderful ex-husband and new girlfriend。 I also look for a little more dystopia in a dystopian fiction。 The book’s world is so true to reality that the main premise of the novel （the school for mothers） seems too far-fetched。 All in all， I did enjoy reading The School for Good Mothers。 It was unsettling and dark， while never addressing that darkness head-on or resolving it。 I felt like some parts of the book really dragged along despite finding myself coming back to it to find out what happens next。 This is one of those books where if you like it， it'll be your favorite book of the year。 But for me， it unfortunately fell a little flat。 The School for Good Mothers will be published January 4， 2022。Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Katie Mac
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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was wholly unprepared for how devastating this book would be--if I were a parent， I imagine it would feel much worse to read about Frida's child being taken away from her and the lengths to which she must go to get her back。 From artificial （but oddly sentient） surrogate children who pee blue liquid to chanting about their faults as parents and having their ties to the outside world severed， this feels very much li I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was wholly unprepared for how devastating this book would be--if I were a parent， I imagine it would feel much worse to read about Frida's child being taken away from her and the lengths to which she must go to get her back。 From artificial （but oddly sentient） surrogate children who pee blue liquid to chanting about their faults as parents and having their ties to the outside world severed， this feels very much like The Handmaid's Tale meets Orange Is the New Black。 Chan's excellent debut also skewers stereotypes and problematic assumptions of parenting， including the different standards for mothers and fathers and parents of different races。If you can stomach it， read this in the new year。 。。。more
Dianne
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1/2 STARIf you are old enough， you may remember the movies （one was a remake） of The Stepford Wives---well， it just occurred to me that this book is the same plot， but instead of the women becoming the Perfect Wife， they are becoming the Perfect Mother's。I'm not finished with this book， and my opinion may change， but I doubt it。 This book has just made me more disgusted （and more bored） by the page。 So I may end up adding to this review or not。 EDITED TO ADD: I did manage to finish this book， an 1/2 STARIf you are old enough， you may remember the movies （one was a remake） of The Stepford Wives---well， it just occurred to me that this book is the same plot， but instead of the women becoming the Perfect Wife， they are becoming the Perfect Mother's。I'm not finished with this book， and my opinion may change， but I doubt it。 This book has just made me more disgusted （and more bored） by the page。 So I may end up adding to this review or not。 EDITED TO ADD: I did manage to finish this book， and my conclusions have not changed one bit。 Can't win 'em all I guess！ If you are looking for a dystopian novel， this is not it。" （dys·to·pi·an/disˈtōpēən/adjectiverelating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice。）。"If you are looking for a HORROR novel， this is the one for you。If you are looking for a book that resonates with the somewhat reverse bigotry -then this is the novel for you。Are you woke？ Then you will love this book。A book cannot be dystopian if these things take place in "real" life already。 What do you think it's like for women in jail for child abuse？ This place is a jail that also teaches。 Prisons （long term） do that too。 And that may be where you find the horror creeping in。 There is only one thing that would make this dystopian （the children）， and even that is a stretch in this day and age。By today's standard these women and， I presume， men have broken laws， laws meant to protect children。 Although nowadays， I believe we go a little too far with what can be claimed as abuse。The characters are nothing to be sympathetic for。 The women are flat and lifeless。 But， on the other hand， the co-parents of Harriet are about as PC， correct as you can get without losing your 'self。'Which are better at raising a child？*ARC supplied by the publisher。 。。。more
Jenny Zheng
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Really interesting premise。 Executed well in my opinion。 Does not beat around the bush about “difficult” topics such as racism and poverty。 Portrayal of depression and how mental health digs into a person’s mind and life didn’t dramatize or trivialize or romanticize。 The writing certainly evoked plenty of emotions。 Author pulled no punches。 Thoroughly enjoyed this book despite how painful the story was。 Made me tear up towards the end。 Longer review to come。 Book was received as an ARC from the Really interesting premise。 Executed well in my opinion。 Does not beat around the bush about “difficult” topics such as racism and poverty。 Portrayal of depression and how mental health digs into a person’s mind and life didn’t dramatize or trivialize or romanticize。 The writing certainly evoked plenty of emotions。 Author pulled no punches。 Thoroughly enjoyed this book despite how painful the story was。 Made me tear up towards the end。 Longer review to come。 Book was received as an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley。 。。。more
Sidney
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Thank you Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 Honestly， not my fav。 Think Handmaids Tale combined with Klara and the Sun and you get a frustrating story of a mother who had a bad day and has to pay for it by attending a year long， lockdown rehabilitation program。 I know it’s is fiction， but come on！ By the middle of the book I grew quite bored。
Kathleen Gray
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A cautionary and frightening tale。 Frida's "bad day" - when she left her daughter Harriett alone for two hours- leads to a spiraling nightmare when she is sent to a state run re-education facility for parents who have been found to endanger， neglect， or harm their children。 Frida's ex Gust and his new wife Susannah have Harriet， which is preferable to foster care but Frida doesn't agree with Susannah， in particular， and her various beliefs， which only compounds her problems。 The school purports A cautionary and frightening tale。 Frida's "bad day" - when she left her daughter Harriett alone for two hours- leads to a spiraling nightmare when she is sent to a state run re-education facility for parents who have been found to endanger， neglect， or harm their children。 Frida's ex Gust and his new wife Susannah have Harriet， which is preferable to foster care but Frida doesn't agree with Susannah， in particular， and her various beliefs， which only compounds her problems。 The school purports to teach parents skills using very creepy dolls which respond， or not， to their putative parents。 The women who run the facility withhold precious video calls home for things judged inappropriate or poor parenting and at one point， Frida has not seen or spoken to Harriett for five months- and then she's blamed for Harriett's reactions。 Frida， who is American born Chinese， must also look to her own childhood and cope with assumptions about her （the fact that she is not a fluent Chinese speaker is seen as a minus） and harassment of her doll for its "heritage。 " There are some heartbreaking scenes here involving not only Frida but also others in the program。 It's a tough read in spots with an outcome the reader might see coming but which still。。。。Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。 A great debut and a worthy read。 。。。more
olivia （miss_ipkiss_reads）
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