You might want to read these two books first!
I may not have my own kiddo yet, but I have nannied and fostered in the past, plus I do have 25 non biological children I parent for about 7 hours a day.. not the same I know, but I can relate to moms on a lot of things, and do enjoy hearing other's experiences, so this week I am reading two fun fiction books about Mom's clubs.
First up ...
The 3am Shattered Mum's Club
By: Nina Manning
Three best friends. One late-night lifeline.
Meet Aisha, Sophy and Mel. Three new mums. All absolutely shattered.
For her social media fans, influencer Sophy has the picture-perfect life. But why does she feel so lonely all the time?
Older mum Mel wasn’t planning on being a mum later in life. What does this all mean for the career that she loved? Can she ever go back?
And Aisha, whose much loved twin boys bring her so much joy, but have caused a rift in her own family that she isn’t sure she can ever fix.
Navigating this new world of motherhood is hard. And the only sanity these three friends have is their 3am mums’ club, where they can chat and support each other in the dark of the night as their babies, finally, finally sleep.
But in the still of the night, secrets are revealed that could turn all their lives upside down…. more than they already are!
Bestselling author Nina Manning is back with a brand-new story of mum guilt, parenting pitfalls and friendship around the clock.
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3AMIZCA
Author Bio –
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. Her debut psychological thriller, The Daughter in Law, was a bestseller in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. She lives in Dorset.
Social Media Links –
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/NinaManningNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-manning
My Synopsis:
The 3am Shattered Mums' Club is a fun novel featuring three women each with a newborn and struggling to adapt to the changes to their bodies, relationships, careers and social lives that come with a creating tiny humans. The book alternates between three perspectives. First is Sophy, an instagram influencer in her early 20s who is struggling in her relationship with her long term boyfriend, ongoing renovations to their house and a long, painful recovery from her birth with her newborn, Max. Next is Aisha, a woman in her early thirties who became pregnant through artificial insemination and a sperm donor, and recently gave birth to twins, Otis and Jude. Although her wife Charley works from home, Aisha is really struggling with mental illness and loneliness from trying to manage twins who fight for her attention all through the day and night. Finally, there is Mel, a second time mum in her 40s, who is recovering from a traumatic assault during her pregnancy and worried about returning to her work as a burlesque dancer and Adele cover singer. The three mums reluctantly agree to try out a Mum's club which is cancelled at the last minute and decide to start their own little group to help them get through the ups and downs of motherhood with infants.
My Review:
This book is equal parts hilarious, sad, inspiring and candid. The storylines are completely realistic and don't try to tell a story of motherhood that is glamorous or easy. In fact, as a young, unmarried woman, it was at times a bit terrifying, but I do feel slightly more prepared to one day join these fictional women on the crazy, beautiful ride that is motherhood. I love Manning's down to earth and realistic descriptions of the ups and downs of motherhood. The characters are easy to connect with and I love the humour and the way the storylines contrast each other and also quickly became intertwined. I would highly recommend this book to mothers - seasoned and also brand new, or non-mothers who could benefit from a good laugh and a reminder to take their birth control pills. Jokes aside, it is a fabulous book that I loved and will definitely be recommending to my friends!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Boldwood Books (Book & Tonic) and Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for giving me the chance to read and review this book! I am also so appreciative to Rachel and Boldwood books for the chance to close off this awesome tour!
I also just realized I have another Nina Manning book sitting on my real life TBR shelf and while I've heard her other books are quite different, I definitely think that one will be moving up my reading list in the near future!
Next on the Mom Calendar....
“Loneliness can motivate a woman to put herself out there, to meet new friends. But when it doesn’t go as planned, what’s next? Perhaps a little revenge…
Erika Thompson is a lonely housewife. With her kids recently off to college and her husband working long hours, she spends much of her time reading, hanging out with her dog, and trying to figure out what her next steps should be.
But an invitation to join a local mom group is about to change everything. After numerous attempts to fit in and make new friends, Erika is all but shunned. Her sorrow over this unexpected outcome quickly turns to anger, and she retaliates against the moms who’ve done her wrong. But things don’t go as planned for Erika, and she’s in for some surprises of her own.
Erika’s journey includes a trek through childhood friendships, narcissistic family, an obsession with 80s rock music, and the trials and joys of being a wife and mother. With relationships tested and secrets revealed, can she face the stakes of her quest and become who she needs to be?”
I started reading this book last weekend. I took a little break from report card writing to "see whether or not I would like it"...well turned out it was also almost impossible to put down! I was worried it would be a bit scary based on the cover, but it definitely was not scary, and it was sooooo good!
My Synopsis:
The Mom Group tells the story of Erika, an empty nester who is struggling to find hobbies or a fulfilling way to spend her days while her kids are away at college and her husband seems to be working longer and longer hours. She decides to join a mom group on social media and finds that the kind of advice and support the other members are looking for is not the kind of advice or support she can offer or wants to receive. After a few uncomfortable virtual confrontations and some even more awkward real-life meetings, Erika feels frustrated by the way she is being treated, both by her family and by the other mom group members. She creates a fake profile and begins teaching people a lesson about how to treat others, and in doing so, causes some pretty significant problems for the other moms and even herself. When she begins to believe her husband is having an affair with another woman in the group, the boxing gloves come off and Erika does whatever it takes to expose the truth, even though what is actually going on is not as straightforward as she once thought.
My Review:
Wow. Such a good book. I read over half of it last night and was up way too late reading! While it wasn't really a suspense book, there were definitely some twists and turns that kept me guessing. There were some subtle clues peppered throughout that made me start to think I knew what was going on, but in the end it really did come down to the last few chapters before the truth was revealed, which added to my desire to just keep reading! Jones' description of Erika and her needs and wants was so well done. I felt at times like I was hearing a story told by a friend and wanting to interject: "No, that is a bad idea, wait a second and think this through" or "omg, I can't believe (s)he just did that, you need to stand up and say that's not ok!" I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a strong female character who takes charge of the crap in her life and makes changes, even if they are not always the wisest choices to make. It is a really well written novel, is a great length at a little under 300 pages and is definitely going to make you want to keep reading! I believe this is a debut novel so I definitely hope to see more from Jones in the future! Thanks to Katie and Brey PA and book funnel for the chance to read and review this book, and join in the fun of this book tour!
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