This is a dystopian new world story.
Not my usual read however, it was pretty understandable even for me!

So here’s a Mother with a young child left to bring her child up alone. Her husband went off with a younger woman. He still takes time for his child and her but, Frida is trying to work, look after her child, come to grips with dealing with her family and her Chinese inheritance with they’re ways and rituals of “doing things”, and still being accepted on both sides of her life.

We learn of Frida even more, her thoughts, her depression, her insecurities.

One day, when Frida is overwhelmed, overtired she finds herself leaving her child in the home alone and walking out for a breather. However, it was for two hours and not a breather outside the front door.

She was reported.

The bit that took some stars away for me were:

1- she was having a bad day
2- her remorse was redeeming herself by excusing her actions although acknowledging it’s something she shouldn’t have done.

I’m never a person to judge (and yes! I know it’s fiction) but it’s said to be a “mistake”.
A mistake is when you mess up, when you’re judgement is off. I fully understand that. So my opinion would be that Frida DID have serious things going on to just walk out leaving her child, wouldn’t you?

Maybe I’m analysing this just a little too much……
But in this dystopian new world where she’s sentenced to be with other Mothers who have neglected or abused their children….The School Of Good Mothers (which is harsh and uses deprivation and the loss of they’re children as threats and aims for perfection!) there is no doubt, no doubt at all she didn’t love her child.

Her daughter is now staying with her ex and the woman. Even worse scenario for Frida.

It was the word “mistake” I couldn’t swallow. It’s not a mistake she could rectify and neither is it a mothers usual reaction. So I’d day Frida needed help, not retribution.

But it’s dystopian right?

It’s very well written and I loved the writing a lot.
I just couldn’t buy into this story.

It’s said to be the new Handmaids Tale. Now whether that’s directly from the author or the idea of the Publishers, please do not be swayed by that at all.

It’s an impressive read, it’s a worrying concerning read if it were ever true yet, definitely not anywhere near The Maidens Tale.

Read it in its own right.

Just before I wrote my review I went to look at others thoughts.
They are very varied, so, I think this book is open to interpretation and what you get out of it.

So give it a go, I’d hate to put anyone off.

It’s a debut. And I’d definitely look out for another from her as I like her writing just not the concept

A good book makes you feel and it definitely did that. The feeling was unsettling and uncomfortable as the scenario of punishing and separating parents from their children. Various minor and major infractions and the regime that they are forced to endure makes for uncomfortable reading. Glad I stuck with the book but not the ending I was hoping for

From the start I found this really hard to get into. It took a good few chapters before I actually knew what the hell was going on. It was very slow paced and didn't really have any feeling written in it. Then the ending just seemed to have been dropped out of thin air. Chapters seemed to end just as it was starting to get meaty. Most of the time it just left me hanging and wanting more and not in a good way. Unfortunately I was really looking forward to this novel as the premise sounded interesting but this really failed to deliver.

Yooooo! This book is a fucking trip. I'm not a mother but if I was, I'll be so ready for war right now. I appreciate how easy it is to get into this novel, because it's such a heavy subject that the author just went straight to the point. They are obviously a very good storyteller so I'll be looking forward to more books from this writer but damn, though. It's got me all riled up.

This sort of reads like The Handmaid’s Tale meets Q by Christina Dalcher – and it’s terrifying and captivating in equal measure. Frida Liu is struggling with her daughter Harriet. She’s got work to do, to keep a roof over their heads and to try – briefly – to not think about her husband leaving her for another woman. Harriet requires so much attention, understandably, but Frida needs a file from her office. Surely if she leaves her just for an hour, it’d be ok? But she leaves her for slightly longer and her abandoning attracts the state’s attention. Deciding she is unable to adequately care for her daughter, the state sends Frida to an institution where she’ll be retrained to be ‘a good mother.’ From entertaining their charges – who they interact with and how is deeply unsettling to read – this re-education will ensure they’ll be back soon in the bosom of their family. Or so many think. Gripping, you won’t take your eyes off this.

This is a book that kept me hooked until the end, it was difficult to put down and I prayed that the ending would be different, it led me through a whole range of different emotions - horror at Frida’s ‘very bad day’, but the understanding that as a parent myself, bad days happened but just not to this extreme, anger at how she and the other women were treated, and tears at the end.
It’s an oppressive dystopia that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, with everything very much stacked against women and them being to blame for everything that might go wrong with their children. The bad mothers are rounded up and sent to school to learn lessons on how to properly care for their children; the bad fathers were clearly treated in a very different way at their 'school', they didn't appear to have as many hoops to jump through and their misdemeanors were ignored whereas the mothers were penalised for the same misdemeanors.

It was a great premise and I was completely hooked from start to finish.
I was a little disappointed with the ending, it was very abrupt and I was left wanting more, however, I enjoyed the book a great deal and will seek out this author again.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but really struggled with it. Whilst I think the concept itself is great I found it to be very drawn out, so much so that I was losing interest.

TSFGM is the debut novel by Jessamine Chan. It’s dystopian fiction (borderline horror tbqh), inspired I imagine by Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (not a patch on either I’m afraid).

Frida is a mother of one to infant daughter Harriet, and is under strain. Her husband has left her for another woman, she’s sleep deprived, probably suffering from PND, overworked and overwhelmed. Unable to cope one day, she leaves her daughter alone at home for two hours and pays a hefty price. She’s sent to a government reform school for mothers for a year where she must learn what it takes to become a loving, devoted mother.

Fascinating premise, all the elements of a great story are there, and there are interesting themes briefly explored - privilege, motherhood, impossible standards of perfection - but the book falls flat in its execution.

Billed as a pageturner, the story moves at a snail’s pace. I felt like I was reading it for a year. The book is written in an unembellished prose, it’s factual and flat in tone. It really needs an injection of flair and of pace to alleviate tedium at times.

It’s also anxiety-inducing. There were times as a parent when I could barely read what was happening; it was unbearably sad. It’s not a book I will forget (it may haunt me), but I couldn’t recommend it. 2.5/5 ⭐️

**TSFGM will be published on 3 March 2022 by @randomhouseuk @hutchheinemann. Many thanks to @netgalley for a proof copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**

I adored this book! Lots of handsmaid tale vibes and I couldn’t put it down. Loved the ending and would love to read more from this author. I can see it being a great film.!

This is a book that led me through a whole range of emotions - horror at Frida’s ‘very bad day’, anger at how she was later treated, and tears at the end. It’s an oppressive dystopia that reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, with everything very much stacked against women and them being to blame for everything that might go wrong with their children. The bad mothers are rounded up and sent to school to learn lessons on how to properly care for their children; a lot of these make you think and I definitely felt like I’d fail many of the tests they have to face and pass in order to stand a chance of seeing their children again. It was a great premise and I was completely hooked from start to finish.

The only downsides were the descriptions of Frida’s relationships with Will and Tucker; these didn’t really add to the storyline aside from making it appear that she craved male attention. The ending was also quite abrupt and left me wondering how it would all have concluded. Overall though, a great book that I’ll definitely be recommending to others. 4.5 Stars.

Wow this book was so hard to read. Not because of the writing, which by the way was VERY GOOD!! No it was because of the subject matter. Any mother reading this will find it uncomfortable because if this was reality, none of us would still have our kids!!!

I felt for Frida every step of the way. Yes, she did something wrong which she should be disciplined for, but i hated what she went through . It highlights how important it is to talk about mental health and why someone is driven to do something.

Should there be a test to become parents? Yeah, i think so!! But you are allowed to make mistakes! I feel this book will open discussion points and make you think!

Its very interesting, it's like orange is the new black, with a focus on being a mother!

I've literally just finished this book- wow! It's a well developed story, truly unique in its content and yet feels 100% believable.

It reminds me of 'gone girl' in writing style; it's gritty, descriptive and engaging. You feel like you're inside the character's head, every part of it seems entirely real. The plot is gripping, it's got a black mirror kind of edge to it that both intrigued and also scared me but I couldn't put it down; I felt every emotion, every moment of peril, of dissatisfaction. I thoroughly recommend this book.

A thought provoking and dystopian take on the societal pressures experienced by women in particular mothers.
I found this a timely read considering changes in women's health rights in some states in the US. Similar to the handmaid's tale what seems far fetched is only a few steps away from our current reality.
In the school for Good mother's, mothers are sent there retraining on parenting. Some mother's "crimes" seem trivial while others are frightening but all face the same mental and emotional hardships of their daily classes and life.
This is not an easy read and some may find it distressing to read as it touches on subjects such as suicide, child abuse and sexual abuse. I would not say I enjoyed as it is quite upsetting it but I found it to be a fascinating read

I had issues with this book from the start.
Frida, a mother with a young child, had had a bad day. So bad that she left the child on her own for several hours because she was stressed and couldn’t cope. Then the authorities found out and she was deemed a “bad mother” and sent to be trained to be a “good mother”.
All mothers have bad days, it’s what being a mother is about; we all feel like walking away, but we don’t, we just get on with it….and seek help if necessary. But not Frida.
So I didn’t have much empathy for her.
Then the school, so dystopian, trying to make mothering into a science. The only well drawn character was Frida, the staff and other mothers all stereotypes.
Then it was pages and pages of gloom as every mother seemed to fail at every task, leading to the inevitable ending.
One of the most depressing books I have ever read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this book.

I nearly gave this up about a quarter of the way through. It was just so unbearably depressing, and absolutely not what I'd expected. I hadn't read anything about the book, had only seen the title, and somehow I'd imagined it was going to be some light-hearted comedy about mothers who get sent to a special school to make them better parents! I quickly saw that the story really wasn't that, and the relentless, dark, dystopian situation felt so awful, I wasn't sure I could keep on reading.
But then, after I'd cast it aside I kept wondering what would happen to Frida, and so in the end I started reading it again, and suddenly found that once we got to the school, things took a turn towards science fiction. And whilst the story remained dark, I felt a little more separated from it, and though it was still uncomfortable to read, I did push through to the end. I found the ending disappointing - I was hoping it would surprise me - but overall this was a better read than I'd initially thought.

Thank you @NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: 03/03/2022

Rating: 4/5

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction

Trigger warning: suicide, thoughts about suicide, trauma

A dystopian concept where neglectful, abusive or careless parents are kept in a rehabilitation/correctional facility for a year in which time they have to endure training with a robotic doll (with the ability to process human emotions) and pass reviews before a court ultimately decides whether their parental rights are rescinded. There is no appeal process and they are unable to make contact with their children ever again.
Without considering the possibility of this chilling nightmare being a reality, I applaud the author, Jessamine Chan, for her daring attempt at choosing such a difficult, thought-provoking theme as her debut novel! There is much thought that has gone into it to make it, at least, feel realistic. Threading commentary within the plot which highlights the societal pressure, particularly on women, to have it together, lead a balanced life and if not then having to choose either a career or family (and otherwise being deemed selfish) was important. It was hard to empathise with the protagonist, Freda, in the beginning for leaving her baby home alone (and I still do not empathise on that part as it is a decision made in poor judgment given the risks involved) but Chan pieces together a jigsaw which shows the background and what brought Freda to this moment in her life. We learn that, unless you’re in their situation yourself, can you truly understand what these parents are going through? Passing judgment on every single aspect on their lives and their choices, even their childhoods, especially when the dynamics are of a POC family and beyond the understanding or training of the authorities assessing them. Even different family structures, single parent, co-parenting relationships are brought up beautifully in the book. There is no condoning the treatment of some of these children or even the training the parents are put through, the book does become very dark and sinister in parts, but I also felt that it is a topical subject with the recent news highlighting the flaws of the social care system in the UK and how it is failing abused, vulnerable children. Where would you draw the line between a careless parent and a dangerous parent?

Although I was sold by the theme, the book could have been written better and I did find it repetitive in parts. I actually wanted the ending to be different but it almost felt inevitable, you want to get to the end to see how it works out for Freda. I got very emotionally invested once the pace picked up again after the mid-section. Given there were so many characters, at times, I found it hard to follow the narrative and by the time I got to the end of the book, I had actually forgotten who “Renee” was! I did enjoy the book, it does raise many interesting questions that would fare well in a book club, but I had to dock one star for this reason.

Chan is an author to look out for! I would recommend every person read this fantastic debut.

In a departure from the historical fiction and thrillers I usually enjoy, I tried this speculative novel. Its protagonist is young mother Frida Liu who temporarily loses custody of her daughter Harriet when she is sentenced to a one-year parenting programme at the School for Good Mothers after leaving the baby unsupervised for a while. Surveyed constantly by cameras and forced to undergo ‘retraining’ that involves psychoanalysis, passing and endless battery of tests, and raising an AI baby Frida’s experiences at the euphemistically named ‘school’ are brutal. Once you break through the dystopian elements of Chan’s novel and the dark humour, you get to the central premise of her novel: that contemporary society has unrealistically high ideals of motherhood. Due to its dystopian set-up, this novel is perhaps not meant for every reader, but for those who choose it, it is worth the experience. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for my free ARC that enabled me to post this honest and unbiased review.

As you read this book, the author excellently builds a horrible sense of foreboding.

The main character is relatable if a bit predictable but her story leads on well to the horrible dystopian story.

It is thought provoking and terrifying, when they first get to the ‘school’ my jaw kept dropping.

I really enjoyed this book.

A fantastic story which is entrancing yet horrifying when reading it is a parent.

Hard to put down.

This was so good, so terrifying, so dystopian yet why does it feel so similar to our own?The School for Good Mothers is going to be on every big book list in 2022. I don't know how I can possibly talk about this book without spoilers. Fans of dystopia, pick this up please.

My feelings as I sped through:
GULP - consistent feeling throughout
- how messed up is the American system of social services and child care?
- Loneliness that's heartbreaking
- And then we move onto the dystopian reality where moms (and dads) who have been under the radar for neglect and abuse are 'trained' to be better versions of themselves with appointed facility-children.
-OMG!! The whole training and the whole messed up standards and grades. It was bonkers.

Chan addresses so many issues in this novel. And many of the issues can be mirrored to our present day world too.
- identity politics
- racism, micro aggressions
- parameters being different for the mothers and fathers while in the facility
- the training and 'facility-children' being based on white prototypes.
- the angst of different family dynamics in white and POC families that is difficult to convey to the authorities
- Asians being forced to be nice and meek. So eerie when the facility-child also behaves this way.
- being graded for feelings, eye contact, heart beat (All I kept thinking was we never want job interviews by AI in our future. no no no)
- Family dynamics, divorce, co-parenting, relationship with the ex-partner's new family after a divorce.
- race problems
- mothers being forced to be 'nice' all the time. (HOW EXHAUSTING)