Book Review - Mother Hens by Sophie McCartney

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Title: Mother Hens

Author: Sophie McCartney

Format reviewed: Hardcover

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Harper North

Publication Date: 30th March 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Welcome to a hen do where revenge is served colder than a frozen margarita…

Cara Carmichael’s bestie is finally getting hitched, and she’s over the moon because it means one thing… Whoah, they’re going to Ibiza! Mums on Tour: ditching kids, partners and better judgement for a long-weekend of sun, sea, and sex…y support pants. What could possibly go ‘Pete Tong’?

Lazy days, crazy nights and child-free hangovers sound like hedonistic heaven – but it turns out you can get into a hell of a lot of trouble on the party island where rules are meant to be broken.

For Cara, it’s a chance to forget about her messy divorce and explosive feud with a stardom-seeking sister and Pina-Colada pickled mother. Swapping emotional baggage for 10kg of hand luggage, she soon realises even on holiday, the darkness of your past has an alarming way of catching up with you.

When a twist of fate causes feathers to fly – a dangerous opportunity for retribution arises. Faced with secrets, lies, and betrayal – does it pay to be a good egg, or do bad chicks reign supreme?

Four friends, three nights, two murders – one heck of an adventure. A rollocking rollercoaster ride from Ibiza to Vegas, via Cheshire, Mother Hens will make you laugh, wince, and wonder what any of us are really capable of when push comes to shove…

Easily one of the funniest books I've read in a long long while. 

Easily one of the most outrageous and unpredictable books I've read in a long while. 

Easily some of the best hijinks and insane situations and completely unbelievable books I've read in a long while. 

All three of those statements are definitely true, and the direction this went it was completely unexpected. 

And even before that it was bonkers, it was funny, there is a colour cast of characters, and from the moment they get to the airport for the start of the hen party, it kicks up a gear.  The previous pages were a great set up for us to have an intro to the characters, their personalities and also just an inkling into Cara's family situation. 

My only slight issue with this book, as how easily I got Camilla, Cara and Connie Carmichael confused, the first of those being Cara (our main character's) mother, and the other being her half sister. 

On this mother hens weekend to Ibiza are Cara, mother of two and who really has horrible other family,  Jac the bride to be and for a police officer seemed to be involved in a lot of highly dubious situations during this book, Deb who is a brand new mother who keeps falling asleep, and Amy, Cara's cousin, and the wildest of the bunch. 

It's also Amy who booked the hen do and was in charge of organising it, with some rather unusual choices for what is meant to be four mums living it up without their children for 3 nights, having the hen party they would have wanted 20 years before hand in their youth!

I am already excited to see what this author comes up with next, as I couldn't get enough of this book, and laughed out loud so so many times, and then later on was open mouthed in disbelief while having to ignore real life to keep reading to the end as I really couldn't work out how it would end! 

It ramps up and up and up to one memorable finale. 

Utterly brilliant.