So Thrilled For You is a smart, absorbing, and eye-opening depiction of motherhood. I couldn't put this book down and I can definitely foresee this release becoming wildly popular.

Bourne sets up a captivating 'whodunit' plot by introducing news reports of a devastating fire and sharing snippets of police interviews with suspects throughout the novel. Specifically, four women are suspects for arson and the police are trying to figure out who started the fire — and with what purpose or motive. These fragments set up a wonderful atmosphere of suspense. They are also often quite comical and grant the readers an interesting perspective into the lives of our main characters.

However, the majority of the novel is told through four first-person perspectives. Nikki, Lauren, Charlotte, and Steffi form a close-knit group of university friends that call themselves the 'Little Women.' However, now that they are in their 30s, their group is falling apart. Lauren is a mother with no time or energy to see her friends, Nikki is pregnant, Charlotte is struggling to conceive, and Steffi is a career woman scorns the ides of kids.

My one complaint is that I found Nikki's character irredeemable. I don't want to spoil anything, but she makes many self-absorbed choices and she is an awful friend, especially to Steffi. I loved the other three women though, even with their quirks. My heart broke for them and soared for them in different moments. There is also a wonderful emphasis on the importance of female friendship (as well as its difficulties).

The novel intensely scrutinises societal pressure placed on mothers and the judgement endured by women regarding their reproductive choices. So many passages delve into ugly truths about motherhood, jealousy, and loneliness. Bourne expertly crafts a novel that champions the sleep deprived, lonely mothers who are struggling postpartum.

All in all, So Thrilled For You is an amazing read that I won't stop thinking about for a long time. I can even imagine this making a wonderful movie or tv series.

As a mum of 2, albeit my children are now 11 and 14, I found this book so utterly and refreshingly honest. I too had birth trauma ending in C Section, in fact Lauren’s story could have been mine. The way the story is written around the Little Women and being able to relate to all of them at some point was so clever. I adored the humour, I can’t remember the exact quote about Grand Designs/the glass house but that made me hoot! I can’t say I was surprised to get to the end and read that Holly wrote this whilst nursing a newborn. I feel completely seen and represented in this book that I’ve never felt before so thank you Holly. First time motherhood is daunting and scary and to see myself in literature even 14 years after my first born has made this a stand out book.

What happens when four long time friends through a baby shower during an protracted heatwave?

Charlotte who is desperate for a child of her own decides organises the event of the summer for her heavily pregnant friend Nikki, who really doesn't want the fuss , reluctant university pals Lauren, and Steffi round out the group, Lauren however is struggling with aspects of motherhood while Steffi is blissfully child free.

Simmering tensions threaten to boil over as the sweltering temperatures continue as distant group are thrown together.

And just which one of them has set the house on fire!!!

I do not envy the marketing team for this book - how do you explain that it will be so viscerally relatable it will feel like a gut-punch, but it will also make you snort with laughter even if reading it in public?

This novel explores the friendship group formed at university, and how the onset of their 30s brings the question (and reality) of babies. Who is having them, and why? Who is not having them? Who wants them, but can't have them? Who is judging who for these decisions, and how does motherhood change a friendship group?

This was so well written and relatable, it raises important qusetions of friendship and the roles of women in society. The plot is pacey and intricate, and I loved that the format included police interviews. It's part comedy, part mystery/thriller, part drama. It feels really contemporary and relevant. This will surely become a seminal text in feminist literature.

Overall I LOVED the title, cover, characters, - it is well compared to Big Little Lies meets Really Good, Actually. I think the blurb doesn't do justice to how funny it is!

This review also appears on Goodreads as a 5* read - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214868013-so-thrilled-for-you?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ZxZuj2TqS5&rank=1

No author writes millennial women as authentically as Holly Bourne. Her characters are always real and raw, talking wounded by the fallout of systematic misogyny. So Thrilled For You is no exceptional, alternating between the viewpoints of four very different women - friends since university, nearly a decade on they are growing apart for a multitude of reasons, a prevailing one being how women in their 30s become judged then defined by their decisions over motherhood (to have or not, the choices made over birth and childrearing, or what if having them can't happen for reasons beyond their control). I burned through this book, couldn't put it down as I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen next to the characters. This is an essential read to help us understand each other and build empathy when we oft are oblivious to so many of these issues if we don't directly experience them. A powerful and bittersweet wonder of a book.

Lauren, Nicki, Charlotte and Steffi were friends at university. They are now in their thirties, at different stages of their lives, and are reunited attending a baby shower for Nicki who is pregnant. The shower is held in Summer, a swelteringly hot day, as the heat rises, so do tensions between the friends.
I am probably a little older than the target readers for this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters and their situations were believable, and readers can relate to them and their lives, feelings and problems.
Highly recommended.

Nobody writes novels for and about women like Holly Bourne. I absolutely tore through So Thrilled For You - a book that is both vital, and hard to read at times. Her four main characters all sit at different parts of their journey with motherhood, and each character's story is told with deep empathy and realness. That would my main evaluation of this novel: it is so utterly real, and if you are a woman existing in today's world you will recognise every part of these characters' stories, their relationships, their secrets and their feelings. As I say, it's not always an easy read, but it also shines with Bourne's trademark wit and warmth. There are genuinely funny one-liners amidst the horrors and hardships, and it's a book packed with love and connection, too. Bravo Holly- everybody should read this book!

I adore Holly Bourne's writing, and found this extremely funny and relatable. I won't give anything away, but just to outline that the beginning felt so unbelievably believable... The baby shower, the friendship groups changing, the undercurrents of feeling pleased for your friends but also comparing yourselves to them.

Gosh, this was good! I was completely caught up in how relatable/awful/hilarious/tragic/selfish/outrageous these four women were...I'm probably quite a bit older than the target audience, but memory of the hell of giving birth to my first child is still there, and those awful, awful days (and nights) when she just wouldn't sleep, and I thought I might die from being so tired. Lauren's parts are so raw that they are heart-breaking. But I love Holly Bourne's honesty, as she really doesn't shy away from just how difficult it can be, whilst also sensitively understanding Charlotte's point of view too. I really liked how I kept feeling differently about each woman as the story progressed, veering from hating them to loving them. It was a real rollercoaster of emotions. Anyway, I basically inhaled this book and whilst I didn't quite like how the reveal revealed, I was fully committed at that point to whatever happened and I loved the pace, the humour, and the truly dreadful baby shower!

I read this in a day while full of a cold and needing something easy and distracting to keep me going and it was perfect for that.
Bound to be a popular beach read and a book-club darling, this was a fun romp on friendship and motherhood in your 30s.
Warning for graphic and disturbing descriptions of childbirth, parenting and its aftermath.
4 stars.

So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne is a literary gem that captivates from the very first page. The storytelling is nothing short of gripping, weaving a tale that keeps you eagerly turning pages late into the night.

The characters are exquisitely crafted, each one fascinating in their own right. The intricate interplay between the "Little Women" is a masterclass in character development, revealing their true feelings in a raw and compelling manner. With the four women at the time of their lives when motherhood beckons, or not, there is an inevitable gap opening, and where better for this to play out than at a baby shower! I had my heart in my mouth as old rivalries and jealousy flared and the rarely acknowledged assessment of whether life choices made, were the right ones I found myself rooting for each woman no matter her choices.. It was ultimately depth of character that makes the novel so engaging; and I couldn't help but feel deeply invested in their journeys.

Every time I had to put the book down, I found myself yearning to return to its pages, eager to unravel more of the story. The author's ability to blend emotional depth with a page-turning plot is truly remarkable.

So Thrilled For You is a must-read for anyone who loves a well-crafted story filled with complex characters and emotional honesty. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

An absolute five-star read that I highly recommend.

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced copy.

I don’t have kids, but the premise of this book drew me in, and even as someone without children I found it to be relatable.

Lauren’s perspective completely captured my own fears about becoming a parent and losing who I am, and I thought each of the characters were developed brilliantly. As someone with endometriosis, I really related to Charlotte and her feelings.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I thought it had a unique premise, mixing the portrait of motherhood with toxic friendships, unconditional love and mystery.

To be honest when I started reading this novel I was very doubtful that I would enjoy it, as it felt as if it was targeted at a younger readership than for a septinarian! It appeared more suited for a generation experiencing motherhood . However I persevered and was eventually drawn into the story of four ex university girl friends taking different paths through life; Lauren the mother with a young baby, Charlotte desperately trying to conceive, and Nicki on the verge of giving birth, and finally Steffi the career lady., leading up to the baby shower for Nicki.

It’s a fun and entertaining read with insights to their earlier lives, but what shines through, despite the ups and downs, is their loyalty and commitment to care.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Hodder for the opportunity to review this ARC.

A rather hectic exploration of life for four university friends as they grow up and move on from living together to taking different paths post uni. It's a book that reveals some truths about modern womanhood, but I felt that it tried too hard to cover too many topics that they all had a light touch rather than fewer topics more sensitively dealt with. The women collide at a baby shower and the recollections and consequences are wide-ranging, with a bit of a trite epilogue that sees the women's lives changed further a few years later on.

I love Hooly Bournes books. she seems to have an inside look at all our lives.

This tale about motherhood and freindship has humour and heartfelt moments and times when you just want to scream ..That's me' or 'Yes! I have done that'

This is brilliant.. a read that lifts you up and one that you tell your friends about just so you can rejoice together..

fabulous..

Oof, you could tell that Holly Bourne was truly living this book as she wrote it. A visceral study on motherhood and female friendship which made me feel like I was in some sort of horrific car crash throughout, and yet, I gobbled it right up.

GOD this was good. Currently on maternity leave with a five-month-old, I positively inhaled this ARC. I've enjoyed Holly's books before but this is definitely my favourite so far. Not only does it have a cracking beginning but such a strong, distinct cast of characters who the author made me managed to dislike at times yet feel empathy for (ok the jury's still out on Nikki...). I really liked the setting of a baby shower on a very very hot day and sitting back and watching (or rather reading!) as the jenga pieces of the Little Women's friendship being pulled out one by one was so entertaining. There were so many parts that had me nodding along furiously, especially Lauren's chapters and I related to many of her feelings (thankfully not the darker ones), which I imagine a lot of other mothers would too. I did find some parts of Lauren's story quite raw and difficult to read because of my own experiences but I think this just highlights how relatable this book is and what an accurate portray of motherhood it is. I also appreciated the may modern references like Seraphine, Etta Loves etc. I actually found the 'main event' wasn't even the thing that hooked me into the book, I just really enjoyed diving into each of the main characters back stories and dilemmas, even as heartbreaking as they could be at times. I feel like I could bang on about this forever but TLDR, read this book - especially if you're a woman in your 30s and most definitely if you're not.

I’ve really enjoyed previous Holly Bourne books so I was looking forward to this and it really didn’t disappoint. Felt very relatable for where I am in life. The characters felt very real. You could feel the atmosphere and the tension. So well written!

A gripping book that makes you second guess your views of life. The book touches on a lot of common struggles that women - specifically mothers, those who want to be mothers, those who don't, those who are struggling to conceive... The list goes on. A list that is very rarely touched on and presented realistically in modern literacy.

The author had an amazing way of going about the different views held by women of different opinions. The storyline and the way of telling the story through different women's POVs/focus was extremely well thoughts out and sucks you in that you won't wan tot put down the book.

I quite liked how it started off with the end event and drawn back to the start so you have to try and figure it out yourself. tHe ending was more than perfect and I like how it all tied with what we have been reading.

A book that I will recommend to anyone.

I’m a huge fan of Holly’s work, her characters are always relatable, and somehow in this one she’s managed to represent pretty much every aspect of motherhood (the fears, objections, worries about fertility and career) with the four main characters. It blew my mind how clever and on point it was (as well as validating my own fears and perspectives). It really highlighted how, when it comes to parenting, everyone has an opinion and a judgement, but the love between the four women was so beautifully done.
It felt like an older, more mature voice than Holly’s previous works, fairly akin to Liane Moriarty and some of her earlier works.
I really loved it.