I did not find this book drawing me in like others. The writing felt rushed and juvenile while super repetitive. The twist at the end was a bit predictable but ended up decent.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Anya Mora, and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook! This captivating story, skillfully narrated by Laryn Allman and Penelope Rawlins, takes you on a gripping journey through the dark realities of postpartum. It really makes you question what’s real, and this tale had me questioning reality every step of the way. We truly experience the main character's struggles in all their intensity. A fantastic listen!

I struggled getting into this audio book! The first 2 hours felt like it was the main character continually sharing how anxious she was and how scared she was that her husband was going to learn her secrets and how worried she was that she wasn’t a good mother…..I almost gave up and stopped listening. But then I remembered I could speed it up and started listening on 1.5 and the increased speed and intensity helped move the plot along. While I wasn’t surprised by the ending - I saw it coming a MILE away - I am glad I finished the audiobook. This would be good for a long car ride but I HIGHLY recommend speeding it up. The main narrator has a lovely and compelling voice. Thank you Bookouture Audio and Net Galley for providing this audiobook for review.

This was a really good book and I really enjoyed the audio of this. This was a twisty thriller that kept you guessing. I didn't see the twist coming at all and what I thought I knew I didn't. I couldn't stand the husband in this book he was a jerk pretty much through the book and I think this was purposly done but I couldnt find any good qualities in him.

The audiobook narrator was great so I recommend listening to this novel if you have any interest!
This author’s books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found. Compelling and didn’t want it to end!

This book took me a bit to get into but I was hooked. The story line was so confusing and twisted and I enjoyed trying to put the pieces together as I read. I feel like the ending was perfect for this book.

Good Bad Mother by Anya Mora
Pub Date 2/17/2025 Narrated by Lauryn Allman, Penelope Rawlins

Amelia on the outside has a perfect life and is a stay-at-home mom with a beautiful baby girl. She met the perfect man and after a quick whirlwind romance became pregnant and they got married. Timothy is successful, handsome, a hard worker, and comes from one of the wealthiest families in the country. After they got married, they moved into her dream home on an exclusive island that only the rich can afford which means she also lived across from her new in-laws. A mother-in-law who didn't hide her distaste for her since she didn't grow up alongside these elite people and did not condone their relationship or the quick wedding due to her pregnancy. As a matter of fact, Timothy and his family knew next to nothing about her life, and she planned to keep it that way. Although the past seems to not stay a secret no matter how hard you try. If Timothy and his snobby family found out about her past, she would lose everything. 

The truth is, Amelia isn't the perfect wife. She isn't the perfect mother, and it seems up until now, she is no longer the perfect liar. When her past comes back to haunt her, the perfect life she tried so hard to get starts crumbling all around her. When her true name comes out and what she has been running from since she was eighteen comes crashing back to haunt her. 

This was a slower-paced story about a woman who was desperate to run away from a horrible past and make a new life for herself. It goes through the struggles of being a new mother in a relatively new relationship that came with horrible in-laws and the stress she carries trying to keep her past a secret. As the story progresses, a few people are suspicious of the possible main antagonist as the poor woman had many people wishing her to fail and I appreciated the surprise of who was harassing her for weeks and how the story ended. It was an easy read and finished it in one day. 

I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook before its release on 2/17/2025 in exchange for an honest review. I rounded up the star rating to a 4, but it's more of a 3.5 for me.

The story delves into the lives of two sisters haunted by their past, grappling with the disappearance of a baby and recurring visions that bring their traumatic history to the forefront. Overall, it was a compelling read, though the pace did slow down somewhat in the middle. Fortunately, the narrative regained momentum towards the end, making for a satisfying conclusion. This book is a solid read, and I am eager to explore more of Anya Mora's work in the future.

I felt like we got off to a strong start, very intriguing, enjoyable writing style and the way the timeline went back and forth and added extra layers kept things interesting.
But I felt things dragged a bit. Points felt laboured when we never really got to know the husband or the relationship the main character had with him. The twist at the end was fine and it was enjoyable over all.

Amelia Sterling is suddenly the wife of the son of one of the richest families in the US after she becomes pregnant with his baby girl, Clover. Amelia already doesn’t fit in with the rest of the family, but she feels even more distant from them because of her past, which she is trying desperately to keep from emerging into her new perfect life. However, someone begins leaving notes in the mailbox that threaten to expose Amelia’s past and secrets and upend her new life.

This book started off super strong and had me hooked right away. But it was definitely a slow burn. I normally don’t mind a slow burn, but I found this book to be repetitive. There were several lines and phrases that seemed repetitive and I felt like nothing really happened until the very end of the book. Honestly I feel like this could have been a much shorter book, even a novella. I really like the author’s writing style and character building. I thought the characters were interesting and unique. The twists were interesting and I enjoyed the different character POVs and switching between past and present. Overall, not my favorite book, but still definitely worth the read if you enjoy domestic thriller/mystery books.

Thank you Bookouture Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Amelia is a new wife and mother, living a happy picture perfect life with her husband. When her in-laws insists she participates in a photo shoot and interview, her hidden past comes to light. Amelia appears to be not so flawless.

I enjoyed the alternating POVs and suspenseful plot. This book was unpredictable with good twists. I enjoyed it! The audio narration was excellent, I loved both narrators. The story was fast paced and engaging.

4.5 stars

Amelia has, what from the outside looks to be the perfect life. She's newly married to a wealthy, loving husband and she has a new baby. But when a picture needs to be taken for a magazine feature on her extended family, Amelia is forced to confront her past. As we get a glimpse into her past and the truth surfaces the twists keep coming. Will her past catch up to her? Is her perfect life really as perfect as it seems? And is what she believes to be true about all of it the actual reality?

This book grabbed my attention right from the start and held it all the way through. Full of tension, unease and so many twists - this book is a winner! The audio narration was excellent, the story was fast-paced and super engaging. This is my second Anya Mora book and it will definitely not be the last. Put this book on your TBR list - you will not be sorry!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really do love a really good suspenseful thriller. And I enjoyed this book for the most part, but it didn’t wow me enough to give it 5 stars. First off, there are multiple POV and going back and forth in the timeline, which could be a little confusing if you’re not listening or reading closely.

Secondly, the main female character has this internal dialogue that is very repetitive. At times, I wanted to yell out, “We get it–you’re hiding something!” The long, drawn-out suspense was full of angst, which I guess is what you want in a thriller, but for me, it felt like it was padding out the story. The pace of this story is pretty slow because of it, and I kept wanting to hurry it along.

The big reveal at the end wasn’t all that shocking or unexpected and was kind of a letdown. However, despite all those critiques I just mentioned, I still enjoyed the overall story. The narrators Lauryn Allman and Penelope Rawlins gave very good performances and in part, made me enjoy the book more than if I had just read it. I would listen to another book narrated by either of the women.

I enjoyed this book, and finished it in just a couple of days. The narration was well done. I found the characters interesting and the story was well paced.

Good Bad Mother was a suspenseful read. A stay at home mom, navigating early motherhood is also concealing a secret…and a hidden past. Mora masterfully keeps the audience hooked, weaving tension throughout the narrative. While I typically prefer books with more twists and turns, I appreciated the logical and realistic ending, which, though not entirely predictable, felt satisfying. The audiobook version was a little challenging to understand due to some dual timelines, so I believe this would be a better hard copy read. Overall, 4/5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley for a free version of this audiobook.

Good Bad Mother started out right away as feeling like the main character was stressed and something wasn't quite right. The story builds with suspense and lies, which left me wondering who did what. I really liked the ending and felt it tied everything in together. I gave it 3 stars because I felt like the middle of the story was a little slow and kept dragging on, and I felt myself wanting it to get to the end. Overall, it was a good story.

3.5 Stars. The story held my attention, but Amelia’s inner monologue of self doubt and fear were a bit much for me and took away from the story. I enjoyed that the story was told from multiple POV and timelines. The ending was a bit lack luster, but I was in for the ride to get there.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net galley and Bookouture Publisher for e-ALC of this mind-blowing book.
3.75 stars! i want to give it 4 but starting was hard to grip.
This was my first attempt to listen a mystery-thrilling audiobook so took me time to process it.
.
Don't know how to summarize plot but definitely a YES it was worth reading/listening. The plot and curiosity had me on my toes till the end, even though it took me 5 days to finish unfortunately.
I was kind of getting tired of over-thinking and anxiety the female lead was experiencing but after getting to know her side of story i realized that she was going through such a depressing and overwhelming phase of her life.
She deserved so much from the start and glad that she got her happy ending in the end. I love it when wrongly accused people gets apology and justice they deserve.

This audiobook got me hooked right from the start! From the opening scene, we're thrown into chaos with Amelia in a full-blown panic because her baby, Clover, is missing. Then, the plot thickens when she smells smoke - the house is literally on fire. But here's the kicker: this isn't just some freak accident. Someone's out for revenge against Amelia.

Amelia is a new mom, married to Timothy, who's loaded. They tied the knot in a hurry after finding out about the pregnancy. But there's this air of mystery around Amelia. She's super paranoid about her past, to the point where she's scared to even be in a family photo - she's terrified someone might recognize her. As the story unfolds through the speakers, we start piecing together what she's hiding from, and let me tell you, the twists were completely unexpected. An engrossing listen that keeps you captivated until the very end.

This was a typical domestic/psychological mystery type book. I enjoyed it! Typical tripe of secrets, infidelity, but definitely kept my attention. Narration was good.