Book Review - The Calendar Mums by Lauren K. McKellar

 The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: The Calendar Mums

Author: Lauren K. McKellar

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 15th May 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

Meet single mum Samantha, entrepreneur Rhea, and first-time mother Tahlie, all from different walks of life, brought together by their weekly mum and baby group in the town of Hickory Creek. Here they all find support - and a moment's peace - in the haze of raising their newborns.

But when the group is cancelled due to a lack of funds, it looks like the invaluable support they received will be no more.

Until they decide to band together to save the community centre, their group and a whole host of other services that keep Hickory Creek running.

Their plan? Create a fundraiser calendar featuring themselves... in the nude.

Baring all for charity requires bravery at the best of times, but as all of them have given birth in the last few months it feels unthinkable. Which is exactly why they decide to do it.

They will challenge not only what is celebrated about women's bodies but what each of them think they are capable of.

Circle the date on your calendars because for these women, and their town, nothing will ever be the same again...

A laugh-out-loud, hilarious, heartfelt and unflinchingly honest exploration of new motherhood, friendship and the hidden strength within us all. This contemporary take on the classic Calendar Girls is perfect for fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Alexandra Potter and Fiona Gibson.

I will freely admit that from the cover and the blurb I was expecting a certain sort of book. Light hearted, humorous with new mums plus the fundraising Calendar. 

And to a certain extent that is definitely what we had, but as was evidenced by the author's note to start the book, and then was you read into it, you realise that that is just on the surface. 

The true heart and bones of this is a much deeper, darker at times plot, that definitely needs the warning the author put at the start. For it is a very tough to read in places, but at the same time, it was incredibly compelling. 

If features the worst sort of man to be in a relationship with, and an incredibly isolated young mum who thankfully starts to make friends with others from the baby group she is able to attend. 

There is also a message of body positivity within the book, as these women learn to embrace their bodies despite the fact that babies came out of them, only a few months before.  These are normal women just wanting to raise awareness, plus the funds to keep their various groups and services open, in small town Australia. 

I was hooked on this book, it was eye opening, funny in places, and just all round fabulous.  The tough topics were written about sensitively, and our three leading ladies were all total opposites. 

I also really loved the occasional snippets of mother's conversations in between some of the chapters, which added to the light relief part of the book. 

This is the first book I've read by this author and if this is the direction she is now going in with her writing, I will be very curious to see what she writes next. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.