Reviews

A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon

wolfcalledlaura's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mrs_mcelwee's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

pikasqueaks's review

marking it as read for the sole purpose of remembering i've read it, but holy shit this was one of the worst thing i've ever read like 1/3 of. genuinely terrible.

chenoa552's review

Boring. Not the book for me

mserin's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tlfrick's review

3.0

I liked this book for the same reason I struggled with it: all of the characters had dubious motivations and behavior. That made them hard to root for, but also more true to life. It took me a while to feel hooked, but by the rising action of the final third of the book, I was definitely along for the ride. It was refreshing to read a legal thriller, a style that is outside of my usual wheelhouse.

mommasaystoread's review

3.0

The title of this one drew me in, and I have to say that cover is pretty compelling. Then I read the blurb and was ready to jump right in. I do like a good courtroom drama. As it turns out, this one has drama in spades, and there are some things that go over the top. So, I suppose this one is more domestic/legal drama than thriller, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a little bit soap opera-ish at times, but it kind of works for these characters. The story revolves around Luz and Abby, and the author does pose some interesting questions, which kept me turning the pages to see how things would play out for these women. So, yes, A Good Mother is overdramatic at times, but it somehow works for the story and its characters. I'd say this one will appeal to anyone who likes a good legal drama, and it even brings some television series to mind - some of those with characters we love to hate and storylines that sometimes leave us gasping.

cj_mo_2222's review

3.0

This book features two new mothers, Luz, a young woman on trial for murdering her husband and Abby, the attorney who is defending her. The circumstances surrounding the murder and Abby's backstory is intriguing. Unfortunately, neither Luz nor Abby was easy to connect with and some of the other significant characters in the story are just as hard to like. There are also some disturbing and unbelievable things that take place between Abby and the judge assigned to the case and also between Luz and Abby's co-counsel, Will, that spoil the good things about the book. The dramatic courtroom scenes are what kept my interest and kept me reading the book when I probably would have given up otherwise. I strongly disliked several parts of the story, but since I liked the suspense of the case, I averaged both opinions into an overall 3 star rating of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for providing an advance copy of this ebook. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

sara_c_reads's review against another edition

3.0

a good story

the story is fast paced and then slows down.. you keep turning the page to see what happens, to understand the characters and to find out the outcome.

Glad I finally read it.

literallykristen's review

2.0

2 generous stars. This book was crazy and unbelievable. This WOULD be a good one for discussion in a book club though (especially a bunch of moms--lots of questions about societal expectations and the lengths you would go to do what you think is right for your baby etc) Just a bit too out there and messy overall with the storyline for me to enjoy though!