Book Review - Mums Just Wanna Have Fun by Lucie Wheeler

Amazon UK

Title: Mums Just Wanna Have Fun

Author: Lucie Wheeler

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 16th March 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Meet Nancy…

Single mum Nancy will do anything for her little boy. Jack’s autism makes life difficult at times, but she’s determined to ensure he lives the best life possible. So, when her best friend Harriet suggests a holiday to Ibiza, Nancy is torn: will Jack cope with the change in routine…will she?

And Harriet…

Workaholic mum Harriet convinces Nancy it’s the break they all need. A chance to have some fun with the kids, away from the stresses of normal life. And she’s determined to switch off her laptop, ignore her inbox, and just have fun with her kids for seven whole days…

Cocktails and kids’ club – what could go wrong?

Ibiza is beautiful, but Jack struggles with everything, Harriet refuses to put her laptop away, and Nancy begins to think she’s made a huge mistake. And then Nancy meets Cameron and his young son, Aiden and discovers that sometimes the best fun happens when you least expect it…

Can these two single-mum’s swap their mummy guilt for sunglasses and sangria?

Absolutely fabulous - this combines loads of my favourite things for books into one week long story that has a huge effect on the lives of the characters.  We have a holiday to Ibiza, two single mothers, three children, new people to meet, cocktails to be consumed and a whole lot of fun to be had. 

What struck me instantly about this book, baring in mind I hadn't paid that much attention to the blurb, I saw new book by an author I enjoyed the debut from and instantly knew I had to read it, was that Nancy's son Jack is autistic. 

There is always a great need to have slightly more diverse characters so it was great to see how a single mum and her autistic son were going to cope on a holiday to a big all inclusive hotel.  We learn all about some of Jack's triggers but as the holiday progressed what I loved seeing was the huge strides in personal development not only Jack made, but Nancy did in getting to know how to try to improve life for Jack. 

They are on holiday with best friend Harriet and her two children, and lets just say not only is Harriet a slight workaholic, she is by all accounts a completely realistic mum and its great to also read about a mother who isn't too sure of herself or motherhood, and what felt like a really honest account of what life with two young children and a very small support network is like. 

I loved getting to know these two families, and their quirks, while also having a fabulous holiday in a gorgeous setting, and both ladies each meet a new potential friend on their holiday.  I loved the introduction of Jayne and how she seemed to understand what Harriet was going through, and Cameron, single dad to Aiden is one of the sweetest guys I have read about for ages. 

There were just little gestures that mean the world to Nancy,  and I looked forward to seeing how the friendships progressed. 

Mums Just Wanna Have Fun is a delight to read, completely entertaining, full of fun, and just a wonderful way to spend a few hours, curled up with my kindle on holiday with these fabulous, realistic, relatable to characters.  This has proven that Lucie Wheeler's debut novel wasn't a fluke of greatness, and that I am already eager to find out what she is writing next, as I want to be first in line to read it! 

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Guest Post - Why I chose my characters.by Lucie Wheeler - Blog Tour

Normally I would do a post talking about the hero in my book and why I chose him. However, The First Time Mums’ Club is a little different because the focus isn’t necessarily on the relationship between hero and heroine, but really, the focus is on the wonderful friendship circle that the girls have at the mums’ club. 

Anyone who knows me, or follows me, will know that I value my friends immensely. They play a huge part in my life and always will. I have some fantastic groups of friends and I wanted to recreate that bond with Mums’ Club. I wanted these characters to have the friendship bonds that I have. So Ellie, Pippa, Imogen and Zoe were born. 

Ellie was born first in my mind, but actually, her name was Pippa at the beginning! And Jason was called Dominic. But these names didn’t fit as I began to really create the characters and then when I created Pippa, she instantly deserved the name and I had to start all over again with naming Ellie. Then subsequently, Chris was created. Imogen and Alice were next to be born. Their characters were always in my mind, right from the word go. I knew I wanted a same sex relationship in the book as representing real life is an important aspect of writing to me. I pioneer equality and celebrate uniting everyone together, so it was only right that this couple played a pivotal role in the story. I’ll tell you a secret, their relationship is my favourite in the book too, I love how beautiful their connection is and I hope I portrayed this well in the story. Zoe was always kind of in the background as I created Ellie but she was one of the last characters to be fully drawn in my mind. Saying this, she is the glue that holds the group together. I would really like to explore her personal story one day.

When looking at the relationship side of the story, I wanted a real mix of situations to explore. All the situations I put my characters in will develop their character and help shape who they are. Pippa is portrayed as a weak character to begin with, letting Jason treat her badly and not standing up for herself. This changes but I won’t spoil things and tell you how – you’ll have to read it to find out! As I have said, Imogen and Alice’s relationship was important for me to include and I wanted this relationship to be strong, loving and beautiful. It isn’t without its hurdles, but again, real life isn’t perfect and so no character or relationship should be. And finally Ellie and Chris. What an amazing relationship to write. They have SO many things in the way but there is almost this invisible force driving them into each others lives, time and time again. I had a lot of fun writing their story. 

I really love books that have a real mix of characters, and hopefully, I have done that for you all with The First Time Mums’ Club. 

Thank you so much Lucie for talking about your characters today.

Amazon UK

Meet Pippa…

After years of trying and a failed IVF attempt, Pippa is thrilled to see two little lines appear on a pregnancy test. Finally a precious baby to call her own. This is all Pippa has ever wanted…if only husband Jason could show just a little excitement.

Imogen…

A baby is the icing on the cake for Imogen and Alice – proof that their love for each other can overcome any obstacle. But when Imogen starts receiving malicious texts, it's clear that not everyone is thrilled about the girls' good news.

And Ellie…

A drunken one-night stand and Ellie's life is ruined! Pregnant, jobless and the relationship with her best friend, Chris, over- forever. Because Chris just happens to be the father of Ellie's baby…and potentially the love of her life!

For these first time mums the road to motherhood is bumpier than most!

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Book Review - The First Time Mums' Club by Lucie Wheeler - Fab Firsts

Fab Firsts is my new regular Sunday feature, that is going to be highlighting books that are firsts. When interviewing authors, it will be about their first book, as well as other firsts in their lives. When reviewing books for this feature, there will be a mix of debuts, first books in a series, the first time I read an author, and possibly other firsts depending on what I can think of!

If you are an author wanting to take part in Fab Firsts then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you.

I hope you enjoy this look at a variety of hopefully fabulous firsts, while making some sort of dent in my review and paperback TBRs which are my current main focus!

The First Time Mums' Club is the glorious debut novel from Lucie Wheeler, and what a stunning cover too! 

Amazon UK

Title: The First Time Mums' Club

Author: Lucie Wheeler

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Publication Date: 5th May 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Meet Pippa…

After years of trying and a failed IVF attempt, Pippa is thrilled to see two little lines appear on a pregnancy test. Finally a precious baby to call her own. This is all Pippa has ever wanted…if only husband Jason could show just a little excitement.

Imogen…

A baby is the icing on the cake for Imogen and Alice – proof that their love for each other can overcome any obstacle. But when Imogen starts receiving malicious texts, it's clear that not everyone is thrilled about the girls' good news.

And Ellie…

A drunken one-night stand and Ellie's life is ruined! Pregnant, jobless and the relationship with her best friend, Chris, over- forever. Because Chris just happens to be the father of Ellie's baby…and potentially the love of her life!

For these first time mums the road to motherhood is bumpier than most!

What a glorious debut novel, it contains everything you want from a chick lit book, plenty of laughs, female friendships, angst about men, and some incredibly likeable characters (and a couple of ones designed to make your blood boil!). 

What we have here is three women who are all pregnant for the first time, in quite different circumstances to each other, who are all brought together by Zoe, and the First Time Mums' Club she runs in her cafe. 

For Zoe is Pippa's best friend, and Ellie's sister, and gets to know Imogen along with the others, as they all attend the club. Pippa's marriage is going through a difficult time so her pregnancy announcement doesn't come at the best moment. Imogen is over the moon to discover that she and Alice are pregnant and that the IVF has worked. However Imogen's mother is not so accepting and is downright vicious and malicious.  And Ellie, well finding out she's pregnant was a shock to the system, especially given the father is her best friend, who only sleep together very occasionally. 

We join the ladies on their journey through pregnancy, the ups and downs in their relationships, and Zoe is a rock for them all. This is a wonderful story of female friendship, and how women can bond over a common interest. 

I loved Ellie's outspokenness at just about every situation she comes across. She may be a bit confused as to what she is doing, but some of her comments to the other girls are just pure gold!  I loved the tenderness and loving relationship Imogen and Alice had, and how Alice is such a supportive wife. With Pippa I was shocked at how her husband treats her, and yet there were still surprises in that direction! 

I found the women to be incredibly engaging, and I loved every aspect of the book and how it drew me in. It is a pleasurable story to read, and I believe Lucie Wheeler is an author I will be looking out for a lot more in the future. 

Thank you so much to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.