Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (3 May 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405927097

ISBN-13: 978-1405927093

Synopsis

Poppy never thought she wanted to be a mother – until her husband got her best friend pregnant.

Now everywhere she goes, mothers are reminding her of his betrayal . . .

So Poppy creates an innocent Facebook group to vent just a little about ‘smug mummies’.

Except those ‘other women’ are already heartily sick of being judged by non-mums and stay-at-home mums alike. Two can play at Poppy’s game.

Which is when the anger spills into the real world.

Cafés become battlegrounds, playgrounds become warzones and offices have never been so divided between the have children and have lives . . .

A rivalry that was once harmless fun is suddenly spiralling out of Poppy’s control.

She started this – but can she end it?

Review

I was lucky enough to review Nicola Moriarty’s first book The Fifth Letter last year so was  interested to see what she wrote next.  Those Other Women, like her first book, centres around a group of women, their friendships secrets and lies.  The book follows Poppy after her husband leaves her for her best friend.  What makes this an even bigger betrayal is that Poppy and her husband had decided that they didn’t want children, but now her best friend is also pregnant.  In comes Annalise to take on the role of best friend and together they form a Facebook Group for women, like themselves, who make the choice not to have children as an opposition to a similar group that only allowed mothers to be members. The plot is narrated by Poppy, Annalise, and towards the end Frankie, their work colleague who has wanted to be their friend.

The Other Women does have an interesting point in how women who choose not to have children can be treated by other women.  Mostly sartorial it does open up many   relevant  discussions about women’s issues, but in a light hearted way.  There are a few humorous moments in this book that made me laugh out loud.  Also, being a mum, it brought back all those experiences and problems with having young children; I remember locking the bathroom door just so I could have a bath in peace.

The characters were very realistic and I found I really warmed to all of them for different reasons.  Poppy has lost her husband and best friend in one go, and her mother is forever telling her that she will change her mind about having children. Whereas Poppy has her family for support, even if they are annoying at times, Annalise is alone.  She doesn’t seem to have any friends apart from Poppy and only has one night stands as she doesn’t want any emotional commitment. There is an air of mystery about her, she never talks about her past or childhood and the mystery is further fuelled by a red notebook that she always has with her to write her thoughts in.  Frankie is their work colleague  and a mum who is struggling to find the balance of work and childcare.  She feels those at work, like Poppy and Annalise, look down on her as she frequently has to leave early to pick up her kids from school.  She also feels inferior to those mothers who don’t work and again feels that they judge her harshly.

The Other Women is one of those books that you feel comfortable with from the first page, and know you are going to enjoy it. There is a lot of humour in this plot, mainly between the two opposing Facebook Groups, one for mothers and one for those who chose not to be mothers, and some mothers wishing they could have five minutes without their children. This is a witty and warm book with wonderful characters and a plot many readers will relate to.

Thank you for reading my review of The Other Women, if you choose to read the book I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  My review of Nicola Moriarty’s first book The Fifth Letter can be found by searching my blog posts.  In advance, thank you for any shares, likes and follows.  Happy reading ❤️