A terrible heatwave. A very tense baby shower. It will all end in tears…
Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions – but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited.
Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise – and by the end of the evening, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house – and everyone’s a suspect… Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far worse than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway?
In the aftermath, the police put together the facts – but the truth will shock everyone. Even you.
Book Info: Print length: 423 Pages. Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton. Publication Date: 16 Jan 2025
My Thoughts:
So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne was my first introduction to this author and by the time I had finished it, I had bought Girl Friends, Pretending and How Do You Like Me Now? from her back catalogue as it was that good!
I read this book together with my online book of the month group and it was absolutely perfect for our in depth discussions, character assassinations and overall thoughts.
This is the story of 4 women who have been best friends since University and are getting together for a baby shower for one of the group. Lauren, Charlotte, Nicki and Steffi are very different now. Adulthood and motherhood has changed them all and, in some cases, not in a good way.
Nicki is heavily pregnant with her first child and it’s her parents house that the baby shower is being hosted. Charlotte is going through infertility problems, desperate for a child whilst watching all her friends have babies, she is organising her own dream baby shower for Nicki instead.
Lauren has a young child, Woody, and on the surface all appears perfect, but she is hiding her true feelings, emotions and struggles with motherhood whilst Steffi has decided motherhood is not for her and is often sharing her opinions on social media which is causing concern and upset to the others.
We know from the opening chapter that something terrible has happened at the baby shower, but we don’t know what, why or who. We do, however, take a very uncomfortable and emotional journey with all four women when they share their versions of events from the days of University up to the present day.
This is an unflinching, unapologetic look at motherhood, sisterhood and friendship. Each character is brought to life with depth and feelings. There are characters you will despise and characters you will love. There will be times that you want to cry alongside the women and times you want to slap them really hard.
I absolutely 100% recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Holly Bourne.
