I have to say, I do enjoy a contemporary, topical novel and this definitely ticks those boxes. The rise of the ‘mummy blogger’ in recent years has been well documented and since having my first baby 3 years ago, I am (digitally) acquainted with a fair few of them. At this point, the market is saturated; a quick hashtag search on Instagram will show you how many women now document their lives as mums. Some are good, some are boring, but the ones that grow and gain popularity have a niche, a selling point.

That’s why the plot of this book feels so real; in it we meet three successful mummy bloggers, so successful, in fact, that they have all been nominated for a prestigious Blog-ahh award due to each having an all-important distinct niche. We have the Insta-perfect mum Elle Campbell of The Stylish Mumma, the working mum Leisel Adams of, um, The Working Mum and the all-organic-everything mum Abi Black of The Green Diva. Aside from their mutual nominations, the women know each other IRL, but that’s not to say they all get along… Growing their blog following is important to all of them and winning the award guarantees publicity and a cash prize. They will do whatever it takes to come out on top and won’t let the truth stand in the way of their goal.

Leisel was my favourite mummy blogger in the story, she represents such a huge chunk of women trying to juggle work and children and felt more relatable to me than an organic mummy or Elle, yes Elle… she is a character that has absolutely no redeeming features; she is self-obsessed, scheming, throws everyone she loves under the bus, tells a truly terrible, terrible lie all in the name of getting more blog traffic and – to top it all off – is a shoddy mother who has absolutely no interest in her children while pretending online that she does.

Author Holly Wainwright works for Australian lifestyle website Mamamia and hosts her own parenting podcast, so she knows her topic very well. I’m guessing she’s met more than one mummy blogger in the course of her job, but it’s hard to work out from the tone of the book if she actually likes ‘mummy bloggers’ or not… She has created three extreme versions of typical stereotypes and none are portrayed in the most positive way (see above Elle description), so it feels like she is satirising rather than celebrating the genre. Not that this is a bad thing from a reader’s point-of-view, more extreme characters always make for a more interesting read! Especially if its on a topic that you have an interest in, as I do here.

I really enjoyed this read, it kept me turning the pages and was often funny, plus the overall theme – don’t believe everything you see on social media – raises an important discussion point; there is now a major shift towards the authentic on social media, people want genuine content, we are savvy enough to see a staged photo and scroll on by, so just how long can bloggers who rely on skirting the truth for clicks keep their momentum going? Whether you’re a mummy or not, this is an interesting look at the world of blogging!

Meet Elle ‘The Stylish Mumma,’ Abi ‘The Green Diva,’ and Leisel ‘The Working Mum’ - three women taking on motherhood in the digital age. I’m sure you can predict that there will be backstabbing, sabotaging, & online feuds, but you may not be ready for the length that some of these women go to to get ahead.

All three Mummy Bloggers are nominated for a well-renowned award - with hefty prize money and sponsorships to boot! But what will some women do for a taste of fame and fortune?

This was an incredibly fun story and a great start to my summer reading. As a mom of two small boys and a former (pre-mom) blogger, I can tell you that author Holly Wainwright wrote these characters to perfection. I attended BlogHer here in the US years ago – right when Mommy Blogging was at its peak – and, let’s just say, reading this book felt a little like being back there.

Solid 4-star Summer Read! Cannot wait to read the sequel ‘How to Be Perfect.’

A big thanks to Legend Press & NetGalley for the digital copy to review!

My first book by this author. I did wonder initially whether this was really the book for me!! Yes, I’m a blogger, but it’s been many years since my son has referred to me a ‘mummy’! I needn’t have worried though as this book really wasn’t what I expected and I settled right down into easily!

The story is based around three ‘mummy’ bloggers. Elle is your typical yummy mummy! Perfect body, perfect husband, and perfect life! Nothing phases her at all and her life could be something straight out of a magazine. Abi is a ‘hippy mummy’! Outspoken, organic foods, same sex relationships and treating her children as equals are the things that spring to mind! Liesel is a ‘working mummy’! Working every hour she can to give her family a good life, but also interesting in forging healthy relationships with fellow mothers. All three ladies are bloggers and are pitted up against each other in a blogger’s award ceremony, vying to win the cash prize and the opportunity to turn their hobby into a business!

Initially started with some trepidation, I happily settled down into the lives of Elle, Abi and Liesel! All three characters I liked and disliked in equal measures! They all had redeeming qualities, in their own ways, and some qualities that made me want to unplug their internet connection and never let them have it back! My favourite had to be Liesel though, for being the most genuine of the three and the only one that I think I could be friends with! I loved the awards ceremony storyline and found the underhand tactics used to ensure the prize most amusing!!

The book was light-hearted and funny as expected, but it also had a more serious theme running through it of should we really believe everything we read online. It’s very easy to have an online alter-ego, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that person is anything like that in reality. It gives an enlightening view into the fictional world of parenting blogs, although I would like to think that not all bloggers behave as these three do! (I know us book bloggers are more discreet in our underhand tactics!!) Would definitely recommend!

I had read good reviews so was looking forward to this read and a new author for me! However if I’m honest I really struggled with this book, initially I found it a bit confusing, but basically it told of how three mummy bloggers were vying for top spot in a competition and the lengths they would go to to win! I’m sure regular bloggers and users of social media would enjoy this book, but unfortunately I didn’t find it enjoyable to read.

An absolute must read book! All out war by The Mummy Bloggers. Hilarious and at times shocking read of what people will do to win. There are kernels of truth in this book that I think we could all observe to a positive effect. Not everything you see and read is real. I devoured this read in under 24 hours and loved every minute!

Thank you Netgalley.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Legend Press for this advance copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

📚 Series: No.
📚 Genre: Women's Fiction
📚 POV: Multiple Third Person
📚 Cliffhanger: No.

⚠ Content Warnings: Stalking. Drug Addiction. Attempted Murder. Online bullying. Faking cancer. Faking death. Internet and Social Media Obsession.
⚠ Read if: you love celebrities, bloggers and internet sensations. Also, if you are a reality show fan.

If you need a genre-breaking or a breath-of-fresh-air read, get a copy of The Mummy Bloggers. After all the thrillers and the romances and all the drama, this was one extremely entertaining read!

The book revolves around three parenting bloggers:
🔸Elle - Ms. Perfect, stylish, rich and seems to have everything together
🔸Abi - Blogger of all things healthy and eco-friendly, tactless with a very strong personality
🔸Liesl - Working mommy who tells things like they are, busy moms advocate and very genuine

These motherbloggers are from different ends of the spectrum, with their own distinct parenting styles. They are three of the most followed, thus, competing for the coveted Blog-aaah Award.

Trying to get the award results in too much pressure. Lying and manipulating their fanbases, even creating drama, just to boost blog clicks and views.

I admittedly a big fan of Youtube personalitiles, so I definitely am part of this book's target market. People love having inspiration, and people also have loving someone to hate. We are all guilty of internet stalking, and that behavior makes this book a definitely relatable fun read.

The author weaves a story with likeable characters, smooth story flow and quirky surprises. Very excited to read more from her. This one's a great story.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁

🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Leads :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Relatability:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 4.8/5 ☁

This was a fun, fast read... with an edge. For most of the book, I didn't know who I despised more - Elle or Abi. By the end, there was a definite Worst Villain, for sure.

This would be a great beach read!

I think this book just wasn't for me. It took a long time to find this characters even a little redeemable. I didn't understand their motives and in the end it just fell flat.

Fun delicious read great group of characters a look at the world of bloggers influencers through the lives of these three women there is romance laughs quite the ending.Perfect escapist bit of fun.#betgalley #legendbooks

This was a cute read about 3 different styles of mommy bloggers. There is the perfect, stylish mom, the working mom, and the natural, homeschooling mom. When they are all nominated for the mom blog award, things heat up fast.

Cute, easy read, perfect for vacation. Some funny parts and the ending was a surprise for me!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I read this book in the airport and on a flight home from my trip to see my sister graduate, and it was the perfect flight read! It was engaging and entertaining the entire time, without being too emotional or draining for flight reading.

I was interested in this book because as a 21-year-old, I am an avid YouTube watcher— I literally have it open in another tab right now. Though I am, as previously mentioned, only 21 and I am not a mother, I do watch mommy bloggers like Louise Pentland and read blogs about motherhood on occasion. What I was particularly intrigued by was the concept of following three different mummy bloggers and seeing their differences.

The aspect of this book I found most impressive was the very distinct voice and focus between the three characters. Though they’re all connected in one way or another, and they all have the same profession, each woman is their own person with specific views and each with their own way of being a mother. The relationships these women have with their partners also intrigued me, because I haven’t been a part of a relationship with that dynamic before. I have to applaud how each character had flaws, goals, a strong sense of who they are and why they do what they do, and none of them were apologetic about these things.

Here are my (more accurate) descriptions of the characters:

Elle is so preoccupied with making her life look perfect from her pristine kitchen to her post-gym selfie, she relegates child care to her intern. That doesn’t stop her from posting on Instagram saying she had the best day playing with them, however.

Abi left suburban life in favor of shacking up with a gorgeous woman. She swapped sugar and lattes for kombucha and fresh from the garden fruit. She’s the kind of mom who swears in front of her kids and doesn’t shy away from talking about her controversial opinions on her blog and podcast— even if she doesn’t necessarily really agree with what she’s pushing.

And Leisel is a working mom balancing her day job, her children, her relationship with her husband, and this hobby of blogging. She’s found women online who feel the way she does: she loves being a mom, but god sometimes it’s just really freaking difficult.

The plot is driven by an award that the three women have been nominated for. Elle wants to win to boost her brand, and because it would be so embarrassing to lose to Crazy Abi or that girl whose blog isn’t even her job. Abi wants to win… well, mainly she wants to win to shove it in Elle’s face. And Leisel… well, she’s pretty pumped she was nominated but has to make a big push if she wants to win.

Behind the blogs, all the girls are connected: Elle had an affair with Abi’s husband which led to their divorce (first two chapter knowledge, not a huge spoiler), and Leisel is the sister of the woman Abi lives with. So beyond just their blog drama, there’s personal drama in between!

I enjoyed not like Elle, because she’s the exact kind of woman I never want to become. I was absolutely not rooting for her as a character, and for good reason. Abi annoyed me because of her wishy-washy-ness on her morals and what she believed. For someone all about being authentic, she spent a lot of time actively trying to come off as “authentic” instead of just being herself. Leisel? Well, I felt the most for her because she’s doing her best to balance everything.

I was very satisfied with the ending, and I thought the build to the finale was really smart!

3.5

Thanks to netgalley and Legend Press for the copy!

This book focuses on three women who are all mom-bloggers. Elle has a pristine white kitchen and two perfect little boys who always model clothes for her instagram. She drinks weight loss shakes and eats kale chips. She wears trendy outfits and gives tips on how to take the perfect gym selfie. Abi runs a crunchy blog. She doesn’t eat processed food, she lives on a farm and grows her own vegetables. She’s loud and proud and has controversial opinions on vaccines. And then there’s Leisel, the working mom. She’s too tired to have conversations with her husband at the end of the day and is struggling to balance everything on one plate. What happens when all three women are up for the same award? What lengths will they go to to win?

I’ll admit that this took me a while to get into. I guilty-pleasure follow a lot of mom-bloggers on YouTube and Instagram. It’s fascinating. There’s a whole world out there full of moms who think they’re doing it right and who want to share with the world, but no two moms are the same. But these fictional women were a little over the top caricatures of the moms I follow. Once I stopped being annoyed by them, I really got into the plot of the story.

This was well written and each of the moms had their own unique voice. It was such a light, fast read that I blew through this in two sittings. It was a little silly but it also had a lot of good moments and great discussion hidden in there about the stress we moms out on ourselves to compare to everyone else. I definitely think that if you’re someone who is intrigued by these outrageous lifestyles of mom bloggers, then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

I LOVED this book. I am not a mother, or am planning to be, but I still related to a lot of this novel and enjoyed the humour and overall story-line. Its modern, expect technology via the blogging aspect, but there is still an additional ongoing tale of the three main families that draws the readers attention. Even though you are perhaps expected to like one blogger more than another, there were times in the story where I was empathetic to all three- and even their husbands/wives/partners/kids. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern, light, humorous book with an underlying morality.

Abi was married to Adrian who's now married to Elle.

Leisel is Abi's sister in law. Grace is her sister.



Elle thrives on order and loves her beauty treatments up and push away her family, while Abi is about keeping it as natural and nature related as possible, for Leisel, her career is everything even though she has no spare time at all, they my be very different blogger but they're all nominated for a blog-ahh award for their separate blogs;



Elle: The Stylish Mumma

Abi: The Green Diva

Leisel: The Working mum



However its not easy as Leisel gets hassle at work over creepy phone calls and packages taunting her for her blog and supposed being ungrateful for her kids. Things take a serious and sinister turn when she gets stabbed...



Elle plotted her life from escaping her home to forging a happy marriage with a finance worker she met when she worked as a personal trainer. Even if now her life is fake as she forces her beloved husband into faking he has cancer for hits on her blog...



While Abi faces backlash for a podcast she did which gained news domination after she changes her expressed reviews and it causes her followers harm...



As the awards get going, Elle's visit to her hometown brings some shocking realities to light about her father she uses selfishly to gain popularity and as Zoe her sister teams up with Grace after a previous betrayal by her sister Elle, Leisel's sister and Abi they set about letting the world know the truth about Elle once and for all...



Elle causes the most drama in this book undoubtedly even betraying her husband and alienating everyone she comes across as a real hard unempathetic bitch who worked hard but at a fake life and I hated her character but she was a great thought of character! Leisel was my favourite as she seemed genuinely down to earth and hard pushed to make everything work and I have to say this book was a total true seeming look at life as a mummy blogger as I imagine from worrying about day to day life to also having danger lurk all round. It was a hypnotic read I couldn't put it down at all!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I always love to read about the blogging experience-even in a fictional sense-so I was looking forward to reading this one! I think Mommy-blogging stories can either go way over the top or relatable- I think this one had a little of both but it was a believable and fun read.
The three bloggers had such different personalities and strengths from one another which is really what kept my interest- there is the "perfect" mom, the crunchy mom and the exhausted working mom. When they wind up as finalists for a blogging award their real colors show through as they battle it out for the win.
The writing was funny and the voices were all unique which made this so enjoyable. This was a great light read and a nice break from all the drama/thrillers I tend to read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for an e-copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn't able to finish this book. I tried on multiple occasions to read it but I could not get into it. It wasn't what I expected and I really didn't enjoy the bit I was able to read. I'm sorry, I wish I could have enjoyed it more. Because I DNF I will not be posting a review for this book on my blog.

Inspired no doubt by the exponential rise in blogging and the immense popularity of " mummy" websites, forums and blogs Holly Wainwright has put together a sharply witty, perfect for the poolside book.
Set in Australia, the book follows three very different Mummy bloggers, each of whom has been nominated for a prestigious blogging award, and as the countdown to the award ceremony continues, the competition becomes nothing short of cutthroat.
Elle is the perfectionist mum and wife, glossy and high maintenance with a wardrobe of designer clothes for her and her boys, for her image is everything and nothing less than perfection will be accepted. Leisel is a busy working mum , who blogs about the pitfalls of juggling career and children, whenever she has a minute to spare, while Abi has moved to the country with her wife, and espouses all things green and organic , at least as far as her public is concerned. As the book progresses we learn more about each woman's life, and the ways in which they are connected, which goes some way towards explaining their extremely competitive behaviour. Increasingly desperate and devious, they push to the limits and beyond, making for some very entertaining reading.
As well as being fun, the book is not afraid to shine a light on the harsh differences between real life and what so many people portray on screen, and highlights just how detrimental this can be , and I appreciated the effort the author went to in order to include this story.
Anyone in search of a fun light-hearted holiday read could do a lot worse than picking up this one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This wasn’t really for me,I couldn’t connect with this at all. I wasn’t interested in the characters and found them a bit flat , I get the feeling you aren’t meant to like them, but it just felt off, not for me sadly


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Love, love love this book. The fast pace and interconnected lives of the main characters keeps you wanting to see what happens next. The relatability of each woman is amazing.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3