I’m a big Dawn O’Porter fan, I’ve read her other books and was so excited to read this. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early and review it. Furthermore this frank, comedy read brilliantly exposes the role social media plays to further perpetuate the filtered, fake perfect image. Ruby has a medical condition that affects her self-confidence has led to her being introverted, shy and rather grumpy and antisocial. She takes commissions to digitally retouch photographs for magazines, usually creating ‘the perfect woman’ which doesn’t make her feel any better about herself. She has a little girl Bonnie and is separated from her husband after a disastrous wedding day where she feels he betrayed her and let her down. Ruby had a bad relationship with her mother and doesn’t really know how to be a good Mum to Bonnie, not least because Bonnie is always playing up and never does what Ruby tells her to.

All in all a great fun read with a powerful message that will resonate with many and I wholeheartedly recommend reading it. In true Dawn style, she has created layered, interesting characters who rile you up but also make you fall in love with them. If you enjoyed The Cows, you are going to LOVE this book. Timely, funny and very very entertaining’ Emma Gannon I found myself really moved by these characters; they’re addictive, relatable and ‘real’. O’Porter does a brilliant job at following each woman’s trajectory of growth. Each character gets a chance to grow and develop throughout the novel.

So…’ I say, trying to be all blasé about it… ‘What kinda vibrator ya got?’ I nonchalantly start to finger some paperwork, and then bam, a small, pink-silicone, bullet-shaped battery-powered device is waved under my nose. ‘It’s the best!’ Risky says, testing its various speed levels. I am hoping she washed it. It is very close to my face.” I loved The Cows, so I was thrilled to be invited to read Dawn O’Porter’s new book, and it was indeed a fantastic read. women who on the outside appear to have it all but as we all know, it’s not always the case. Brilliantly honest & laugh out loud funny, this is another fantastic read from Dawn O’Porter. I read it in one sitting! 5*****

After reading, and loving “The Cows” , I really wasn’t sure that Dawn would be able to top the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with not love, but friendship, solidarity and most importantly acceptance but she REALLY has. Beth who is married with a young baby. Her husband has lost interest in sex and she can’t work out why which is diving her crazy. Then we have Lauren who is about to marry a rich celebrity. She has the perfect life on social media but there are rumours about her fiancé Gavin which just won’t go away. They are all trying to go about their daily lives despite feeling like failures and are trying to make the correct choices for themselves. I’ve also always wanted to have fun with my clothes, but when you grow up on a small island like Guernsey you’ve got to be really brave to break away from what everyone else is doing. So I used to follow the herd, even though I knew I wanted to look different. Then, in my early 20s, I discovered vintage and that’s when it came together. After I gave up on modern fashion it was such a relief and everything made sense. I was raised by a dressmaker – my uncle made furs – and he’d turn clothes inside out and show me how they were stitched together, and I have so much sensory nostalgia for what my mum was like. Warning! This book is rude, so rude but in a comedy, honest way. It had me howling, and I mean really howling with laughter! It’s fun, refreshing and powerful. It’s simply brilliant. What O'Porter does brilliantly throughout the book is combine real humour with some major and very current themes around the pressures of modern life - mental health, body image, relationship woes, self esteem and the impact of social media amongst them. As a result the book makes you laugh at times, at other times it makes you think hard and brings a lump to your throat as you reflect on the challenges women face. O'Porter ensures the book ends on a positive note with plenty of humour and a message about the power of sisterhood.

So glad I got to review this book as I will now be on the hunt for her others as this is the first one I have read. Alone they are ashamed of who they are or of their past but thrown together they learn that the one thing you can rely on in your life is another woman or in this case 3 other women An amazing read, I hadn’t heard of this Author before and wasn’t sure of what to expect but wow, this book had me laughing out loud. I loved all of the characters, they always tried their best, even if it wasn’t the right thing. I will truly miss them all. I am so looking forward to finding more to read by this Author. I often write off celebrity authors and Dawn O'Porter has proved that I am completely wrong for doing so. This was actually a hard book to read. The two main characters, Ruby and Beth, are living difficult lives. Ruby especially is such a self contained woman, she is difficult to like. Yet by the end of the book I found myself feeling proud of her, like she was a friend you are rooting for. Beth too, finds strength and clarity.

I'm a mum and my body has changed so much since having my little girl, I'm also impacted by social media and the constant pressure to be perfect!
The reality is we all have imperfections we hide, we all want to show the world our best selves and we all suffer from the judgements people make. I stumbled across this podcast after reading your book and I absolutely love this! I feel as though your content is so real and relatable to everyones day to day life and it’s good to know that no matter how big or small our problems are - we are all going through something. I devoured this book in a couple of days; a modern-day fable that warns against the perils of thinking the grass is always greener - an adage as old as time, but seemingly more prevalent than ever in today’s era of social media. I really did love this book. Perhaps as much as the first and THAT’S saying something! I’d highly recommend this book to all.

This was an unexpectedly funny and enjoyable novel. The author has perfectly captured the complexities of women and how their outward persona fails to reflect the person within. Brilliantly written characters and a contemporary story-line which I thoroughly enjoyed . Seeing Ruby’s relationship with not only her daughter, but also with herself, strengthen, and Beth’s ability to empower herself and take full control of her happiness is rewarding.