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imperfectcj's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This one stretches credulity at several points. The characters are too two-dimensional for me to really get invested in them, and it doesn't help that I'm not generally a fan of courtroom dramas. It's readable, but I doubt I'll retain much if any of this novel.
robinlovesreading's review
4.0
Luz killed her husband. Of that there is no doubt. She called the police herself and was found cradling his dying body. She maintains that she had no choice. Either it was self defense or him or their infant daughter. Or both. In either case, she killed him.
Abby is a public defender on maternity leave. However, she not only barrels through every obstacle in her path to take the case, she is determined to win right from the start - and all bets are off. In ways that could easily be called unethical, she begins a path of making it so that Luz stays out of prison and with her infant daughter. Part of Abby's reason for fighting for Luz is that they are both young mothers. Is that bond enough for Abby to sweep clear facts under the rug, even niggling doubts of Luz's innocence?
This story definitely would qualify as having unreliable narrators. It doesn't matter whether the reader is considering Luz and her story, and Abby and her methods. In either case, both women prove distasteful almost from the very beginning. However, this is a courtroom drama and that in itself was rather intriguing. But it was more than that. Abby's relationship with the father of her baby is also pivotal as to how this story moves. As a mother, I don't know if I could have left my very young child to spend unending hours, days and weeks defending someone that I didn't even trust, and at great cost. Watching that drama in Abby's personal life unfold was just as interesting as watching Abby desperately try and get Luz a verdict of innocence.
While I did remain intrigued while reading this courtroom thriller, especially as it unfolded as disturbing facts were revealed, the ending definitely shocked me. As a reader not all that familiar with the legal system, watching Abby and others in the course of this story really shook my faith in a system that is part of the fabric and foundation of this uncertain world in which we live.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Abby is a public defender on maternity leave. However, she not only barrels through every obstacle in her path to take the case, she is determined to win right from the start - and all bets are off. In ways that could easily be called unethical, she begins a path of making it so that Luz stays out of prison and with her infant daughter. Part of Abby's reason for fighting for Luz is that they are both young mothers. Is that bond enough for Abby to sweep clear facts under the rug, even niggling doubts of Luz's innocence?
This story definitely would qualify as having unreliable narrators. It doesn't matter whether the reader is considering Luz and her story, and Abby and her methods. In either case, both women prove distasteful almost from the very beginning. However, this is a courtroom drama and that in itself was rather intriguing. But it was more than that. Abby's relationship with the father of her baby is also pivotal as to how this story moves. As a mother, I don't know if I could have left my very young child to spend unending hours, days and weeks defending someone that I didn't even trust, and at great cost. Watching that drama in Abby's personal life unfold was just as interesting as watching Abby desperately try and get Luz a verdict of innocence.
While I did remain intrigued while reading this courtroom thriller, especially as it unfolded as disturbing facts were revealed, the ending definitely shocked me. As a reader not all that familiar with the legal system, watching Abby and others in the course of this story really shook my faith in a system that is part of the fabric and foundation of this uncertain world in which we live.
Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
geauxgetlit's review
5.0
“Sometimes it's hard for people to see what's right in front of them”
If you like legal thrillers you will love this one! I love a book that starts off with a bang and this one did not disappoint.
A 911 call was made by a terrified woman saying her attacker was stabbed. It was actually her husband and she admitted to being the killer. She has a new born baby and swears it was self defense, that her husband was abusive and she had to protect her baby from him.
Ruthless defense attorney, Abby, takes on the case; however, she herself is pregnant. In the interim, a young attorney, Will, handles the case for her. Abby shortens her maternity leave to get Lous off of first degree murder charges.
Twist and turns galore in this book. Will Abby be able to get Lous off of her murder charge and is Lous actually guilty? Read it and see this explosive finish.
If you like legal thrillers you will love this one! I love a book that starts off with a bang and this one did not disappoint.
A 911 call was made by a terrified woman saying her attacker was stabbed. It was actually her husband and she admitted to being the killer. She has a new born baby and swears it was self defense, that her husband was abusive and she had to protect her baby from him.
Ruthless defense attorney, Abby, takes on the case; however, she herself is pregnant. In the interim, a young attorney, Will, handles the case for her. Abby shortens her maternity leave to get Lous off of first degree murder charges.
Twist and turns galore in this book. Will Abby be able to get Lous off of her murder charge and is Lous actually guilty? Read it and see this explosive finish.
11drking's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zzzrevel's review
3.0
First of all, I have to say there is no one in this book
that I liked. No empathy for any of them. So as far
as protagonists go, the reader does not have much to
work with.
The plot is pretty standard fare, but the author has
added a lot of extraneous baggage for whatever reason.
One defense lawyers mothering aspects seemed
outrageous, and the courtroom theatrics seemed a bit
excessive, but there are a couple of twists at the end
(not major, just blips) that I did like to let me ratchet
my review up to 3 stars. Otherwise, this book would
have just made me roll my eyes.
that I liked. No empathy for any of them. So as far
as protagonists go, the reader does not have much to
work with.
The plot is pretty standard fare, but the author has
added a lot of extraneous baggage for whatever reason.
One defense lawyers mothering aspects seemed
outrageous, and the courtroom theatrics seemed a bit
excessive, but there are a couple of twists at the end
(not major, just blips) that I did like to let me ratchet
my review up to 3 stars. Otherwise, this book would
have just made me roll my eyes.
fablifebook's review
3.0
What it’s about: A debut legal thriller about a young mother arrested for killing her military husband.
lwrieger's review against another edition
2.0
I mean I finished this book. But every character was hateable and the story was just really bad. I highly recommend you save yourself time and don’t pick this one up.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
3.0
A Good Mother is the debut novel of Lara Bazelon, and it is a legal thriller full of twists and turns.
Abby is an ambitious public defender and a new mother, so she jumps at the chance to cover her most recent case. A soldier has been murdered on base, and it appears that it is his wife who is to blame.
Yet this is not the open and shut case that Abby hoped for, as there is more to Luz's story than meets the eye. No, this case is about to get more twisted and complex than she signed up for, and it's going to come down to the jury to decide how it will pan out.
"There is nothing like the judgment we visit on mothers."
IA Good Mother is a legal thriller full of twisted emotions and guilt. It has admittedly been a hot minute since I sat down to read a legal thriller, so I found that to be very refreshing in itself.
I'll confess that while I didn't really like most of the characters in this novel (no offense, Abby and Luz), though I did find the core premise to be pretty fascinating. The whole argument for Luz's case, for example.
That being said, I did have a few issues with this read, I'm sorry to say. The whole courtroom drama felt exactly that – a drama. It didn't read like a thriller, and there were parts that didn't feel realistic, which succeeded in breaking the immersion for me.
Overall this was an okay read, with some strong ideas. I will be looking forward to seeing what Lara Bazelon comes up with for her next novel.
Thanks to Hanover Square Press for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Abby is an ambitious public defender and a new mother, so she jumps at the chance to cover her most recent case. A soldier has been murdered on base, and it appears that it is his wife who is to blame.
Yet this is not the open and shut case that Abby hoped for, as there is more to Luz's story than meets the eye. No, this case is about to get more twisted and complex than she signed up for, and it's going to come down to the jury to decide how it will pan out.
"There is nothing like the judgment we visit on mothers."
IA Good Mother is a legal thriller full of twisted emotions and guilt. It has admittedly been a hot minute since I sat down to read a legal thriller, so I found that to be very refreshing in itself.
I'll confess that while I didn't really like most of the characters in this novel (no offense, Abby and Luz), though I did find the core premise to be pretty fascinating. The whole argument for Luz's case, for example.
That being said, I did have a few issues with this read, I'm sorry to say. The whole courtroom drama felt exactly that – a drama. It didn't read like a thriller, and there were parts that didn't feel realistic, which succeeded in breaking the immersion for me.
Overall this was an okay read, with some strong ideas. I will be looking forward to seeing what Lara Bazelon comes up with for her next novel.
Thanks to Hanover Square Press for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks