What does it really mean to be a good mother?
In a culture obsessed with parenting advice, perfection, and judgment, The Good Mother Test asks a quieter, more unsettling question:
Who gets to decide?
This novel explores motherhood not as an ideal, but as a lived experience—messy, loving, contradictory, and deeply human.
About the book
not a story about perfect parenting
The Good Mother Test is a contemporary novel that examines modern motherhood under pressure: from social expectations and moral certainty to private doubt and resilience.
Through intimate storytelling and psychological nuance, the novel follows a woman navigating the unspoken tests mothers face every day—tests that are rarely fair, often invisible, and impossible to pass without cost.
This is not a story about perfect parenting.
It is a story about survival, love, and the quiet choices that define us.
synopsis
When Emily, a bright but impulsive UCLA student, gives birth to her daughter Violet, she vows to be the kind of mother she never had: endlessly loving and fiercely protective. But single motherhood is a test with no right answers.
As Violet’s brilliance and independence unfold, Emily’s instincts clash with a world obsessed with achievement. Then Violet’s father, Doug, returns, now partnered with Amanda, a celebrated therapist unable to have children of her own. What begins as an amicable co-parenting plan becomes a psychological struggle for Violet’s heart and future.
Told through the eyes of both mother and daughter, The Good Mother Test is a deeply moving contemporary novel about family, ambition, and the fragile line between devotion and control. It asks the reader what makes a good mother, and what happens when love itself is put to the test.
themes explored
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praise & early response
“A highly readable and relatable novel about family, trust, and the messy beauty of love. A hard-hitting satisfying read.
Midwest book review“A gritty and moving tribute to maternal sacrifice and the humility required to protect the ones we love.”
Self-publishing review
“French shows a skillful hand with characters’ voices and dialogue, effectively capturing very different perspectives in both third and first person. The scenes of tension and suspense work well.”
Kirkus Reviewsabout the author
michael french
Michael R. French graduated from Stanford University, where he studied English and creative writing under Wallace Stegner, and later earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. After serving in the U.S. Army, he married Patricia Goodkind, an educator and entrepreneur, and began a family.
French is the author of more than twenty books, including award-winning young adult novels, adult fiction, biographies, and self-help titles. His work has been warmly reviewed in The New York Times and honored with multiple literary prizes. He has also written or co-written several screenplays, including Intersection, which has received awards at more than twenty film festivals.
His passions include travel, collecting rare books, and spending time with family and friends. He describes his worst traits as impatience and saying “no” too quickly, and his best as curiosity, risk-taking, and learning from failure.
