This book is a must-read for anybody who has spent any time on social media (so, yeah, that means that everybody should read it).
The author does a fantastic job of creating characters that are easily recognizable. I especially liked how the three main characters were all linked in one way or another. It allowed for the plot to be woven seamlessly between the three, instead of just being three perspectives.
The plot itself was fun: the three women all write “Mummy Blogs” (it’s set in Australia). Elle is the Stylish Mumma, Abi is the Green Diva, and Leisel is the Working Mum. They have each been nominated in the “Best Parenting” category of the Blog-aahs Awards (clever name).
Where the author excels is in the “unmasking” of each of the mums, and how each is not exactly what they seem to be – or at least what they put out to their followers on social media. Liesel is the one who comes closest, but Elle and Abi both have lots to hide.
Abi was especially interesting because she typified the “angry feminist” type of person who is extremely hypocritical, shooting off about “white privilege” (and finding out the person she was complaining about wasn’t white) and capitalism from her iPhone.
Elle is the worst of them, though. I can’t even begin to tell you how awful she is, and the terrible things that she does. But because she is so evil, she is so much fun to hate. Honestly, she is the stereotypical woman you know has to be lying because nobody is that perfect.
Which brings me to the main point that I took away: social media is NOT real life. People lie. They stage events and act a part. And they get so wrapped up in “clicks” and “likes” and “followers” that they have forgotten how to be decent human beings.
And that, my friends, is the state we are in today.
This is a timely novel that delivers the above message with humor but in a very pointed manner. Very well done.
The Mummy Bloggers by Holly WainwrightMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book and thought that the writing was excellent. I liked how the characters were representative of the different people easily found on social media: the overwhelmed mom, the ‘appearances are perfect’ mom, and the crunchy granola mom. But the author did an excellent job of illustrating how there is always more to a story, and nobody can actually be categorized that easily. There were quite a few jaw-drop moments, including one near the end that had me yelling “NO WAY!” at my Kindle. For more insight into the stereotypical characters, visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to Legend Press (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read a complimentary digital ARC of this book.
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