Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro is a reasonably satisfying mystery with a message I found particularly poignant.

So, the mystery—Somebody killed a young woman on Martha’s Vineyard, and Brynn’s husband is arrested. Brynn may have to face unpleasant truths as she tries to clear her husband of the charges. Was he involved with the dead woman? Did he commit the murder? If not, how can the evidence against him be so damning?

The poignant part is the honest and sometimes devastating descriptions of the wonderful and horrible adventure of motherhood. Brynn exhibits all the signs of someone dealing with postpartum depression—and some of those descriptions are hard to read. I remember too well how hopeless you can feel—the weight of the world and literally the life of another human are in your hands, and you wonder how you’ll ever get through this. You mourn the old you and your old life—both gone forever. You doubt you can rise to the tasks, and you despair, certain that you are somehow ruining this kid.

None of that is true, of course, but it certainly feels true at the time.

For me, the book leaned a bit too heavily in the direction of Brynn’s mental state and a little too lightly on the mystery at hand. The author did illustrate clearly how all-consuming these feelings are—not to mention the stress generated by Brynn’s doubts concerning her husband’s innocence and her struggles to stay sane as she balances caring for an infant and investigating.

That part really did feel real to me.

But the mystery itself is slow to develop and feels rushed and secondary to Brynn’s feelings. Other reviewers have mentioned that the book seems out of balance, and I agree with that. I just wish the plot had a few more twists and a bit more development. At times, the discussion of Brynn’s problems seems preachy and never-ending.

I can still recommend Such a Good Mom, especially if you or someone you love is dealing with or has ever dealt with postpartum depression alone. The plot is adequate, but be ready to go down the rabbit hole of Brynn’s mental health along the way. The ending was not a huge surprise and was a bit dark, but—you know me—the darker, the better.

All in all, a good read that reminded me to reach out to a couple of peeps I know who are new to motherhood.

PreOrder your copy Here.

Bestselling author Julia Spiro’s Such a Good Mom is a brilliant standalone mystery that’s the perfect beach read. In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha’s Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.

With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back.

But it’s summer on the Vineyard, a beacon for wealthy visitors, and a place so beautiful that it seems immune to tragedy and crime. Except for locals, like Brynn, who know all too well that tragedy can strike at any point. And this time, it hits close to home when a friend of the family is found washed ashore. Dead. And Brynn’s already hectic life is turned upside down when Ross is arrested for the crime.

Left reeling with more questions than answers, Brynn’s only path forward is to find out who really killed Cecelia Buckley, even if it means it was her husband. She’s not sure who she’s able to trust anymore. And with the dizzying, endless cycle of sleepless nights, diapers, and bottles, Brynn’s not even sure she can trust herself. She’s not sure of anything anymore, but she won’t stop until she finds the truth.

Bestselling author Julia Spiro is known for writing characters readers instantly connect to. With Such a Good Mom, Spiro brings the real and layered Martha’s Vineyard to life through the eyes of a new mom trying to get her family out of the eye of the storm that is a murder investigation.