Meet Hannah Thompson, 43-year-old mother and part-time English teacher. She wants to be more than just mum and she wants a job she actually likes. So she tries to write a realistic romance novel. She tries. And that's it. That's the book.

Weird pacing, forgettable characters and an utterly forgettable plot. Insofar as there is a plot, because nothing happens in this book. I think it's supposed to be funny, but the humour is so forced that it misses the mark completely. Maybe it's me. Maybe this book would be funny to me if I were the forty-something mother of three ungrateful and irritating children and I had a husband who never really seems to be involved with any household chores or raising the kids. Maybe then it would be a funny book.

There were a few loose plot threads concerning the two eldest children that could've turned this story around, but unfortunately they were ignored.

More Than Just Mum is a book for mothers everywhere. If you're feeling lost among the reams of demands for fundraising and school events, your teens are driving you crazy or your little ones are running you ragged, not to mention your love life is a little stale and your job doesn't fulfil you anymore, this is for you. It's believable, well written and laugh out loud funny.

More Than Just Mum, Rebecca Smith

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

This is classic chic lit style, humour, pathos and a good dollop of real life. I so identified with Hannah at times. I too have been wife, mother, auntie, daughter and somewhere in the middle of that Jeannie, Me, was submerged. You have to fight to keep that, and Hannah's trying hard, but life has the habit of throwing spanners just when you think you're getting somewhere.

Having said that I struggled with this at times. The beginning almost had me giving up, it felt too much like forced humour and I just hate that. Certain parts had me thinking of a mental visual from the old TV game shows “Clap Now!!” It seemed to be written for the purpose of humour, rather than the humour falling naturally from the content. I stuck with it though and that side of things certainly improved for me, I had tears from laughing at some parts, having been through very similar. Bringing up teens is one of life's Big Experiences, and its laugh or cry many days. Laughing is better....aided by wine of course.

What really brought this down though was for me it lacked focus. I felt there were lots of little side issues that cropped up but went nowhere, and there wasn't really an overarching plot that ran the course of the novel. It seemed more a series of little ones that sometimes were completed, but more often just left hanging. I wasn't really sure where the story was going, and TBH it just felt like I was reading a few months from a typical family life. Works for some of course, but for me I needed that main plot, needed to know what was the point of the novel, where was the story going. As it didn't have that, the ending felt a little flat. Yes, one biggish plot gets wrapped up but so much was just left unfinished.

Stars: Three, a fun read, and some parts really made me smile, snigger, reminded me of my time with teen and preteen kids, but overall for me it felt a little lacking in direction.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

More Than Just Mum follows 43 year old part-time English teacher and mother of three, Hannah Thompson. She is fed up with teaching a subject that wasn't her specialty and parenting teenagers so she tries to reinvent herself. Channelling her inner E.L. James, she attempts to write a Fifty Shades-esque book.

Although the book is funny in parts, I felt like it just trundled along and there was no real chase or climax.

How fun- someone wrote a book about me and my life! And even funnier, I noticed from other reviews about this book, that the reviewers all thought the book was about them, as well. What does this say about being a wife and mother, daughter, friend and teacher?!

Apparently as main character British Hannah Thomas moans, “We are not living our best lives.” Hannah decides that she wants to begin a new chapter in her life, a life where she is the star. But first, she has to make beans on toast for tea, keep the felt-tip markers away from her English class, rush her 10-year-old’s hamster to the vet and make sure her two teenagers are on an even keel, because it’s horrible when an Instagram post doesn’t have enough likes. Can Hannah make it to Fizzy Friday?

This book is enjoyable, relatable, witty and fun. As an English teacher, Hannah is used to enduring the “slings and arrows” of daily life. The author describes Hannah’s life so well and makes the humdrum details of daily living come alive. Hannah keeps trying, and is supported by her rather clueless but nice husband who means well, her girlfriend, her work colleagues, and her chirpy mother.

Hannah does indeed come up with a plan for her life- but will it work? Treat yourself. Why don’t you grab this book, head to a steaming bubble bath, lock the door and read this book! After you are done laughing, you may want to work on your own life plan.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, and One More Chapter for an ARC. This is my honest opinion.

What's not to like?

Hannah Thompson is a woman - so am I
She is a wife - yup, same here
A mother - *nods* I've got 2 kids, a fur baby and two feathered ones, she has 3 children and a dog
A teacher - yes, yet another similarity!
An aspiring author - yet another similarity
Has a hubby who is quietly supportive of her dreams but doesn't always get the support quite right - check!
Works part time - no... alas I am a full time teacher, wife, mother and wannabe writer!

Oh my God, if this woman had only 2 children, and worked a couple more days a week, this book might just have been my life!

Hannah is feeling the pressure.
She has one child about the fly the nest, off to university, one teen who is keeping her on her toes with the company she keeps and the questions she asks and a young not quite tween, who is inquisitive and has a pet hamster which causes his own grief.

Working three days a week (not by choice), Hannah knows that the money isn't exactly flowing into their bank accounts, and they have a child to send off to uni imminently, and the thought of having to finance two more is, quite frankly terrifying... and her headteacher is not keen to give her a full-time contract.

Until she has the bright idea to write a book on her days off.

Will her head have a change of heart and increase her hours?
Will she finish this book or not?
Will she find a way to publish?

Well, you know I'm not going to tell you. What I will say is that it was a fantastically funny book. I was able to relate to so much of it, and Hannah's life echoes that of many working mothers out there.

Definitely one I recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it. A proper laugh out loud book about being a parent. I can relate as I've a 16 year old daughter and a son who is uni and boy he couldn't do anything when he left. Shows the stresses of being mum. I really hope there is another to follow this one.

Brilliant book. I loved this as it was so funny and relatable. Full of laugh out loud moments and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope there’s a second in the series!

This hilarious look at the everyday life of a mum who wishes she could be something more than a mum, really tickled me! It’s written in a light and funny way but there are serious undertones to it. Lots of mums lose their own persona - if this is you, read this book and be inspired!!

Hannah Thompson is a mother of three and a part-time English teacher, due to cuts in the science department budget which led to her job as a Biology teacher being redundant. Her eldest child Dylan is soon off to University, her middle child Scarlet (note the single 't') is asking rather suspicious about specific crimes and her youngest child Benji is the butt of all his older siblings' humour. When Hannah and her husband Nick work out how much money they will need to give Dylan for living expenses when he starts university they know they desperately need more money - but how can Hannah earn some extra cash?

This has all the hallmarks of the scummy mummy genre of novels. Humorous insights into real life families where there's no clean washing, Wine Wednesday is a real thing, children are by turns whiney and argumentative, life is a series of forgotten World Book Day costumes, part-time mum serving kids take-aways etc. Normally I quite enjoy those kind of novels but for some reason this didn't resonate with me, and I don't really know why. Maybe it's because I felt that Hannah wasn't really doing much of anything, half-heartedly teaching and half-heartedly parenting - I didn't get the feeling that she was overwhelmed by too much, just disorganised and lazy.

Overall, I enjoyed it but there seemed to be too many loose plot ends that never went anywhere: Dylan and Zoe, Scarlet's questions, Zoe's mysterious online boyfriend etc. Maybe I've got holiday brain and missed these stories being resolved but it just felt like this book ran out of steam and just went ... The End.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. Hannah was one of the most relatable characters I have read in quite some time. Her quest to find herself while supporting her family financially and raising her children is hilarious, and her story is one I am sure many mothers can relate to on multiple levels. My only complaint is that the cover doesn't do this book justice. There is more incite and great writing in the pages of this book than the pink cover might lead you to believe.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I liked the fact this book was light hearted and could laugh out loud with things mentioned. Loved the way it was written! Definitely a beach read :)

This book was so good! I will recommend it to everyone who comes into the store because I think it will end up on my favorites of the year list.

Nice feel good book. It flowed very well. was easy to read. Nice characters. Good storyline. What’s not to love.

An entertaining and engrossing read that made me laugh out loud and fall in love with the characters.
I loved the style of writing and I hope to read another work by this author soon.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A great read - good feel good laugh out loud!!
Hannah a bored Mum and part time teacher falls upon an idea to write a book - erotica !!
I chuckled as I read this book - encouraged my her husband Nick we see the plot for her novel unfold with comic genius

A lovely light hearted read that will resonate with most mums in terms of regaining your own identity outside your mum role, the importance of good friends (and alcohol) and the realisation of your dreams.
very funny, very true to life (in parts at least!) and very easy to read. A great one for on the beach!

This book really took my fancy by the title and cover if the book and it didn't let me down at all and was so funny and such an easy quick read. Hannah was so relatable and you feel for her so much. So realistic and full of a mother who is a teacher but at a crossroads can she decide what to do next it's a brilliant read.

Hannah is a mother of three teaching English to a very difficult class and her children are growing up and giving her grief and she's come to a crossroads in life and really isn't sure what to do. She wants more from life and decides to write a book can she make a go of the book and it will be a sexy book as well and will she be able to get it published or not and will her job come to an end or will her contact continue. What does Hannah really want from life.

Worth far more than five stars brilliant.

We have children and suddenly we’re supposed to put all our wants and needs on the shelf, to take care of the new bundle of joy. Don’t get me wrong, we wouldn’t have it any other way, but we have the promise, that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that eventually it gets a little easier and one day we’ll have time for ourselves... Thing is generally we don’t. Each stage and phase leads into another. Sometimes we have to grab a few minutes for ourselves because we are more than just Mum!

I laughed my self silly at this book. It's the type of books that makes you smile while reading it. Parts of this book are very true to the life of a Mum even if it did make me dread my little one growing up. Very well written and heartfelt without being too emotional.
I'll be keeping a eye out for more of her stuff