
Member Reviews

I could not put this book down! I was hooked after the first paragraph. The plot is very relatable. The characters are very well developed. They could be your very own neighbors. The story is organized and flows well. At no point did I feel like it began to drag. It is suspenseful and tragic. My heart broke multiple times for so many reasons. Bravo, Michelle Dunne!

I read this one as an ARC, and was not disappointed. My first by Michelle Dunne, and hopefully not my last.
Old friends, new friends, twists you don't see coming and a story that wraps up nicely with a bow. When one's daughter goes missing and is found in the water, who do you blame? Was it suicide despite being terrified of water? Was it murder? What drives someone to that point?
Nice, fast paced twisty thriller. Does not disappoint.

As a parent myself, I honestly do not know what I would do if something were to happen to my child. Let alone if people were trying to convince me that she committed suicide using a method I know her to be terrified of. That's what happens to Jen when she finds out her daughter, Alex, was found drowned. Why was Alex spending so much time with Jen's former friend and neighbor, Lia?
This book was unafraid of triggers. Dead children, sexual misconduct, bullying. A lot happen. It kept me tearing through the pages because I felt such sympathy for Jen who was absolutely certain her daughter would never commit suicide by drowning...she was terrified by water.
The twist wasn't super surprising but it was a solid and entertaining novel.

A Good Mother is my first book by Michelle Dunne. I received this eARC from the publisher and asked for my honest review in return. This is not a difficult task because WHOA was this book amazing. I seriously did not want to put it down. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning until the very end. There were times in the book that I wanted to scream at the creepy Jay character because boy did I dislike him A LOT! The twist at the end I had kind of figured it out but it definitely did not ruin anything for me. I hope you will take the time to read this one and enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC.

A Good Mother is the painful and tragic story of one mother’s fight for justice.
Jenn Blake’s daughter Alex is found dead in the river. The problem is, Alex has a severe fear of water. Jenn is convinced that Alex would never have jumped into the water willingly, someone else must be involved.
It’s soon revealed that Alex was the target of bulling at her school. All signs point to suicide but Jenn is still not convinced. She talks to anyone who will listen to help her to get justice. As text messages, social media posts and photos are uncovered, the Higgins family next door, begins to come under suspicion.
A classic who done it; was it Alex’s best friend Willow who has been recently hanging out with different friends? Was it Willow’s twin brother Simon who seems to be slowly following into his father’s foot steps? Was it Lia, the twins mother who has a history with Jenn Blake? Or was it Jay who would do anything to maintain his perfect family image in the hopes of getting elected?
With the help of a local reporter who has connections to police, Jenn is finally able to get her questions answered and to put the culprit behind bars.
This story was honestly heart wrenching and hard to read at parts. Trigger warnings of suicide, rape and abuse should be included. I can’t image reading this as a mother. The book was good but heavy. I also found the third person narrative to be weird in some parts. Just not my favourite style of writing.

This was a dark story focusing on bullying and abuse. I enjoyed it but it wasn't a favorite of mine. There was a good twist in the end I didn't see coming and that's always a great surprise.
I wish some of the characters had more nuance, some felt like cardboard figures. I liked Jen, the main character, and the girls, Alex and Willow were well done. Overall, the book was well written and I liked it!

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

Wow I don’t even know where to begin with this book!
It was gripping and I couldn’t put it down. The twists were crazy, I wasn’t expecting the ending. This book had me feeling all sorts of emotions being a mother myself.
Absolutely recommend this book to anyone.
5* from me

A dark, twisted thriller with a shocking twist at the end!
This was a good, but heartbreaking, story dealing with motherhood, bullying, and domestic abuse. A darker style thriller that held my attention with many twists throughout.

A fantastic read, and topics that the author handled sensitively in my opinion regarding suicide.
Jen and Dale are about to lose their house, yet their old friends Jay and Lia are lording it up. When Jay's daughter Willow starts to choose new friends over Alex Jens daughter and friends since forever, everything starts to break down. Simon who is Jay and Lias son has always been the third wheel in their friendship, but Alex never minded simon. Will Willows new friends become so accommodating??
When Alex is found in the river, has she taken her own life? Surely not she has a deep seated fear of water and would go nowhere near it, would she? Or has something else taken place?? Thoroughly enjoyed it

Reading this had me full of many emotions. As a mother, I fully empathized with the parents in the book, and even the teenage girls.
The reason I couldn't give 5 stars was because the story with Simon was left completely unresolved. That could leave an opening for a second book, but I was left unsatisfied with the ending.

The Blake and Higgins families are more than neighbors, they share a past. Jen and Lia were best friends in high school. Their own children have grown up together, sharing common interests. Their daughters, Alex Bailey and Willow Higgins are now inseparable, that is until the night Alex is found floating dead in a river. Alex is deathly afraid of water and her mother, Jen knows for certain that her daughter would never choose to end her life in a body of water. Jen is on a mission to find the truth in her daughter's death and what really happened that awful night.
This book has it all! It is full of secrets and the length one will go to keep those secrets. I read every free moment I had until the last page. I highly recommend that face paced, psychological thriller.

When jens daughter Alex is pulled from the river something doesn’t sit right with Jen, her daughter was terrified of water so if she was going to take her own life surely she wouldn’t have drowned herself.
A mother’s determination to discover what really happened to her daughter
A fantastic read which I raced through
4 stars
Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

Two mothers. Two daughters. One devastating truth. Alex Blake was terrified of water, had been since she nearly drowned at age five. So when police find her body in the river and rule it a suicide, her mother Jen knows they’re wrong. But no one will listen to a grieving mother! Wow!! Lots of dark shocking secrets! Good book! This book had suspense, mystery, murder, bullying, suicide, gaslighting, abuse, and some chilling moments! The storyline was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

What a mess. Why do men act like this. Like everything is a right to them. That no one can have thoughts of their own. Poor sweet girl deserved so much better from the people she trusted the most.

Wow, all I can say is thank you Michelle Dunne and Netgalley for this amazing ARC opportunity.
It has been an absolute privilege to be chosen to read and review this book.
I haven't ever read one of Michelle Dunne's book before and let me tell you I can't wait to get my hands on another one.
This is not a book for the faint of heart, there are serious everyday topics brought to light.
Topics we need to be more aware of in general because it is a reality.
The emotional depth of this books really makes one see just how complex relationships / friendships can be.
Social media seems to keep playing a huge role and it's something we can all relate to.
Loved this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I loved all the characters, even though some made me mad. I loved the storyline. I enjoyed watching the growth of the characters and following along with them. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was such an amazing thriller. The characters were written so well and even though I had severe hatred for some of them I could not put this book down. There were many twists and some dark subject matter. I did not want to put this one down and was constantly trying to find more time to read. This one will stay with me for a long time and I cannot wait to read more of her books.
Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I really liked that Lia was essentially a morally gray character. I detested her, but the abuse she went through made it difficult for her to see clearly. It also shines a spotlight on abusive relationships, gaslighting at its finest and how social media and teenagers can be such a negative combination as well as toxic parenting impacting the children. I was so happy for Willow and Jen at the end as well.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could nor put the book down once I began reading it.