A heartwarming, honest and funny look into new motherhood and all the challenges it can bring.

 

Book Review 

Title: Confessions of a First Time Mum by Poppy Dolan 

Genre: Contemporary 

Rating: 4.25 Stars 

The opening was interesting as we are introduced to Stevie and her baby, Cherry as Stevie is dealing with the stresses of being a first time mom with a partner that works full time. Stevie initially thinks she is doing well but is filled with anxiety about her child and when Cherry cries or vomits in public she uses flees home but she wishes she had mom friends or someone to support her during this time. 

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Stevie ends up making two friends at weigh in, Nelle and Will. Nelle is a working mum of three with her youngest, Joe being years younger than her other two while Will is a stay at home dad to two hyperactive twins. I love the dynamic between the three and how they represent different types of parents and different reaction to becoming a parent either for the first time or for the third time. Through the three of them we get to see that parenthood takes its toll on valid aspects of life including work, friendships and relationships but we also get to see the unique joy that being a parent brings each of them. Stevie, however, is in a dilemma since her partner, Ted, travels a lot for work leaving her to do most of the patenting with Cherry which is taking a toll on her and their relationship. She has also recently been told that she is line to land the biggest deal of her career should she return to work which isn't something she had considered before but her anxieties over being a new mum are getting to her. 

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, we really get to see the friendship between these three parents develop which was heartwarming to watch. These moments are amazing especially when they are supporting each other through things that might seem trivial to others but are important to them. However, one day Will recommends a blog to Nelle and Stevie and it turns out to be the blog that Stevie anonymously writes called First Time Mum and she realises that her posts have been going viral without her noticing. Stevie doesn't want people to find out it’s her because she says things in these posts which might be considering harsh about the people in her life including her mother and partner. However, she is drawn into the reactions of others that are reading her posts and she becomes a little obsessed with it since it provides a welcome break from her normal routine. 

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Stevie does manage to get some down time when Ted returns from his work trip and has a bonding session with Cherry. However, she gets wound up when someone comments about Ted babysitting while she puts her feet up, she recently got an email from a magazine wanted a piece from First Time Mum and she uses this as inspiration. The commentary on the division of labour as a parent was interesting as I have personally known several father who have received comments like this when they are only doing their job as a parent yet mothers don’t get these comments. Nelle is struggling with her business and as a trio come up with a new idea of personalised parties for mums that didn’t do traditional milestone mementos like clay handprints. Will and Stevie organise everything and it seems be working since three mums sign up for their tester session. The day goes really well but Stevie is still struggling to get Ted engaged as a parent since he’s already thinking about adult events without even considering whether they are baby friendly since he doesn’t fully understand the stresses Stevie goes through. He also fails to consider Stevie’s thoughts on babysitters as not everyone likes to use them. I also get the sneaky feeling he could be having an affair but it doesn't seem like that kind of book. 

As we cross into the second half of the novel, Stevie is trying to come to terms with being a mom, having friends and maintaining those friendships as well as contemplating whether or not she wants to return to work since she knows she can make money from her blogging and interviews like the one she did for the magazine. She still hasn’t brought up any of these topics with Ted since he is either working or more concerned with work and the only time she can ever get a good response out of him is when they are discussing Cherry which isn’t helping with her worries and anxieties. The trio also come up with a new business idea called ParentFest which is a festival they are planning for September where babies and small children will be looking after in a closed off area while the parents are able to enjoy being childfree for a few hours and remind themselves that they are people too. It is around this time that Stevie gets contacted about writing a book on the realities of parenting and she decides to give it a go but continues to keep things from Ted even though it seems like he making more of an effort to catch up with her and be a more present parent to Cherry but Stevie is now distracted by other things and I think that something will have to give way soon. 

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Stevie is well into writing her first ten thousand words of her book and is enjoying the process as well as maintaining her blog and planning for ParentFest is well under way. However, as I thought earlier something has to give and it soon does when Ted drops the bombshell that he has been promoted but it means moving to Hong Kong. While he has considered work, housing and childcare, he hasn’t considered whether or not Stevie would actually want to go since he is blissfully unaware of how rooted she has become to her home and friends. That conversation ends with Stevie visiting the pub for the first time since she got pregnant and Ted leaving for Hong Kong the next morning to settle in and arrange things but I doubt that Stevie is going to move now she is truly finding herself where she is. Stevie tells Nelle and Will who got the jist from her blog post but the reality of it is hitting all three of them hard since this could be the end of Stevie and Ted’s relationship if he is dead set on moving to Hong Kong and continuing with the long distance travelling. 

As we cross into the final section of the novel, everyone comes out as Stevie’s identity is leaked to the press and causes a whole host of problems as many believe she is ungrateful for what she has. After days of thinking the worst especially when it comes to Ted she finally decides to control the narrative and goes live on Facebook to do it. She explains how she has felt since Cherry was born and how her blog was a way of connecting and sharing with parents who felt the same way only for Ted to arrive home. Will makes a stunning appearance to give them some adult time by taking care of Cherry and they realise they have both felt the same way and just never voiced their anxieties to each other. In the end, everything works out fine with Ted cutting back his hours at work to spend more time with his daughter and allow Stevie the chance to work again by continuing with her book deal. We get to see ParentFest go off with a bang and how even the cold Chloe becomes a friend to Stevie, even though she already was because of Twitter and neither knew it. Honestly, Confessions of a First Time Mum was a hilarious and emotional rollercoaster and even as someone who doesn’t yet have children I found myself sympathising with both Stevie and Ted by the end and I bet parents out their reading this will see a lot of themselves in Stevie and Ted. 

If you are looking for a funny but predictable mom-com (is that a thing yet? A mommy-comedy?), this is a book you could try out.

Stevie, an erstwhile PR executive, is on her maternity break for her six month daughter, Cherry. Her husband Ted is always at office so it’s up to Stevie to manage the home and baby. As you can guess, this leads to typical, over-the-top situations which will make you laugh or cringe. She soon finds two new parent friends, Nelle (a mother of three struggling to manage her home business with her third baby) and Will (a gay dad who serves as the caretaker for his twin daughters while his husband is at work.)

The different factor in this book is that Stevie begins to blog about her mothering experiences and her page “Confessions of a First-Time Mum” soon becomes a hit (as expected) as she seems to delve into the bittersweet side of mothering rather than on the sugary experiences. The chapters that are presented in the form of these blog entries are quite entertaining and the best part of the book. 

You get all your usual mom book tropes here – food mishaps, potty bloopers, sleep traumas, social anxieties… Some of it is realistic enough. But the rest is so exaggerated that it might put you off ever wanting to become a parent, if you aren’t one already! We already know that such books are usually cliché-ridden and this book is no exception. It actually starts off very well, and there are many laugh-out-loud scenes in the first few chapters. But it soon digresses into overstated and unrealistic blunders.

The secondary characters are mostly likeable within their stereotypical roles. The main characters, not so much. Stevie’s opinion about her husband seems to go into extremes depending on the situation. The lack of communication between them seems bewildering. Furthermore, Stevie’s almost-entirely absent social skillset seems like a glaring character glitch considering her PR background. The only hands-on dad in the entire book is Will, who is gay. The straight dads seem to be dependent on their female better halves for parenting. Yup, stereotypical it is. 

That is not to say that the book is without any merits. The ride is more or less enjoyable, though not memorable. Stevie’s narration of her parenting anxieties, when based in reality, are absolutely touching. The depiction of “mum mums” started off in a typical manner but ended very well. So that was a big plus too. My favourite character of the book though was Nelle, who seems to have her head screwed on very firmly. 
What turned the book from a good to a great experience was its narrator Lizzie Wofford. This is one of the best narrations I’ve heard this year. The 9 hours 43 minutes long audiobook went by without any rewind because of her exuberant performance. Full marks to her narration! I would love to hear more books read by her. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.