The Single Mums' Book Club - Victoria Cooke

[goodreads]

Title: The Single Mums' Book Club
Author: Victoria Cooke
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3.5
# pages: 304
Date read: May 2023

It’s 8:30am and I’m already utterly exhausted. My son has lost his football boots, my daughter is ready for school dressed only in her vest and knickers, and of course, my 1-year-old has filled his nappy for what feels like the tenth time this morning.

As for my husband? He’s decided marriage doesn’t suit him, and well… buggered off.

All hope of ‘me time’ has but dwindled to sipping half a glass of wine whilst shouting after the kids. But everything is about to change.

I’m taking control of my life! I’ve joined… a book club.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Wow… live a little.’ But my fellow book clubbers, Amanda and Janey, are my lifelines. They understand the daily struggle because they’re mothers too.

And in between the prosecco, Doritos and googling everything about Mr Darcy on SparkNotes, they’ve convinced me to go on a date with my boss.

A single mum of three looking for romance… what could possibly go wrong?


Chick-lit for an older audience. It doesn't have anything I haven't seen done before in other books, but I appreciated that it focused just as much on making friends as an adult, handling co-parenting in a sensible way and handling how to introduce children to a new partner as on the romantic aspect... in fact, in some ways the romance seemed almost like an afterthought!

I did occasionally put down the book in frustration over some of Stephanie's less intelligent decisions, but they were always made with the best intentions at heart, and she did quickly get over herself, so in the end it did actually come across more as a realistic depiction of dating with kids than Angst!(TM), and even the "third act breakup" was handled a lot better than I often see.

It never turned into a page-turner, which is why I rounded down rather than up on goodreads, but it was an enjoyable read all the same.