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A review by ruthie_the_librarian
All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm a little surprised by how many people found this to be a funny book. For me it felt like an uncomfortable 'journey' story...and Flo is a hot mess. It is no wonder the other mothers hate her. I hated her. What the hell was up with her? Yes, she'd crashed out of her girl band. Yes, her boyfriend was very bad. But when we meet her in the book her son is 10 years old and she is still barely functioning as a human being, let alone a mother. She loves her son, but she doesn't seem to understand him at all. How have social services not been involved? I didn't find her funny, she was infuriating!
I ended up having to read this only in the daytime, because it felt like some kind of horror thriller to me, and reading it before bed made me so anxious! Without giving any spoilers, Flo acts in ways that are not just morally fluid, they are downright illegal, and I didn't like her enough to forgive her.
All of this is not to say I wasn't caught up in the story, because I was, and I still wanted to know what would happen! I liked her new friend Jenny, and I could have done with a bit more Jenny, a bit less Flo to be honest. I had guessed part of what was going on, but not what had happened to Alfie. I sort of suspended belief by the end, because it all wraps up in a bit of a mad way (really?! I kept saying in my head as I read) and had Flo actually learned anything from her journey? I don't know. It was certainly a rollercoaster read!
With thanks to Net Galley & the publishers for my copy.
I ended up having to read this only in the daytime, because it felt like some kind of horror thriller to me, and reading it before bed made me so anxious! Without giving any spoilers, Flo acts in ways that are not just morally fluid, they are downright illegal, and I didn't like her enough to forgive her.
All of this is not to say I wasn't caught up in the story, because I was, and I still wanted to know what would happen! I liked her new friend Jenny, and I could have done with a bit more Jenny, a bit less Flo to be honest. I had guessed part of what was going on, but not what had happened to Alfie. I sort of suspended belief by the end, because it all wraps up in a bit of a mad way (really?! I kept saying in my head as I read) and had Flo actually learned anything from her journey? I don't know. It was certainly a rollercoaster read!
With thanks to Net Galley & the publishers for my copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol