Author: Christie Barlow
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: September 2015
Genre: Chick-Lit
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: New term. New dramas. New friendships. And that’s just the parents…
After a year of country living, Rachel Young is finally getting into the swing of things. Her four kids are happy and content at the village school, and she’s managed to navigate the choppy (shark-infested) waters of the playground mafia.
Or… so she thought.
When playground mum Penelope Kensington moves herself and her kids into Rachel’s home, after discovering husband Rupert has been having an affair, Rachel knows she must ask them politely to leave. The problem is, Penelope never takes no for an answer.
As Rachel tries to deal with Penelope, she also meets new school mum Melanie. Melanie is a breath of fresh air, but her arrival sends ripples of gossip through the playground. Melanie has a few secrets in her closet, and it seems she’s not the only one…
My Thoughts: When I started this book, I had no idea it was the second book in a series. When I began reading, there was a slight struggle as the “getting to know you” bit the reader gets with meeting the characters already happened in the first book. Having said that, the author does an excellent job of bringing the reader up to speed so I didn’t feel I missed out on too much. This story picks up not long after the first book and centers on Rachel Young who has adjusted fairly well to her surroundings and found her place amongst all of the other school mothers.
I have to say that I’m not surprised that Rachel tries so hard to extricate herself from all things Penelope. I absolutely could not stand the woman and was surprised that Rachel spoke to her, much less interact with her on any level. The author does a fantastic job of giving the reader a good sense of Rachel’s irritation and frustration with Penelope throughout the story and there were some moments that made me roll with laughter. I love it when the villain gets their comeuppance.
I enjoyed the side relationships with the other couples and though I didn’t care for him at first, Penelope’s ex, Rupert turned out to be pretty decent. The story moved at a decent pace and once I got through the initial confusion was very easy to follow and stay entertained.
My Final Verdict: I really like this author’s voice. She has a wonderful ability of creating characters that are easy to like as well as dislike and stories that draw the reader in so completely, the reader can easily lose themselves between the pages for several hours. I recommend this story to fans of the chick-lit genre as well as readers who enjoy reading about the underdog beating adversity and coming out on top.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Misadventures of a Playground Mother from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment