Book Review: Those Other Women

Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty

Nicola Moriarty’s latest novel, Those Other Women, has arrived just in time for summer (it comes out June 26 for the States). If you are a fan of women’s fiction that delves into the everyday conflicts of women in the middle-to-upper class demographic, then you should add this fun drama-filled book to your beach bag.

And, yes, I did say drama because there is DRAMA.

The title, alone, should clue you in. Throughout the whole book, readers get to see “those other women” from different viewpoints. For example, this book pits mothers against non-mothers from the get go. But, further along, it also pits working moms against stay at home moms. Add in every bit of drama you can think of – affairs with best friends, surprise pregnancies, lost jobs, depression, and even a cult – and it is covered in between these pages.

The basic plot is that the main character, Poppy, is hurt and heartbroken when her husband has an affair with her best friend (and subsequently leaves her and has a baby with the former BFF). Poppy has always known she wants a kid-free life, and this just about breaks her. To find some new friends, she decides to form her own Facebook group, similar to the mom’s groups you see on Facebook. However, this one would specifically be for other women like her who want to live a kid-free life. Along the way, she makes a new best friend, Annalise, and the two of them form this Facebook group that quickly gains attention – and then, notoriety. It is soon discovered that someone in their secret Facebook group is actually a mom and has been passing their complaints about moms and how they think they rule the world to the moms' group in town. D-R-A-M-A! At this point, the two groups (non-moms versus moms) go to war.

***Side Note – As a female and a mom who has been involved in her fair share of moms’ groups and women’s groups, I found this plot to be hilarious. And, sadly, a little truthful. While I am not familiar with any non-mom groups fighting mom groups, I have heard plenty about different moms’ groups competing with one another. Ai-yi-yi.

At some point, it did become a little too much drama for me. For instance, when one of the main character’s secret identity and the background is revealed, it felt so strange that I was a little disappointed. I guess this is because of the other points of drama where things I could relate to or envision, but this was something far out there. Without adding in a whole hidden identity, I would have been fine with all the drama simply going on between the warring women’s groups. It was the right amount of silly, entertaining, and thought-provoking. However, this was my biggest beef with the novel.

Another thing I loved about the novel was that it is told from four different viewpoints – the secret mole, Poppy, Annalise, and Frankie (a mother and co-worker). Personally, I liked Frankie’s character the best and wish she had been in the pages just a bit more. But, I have a feeling that whoever reads the book will relate to someone different for their own personal reasons.

In a time where we are being bombarded with messages to “not tear down other women,” Moriarty’s book reminds readers why we shouldn’t.

Thank you so much for sharing this book with me for review purposes, Penguin Random House UK! To see what other people are saying about Those Other Women, check out the blog tour!