I picked up the School for Good Mothers based on the description of a mother in a dystopian world who makes a mistake and then must go to a school to learn how to be a better parent. What I discovered was a world not too far from our own; Jessamine Chan has created a believable world in which CPS is changing and redefining its methods and power. 

By creating this world close enough to our own, the story stays rooted in some reality while introducing some elements that are more far fetched. As a reader, I liked this balance. I went in knowing very little and I think you should do the same. The year at The School for Good Mothers is emotional, twisted, and in many ways an on the nose criticism of the expectations society puts upon mothers. 

The author shifts who we should disagree with throughout the story, should disagree with Frida, our MC who made such a serious mistake? Should we hate the teachers and counselors at the school? Should we be reluctant of the fathers visiting from their own school? I think that some readers may not enjoy this constant ebb and flow of villainous statements, but I interpreted it as a statement about how toxic the expectations on mothers are and as a reminder that none of us are or will be perfect parents. 

I haven’t recapped the synopsis because I know you can read it yourself and because I see this ad a book best jumped into blindly, but I will say the end was very emotional and a bit predictable. This would have been a 5 star read for me if the ending had been more of a surprise or slightly more open ended. You should also know there is on page racism and child abuse, though brief, and obviously significant custody issues; it is not a book without heaviness but Jessamine Chan has written it beautifully.