Amelia is a new mom & new wife in an upper class family she doesn’t quite fit into, when her secret filled past comes back to haunt her. Notes show up in her mailbox: “How can you live with yourself”, “You can’t hide forever, I know what you did”.

This was my first read by Anya Mora. A slow burn light thriller. Multiple POV. More than one twist that I didn’t see coming.

ARC Review, Thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture.

Before I start off with my review I'd like to thank netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the ARC for Good Bad Mother by Anya Mora.

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It was a book that promised high-stakes tension, dark secrets, and a desperate mother willing to go to any lengths to get her baby back.

Sounds like a heart-pounding thriller, right?

Well, almost. Anya Mora delivers a story set against the moody, isolated backdrop of Cutters Island, weaving together family politics, psychological suspense, and a protagonist who is constantly on edge.

But while the atmosphere is on point, and the build-up keeps the pages turning, the payoff? Let’s just say it left me wanting more.

*Summary of Content*

Our protagonist has the picture-perfect life—or so it seems. She’s living in an exclusive neighborhood, playing the role of the ideal wife, and pushing her baby in a stroller under the ever-watchful security cameras. But beneath this carefully crafted facade, things are anything but perfect.

One night, she wakes up to find her baby missing, her husband absent, and flames creeping through the house.

The mystery unfolds across multiple timelines, hinting at dark secrets from the past and the terrifying present she’s trapped in. It’s all set up to be an emotional rollercoaster—except, somewhere along the way, the thrill fizzles out.

- The Heroine (Amelia): The protagonist’s internal struggles feel real, but her lack of agency makes it frustrating to root for her. She had the potential to be a gripping, complex lead, but her passivity was maddening. She lives in constant fear of her husband finding out truth, but never questions his obvious red flags, and lets things happen to her rather than taking action.

The blurb promised a mother who would stop at nothing to get her baby back—what we got was someone who barely stepped up to resolve the situation.

- The Husband (aka Walking Red Flag #1): If there was an award for Most Loathsome Male Character, this man would take the trophy without contest. Hypocritical, manipulative, and downright insufferable, he skates through the story without ever truly facing the consequences of his actions. And that is a crime in itself.

- Tabitha (the saving grace): If not for Tabitha, our protagonist might have been entirely lost. As a friend, she brought much-needed warmth to the story, and her presence added some depth to an otherwise frustrating narrative.

- The Sterling Family & Their Politics: The power plays and the manipulations— I'd give them the award for the worst family and they are the reason why their son turned out the way he turned out.

*Writing Style & Structure*
The writing was atmospheric, successfully creating a tense, claustrophobic feeling throughout. The choice to tell the story in alternating timelines worked well, slowly unraveling the protagonist’s past and present. The pacing was solid—there were no dragging moments, and the book kept me engaged. But then came the ending.

*Originality*
While the setting and concept had potential, the execution leaned into predictable tropes. The mystery wasn’t all that mysterious—I saw the big revelation coming from a mile away. And for a book that teased high-stakes action, the climax was incredibly underwhelming.

*Strengths:*
✔ The isolated island setting was perfect for the story’s eerie vibe.
✔ The Sterling family and their dynamics added an intriguing layer.
✔ The pacing and timeline shifts were well-executed.
✔ Tabitha—because we all need a friend like her.

*Weaknesses:*
✘ The protagonist lacked agency—she was reactive instead of proactive.
✘ The husband was a villain, but an infuriatingly untouchable one.
✘ The climax was weak—where was the fight? The desperation? The edge-of-your-seat moment?
✘ The ending was rushed, and the resolution felt too convenient.

Final Verdict
Good Bad Mother had all the right ingredients for a gripping thriller but ultimately served a lukewarm dish. The tension was there, the build-up was strong, but the climax and character depth fell short. If you’re new to psychological thrillers, this could be an entertaining entry point.

But for me, it might felt predictable and frustratingly lacked in punch.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) – A decent read with a great setting and good buildup, but an underwhelming finish.

I don't know about this book. It felt like the anxiety was just drawn out for the first 3/4 of the book, and then suddenly, everything finally moved forward. It just stayed stuck for a long time, and I found it a little annoying at times. However, the ending was much better.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amelia is a new wife and mother, living a happy picture perfect life with her husband. When her in-laws insists she participates in a photo shoot and interview, her hidden past comes to light. Amelia appears to be not so flawless.

I enjoyed the alternating POVs and suspenseful plot. This book was unpredictable with good twists. I enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for the chance to read this book

Wow who needs enemies when you have "family" right!? This was very easy to get into, pretty fast paced, easy read. Keeps you hooked from the beginning. Somewhat predictable but it's not like it's a huge mystery, eveythings pretty laid out from the get go.. All i gotta say is i have no problem with the Rich people staying on their own island, away from the rest of us.

2.5 stars.

The beginning of this book had me hooked right away, and I was curious to learn about these characters and what they were hiding. I think this had a great start; but after that it did fall flat to me. I feel like this book was trying to do too many things, and it couldn't exactly decide what the main "mystery" was. I did enjoy the creepy isolated island setting, and the way that the island was almost a character itself.

The reveal was a little underwhelming, we spend the entire book really setting it up to be something crazy, and I just felt like the book over promised and under delivered on that front.

All in all, this is a quick psychological thriller that did keep me turning the pages, but maybe just isn't for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Had me gripped right from the very first page and I couldn't stop reading. I had to know what happened and why. I really enjoyed it

I was immediately hooked from the opening line of this book. This book has all the makings of a great thriller! The writing style was done very well and the character development was amazing. Ameilia is such a sympathetic character that you root for her and connect with her. Her life is allover the place and the readers follow her journey into hysteria. There were so many hidden secrets and the reader is left with uncovering the truth and being able to tell what is real and what are lies. The author did a great job of telling the story through past and present and keeping the reader engaged with some twists and plenty of suspense. I kept turning the pages and didn’t want this book to end!
A true psychological thriller with superb character development I am looking forward for readers to be able to pick this one up on its expected publication date of February 17 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

Good Bad Mother is a decent read, but it falls short of delivering the gripping suspense expected of a mystery-thriller. While the book is fast paced in narrative, it lacks the tension and urgency that typically defines this genre.

One of the main issues I had with the book was the characters, I simply didn’t care about any of them. They felt flat.
In a story where emotional stakes should be high, I felt indifferent. Additionally, the final reveals were underwhelming. Instead of a shocking or satisfying conclusion, they felt somewhat forgettable.

While Good Bad Mother isn’t a terrible book, it’s not one that stands out in the crowded mystery-thriller genre. It’s an okay read, but not particularly memorable.

From the beginning to the end of this book I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading it until I finished it. It’s full of secrets, betrayal , revenge, and a mother whose secret could destroy the perfect life she’s built for herself. So many incredible plot twist and secrets, but some of the secrets were easy to guess prior to being revealed. I loved how most characters at some point or another were made to seem like the villain and it kept me guessing till the end when it was revealed.

Amelia, Clover, and Jack were my favorite characters. Amelia truly deserved a better life and a better husband. She went through so much tragedy that she didn’t deserve.

Timothy was my least favorite character. He has no redeeming qualities and was a horrible husband to Amelia.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What if you were trying to hide something from your past, but your circumstances have put you in the spotlight? That's the dilemma Amelia finds herself in when her wealthy mother-in-law decides to have a family photo and a subsequent magazine article about her prestigious family.

Amelia grew up poor, so she's sure she hit the jackpot with her handsome husband, her perfect baby, and her ideal life in one of the richest neighborhoods on Cutter Island. But she has a secret. One even her husband doesn't know. But someone is watching, and it could be anyone in this tight-knit neighborhood.

I liked the twists, although one had me very confused at first! I thought the buildup was a little overdone for what the secret actually was as often happens in slow burn thrillers. But the author kept me engaged so that I had to keep turning the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader's copy.

This was a hell of a ride. An amazing thriller that had me on the edge on my seat.

I've read this in one sitting.

I loved this book as it details a "now" and "then" journey featuring Amelia and husband Timothy as they deal with baby Clover and his wealthy family on Cutters Island. Amelia has never "fit in" with them as she grew up poor and they seem to shun her whenever they attend frequent family dinners. But Amelia has been leading a secret life and begins receiving threatening notes in her mailbox. Is her past catching up to her or is her present life in danger with the wealthy family who snubs her when they can?
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was great with so many twists and turns and I wanted to keep reading the book. in fact, it kept me up late at night continuing to read to find out what happened next. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Talk about a book that will have you hooked from start to finish! I seriously could NOT put this down. I was on the edge of my seat so eager to know where the story would lead. Quick chapters, dual timelines, and a plot twist that will have your jaw on the floor!

I did enjoy the story but I wanted more from the ending. I wanted some people to get what they deserved and more explanation! What happens now kind of answers! Still pretty good!

We all have secrets. Is it worth keeping secrets from the person you love? Amelia has fallen in love with a very wealthy man but she fails to tell him about her past. She has been hiding for years, not wanting anyone to know what she did. This all falls apart when her new mother-in-law wants a family picture for a magazine article. What will happen and how will everything stay together or fall apart.

I enjoyed learning Amelia's secrets a little at a time but the ending seemed too rushed for me. The book overall kept me second guessing myself on who was doing what. It was clearly a test to see if we could figure out who was leaving the notes. Was her husband in on her secret? I guess you'll have to read to find out the truth

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Good bad mother was a captivating story!!
Amelia Sterling has the life she never dreamed of. A loving husband and a perfect daughter. Marrying rich was not part of her plan but her perfect life is starting to unravel when letters start to appear threatening to make her pay for what she did.

I really enjoyed this story and how it changed between the two POVs showing a little from the past to try and present. You can really feel for Amelia and how frazzled things are making her become. I could never figure out just exactly what was going on and was pleasantly surprised by the ending! Cannot wait to read more by this author! Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc!

I received this book as an ARC. Amelia seems to be living the perfect life: a beautiful house in a prestigious neighborhood, a new husband, and a new baby. Her husband is from a wealthy family and they must keep up appearances at all costs. The problem is, Amelia has a secret. A secret that could destroy her happy life if her husband found out. Suddenly she starts receiving disturbing notes in her mailbox and Amelia becomes increasingly paranoid. Her husband senses something is wrong, and Amelia begins to question if she can even trust him.

I'll start off by saying that I really liked this book. That being said, the buildup to what the big secret was fell a little flat for me. It just didn't seems as big of a deal as it was made out to be. The writing was good and the character development was great.

Anya Mora does it again!! I couldn’t put this one down and spent the whole book suspecting everyone. I really enjoyed this one and it might just be her best one yet! Highly recommend. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this arc