Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2024/04/foodfic-please-welcome-julie-valerie.html

Some amusing moments, but this book had ME in angst while reading it. Next please - I'll take some escapism over stories rehashing the stresses of modern life... ha ha ha ( )

I don't know how I feel about this novel. Seriously. When I thought I was reading one thing, it turned out to be something else entirely. If anything I don't think this book really showcased whatever 'angst' Holly was feeling but more of all the issues that she was facing: Packing up and moving to a new town, being a part of the PTA team at her daughter's new school, dealing with the possibility of her husband cheating with his new boss and a whole bunch of unnecessary drama filled nonsense that happened in the course of 1 week. Yes I said that right. 1 week. Too much was happening all at the same time during the course of the storyline that it just made it so unbelievable. Perhaps if it was more space out, the turnout rate would have been better but I just didn't find myself loving this book. At all- which was disappointing to say the least because I really thought this was going to be a knockout.

( )

Oddly enough, despite the ratings on this book (which I only just saw and was flabbergasted by), I LOVED it. It was exactly the lighthearted, easy-to-read book I needed to transition into 2021. If you enjoy the show “American Housewife,” you will enjoy this book. Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes. But it’s honestly a fun, goofy, over-the-top romp that mocks the Pinterest-perfect lives we think we’re supposed to have. I recently saw a meme that said “the term domestic housewife implies there’s such thing as a feral housewife and now I have a new life goal.” That perfectly describes the character of Holly Banks. A feral but lovably relatable housewife, in the vein of Lucy Ricardo. And I’m here for it. ( )

Hilarious Super Mom Satire. This is one of those books that non-perfect parents will LOVE, showing just how ridiculous the Super Moms of the world are and that no one is truly perfect. Truly the only reason I dinged this a star was because I personally just could not get into it due to being a childfree male that generally prefers to avoid kids... and this is all about a mother's struggles with her daughter's first week of Kindergarten. Great tale, well written, and I absolutely look forward to seeing more from this debut author in the future. Recommended. ( )