Valley of the Moms

by Hannah Selinger

Stepford Wives meets Big Little Lies in this twisty thriller that uncovers the untruths, petty grievances, and local school politics underneath a seemingly quaint small town.

Hamilton, Massachusetts is one of those suburban towns that appears untouched by the outside world where stay-at-home moms wear 2ct diamond studs to the playground, where a million-dollar property is “affordable,” and where the Parent Teacher Organization is a hotbed of controversy. Sure, some people struggle to make ends meet, but residents would say discussing such ugly matters is impolite. Hamilton has been like this forever, and everyone likes it that way. almost everyone.

It's not that Anna Plummer doesn't like Hamilton, but she never thought she'd be married with two young kids, comfortable, complacent…and growing more bored by the minute. So, when she realizes her second grader won't be able to attend the "Ziti with Your Sweetie" school dance because she didn’t pay for a “Premium” membership, she snaps. She sends an email to the terrifying president of the PTO—and all hell breaks loose.

One year later, Anna is found dead in the frozen Ipswich River. Left to pick up the pieces, her husband, Denny, is shaken to his core. He's no expert, but he's seen enough Dateline to know that the police think he's the main suspect. If they aren't going to get justice for Anna, he will. Told through the alternating perspectives of Anna and Denny exactly one year apart, and with a shocking concluding twist, Valley of the Moms is a gripping look at the underpinnings of grief, the social structures of wealth, and the secrets people keep—even among friends and loved ones.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 16, 2026

About the author

Hannah Selinger is a James Beard Award-nominated lifestyle writer and mother of two based in Boxford, MA. Her print and digital work has appeared in the New YorkTimes Magazine, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, Eater, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and elsewhere. Her 2021 Bon Appétit essay, "In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love," is anthologized in the 2022 Best American Food Writing collection, published by HarperCollins and edited by Sohla El-Waylly.

Reviews

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspenseful, dual timeline/dual POV rich people suburban mommie mystery/thriller that provides plenty of drama. A promising debut novel for fans of Lisa Jewell, Sarah Pekkanen and Heather Gudenkauf.

Anna was found strangled and killed near the river in her snowy northern Massachusetts town. And the primary suspect is her husband, Denny. Just a year ago, she ruffled some feathers with her criticism of the PTO's "pay to play" type of "premium membership" for elementary school activities. It is a worthy endeavor, shouldn't all kids- especially in a public school, have equal access? As Anna dives deeper into the Hamilton culture, she learns that this is so much bigger than just early access to the school dance- it is access to nearly everything.

I found this novel to be reminiscent of Big Little Lies and other suburban thrillers- there is an underlying theme of the entitlement of the haves vs. the have nots. The POV alternates between Anna, a year earlier, as she criticizes and infiltrates the rich mom culture of their town; and Denny, her husband, falsely accused of her murder as he tries to piece together the last few months of her life and who is responsible for her death. It is a really gripping story with a few well developed characters, not only Anna and Denny, but also her best and oldest friend Di and the queen bee Mimi. The setting is haunting and the cover art seems perfect to describe the overall vibes of Hamilton, Massachusetts. The themes are timely and relatable.

I would have liked to see more character development of the children and more description of the grief that the family goes through losing Anna in such a violent way. The plot focused more on the secrets and solving the crime itself. I was guessing until the last chapter! So many secrets~

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown/Mulholland and author Hannah Selinger for the ARC. Book to be published June 16, 2026

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...no. I went into this story expecting it to be a quick, breezy read about rich people with first-world problems, and it certainly is most of that. But it's ultimately a frustrating disappointment. Anna lives in a wealthy suburb of Hamilton and doesn't fit in with the rest of the pretentious residents. When she dares to disagree with the president of the PTO over their elitist ways, it all hits the fan. That's the narrative told in the past by Anna; there's also one from her husband Denny's perspective after her body is found in the river about a year or so after her narrative begins. So the reader is learning what she was dealing with that Denny knew nothing about, and we wait to see if he'll be able to figure out what really happened to her and get justice for his wife.

SPOILER ALERT

He eventually figures it all out and doesn't do a damn thing about it. Let's not waste any time pretending we don't know who's responsible for Anna's death. It's quite obvious from the start, especially when the author drops a way too obvious clue early on that was referenced so transparently as a possible murder weapon, that I thought it was a red herring for those who picked up on it. No. It wasn't. It was really just that obvious. If that wasn't frustrating enough, it's also clear who she can't trust, and even her husband picks up on that sooner than she did.

The most frustrating part is not just the ridiculousness of so many criminals essentially running the town of Hamilton, but that no one ever stops them. Denny easily could have turned them in with everything he learned, and he chooses not to. For no reason other than his children are settled in their home there. ?? In the town where his wife was killed. By people living IN THAT TOWN. And he wants to make a life there. What on earth was the author thinking? How deplorable are these characters supposed to be? The perpetrators are never challenged by anyone. People just live in this town knowing it's run by crooked people in positions of power and... a PTO president. That's just hilarious. Where on earth would such a pathetic volunteer position be wielded with the same power as, say, a mayor or a senator? I could see if this was a satire, but I swear, it's supposed to be taken seriously. SO again...no.

[Corinne Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Anna’s lifetime best friend, Di, convinces her to move to small town Hamilton, she never would’ve imagined uncovering all of the town’s terrible secrets. A group of mean moms control the PTO and whatever they want, they get. It is Anna who unravels a dark secret, and it may have cost her her life. The story goes back & forth between Anna & her husband, and we piece together what was going on in Anna’s life while Anna was alive and then through her husband’s perspective after her death. I was quite enraptured with this story and found myself so infuriated with the behaviors of these mean moms. It had all the small town feels of a community where they don’t like outsiders coming in and disrupting the norm.

Thank you to NetGalley & Mulholland Books for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Jess Laur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC - love a good “rich moms” story and this had it all. Secrets to kill for 🤫 I loved how this entire storyline ran its course. Definitely figured out a major part very early on, but it may just be the sleuth in me vs any twist giveaways.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised with this one. Requested this ARC on a whim from Net Galley and it turned out to be a pretty good suburban mom drama And an easy read. The ending left something to be desired for me but I enjoyed the pacing and was interested to find out exactly what happened.

[Crystal Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgallery for the early access! Valley of the Moms is a mystery that takes place in an affluent town and all that goes along with it. The author had me sucked in right away! I enjoyed the writing style and was invested! Some of the characters could have been developed a bit more but this was a solid book and loved the different POV! I loved reading about all the places in the book as I live near where the book takes place! Would recommend!

[Jessica’s Lit Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna wants to make her kids school a better place by running for PTO President. During her campaign, she uncovers secrets, lies and sinister sisterhood that could be deadly. Thank you net galley for this ARC!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Little, Brown for the ARC! This murder mystery, set in affluent Massachusetts, has all the juicy tidbits in it that I wanted - petty moms, dangerous secrets, just the right number of Dunkin’ references, pool club culture, and a befuddled husband. Did I mention the TWIST? No spoilers here, but it was absolutely not what I expected, just as I thought I’d figured it all out.

Which really made this summer read a satisfying one to chew over long after I finished it. As a Massachusetts resident of the northern Boston ‘burbs myself, I can confirm all the regional details rang true, but I think anyone will find relatable elements in here, no matter where you’re from - the way some of the characters are wrestling with status and fitting in, like the married-with-kids version of high school’s cool club. Selinger really nails that, and whether or not you see the surprise coming at the end, you’ll love the ride. I predict this will be one of those summer novels EVERYONE is reading and talking about.

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

rich people be crazy

[Ashley Flippin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of this title.
I went into this book not really knowing what to expect. It started off kind of slow with the dual timeline of Anna and her husband Denny. We know from the beginning that Anna has been murdered but why?
These women who called themselves Anna’s friend must be at fault, right? This was a very slow thriller, mystery. The ending was also a bit unsatisfying for me.
I did really love Anna’s husband, Dennys character.
This was a three star read for me. Just okay.

[Amber B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC of “Valley Moms” by Hannah Selinger.

“I don’t make the rules, I just loosely obey them.”

In most cases when a wife goes missing and is later found murdered, the husband is almost always the suspect. But what if he was framed? What if there was something entirely more sinister lurking among a well to do community?

“Valley Moms” is a dual timeline POV slow burn mystery novel that takes place in an affluent New England town. Everyone appears to be damn near perfect with their fancy clothes and even fancier houses. Things are not always what they appear to be and when someone from the outside of the circle begins asking questions and pointing out discrepancies, that’s where things begin to get dicey. Sometimes people are willing to do whatever it takes to keep things quiet and if it involves murder, so be it.

[Sierra W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, but woof. The whole thing was boring and I found myself skipping through the pages. Not one character had any redeeming qualities and they were all very forgetful.

[Victoria Atweh · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when one woman goes up against the wealthy, entitled PTO? She winds up dead.

3.75 stars
Anna Plummer wanted to change the way the PTO make decisions. When she discovers they have a "priority" membership where parents can pay a fee to ensure their children get access to all the activities and untimately priority into higher education, she is determined to change that. She decides to run for PTO president against the powerful Mimi Mars. But when she is found dead one cold winter night, her husband is forced to care for their children alone, all while trying to figure out what happened to his wife. The more he digs into her notes and her computer, he discovers how deepthe corruption in their wealthy town goes...the police force, the mayor, and parents on the PTO all are involved. But the ultimate betrayal is beyond what he ever could have imagined.

Told in dual timelines, as Anna is investigating the corruption of the PTO, and her husband is dealing with the aftermath of her murder, Valley of the Moms will keep you guessing until the very end!

[Hannah Whitcomb DeHague · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this... and maybe didn't even like it? The first half felt extremely slow, I guessed one of the perpetrators about a quarter of the way through, and much of the read was very anticlimactic. It needed more complexity and I was hoping for a more satisfying ending. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC of this novel.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sharing an ARC with me! This was a rollicking mystery that kept me rapt as I sped through it. The narration choice of one chapter present day, the next chapter a year-ish earlier, worked well to unspool the suburban secrets bit by bit. Definitely enjoyed it.

[Jessica Haile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an intriguing premise that never quite lived up to its potential for me. I liked the setup and the overall vibes, and I genuinely enjoyed the book whenever I was actively reading it—but I rarely felt that “have to pick it back up” pull between reading sessions. The characters and their relationships never felt quite fleshed out enough, so when the drama ramped up, the big moments didn’t always feel fully earned. The book kept telling me it was Stepford without reading like Stepford. The twists in particular often read like the story needed certain outcomes, rather than choices that grew naturally from who these people were.

The pacing felt off, with the strongest material saved for the last chunk of the book, which made the ending land more as a rush than a payoff. By the time everything started to really move, I was already a bit checked out, and the resolution didn’t change that and really felt off character for the entire plot. In the end, it was a solidly “fine” read: interesting while I was in it, frustrating when I stepped back and thought about it. Overall, a 3‑star reading experience that, for me, came with a 1‑star ending in terms of satisfaction.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Gabrielle Meister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was good! I love all the rich lady drama in small towns à la Big Little Lies.

Our main character Anna is worried about the PTO not being fair to all the families and decides she wants to do something about it only to be murdered before she can. The story dives into a who done it following her husband’s POV after the murder and Anna’s POV leading up to the murder.

I enjoyed both stories but was frustrated by the ending with the husband (I won’t spoil it).

All in all the juicy drama was good and I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read my first ARC (thanks NetGalley!), but this book fell flat for me. Valley of the Moms has all the makings of a gripping thriller set in New England suburbia. It just failed to pack a punch. The characters felt one dimensional and the pacing was disjointed. Everything felt a bit halfhearted.

I appreciated the subtle (and not so subtle) buildup to the reveal and the hints dropped along the way. But whew. The ending really didn’t hit the mark. I will lovingly remember this one as the Chi Omega Cringefest.

[Isabelle Agnew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for the moment things would get better and then I hit a multi-page metaphor involving jellyfish for some reason at like 90% through and I just knew this was a 2-star book for me.

[Katie Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-2.5 stars? It had potential but there was no big twist or surprise, in my opinion. I enjoyed the dual timelines but I thought it was overkill on the Dateline and sorority references..

Thank for the arc, Net Galley!

[Denise Holaday · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book. The description hooked me and I was ready to read a juicy whodunit. But this one just fell flat for me. The first half felt way too slow, and the end was just so absurd. I had hoped for better.

[Mainlinebooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms by Hannah Selinger is an incisive and compulsively readable summer novel, one in which intrigue seeps through the manicured lawns of an affluent Massachusetts town obsessed with designer labels, curated appearances, and the quiet tyranny of social rank. Selinger deftly captures a community where status is currency and exclusion is normalized, shaping the culture of the town as much as its wealth does.

Anna Plummer arrives in this rarefied environment at the urging of a childhood friend, yet from the outset she is deeply uneasy with the unspoken rules that govern daily life. The novel opens with the startling revelation of Anna’s death, a narrative choice that immediately casts a shadow over the events that follow. From there, Selinger traces the seemingly minor catalyst that sets everything in motion: an elementary school dance whose advance-ticket system sells out almost instantly, effectively dividing families into social insiders and outsiders. What might have been a trivial inconvenience elsewhere becomes, in this setting, a flashpoint for resentment and moral outrage.

Anna’s decision to challenge the long-entrenched leadership of the parent-teacher organization exposes the brittle foundations of the town’s social order. Her refusal to accept exclusion as inevitable turns her into both a disruptor and a threat, and once she declares her candidacy for PTO president, the veneer of civility cracks. Alliances fray, secrets surface, and the community’s polished self-image begins to unravel.

The novel unfolds through alternating chapters narrated by Anna and her husband, Denny. Anna’s chapters chart her growing disillusionment and the pressures that mount in the lead-up to her death, while Denny’s chapters are set in the aftermath, grappling with loss and attempting to piece together how events spiraled so disastrously. This dual perspective underscores one of the book’s central themes: how little even intimate partners may truly know about one another.

At its core, Valley of the Moms is a sharp commentary on wealth inequality, social ambition, and the quiet cruelties embedded in ostensibly progressive communities. Selinger uses the microcosm of a school and its parents to explore broader questions of power, belonging, and moral compromise. The pacing accelerates in the final third, with tension mounting steadily toward a conclusion that is both surprising and thematically resonant. The ending feels earned rather than sensational, bringing the novel’s social critique into chilling focus.

Smart, pointed, and unsettling beneath its glossy surface, Valley of the Moms is an engaging read that lingers well beyond the last page.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms pulls you in with that glossy suburban facade before slowly revealing what's rotting underneath. Hamilton, Massachusetts looks picture-perfect—designer playground moms, immaculate homes, a school system that operates more like an exclusive club. But something feels wrong from the very first pages, and when Anna Plummer starts asking uncomfortable questions, everything begins to crack.

The story splits between two timelines: Anna's voice in the year before her death, and her husband Denny's perspective a year after, as he wades through grief and a nagging sense that the truth about what happened to her is being covered up. I really loved this approach. Anna's chapters carry this ache of inevitability, while Denny's feel heavy with loss and quiet resolve. Knowing where things are headed makes every small moment land harder, every argument sting more.

The atmosphere is what really shines here. The book nails that suffocating energy of wealthy communities where image trumps fairness and social power can be just as ruthless as money. The PTO drama, the whispered rivalries, the unwritten rules—it all feels uncomfortably familiar, turning ordinary interactions into minefields. Anna makes for a compelling protagonist: flawed, restless, and gutsy enough to push back when staying quiet would be so much easier. Her frustration and loneliness make sense, even when her choices had me wanting to yell at her through the page.

That said, while the emotional arc landed for me, the mystery itself didn't always pack the punch I was hoping for. Some twists felt more expected than shocking, and a few character decisions left me wishing for a bit more depth. The pacing drags in places when the story dips too deep into internal reflection, softening the tension right when it needed an edge. Still, the way it explores marriage, motherhood, and the cost of going it alone gives the book real weight beyond just the central crime.

Ultimately, Valley of the Moms is a thoughtful, unsettling look at grief, privilege, and the dangerous narratives people construct to protect their worlds. It may not completely catch you off guard, but it stays with you—especially the questions it raises about what justice actually looks like and who gets to define it.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company / Mulholland Books for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.


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[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found it more haunting and deep than the synopsis would infer. It centers on Anna, who is married and raising her 2 kids in a small, affluent town that seems to be run by a group of mean moms in the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) who value exclusivity over equity. Anna takes exception to this and challenges them head-on by running for PTO president herself. Anna then ends up dead, and the story alternates between the months leading up to her demise in her POV, and the following months, in her husband Denny's POV.

I really enjoyed the alternating timelines and all of Anna's chapters gave me a sense of foreboding, as you know going in what is going to happen but you don't know exactly how it's going to happen. This sense of suspense kept me reading far too late into the night. There are some surprising twists even though the reader already knows the gist of the outcome. While the book uncovers the dynamics between both close and distant relationships between women and all the ways women can let each other down, it also delves pretty deeply into marriage dynamics and how both sides of a marriage can see things differently, as well as the sacrifices people make (whether they actually need to or not!) to keep their relationships copacetic. Anna wasn't perfect but she was absolutely relatable, and I thought the author did a fantastic job at providing deep characterization without spending a whole lot of time providing background information. I also loved the references to things that happened in my own 1980s childhood! It's a sad story overall, but you know that going in. I can't say I loved the ending of the book, as I was disappointed in some of the events that occurred (like a major decision that Denny made), but I also felt that the ending worked perfectly with the rest of the book.

Overall, I thought this was a great read and I already know it's going to stick with me, even if it's kind of in a sad way. It manages to cover multiple layers of family and friendship dynamics, an underlying rottenness in a small town, and a suspenseful mystery all in one punch. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down

From the outset this book had me giggling thanks to some PTO experience of my own. I liked that Anna called out ridiculous policies and chose to run for PTO President to try to turn things around, but instead fell into a sinister plot full of secrets and ethical dishonesty. The whole book was a easy-reading page-turner in a palate cleansing way for me, but I found myself struggling to suspend disbelief too many times and the end was too rushed for me. I expected the Epilogue to clarify things further, but it didn't.

One of my biggest beefs was yes, this is rich people behaving badly and I appreciated the nod to some semi-recent news stories (no not politics-related). However, it was unbelievable that this PTO was at a public school versus private. I did try to suspend disbelief many times, but just couldn't. An example of this is a premium PTO membership to gain access to all school events. If you didn't have this, your kiddo was likely to be excluded from a dance. There is NO way inequity would fly in a public school setting. A private school setting would have been much more appropriate, yet I can see how there was likely a desire for Selinger to deviate from the norm in that regard. There were also points where this book was reading like a thriller and others where it was more domestic fiction. One particular POV struggled with this throughout the novel so it did impact the pacing at times.

Despite those criticisms, Valley of the Moms was a good read...it will be perfect beach reading for the summer. The dual timeline and POV was easy to follow as it was told by husband Denny in the present aftermath of Anna's death. Anna's POV shed light on the events that led up to her death. It was a solid début from Hannah Selinger and I look forward to what she comes out with next. Had the ending been less rushed and more...redemptive (trying not to spoil anything), it would have been easier for me to round up to 4 stars.

Thank you to Hannah Selinger, Mulholland Books, and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Valley of the Moms,” by Hannah Salinger is a murder mystery in which Anna Plummer, a wife and mother of two small children, is found murdered on the frozen banks of a river in an exclusive community in Northern Massachusetts. The book features two POVs. The first is Denny, Anna’s husband, who tries to solve his wife’s murder while trying to raise two children on his own and grapple with his grief. The second is Anna herself, seen through flashbacks to the past and the events leading up to her murder.

At its heart the book is about the adult version of privileged “mean girls,” which consists of the President of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and her minions. Although the book got off to a good start with the discovery of Anna’s body in an almost poetic prologue, the rest of the book was a disappointment. Although there was some tension regarding Anna’s fears that she is being targeted through a hate campaign of virulent e-mails and social media attacks, the majority of the book seems to be long, meandering passages detailing the internal monologues of the two main characters.

In the last 25% of the book, the husband finally pieces all the clues together, clues which had been there all along, but he was too mired in grief to discover. The somewhat outlandish ending, told through Anna’s eyes on the evening of her death, finally reveals the mystery surrounding her murder.

I don’t mind a slow-paced, character driven mystery if the characters and their actions are compelling enough to compensate for the lack of tension in the narrative. This was not the case in “Valley of the Moms,” which had somewhat one dimensional characters in mostly boring situations (e.g., swimming pools, PTO campaign meetings, jogging etc.) The final element which further detracted from my enjoyment of the book was a graphic description of a dead pet.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing me an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms takes place in tony Hamilton, Massachusetts - wealthy, white, and proud of it. Anna Plummer moved there at the behest of her lifelong best friend, Diana Maguire. Anna can afford to be a Hamilton mom, but isn't impressed by the typical trappings (i.e. 2.5 ctw diamond earrings, $2,000 Moncler jackets, etc.) nor does she want to perpetuate the classist behavior that surrounds her. After missing an opportunity to bring her daughter to the public school dance because of an elite ticketing system, Anna decides it's time for change in Hamilton.

Also, we know pretty early in the story that Anna is dead. Her husband, Denny, is determined to find out what happened to her. The book shifts back and forth between present-day Denny and past-tense Anna, pummeling forward to solving the mystery in the former and the build-up to Anna's death in the former.

This book was, at times, bitingly funny. It's easy to imagine these moms, or 'mommies' as Selinger differentiates in their bougie town with their bougie attitudes. The stereotype is tangible and well-written. And in other ways, it's a tragic story--what will people do to ensure their kids have access to ivy league colleges? Or even not to have to attend jury duty? And of course, money is at the center of it all: Valley of the Moms reminds us that you can buy your way out of nearly anything.

I loved the book. The mystery was a solid cat-and-mouse chase that didn't become clear till almost the very end. It's easy reading. The one thing that felt missing for me was the grief of Anna and Denny's children. Denny was clearly gutted by Anna's death, but the kids seem to be plugging along. It doesn't take from the story, but it felt like a miss to me. Overall, highly recommended. This is a great beach/airplane/snow day trash read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded down.

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms follows a married couple, Anna and Denny, both of whom serve as first-person narrators. The story is told through alternating POVs and multiple timelines, with very little guidance beyond seasonal markers, so readers will need to pay close attention to keep everything straight.

Anna’s POV takes place during the year leading up to her death. She is a suburban mother of two who becomes outraged when she’s unable to secure a ticket for her seven-year-old daughter to an elementary school dance. She later learns that parents who upgraded to premium PTO memberships were given presale access. Anna strongly believes that events at a public school shouldn’t be influenced by how much money a family can contribute, and she voices her frustration to Mimi, the PTO president. From that moment on, Anna finds herself positioned as an enemy within her tight-knit community. Even her lifelong best friend, Di, appears largely indifferent.

Feeling powerless to make change from the outside, Anna decides to run for PTO president herself—and this is where the story really gains momentum. It begins to look like she might actually win, but it quickly becomes clear that more than just the current PTO leadership is working against her.

Denny’s POV unfolds in the year after Anna’s murder. He is largely unaware of how deeply his wife was entangled in the PTO conflict until after her death, when a police detective begins to view him as a potential suspect.

The novel is suspenseful and definitely a page-turner, but it does require the reader to suspend disbelief and simply go along for the ride. While I was engaged throughout, I found the ending less than satisfying—it wrapped up very quickly and didn’t fully deliver on the buildup.

Because of the rushed conclusion, I ultimately rated this book **three stars**.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Co./Mulholland Books for this ARC.

[Jennifer Huberdeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I RECEIVED A PRINT ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER.
What would happen if the Heathers weren't killed off? Or the Plastics didn't have a redemption arc? What if they graduated, went to college, got married and settled down?

"Heathers" and "Mean Girls" surely wouldn't be the cult classics they are. In real life, the mean girls grow up, marry, settle down and have children. They live ordinary lives — carpool the kids, chaperone school dances and run the Parent Teacher Organization. In "Valley of the Moms," Hannah Selinger's debut novel, out June 2, the mothers in Hamilton, Mass., do all these things wearing designer labels and two-carat diamond stud earrings.



Here, the PTO is passed down like an inheritance, from one perfect mother to another, by vote, of course. Anna Plummer pays no attention to these things. She's happy to exist on the outer perimeter of the in-crowd until her daughter is excluded from an elementary school dance — because the tickets sell out. Had Anna only paid for the "premium" PTO membership, her daughter would have been at the front of the line, the PTO responds. Denny Plummer encourages his wife to let things slide. Instead of admitting defeat, Anna plunges into a battle with Mimi Mar, president of the PTO, eventually challenging her for her seat.

When Anna is found dead in the frozen Ipswich River, Denny is left to pick up the pieces. For years, he's lived a blissfully unaware life, making furniture for his posh neighbors and letting Anna, a successful copywriter, run the household and oversee the children's schedules. Suddenly, he's aware that there is much that Anna kept from him — including her bid for PTO president.

SPOILERS ...

Frustrated by the lack of progress being made by the Hamilton Police Department, which seems to have only one suspect, him, Denny begins looking through his wife's computer and notes. As he digs, he realizes the threats she saw everywhere might not be imagined, but real. As Denny gets closer to the truth, he is no longer sure who he can trust. What he does know is that beyond the perfectly manicured lawns of Hamilton's wealthy estates lies a network so powerful that its members will do anything to keep it a secret.

If you're looking for your next summer read, this is it. This twity, suburban drama is reminiscent of Liane Moriarty's "Big Little Lies," Celeste Ng's "Little Fires Everywhere" and Kiley Reid's "Such a Fun Age," and is a refreshing take on schism happening within the American middle class.

Told in a dueling timeline, the book swings back and forth between the points of view of Anna and Denny, the past and present, keeping the narration fresh and the book moving at a quick pace. As a New Englander and a lifetime Massachusetts resident, I was tickled pink by all the regional references, from Dunkin' coffee runs to playing skee-ball and eating "beach pizza" at Salisbury Beach.