Valley of the Moms: A Novel

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, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Book Club, Summer

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published 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

[Cherie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not keep my interest. Plus there is NEVER a reason to kill a dog in a book. Never.

[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.

[Mary Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most poorly written book I’ve ever read. I truly can’t believe this is not self published; what editors OK’d this story? Thin, hollow plot; zero character development; no suspense. Truly a nothing burger of a story, just lots of hyper specific brand and cultural references that were obviously definitive to the author’s teen years and now suburban adulthood — but fail to elicit any mood, context or depth.

[Heidi Zuva]

My nomination for most useless book boo goes to Denny.🫩 Could not be my man, can we send him back?

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

Well. This book was 75% good and then a MASSIVE disappointment at the end. Plus dog murder is a NO from me. Isn't the world awful enough.

The story had a familiar neighborhood suspense premise. Anna lives in a suburb run by a clique of Stepford Wives-slash-mean girls. Anna speaks out, committing social suicide. She's bullied and threatened anonymously but of course she knows who is responsible.

The story had an interesting narrative structure that began with Anna's death, then alternated between Anna's spiraling into danger, and her husband Denny trying to make sense of it all after she died. The most interesting part to me was Denny realizing that all the "women" things he was not paying attention to were the very things that led to her death.

But then things fell apart: the ending was weird AND involved the murder of a dog, and then after ALL that nobody was every held accountable for Anna's murder, even though Denny found tons of evidence and basically got a confession out of one of the women. Then I'm supposed to believe this PTO coven was a 2019-era college admissions scam which is never explained at all. HOW does the entire PTO leadership (who all belonged to the same sorority and have matching tattoos) get their kids into top colleges? SAT fraud? Grade fraud? Sleeping with admissions officers? It's all very hand-wavey. Then on top of all that Denny just goes out and buys his kids a new dog and lets the WHOLE thing drop? Justice for Anna! I was so annoyed! I hope the next book (which I will not read due to ... reasons) will be ten years later with one of Anna's kids seeking revenge.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

Subscribe to my amazing mystery and thriller newsletter HERE at JenRyland.com

[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.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot of potential. A great premise with little suspense or character development. Mean Girls for adults maybe but without the humor and add murder.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. I dragged myself by the hair through this novel, kicking and screaming. I did not like this. And honestly, I am not sure what the point is? I think if I put on my “critical thinking hat”, it is about the very dark side of privilege. But it isn’t done well because it doesn’t make any damn sense.

My main issues (spoilers guys because I need to vent):


Di and Anna are supposed to be life-long besties. True, ride-or-die, friends. But from the jump, Di is an untrustworthy, unlikable, rude ass bitch. Which would be fine, if Anna at least knew it. But she doesn’t. She sings Di’s praises throughout. The problem here is, I didn’t feel the sting of betrayal the author wanted, because I never liked her or trusted her from the beginning. That twist came from 1 millimeter away.

Mimi Mar is supposed to be this evil “Mean Girls” queen bee. But she just isn’t written that way. She is tap water. And don't get me started on the "karate chop". BORING.

It is so damn shallow that all this depth the author references is nowhere to be found. The friendships, the stakes, the murder, the corruption, etc, it all felt weak and underdeveloped.

The corruption plot in Hamilton. Ok, so a band of mean PTO gals control the town and for a price, you can sort of guarantee your kids the future you want them to have? It reads like that criminal ring where rich celebrities were paying for their kids to get into ivy leagues with “scholarships” to sports they never played. You want me to believe that this band of rich white moms is the mafia of a small town and will literally KILL for it? Nope.

When Mimi is monologuing at the end, what do you mean they are killing Anna “just because”? Especially right after they blab on about Sarah Saunders who told everyone about everything and just had to move to the midwest? Why does Anna get so casually murdered but Sarah just gets lots of Jury Duty?!!!! We will never know. The motive is THIN.

The random hook-up between Denny and Di. WHY? We needed a good dicking down for Denny to riddle out the plot of his wife’s murder? No idea why this was here and again, made no damn sense.

DENNY. DENNY. DENNY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNOW WHO KILLED YOUR WIFE AND YOU ARE FINE LIVING AND LET LIVING?!! Bro. No. I hated the way this damn book ended. All that slogging…for nothing?


Anyhoo. Read at your own risk. 2.5 stars. Not a fan.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh hell no! I have it two stars because I live in Hamilton. I read it because it was fun to read about places in town but if you are going to write about a town like you know it, then you should know it. Gucci and Prada are not worn here as often as Northface and Patagonia and South Hamilton is not a side of town it is a zip code. The story which should have been fun was predictable and maddening.

[Melissa (Relaxing in Belize ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible ending. Depressing. RTC

[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

[Courtney]

DNF no 2 of 2026. Man, the person who wrote this must have never watched an episode of Dateline. Bro — the police don’t text persons of interest with DNA results.

The characters are not well-developed. They are the mannequins at Old Navy.

And just to drive the nail into the coffin, homegirl named a character Malkin who used to play hockey. Amateur hockey. Like what? #GoPens

Thanks, I hate it.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Valley of the Moms is full of suburban secrets, wealthy momma drama, school politics, and a perfectly polished community image that’s slowly crumbling apart. I loved the messy, gossipy energy and the Stepford x Big Little Lies vibes. Some parts dragged a bit for me, but the mystery, and rich moms behaving badly kept me turning pages. Really enjoyed it. Pub. 6/2/26

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

B.O.R.I.N.G.

[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.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this book was because I had an advanced copy. The premise and basically everything about this book was ridiculous. I guess it could make a good beach read if you want a gossipy book about rich people behaving badly. But, then it could not even end with an ounce of integrity. I am all for some mindless entertainment, but this was just dumb.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Siena Mirabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - Picked this up yesterday and couldn’t put it down, thoroughly enjoyed only giving 3.75 because the plot felt slightly predictable at times but still gripping. Can’t believe I actually read a book before publication date! I’m always late to reading anything I get in advance but super stoked I picked this up. Definitely recommend !

[Meredith H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was promised campy fun and a juicy mystery. Instead, I got a cast of characters who collectively share one functioning brain cell. The husband is a moron, the kids seem weirdly unbothered by their mother’s murder, the story periodically wanders off to mention global warming for reasons, and our heroine has been friends with someone for three decades but can’t remember basic facts about her life.

Also, the dog dies.

I can forgive a lot. I cannot forgive dog murder. Not one star because that’s reserved for “Gone Before Goodbye” bad, but this was close.

[Jordan Caldwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m really mad I even wasted my time reading this.

[Lorelai Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a waste of time. When the husband figured it all out he does nothing - there's no real resolution.

[Jessica · 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.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Valley Of The Moms by Hanna Sellinger, this book was such a colossal waste of time waste of ink and any paper it’s printed on and leads me to beg the question who reads these books and gives them the OK? I guess they’re banking on those who just read the summary buy the book And just never return it. Not only is there no resolution although there is a confessional this is just ridiculous this whole book is ridiculous when my girls were in school you couldn’t pay someone to be the president of the PTO we were lucky if we got 10 parents that showed up for each meeting we even started giving away door prizes and that only added two more people to the mix but I digress I thought the whole running out of tickets for a second grade dance at a public school was utterly ridiculous that’s so dumb don’t even get me started but when Ana Plumber decides to run against Mimi to be president of the PTO it will be one of the last things she does after a bunch of investigating that essentially goes nowhere in the end. Annie’s friend Debbie is the type who’s hate lives close to the surface I don’t know why Anne didn’t recognize this. Debbie and husband Denny eventually even sleep together although it’s after Ann’s death. I’m sorry if this is spoilers but if you still want to read it good for you for being so optimistic. I myself wish someone would’ve told me not to before I did. I also really didn’t like the way the book was written with someone telling you what happens with a bunch of poetic verse and over descriptions of things you could’ve read the book without knowing and they had nothing to the narrative I thought this was going to be a fun domestic thriller and if I helped produce this book I would be absolutely embarrassed. Then again I would’ve been the one who told them not to print this book it was ridiculous out of the box and unnecessary much to do about nothing #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,

[BookstagramSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not understand why the ratings are so low on this one. I really enjoyed it.

This story had me guessing until the very end.

The blurb:
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.

This had me thinking about my own small town and the school politics lol!!

A slow burn for sure but def worth the read.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms ended up being much quieter and more emotionally layered than I expected in the best way. While it’s being pitched with flashy thriller comparisons, this feels far more like a simmering domestic suspense story centered on grief, wealth, social politics, and the quiet unraveling of a marriage and community. The dual timelines worked especially well for me: Anna’s chapters slowly build this creeping sense of dread as her frustrations with Hamilton’s performative perfection and vicious PTO culture escalate, while Denny’s sections after her death are steeped in grief, confusion, and loneliness. There’s a heaviness to his perspective that gives the story far more emotional depth than a typical suburban mystery.

What I appreciated most was how subtle the suspense was. This isn’t a fast paced, twist every ten pages kind of thriller, and I think readers expecting that may come away disappointed. But I never really viewed it as that type of book going in. Instead, the tension comes from anticipation; watching Anna spiral further into this wealthy, image obsessed community while knowing from page one that tragedy is coming. Hannah Selinger captures the ugliness beneath polished suburban motherhood so well, and “rich mean moms behaving badly” will forever be a trope I eat up. The social dynamics, passive aggression, and school politics felt painfully believable.

Even though the ending didn’t fully land for me emotionally, I still really enjoyed the ride getting there. Some of the twists genuinely surprised me because they weren’t overly dramatic or telegraphed in an obvious way. Overall, this is less of a traditional thriller and more of an atmospheric, emotionally driven domestic suspense novel with sharp commentary about privilege, appearances, and the stories people tell themselves to survive.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

One extra star removed for the trash ending.

[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.

[Devon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so pissed I used a audible credit on this. It had SO much potential.

[Jill McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valley of the Moms by Hannah Selinger had an intriguing premise, but unfortunately it didn't completely work for me. The story was very slow-paced, and the middle section dragged quite a bit. I found myself struggling to stay engaged as the plot moved along.

As the mystery began to unfold, I became more invested in the whodunit aspect of the story and was eager to see how everything would come together. However, when I finally reached the end, I was left feeling unsatisfied by the resolution. After spending so much time building toward the reveal, I wanted a payoff that felt stronger and more convincing.

While the writing was solid and there were moments that kept me turning the pages, the pacing issues and disappointing conclusion kept this one from being a standout read for me.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my ARC.

[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.