Not a Good Mother: A Novel

by Karabi George

When an isolated young woman finds herself struggling to cope with new motherhood in a new country, she begins to feel like things can’t get much worse—until her baby goes missing.

Friday, 2:30 PM: Reema takes her infant daughter Anaya to the park for a playdate with Elizabeth, a friend she made online.

Friday, 4:04 PM: Elizabeth offers to watch Anaya while Reema goes to the restroom.

Friday, 4:08 PM: Anaya is gone.

Upon returning to an empty bench where Elizabeth and Anaya should be, Reema is overwhelmed with panic—why can't she see them anywhere? Was Elizabeth trying to soothe a fussy Anaya with a walk? Was she trying to move Anaya out of the sun so she didn't get overheated? With each minute that ticks by as Reema searches the park in a frenzy, a terrifying truth begins to sink in—Elizabeth has taken her child.

Friday, 4:45 PM: The police arrive.

But their presence is far from comforting—in fact, the more questions the detectives ask, the more their focus seems to shift away from Elizabeth and onto...Reema? As hours go by, Reema can sense that the police, her husband, his family, her neighbors, the media, they all blame her, even as the investigation exposes secrets and lies that everyone around her has been hiding.

Saturday, 3:12 PM: Reema takes matters into her own hands. Everyone thinks she’s not a good mother, but she’ll prove them wrong. She has to. . . .

Karabi George’s riveting, pulse-pounding debut thriller asks a terrifying question that lingers in the back of all our minds: How much can we really trust the people closest to us?

Genres: Thriller, Suspense

Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 29, 2026

About the author

Originally from India, Karabi George now lives just outside Toronto with her husband and children. She was shortlisted for the 2024 CWA Debut Dagger award, runners-up for the 2023 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color award, and a recipient of the 2024 ThrillerFest scholarship.

She holds a Creative Writing certificate from the University of British Columbia. Karabi holds an MBA degree and has worked in management consulting and strategy. She enjoys reading, organizing book-clubs, volunteering and traveling.

Reviews

[Hannah McKinnon]

NOT A GOOD MOTHER by Karabi George is a knockout debut thriller that’ll make your heart sit in your throat. Tense, twisted, and deeply emotional, this book will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end, and continue to linger with you a long time thereafter.

[Susan's Reviews]

I just received an ARC of this Canadian author's novel, Not A Good Mother

A mother's worst nightmare: Reema puts her trust in Elizabeth - someone she believes is her friend - and leaves her daughter, Anaya, in her care at a playground in order to use the restroom. But when she returns, her child and her friend are gone.

Worse yet, this distraught young immigrant mother begins to realize that the police and her husband suspect Reema in the disappearance of her daughter.....

[Sana]

I LOVED this book. I was fortunate to read an early copy and wow, what a ride! Not only was this a fantastic thriller that had me on the edge of my seat and turning pages as fast as I could, it was a deeply relatable story as a member of the Indian diaspora and a mother. The social commentary, characters, and the protagonist’s arc were so well done. Karabi is such a talent and this is an important book for what it says about motherhood, how society treats and views mothers, and for how both challenging and profound early motherhood is. I’ll be recommending this one to everyone I know!

[Tia]

ΜY RATING: 3.5 ⭐️
GENRE: Domestic Thriller
PUBLICATION DATE: December 29th, 2026

Reema is a recent immigrant to Canada, having married Varun in India after a very brief courtship. Now a stay-at-home mother to an 8-month old daughter, Reema is struggling with exhaustion, loneliness and isolation. Desperate for a connection with other new mothers, she joins an online chat group and hits it off with Elizabeth. Reema finally has someone to relate to, who understands what her overbearing and controlling husband does not. After their first playdate at a local park, Reema steps away to use the bathroom, leaving Elizabeth to mind her infant daughter, only to return and find that they have vanished. As a frantic search begins, so does the blame game, and soon everyone is suspect, even Reema herself. Who took baby Anaya and will she ever be seen again?

I enjoyed the author’s debut novel for the most part and appreciated her personal note at the beginning which outlines her motivation and how this story came about. But fair warning, this was a rough one and won’t be an easy read for many people.

🥳What worked for me

Premise and initial hook: This is a mother’s worst nightmare. The book starts off with an intense countdown format that grabs you by the throat, and the ensuing panic of the park sequence hooks you instantly.

Reema’s perspective: Told exclusively from the first person POV, we are in Reema’s head and feel everything she does. George’s portrayal of postpartum anxiety, self-doubt, exhaustion and pressure is masterfully done.

Format: I loved the continued countdown format starting each chapter, which did an excellent job in keeping the high tension feeling going.

🤔What I struggled with

Pacing: The momentum hits a bit of a speed bump in the middle chapters with a considerable amount of backstories through Reema’s internal monologues. I found this slowed down the sense of urgency.

Ending: A few too many logic leaps that require a huge suspension of disbelief. There are so very many convenient secrets thrown into the final chapters that made it a bit chaotic and hard to fully believe.

Final verdict

A very solid and entertaining debut that delves into some sensitive and difficult subject matter. Recommended for readers who love deeply emotional, character-driven domestic thrillers.

⚠️ Content/Trigger Warnings: Infant kidnapping/abduction, postpartum depression/anxiety, gaslighting, isolation, and parental panic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Karabi George for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Deana]

Right from the beginning, NOT A GOOD MOTHER drew me in and had me instantly hooked. Reema is a new mom on her way to a play date with a potential mom friend, Elizabeth. The two met on an app for moms, and honestly, this is so relatable. Making new friends in adulthood is hard enough, especially when you add babies to the mix. But not everything is as it seems, and one innocent decision throws Reema’s entire life into a downward spiral.

This novel is a wild ride! It’s full of suspense and dread that kept me turning pages to find out what happened next! Definitely recommend!

[Harper]

Had the privileged opportunity to get an ARC from the publisher/author. What a perfect book to debut with!

Every mother's nightmare is to have your child stolen, but to then be blamed and realize everyone is only half heartedly looking for your daughter because they doubt your story?
Hate spoilers so I won't say more, but holy crap what a ride. Loved the twists! But also loved that the author balanced the raw, vulnerable, paralyzing fear and pain of having your child out in the world without you, with no idea where she is, without making her a victim. Reema pushes through at ever turn. Great read, looking forwars to Karabi George's next one!

[Katerina]

Well, THIS book grabbed me by the collar and said, “You’re not putting me down until you find out what happens.”

I went into Not a Good Mother expecting a gripping read, but WOW… this one really got under my skin!

There’s something wonderfully unsettling about a story that makes you question everything — the people, the choices, the relationships, and especially the little things that seem harmless at first. And this book absolutely knows how to plant that tiny seed of doubt and then WATER IT.

The tension kept building, and I found myself doing that dangerous reader thing where I started saying, “Okay, just one more chapter.” We all know how that ends. Suddenly it’s way too late, I’m completely invested, and I NEED ANSWERS.

And that title? Not a Good Mother.
Oh, it definitely made me think about what that really means. 👀

What I loved most was the way Karabi George kept me questioning my assumptions. Just when I thought I understood where the story was going, I found myself reconsidering everything. There’s a delicious sense of unease running through the book that kept me hooked.

This is the kind of thriller I LOVE — the kind where you’re reading along happily and then suddenly stop and go:

“WAIT. WHAT?!?”

Then you immediately turn the page.

And another.

And another.

Needless to say, my plans for the day were officially cancelled.

If you enjoy twists, secrets, complicated relationships, psychological tension, and stories that make you question who you can trust, definitely add this one to your TBR.

Five stars from me!

Karabi George, you definitely kept me guessing — and I am NOT complaining. What a ride!

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelsey Lawlis]

🍁thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review🍁

This was a great debut thriller. It has all the elements of a suspense filled, nerve wracking plot that keep you on the edge all the way throughout. Reema is an immigrant mother from India with an 8month old baby girl. She desperately wants to find a community of support to surround herself with but runs into many roadblocks in achieving that due to her very controlling husband. She ends up using social media to find likeminded mommy friends and ends up with her child kidnapped as a result…or so she thinks.

4.25⭐️

Loved the countdown element of this one and the overall sense of anxiety, despair, and hopelessness in finding her child. Any mother can relate to the feeling of even losing your child for 5 seconds. Coupling that with a JERK of a husband, doubting and unsupportive family, and Reema’s own naivety really made for a strong plot and reading experience.

There are a few moments where you’ll have to suspend believability, but not too far out of the realm of possible.

🫧Releasing in April, 2027!!! 🫧

[Chelsea]

Review of advance copy from NetGalley

I’m not kidding when I say I devoured this in one sitting. This grabbed me right away, and I couldn’t put it down! One heck of a debut!

Reema is living every mother’s worst nightmare, and you can really feel that fear and desperation coming off the pages. I also really connected with the commentary around motherhood and the impossible expectations placed on women. We’re expected to do it all, but the second something goes wrong, suddenly we’re not good enough, we failed, or we should have done more.

As a mother who also had a baby in Toronto myself, that message and this book really hit me and made it feel especially personal. But beyond the emotional side of the story, this was also such a gripping read. The pacing kept me hooked, and the twists kept me guessing!

If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you turning the pages while also giving you something to think about long after you finish, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up. Karabi George absolutely nailed it with this debut!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance copy of Karabi George’s debut novel!

[Tina]

This was a great thriller that kept me thinking and second guessing all the way through. I'm pretty sure I suspected every single character by the end!

I'm not a parent, but I've heard it can be very isolating and hard, especially without a supportive partner sharing the load. This seemed to be a very realistic story of how someone could crave community and want a break from the neverending work at home of being the only parent showing up for a baby. Of course you'd want to get out of the house. Of course someone with no support system is going to try to build a community, and connect with others in the same stage of life as well.

This was nerve-wracking the whole way through, trying to figure out who and why and if Anaya was okay. You could feel Reema's frustration building (along with your own) with the accumulation of more questions and the lack of answers, and reading it felt like you're right there with Reema trying to think through this and solve what happened to Anaya. Kept me guessing until the end.

[Anya Rose]

Reema is struggling in an unhappy marriage to Varun while adjusting to life as a new mother to baby Anaya. Looking for connection, Reema meets Elizabeth through a mommy app. When Anaya suddenly disappears, the story shifts into a tense mystery, made worse by the public scrutiny of Reema and questions about whether she is a fit mother.
The question becomes what really happened to Anaya and will she be found?

[Jessica]

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

What a debut novel! This story had me hooked from the first few chapters.

A twisty turny novel that kept me guessing and kept me wondering what the truth was!

[Amber Davis]

What a fun thriller! Karabi George grabs you from the beginning with such a relatable premise--making a new friend after a life-changing event. Then the roller coaster begins! Tore through this one, and can't wait for everyone else to read it!

[Abby]

Wow, this book was so easily gulped down with the amount of juicy secrets revealed, the tense chapter cliffhangers, and an overall worst nightmare type of premise that made me see myself in Reema (even though I’m not yet a mother). Kudos to Karabi!

What happens in NOT A GOOD MOTHER is the type of thing you hope never happens to you…but exactly the type of thing you want to read about. Can’t wait for this author’s next book!!

[Mathew George]

Karabi George's debut thriller, Not a Good Mother, is a stunning read. She expertly transports you into the life of Reema - a first time mother in a new country without a support circle, whose child goes missing. You can truly feel the desperation that Reema experiences when everything seems to work against her, and how everyone around her is eager to cast the blame on her. The way that Karabi fleshes out the characters, and drives the plot ahead, it truly feels like something written by a seasoned author. A must read for all thriller fans, and especially for any parent raising kids without an extended support system.

[E]

(Note: ARC review, spoilers included)
Okay— first two-thirds or the book were a solid 5/5. The suspense was superb, the timeline was clear, the events were there, the pacing was good, and overall, it was really engaging.
The final third, however, particularity when Reema begins her own investigating, drop down to a 3/5 rating. This section was sappy, over dramatic, seemed overly fake, felt rushed, and just didn’t make a lot of sense. If I was a person who didn’t finish books, I would have not cared to finish this.
Final two chapters get a 4/5, these were ok and I felt things wrapped up nicely, still a bit quick but at least things weren’t dragged out.
I would probably recommend this to people who enjoy a suspenseful, non-murder, mystery.
I would maybe be interested a second book of this became a series. Perhaps from Catherine/Elizabeth’s perspective, or maybe set before Anaya goes missing covering how Catherine’s and Varun’s relationship eventually evolved to Varun and Reema.
Lastly, do I regret reading this? Certainly not. It was worthwhile for the sections I enjoyed

[Ruxandra]

Not a Good Mother is an interesting take on a relatively common thriller theme. Once I got over the initial questionable decision (it’s not up for debate that it was a bad decision right?) I really got into the book. I felt for Reema as the story developed quickly. That said, once the reveal happened it fell apart for me. Varun was handled unrealistically by the police and Reema, who for all of her action and talk of being undaunted in the face of finding her daughter still didn’t push him for information on his side of things in a way that made sense. Overall it’s a good debut thriller but at times put social commentary above the plot.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Nppiche]

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

Unfortunately it wasn’t such a good book.
The premise was good.
The start had promise.
The rest had me skipping pages until the end.
I wanted to love it.

[Haylie Brunne]

Review of advanced copy received through NetGalley

I really enjoyed this debut however the pacing was a little all over the place and I felt that there was a lot of unneeded repetition.