Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A humorous, lighthearted read. I would recommend for all newer mother's to give them a good laugh.
I found the characters are well written and the story flows well together. I enjoyed it, it's just not in my wheel house anymore the reminder of what being a new mother is like isn't a reminder I need. I was lucky to get out of that after many years and 6 kids later. Don't make me go back!!

What an amusing look at motherhood. From early on I was really enjoying this story, and seeing just how the group that met at ante natal classes would get on together.

Well I ended up very surprised as some of the outcomes, and semi predicted some of the others,.

Jenny is a fabulous main character, completely unprepared for what will happen to her life once she has her baby, She is convinced she can continue working on her column that she perhaps had already outgrown, and that it would be easy being in charge of a helpless little thing that doesn't do much!

I must say the chapters with Jenny giving birth, have completely reassured me that my decision to not ever give birth to anything is completely correct. That is not for me at all. Apart from those horrifying scenes the book is on the whole a light hearted look at the nitty gritty of parent hood,

Jenny gives it an amusing slant in her Undercover Mother blog, and each chapter starts with a snippet from a blog post which was a nice touch.

I was entertained getting to know Jenny's new friends, as well as seeing the vastly different attitudes of each of them towards parenting, as well as her old colleagues.

Its a really fun book, that I'm really glad I finally loaded up on my kindle after a year to read, and I find myself frustrated that I haven't read Emma Robinson's other books yet either, which is something I should correct. For if this is a debut and I loved it, I have to see what else she has written since.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

I’m not a parent and so perhaps I’m not the usual target audience for a book like this, but I absolutely loved it! It was really well-written, and I found all of the characters very likeable. It has some nice underlying themes about friendship and integrity, but is also written with humour and is a nice, light-hearted read. It’s the first I’ve read by Emma Robinson, and I certainly hope to read more. This is a must-read for any new parents that can likely relate to the plot, but I think many others can also find joy in reading this.

This is a great book for any first time or new mum to be. Perfect for a gift to give at the start of maternity leave for a new mum to be to read before her 'mini me' enters the world. I love the front cover, it sets the scene for the book perfectly as a light hearted, funny look at love, friendship and parenting. The book covers antenatal classes, with funny stories including members of the classes

I really liked Jenny, she is, as I think I was, a pregnant mum to be who had a naïve outlook on her impending new role as a mum, that she would fall into the role and everything would go perfectly, with all her best laid plans in place ready for whatever her new bundle of joy needs when they slip seamlessly into her life. Of course, best laid plans with a newborn baby are never going to work as planned and Jenny has a steep learning curve to go on with her newborn to return to 'normal life' once the babymoon is over.

I really liked the format of the book. Each chapter begins with Jenny's blog entry of her life with baby and in each one she shares anecdotes of ladies in her antenatal classes. Jenny has written her blog anonymously and she goes under the title of the Undercover Mother who shares secrets of the antenatal group, whom she has nicknamed the Spice Girls. These are great characters and I think Emma has included characters who everyone knows from their everyday lives. I know that I was laughing out loud while reading this book, recognising my own friends and family within the book.

While there is a lot of humour in the book, Emma also addresses the important issues that pregnant mums will also encounter. Being pregnant and a new first time mum, ladies go through a roller coaster of emotion and Emma has very cleverly included a lot of emotions and talked about these. There is a great section on how she fees around her friends and also her partner - relationships change during pregnancy and some are never the same again.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read that had be laughing out loud. Perfect for first time mums but also for readers, like me, who has gone through the journey of pregnancy and babies and come out the other side.

Thank you to Bookouture, for inviting me to take part in this blog blitz in return for an honest review.

This book was definitely funny, laugh out loud kind of funny at times and laughing/crying in commiseration at times too. I have conveniently forgotten how utterly confusing that first year is and this book does indeed cover it. However it's not really about motherhood as much as it's about the bond of motherhood-between women. How the very fact that you have birth around the same time as someone else automatically links you in this same period of confusion.

I liked the novel because of the women and how they were all different types of mothers. What I didn't quite get on board with was the rest of the plot. I found Jenny's job quest a bit frustrating and her obsession to remain on the magazine in the same capacity a bit far fetched. While I could appreciate that she wasn't quite ready to give up her old self she didn't seem to have any comprehension of how much things were really going to change having had a child. I also wish that the blog she had been writing had been more humorous and heartfelt rather than looking for the sensationalistic approach. I think that Jenny herself eventually realized that her approach wasn't quite right but that may be me projecting my age on her new mum self.

The author though did keep me engaged and I enjoyed the writing and all the characters. I was just hoping for a tiny bit more. But don't let me put you off the funny parts are really funny and the author's real-life blog is fantastic!


Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own

I was so excited to pick up a book which did not classify as a serious, sad, or non-fiction novel.
Every single book I have read this year fell in either of the 3 above mentioned categories, and gladly I can confirm that “The undercover mother” did not.

It is a light and humorous read which will without a doubt entertain you (especially if you are a mother, or expecting to be one soon).

Jenny, 37 and pregnant with her first child feels like she has always been under pressure. Before marriage, the pressure was about getting married and starting a family. Now, being pregnant, it is about parenting techniques, birthing techniques and other topics, which she keeps on getting (solicited and unsolicited) advises.

Although everyone is expecting her life to change once the baby comes to this world, Jenny is convinced that she will be back to work full time before anyone even notices she was on leave. When her job is at risk, and she loses her column in the newspaper she works for, Jenny becomes desperate to convince her boss that she can write a funny material about motherhood.
To get the inspiration and material she needs to bad, she comes up with an idea which soon puts her in the spot in which she has to choose between friendship and juicy details which would made her column a hit.

This novel is not only about motherhood, but also about friendship, and everything that comes with relationship, babies, people and jobs.
If you are looking for a “feel good” novel, this is your pick.

Having just finished a very similar book just before starting this, I was hoping for something different. This story definitely provided that. Yes there is a first time mother documenting the trials and tribulations which come with being pregnant and having a baby. But we also have stories of loss, deceit and great friendships.

This story made me cry, laugh and smile a lot while I was reading it. I definitely identified with one of the women in particular and I believe most who read it will find one of the characters they have more in common with than the others. That helps to draw you even more into the story.

A feel good read which is perfect for anyone who has had kids or even is wanting to have kids. Either way it is a more true to reality account of what having children entails. Obviously being a nanny rather than a mum myself, I haven’t experienced certain parts of that journey. However I have looked after a lot of children over the years and I can totally relate to so much of the story.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Jenny used to be known for her ‘Single Girl About Town’ column. But when her boss gives her job to a younger colleague, Jenny panics and proposes she blogs instead about being a clueless new mom, which she will be shortly. Her new friendship group consists of four very different women and the only thing they really have in common is they all got pregnant around the same time.

The characters are well written and the story flows well. This was a fun summer read and I recommend you give it a try.

I found this book really slow and didn’t really go anywhere....i am a mother with young kids but the jokes were the same and it was just a bit boring! Sorry!

A balance of seeing what motherhood is like for all types of mums and through the eyes of our blogger / author it is funny at times, maybe not laugh out loud but a relate-able humour, where you can say yep been there done that.
It was an easy read and one i could recommend particular to other new mothers who don't want to get in to anything to heavy and just want to read something lighthearted and fun.

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

HILARIOUS, HEARTWARMING and AUTHENTIC!!!

The Undercover Motheris a story of motherhood. We follow Jenny, who is a journalist and writes her “Single Girl About Town” column. Now, that she is pregnant her boss wants something different from her and she won’t have time to write anyway, after the baby arrives right?!

Together with her husband Dan she joins a antenatal class and gets to know other women. A friendship is built, but these women couldn’t be more different from each other. Jenny starts a blog and writes about her experiences. She continues writing after her son Henry is born. Of course she includes the other women as well, using pseudonyms. The idea she comes up with for that is fab and makes the story funny and entertaining.

All these women have their own story to tell and at one point it gets really dramatic and exciting. I loved following them around. Emma Robinson has a fresh, vivid and thrilling writing style and you just don’t want the book down. I love the humour in it and I definitely enjoyed every second of it.

This book covers so many topics. Not only motherhood, but also love, friendship, work and relationships.

A fab set of characters and so much heart in this book.

It was a long time ago I had my children but I still enjoyed reading this book. When you become a parent you think everyone apart from you has it sussed. They cope better, their baby is more advanced and you? While you are just muddling along. But then you realise actually you are doing an ok job and everybody else who you think is sorted is just like you. Emma writes an amusing story.

I found The Undercover Mother to be a very funny read! I would definitely read more novels by Emma Robinson.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy

A funny light hearted look at new motherhood. Haven't we all gone into having our first baby with rose tinted glasses only to have them swiped off amongst a sea of bodily fluids, crying (baby and myself) and sleep deprived monotony.

This was humorous, light and a perfect beach read.

DNF at 23%. Due to personal circumstances that have recently arisen, I cannot read about motherhood right now. It is just too hard for me. Publishers, please accept my apology for it reviewing. That was not my intention when I requested the book. To be fair to the author, I have given this 3 stars.

I loved this book, reminded me of many things from both my pregnancies. Can't wait to read more from Emma Robinson.

Jenny made a name for herself writing the Girl About Town magazine column about the hip and happening nightclub scene but now she’s married to Dan and about to pop out a baby. So when her column is handed over to a younger colleague, Jenny proposes writing a mummy blog during her maternity leave, focusing on being a fish out of water in the world of parenting. Trying to impress her boss and win over readers, Jenny befriends the women of her antenatal class and, unbeknownst to them, uses them as fodder for her blog. The Spice Mums, as she dubs them, comprises young earth mum and yoga teacher Naomi as Sporty, the well-to-do Antonia as Posh, independent businesswoman Gail as Scary, while Ruth, or Ginger, has had a battle trying to conceive.
This is an entertaining story that makes the perfect read for new mums. Most mothers will identify with what these women go through – from sleep deprivation and dirty nappies to having to alter your work ambitions after starting a family. All in all, it’s a very promising debut.

The book follows Jenny from being a single column writer to a married, pregnant woman preparing for maternity leave.  Her column is given to a younger, single writer leaving her with nothing to come back to after maternity leave is over.  She pitches the idea of a Moms column to her boss who doesn't like the idea.  Jenny is determined to make this idea work, she starts a blog called The Undercover Mother.  She attends and antinatal class where she meets a group of women who she pushes to be friends with, to fuel her blog with ideas.  It turns out the moms don't mesh super well together but continue to hang out with each other.  Drama unfolds and friendships are formed and Jenny finds her place in life.  

I must first disclose that I don't typically read books like this, but I thought I would jump out of my usual reads and give this one a try.  While I did find the book somewhat entertaining, I did not find it "laugh out loud" funny.  I may have liked it more if it had been pitched as a heart warming feel-good story, which I think better describes this book.  I also didn't think it had much to do with actually being a mother as the title would have me believe.  The characters were likable and relatable and there was a lot of great parts but nothing about it was very exciting.   It has been a few years since I have had a newborn so maybe I am past relating to this book.  I'm not sure, I wanted to love this book but it just didn't do it for me.

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery (see link)