thebooktroup's review
2.0
A big fan of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth, I was very excited to receive a galley of The Good Mother from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me and if it weren’t for the promised review, I most likely would have put it down at the halfway point if not earlier. I felt the writing was juvenile with step-by-step sentences of what the characters' actions, lacking anything complex. The characters were immature and not fully developed. I couldn’t connect to one of them even though I am a total suburbia soccer mom. The plot was all over the place, wasn’t logical at points, and simply not believable at all. I was really hoping it would come together with a great twist at the end but I was disappointed with a very anticlimactic event and wrap-up in the last 3% of the book. The description made the book sound like a peek into the juicy, gossip-filled lives of a group of soccer moms, but instead it just felt like a bunch of unconfident crazies that no one would want to associate with from the very start. I think my biggest issue is that there was no “unraveling” of the main character, Amy; she was unstable from the very start making her “queen bee” status far-fetched. MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING as rape is a common theme in this story and towards the end is referred to on almost every page. Note: This book was previously released as "The Demise of the Soccer Moms" which brings the book down another notch in my book.
zaineylaney's review
3.0
BOOK REVIEW⠀
BOOK: The Good Mother
AUTHOR: Cathryn Grant
@cathryngrant_fiction
At first this book feels to me like one mom being catty about another mom, almost irrationally. But it’s so much more. It’s the effect of trauma on your life, and the importance (ultimately) of dealing with it and healing.
This book was such a good ride. There were parts I felt myself skimming just because it seemed like the same conversation. But in the end, the payoff was good and I felt satisfied with the outcome. Definitely recommend!
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Amy’s life is picture perfect. Mess with that picture – you’re going to pay.
Amy’s life is close to perfect – two lovely daughters, a wonderful husband and she’s queen bee in her circle of soccer moms. She feels content, like she’s finally put some distance between herself and the terrible events of long ago.
The only fly in the ointment is Charlotte, a recent arrival to this affluent suburban community. The shameless way she dresses, the way the men look at her… it’s not right, she’s just not the kind of person they want around here.
Amy spearheads a drive to exclude Charlotte, to make it clear to her that she’s not welcome here. Infuriatingly, Charlotte doesn’t seem to care… And when her daughter joins the soccer team there’s just no getting away from her.
But Amy knows from bitter experience the kind of trouble a woman like Charlotte can bring. And there is no way on earth that her girls are ever going to be exposed to anything like that. The solution is clear - Charlotte has to go. No matter what it takes.
I received this book for review purposes from NetGalley. ⠀
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#TheGoodMother #CathrynGrant
#publiclibrary #libraryofinstagram #fictionbooks #bookcommunity #mybooks #readingspot #readingnook #avidreader #bookaesthetic #libraryofbookstagram #bookpic #bookster #bookstagrammersunite #contemporaryfiction #readerlife #bookishphoto #netgalley #bookclubofinstagram #ilovebooks #bookshark #bookish #bookishlife #goodreads #bookblogger
BOOK: The Good Mother
AUTHOR: Cathryn Grant
@cathryngrant_fiction
At first this book feels to me like one mom being catty about another mom, almost irrationally. But it’s so much more. It’s the effect of trauma on your life, and the importance (ultimately) of dealing with it and healing.
This book was such a good ride. There were parts I felt myself skimming just because it seemed like the same conversation. But in the end, the payoff was good and I felt satisfied with the outcome. Definitely recommend!
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Amy’s life is picture perfect. Mess with that picture – you’re going to pay.
Amy’s life is close to perfect – two lovely daughters, a wonderful husband and she’s queen bee in her circle of soccer moms. She feels content, like she’s finally put some distance between herself and the terrible events of long ago.
The only fly in the ointment is Charlotte, a recent arrival to this affluent suburban community. The shameless way she dresses, the way the men look at her… it’s not right, she’s just not the kind of person they want around here.
Amy spearheads a drive to exclude Charlotte, to make it clear to her that she’s not welcome here. Infuriatingly, Charlotte doesn’t seem to care… And when her daughter joins the soccer team there’s just no getting away from her.
But Amy knows from bitter experience the kind of trouble a woman like Charlotte can bring. And there is no way on earth that her girls are ever going to be exposed to anything like that. The solution is clear - Charlotte has to go. No matter what it takes.
I received this book for review purposes from NetGalley. ⠀
⠀
.⠀
.⠀
.⠀
.⠀
.⠀
.⠀
.⠀
⠀
.⠀
.⠀
#TheGoodMother #CathrynGrant
#publiclibrary #libraryofinstagram #fictionbooks #bookcommunity #mybooks #readingspot #readingnook #avidreader #bookaesthetic #libraryofbookstagram #bookpic #bookster #bookstagrammersunite #contemporaryfiction #readerlife #bookishphoto #netgalley #bookclubofinstagram #ilovebooks #bookshark #bookish #bookishlife #goodreads #bookblogger
byronicreader's review
3.0
Talk about books that hook you from page 1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it reminds me of some high school drama except the drama is between the moms. All 3 women in this book have issues and the way they interact with each other is all written well. Though I wouldn't say this is a proper thriller or suspense, it is a good read.
marvel0us's review
1.0
I got this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Never actually thought I would finish with this being as bad as you could possibly imagine. This was terrible, sorry. I really couldn't get into it because the characters are absolutely horrible. I know this was done on purpose so that we wouldn't like Amy or Rachel, but I felt as if the author did a poor job of making even Charlotte likeable. The men had no personality whatsoever, the women were all the same and I'm so tired of the crazy woman trope. Amy needed therapy from the get go and the fact that none of her friends or even her husband suggested that to her blew my mind. The story was boring as well and I don't think I'll ever read anything from Cathryn Grant again.
Never actually thought I would finish with this being as bad as you could possibly imagine. This was terrible, sorry. I really couldn't get into it because the characters are absolutely horrible. I know this was done on purpose so that we wouldn't like Amy or Rachel, but I felt as if the author did a poor job of making even Charlotte likeable. The men had no personality whatsoever, the women were all the same and I'm so tired of the crazy woman trope. Amy needed therapy from the get go and the fact that none of her friends or even her husband suggested that to her blew my mind. The story was boring as well and I don't think I'll ever read anything from Cathryn Grant again.
booksandbeautifulthings18's review
2.0
This book was not for me, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and couldn’t really connect with the book. It was a difficult read and seemed to take a long time with nothing much happening. Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I feel disappointed with this one
melissalynne81's review
2.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like the blurb made it sound more interesting that it actually was. I can’t say a whole lot about why I disliked the book without giving away the plot. But I can say that all the characters were unlikeable and the story line just fell flat for me. I expected one thing and got something completely different.
I feel like the blurb made it sound more interesting that it actually was. I can’t say a whole lot about why I disliked the book without giving away the plot. But I can say that all the characters were unlikeable and the story line just fell flat for me. I expected one thing and got something completely different.
vikkiew87's review
4.0
I haven’t been able to put this book down. It’s a great story which has gripped me from the very beginning.
My first read by this author but won’t be the last.
My first read by this author but won’t be the last.
marvdbrg's review
1.0
I got this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Never actually thought I would finish with this being as bad as you could possibly imagine. This was terrible, sorry. I really couldn't get into it because the characters are absolutely horrible. I know this was done on purpose so that we wouldn't like Amy or Rachel, but I felt as if the author did a poor job of making even Charlotte likeable. The men had no personality whatsoever, the women were all the same and I'm so tired of the crazy woman trope. Amy needed therapy from the get go and the fact that none of her friends or even her husband suggested that to her blew my mind. The story was boring as well and I don't think I'll ever read anything from Cathryn Grant again.
Never actually thought I would finish with this being as bad as you could possibly imagine. This was terrible, sorry. I really couldn't get into it because the characters are absolutely horrible. I know this was done on purpose so that we wouldn't like Amy or Rachel, but I felt as if the author did a poor job of making even Charlotte likeable. The men had no personality whatsoever, the women were all the same and I'm so tired of the crazy woman trope. Amy needed therapy from the get go and the fact that none of her friends or even her husband suggested that to her blew my mind. The story was boring as well and I don't think I'll ever read anything from Cathryn Grant again.
ramonamead's review
2.0
I couldn't get into this novel. It starts with a rape scene, and doesn't get easier to handle from there. All the characters are unlikable, especially the protagonist. You'd think unaddressed trauma in her past would make her a sympathetic character, but it doesn't.
The story follows two women whose daughters become friends through school and soccer. One of the mothers is new to town and the other women treat her poorly. I was confused by their motivations and didn't enjoy reading this.
This book is labeled a thriller on NetGalley and Goodreads, but that doesn't feel accurate. It's a drama about relationships, parenting, and family history. There are many other books in both genres that are much better, so I can't say I'd recommend this one to other readers.
The story follows two women whose daughters become friends through school and soccer. One of the mothers is new to town and the other women treat her poorly. I was confused by their motivations and didn't enjoy reading this.
This book is labeled a thriller on NetGalley and Goodreads, but that doesn't feel accurate. It's a drama about relationships, parenting, and family history. There are many other books in both genres that are much better, so I can't say I'd recommend this one to other readers.
ravenclawlibrarybooks's review
2.0
For me this book was a bit slow all the way through. I really wanted to love it unfortunately I did not.
Thank you, Cathryn Grant, Inkubator Books and Netgalley for the eARC I received all my views are my own.
#TheGoodMother #NetGalley
Thank you, Cathryn Grant, Inkubator Books and Netgalley for the eARC I received all my views are my own.
#TheGoodMother #NetGalley