I was a bit hesitant going into this book, as I have had mixed results with Holly Bourne before and I wasn't certain there was anything left to be said about the horrors of motherhood in fiction.

Well, I was proven wrong. It is not so much that this book has something new and profound to say about pregnancy or friendship or motherhood, but the way I genuinely began to feel for every single one of these women. Every single one of them was messy and selfish and complex and at times a terrible friend. And yet I could not find any true fault in their behavior. It is so refreshing to see grace given to women who are trying their best not just by the narrative, but by each other.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about complex female friendship.

So Thrilled For You captures the complexities of female friendship and womanhood so incredibly well. University friends Nicki, Charlotte, Lauren and Steffi are now in their thirties and firmly in different stages of life. Their genuine friendship has become quasi-performative and beneath these performances, jealousy, resentment, insecurity, sadness and uncertainty simmer. This novel is unashamedly honest and raw, delving into the socially unspoken aspects of motherhood, infertility, and the stigma childfree women face. This was my first time reading a Holly Bourne novel and I loved the knife-sharp wit and distinct narrative voice of each character.

So Thrilled For you is a hard hitting tale of otherhood and toxic friendships. A baby shower is due to take place on the hottest day of the year but doesn't go to plan. The four friends who gather together are Nikki, the expectant mother; perfectionist Charlotte who battles with IVF and who organises the baby shower as if it was her own; Steffi, who feels as if she is given no credit as she has no children; Lauren who has suffered a traumatic birth and finds early motherhood very difficult. All the characters and their viewpoints are well drawn and believable. Although some of the topics are dark, this is a very good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book.

So thrilled for you by Holly Bourne

In this fast paced novel four friends from University reunite for a baby shower. They all have things going on in their lives and when they come together and group dynamics creep back in there are fireworks. There are some hard hitting topics in this book (miscarriage, fertility issues and postnatal depression) which I felt were dealt with well. I loved the exploration of friendship and different views on and experiences of motherhood within the group. The writing was gripping and funny at times. I recommend this book but definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. I haven't read any of Holly Bourne's other books but will be looking them up.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So thrilled for you is out now

This was a great girly story with some hard hitting truths included. It keeps you turning the pages as you can’t wait to find out what happens. My first book of the year(2025) and I really enjoyed it.

I’ve read previous books from Holly Bourne and really enjoyed them, so I was extremely excited when I was able to read this one.
This one, I found a lot more hard hitting than her other books, the topics discussed are sensitive and upsetting, no matter which way you look at it.
The way the author has written it though is thoughtful, touching, impactful and engaging. She manages to weave a bit of humour and light-heartedness into what could be a sombre tale, she makes it real.
The story talks about, amongst other things, problems and experience with miscarriage, issues conceiving a child, and (the part I related to the most), post natal depression.
The characters have depth, empathy, and strength and fit perfectly with the topics of the novel itself.
If you can read these topics. I’d highly recommend this book.

Genuinely one of the best books I have read in a long time. This is in no way an easy read - there are topics of miscarriage, trouble conceiving, post natal depression and others - but it is highly impactful and meaningful and will make the reader think. Moments of humour tangle well with utter shock, beautiful imagery and characters you will genuinely care about. Bourne is forever an author whose books I will prioritise reading, and this novel encapsulates why.

Pure brilliance.

This was a hard one to read. I've read all the books Holly has ever written and I loved them. I'm more torn about this one. The subject matter wasn't one that I can really relate too I guess, despite the characters being so close to my age. This was about motherhood and toxic friendships.
I did really love how the whole book was built, the interviews, the articles, the different points of view leading to the Crime. Holly Bourne truly is a master at what she does.
This book will stay with me for a while but maybe not in a good way, Lauren's point of view really read like a horror novel and it terrorized me. I guess I enjoyed none of the points of view but I did sympathize with three of the main characters, and had a lot of trouble with the last one. I honestly don't know how I felt about this overall. It was a hard read and, at some point, I just wanted it to end. I also can't agree about the view on friendship... It's just not been my experience, but that's personal I guess.
Overall, this was an interesting book with a great concept but it was a little too hard for me to properly enjoy. I would still recommend this with a few conditions!

An amusing look into friendships and how or if they survive the passing of time especially when pregnancy and children divide them. Well written and told from different friends’ viewpoints.

Initially I struggled getting into this book as I didn’t like any of the characters due to their various personalities and flaws. However, when I reached the end of the book I realised that I really rather enjoyed it and understood why each of the women behaved as they did. It is I good story and a well written book, I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for your hard work.

The publisher's pitch that this is Big Little Lies meets Expectation is spot on. If you have (or had) a group of friends that are all at different stages and have very different takes on motherhood, this is the book for you. I loved how each character is clearly defined, as our their different takes on attending a baby shower. The fact it happens on the hottest day imaginable is the (swiftly melting) icing on the cup cake.
The climax is a shout-fest and a fireball rolled into one. Very cinematic.

A baby shower with a difference, it certainly didn't go to plan.
This book explores friendship and the various experiences of pregnancy and motherhood amongst four long time friends. Well told, the reader really got to feel the diverse emotions of the four women.

What a scorching, timely and memorable read for the start of 2025. Bourne has captured the complexity of the motherhood debate through four distinct women's experiences, journey and thoughts. Nicki, an expectant mother who has unresolved issues and feelings from her past but is resolved in her desire to be a mother; Charlotte, a perfectionist who has faced an increasingly familiar battle with IVF to conceive; Steffi, the child-free member of the group who has found tremendous success professionally but feels as though this is never given as much credit as building a family is; and Lauren, who suffered a traumatic birth and is still reeling from the shocks and challenges of early motherhood. Bourne is deeply empathetic of these characters and I was so impressed by how nimbly she jumps from one mindset to another, unfurling their pasts and their psyches over the course of one immensely hot and sticky summer's day. Bourne is equally unafraid to pick out their hypocrisies, and to make them as unlikeable as they are likeable. While I do feel Charlotte's perfectionism does descend into a mania that needed greater attention/support at times, Nicki in particular is an immensely complex character who seems to contain multitudes locked within her calm and sweet persona. Indeed, as someone who is personally on the fence regarding motherhood, I found myself identifying with every single woman in this book about the fears of paths not taken; the worries of infertility; the anxiety of never being valued by my friends or society if I don't, and equally the challenges of motherhood that are hidden, judged and unfashionable in our world of social media.

The book is fast paced and biting, charting the course of a day that ultimately ends in disaster by skipping between the four girls' perspectives and flashing back to the foundations of their friendship at university. The tension builds spectacularly, especially in the sweaty heat of a high summer's day, and you are gripped as the women pick at, antagonise and challenge one another's lives, feelings and mindsets in small and huge ways throughout the book. Bourne is particularly skilled at capturing the zeitgeist, and the experiences of a later millennial (now entering their thirties) both at university and while living in London as adults. Many of her observations are wry, both critiquing and celebrating the way we live now, and, having read her earlier book: How Do You Like Me Now? which also fed off popular culture and social media, I do feel this is a sharper piece of writing which weaponises our familiar culture more effectively. There are some dark themes and very upsetting elements to the book, specifically Lauren's struggles which are portrayed so vividly, and entering her mindset can be challenging simply because you want so desperately for her to get help, but it feels so important and vital for these experiences to be committed to writing. Motherhood is so thorny and the advice can be so unsympathetic and so varying; Bourne even begins to address the maternity crisis in the NHS - Lauren really is the figurehead of all the ways we fail mothers in society and cast them into irrelevance. I winced when she said that, once she had a baby, she became merely his custodian as all people cared about was the child, especially in conjunction with Steffi's huge successes in her business which are received with so little fanfare in comparison to having a baby: why must society repeatedly find ways to dismiss women?

If I had to critique the novel, I would say that the epilogue felt a tad twee and tried to tie things up too neatly in a bow for me. I like how the story ends and the open-ended nature of it, and I feel the epilogue inadvertently diminishes the complexities of motherhood and of being child-free by resolving all of the tensions of the novel. I enjoyed the knotty complexity of the novel and it ultimately felt unnecessary. Similarly, a few of the conversations around sexuality felt half-baked and some of the characters' comments, whether deliberate or not, were uncomfortable.

Regardless, I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a snarky, sharp and thought-provoking read which gives an authentic voice to women's experiences and takes you on a whirlwind of a day.

Holly Bourne writes complex female friendships so well and this is no exception, with maybe a bit more darkness than you're used to! Really enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book. It dives into the darker aspects of parenting & friendships. The only drawback for me was that the ending didn’t feel that believable. However, the writing is exceptional; raw, honest, and incredibly well written. Another strong novel from Holly Bourne.

Thank you, NetGalley, for approving me for an ARC of "So Thrilled For You". This is not only my first Holly Bourne novel but also my first ARC ever, which made the reading experience even more exciting!

The book delves into friendships, motherhood, and how the relationships within a small but tight-knit group of brilliant women evolve over the years. Told from multiple POVs and through various formats (first-person narrative, interviews, etc.), the story has excellent pacing and is highly engaging. Without a doubt, it’s a 5-star read for me.

I loved this book so much that halfway through, I ordered a physical copy for myself because, yes, it’s one of those books I know I’ll want to keep on my bookshelf—to read and reread in the future. And I will certainly keep an eye out for this author's future works!

When I first started reading So Thrilled For You I was sure I wouldn’t enjoy it because I found so many of the characters a little insufferable and generally I’m not a huge fan of femake friendship centred plots.

That being said, Holly Bournes realistic outlook on pregnancy, motherhood and relationships made this appeal to me a lot more as the story went on.

The only downside I have is the ending as I feel it lacked something but otherwise an enjoyable read!

This book was kind of a harrowing read for me. It’s about a group of friends gathering together for a baby shower that goes catastrophically wrong. It also details the nightmare of first motherhood of one of the women. I found it really hard to relate to this story because my motherhood journey, though decades ago now, was nothing like that, but I concede that it may be like that for some women. I definitely don’t think that this is Holly Bourne at her best, but it’s a decent read. Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Australia for the ARC of this novel.

Another 5 star read by Holly!

Best friends Nicki, Lauren, Steffi and Charlotte have been inseparable since meeting in university ten years ago. On the day of Nicki’s baby shower all 4 women are preoccupied; Nicki is seeing her ex friend for the first time in a year, Lauren is suffering post natal depression, Steffi is about to launch a client’s life changing book, and Charlotte has planned the perfect baby shower for Nicki to cope with the pain of her fertility struggles.

Told from the four PoVs of the main characters and some flashbacks to fill in the blanks from significant events from uni and recent years, this book is addictive! Holly doesn’t shy away from emotive themes of post natal depression, infertility and remaining childless by choice. Holly manages each theme sensitively and really gets across the turmoil experienced by each character.

Compelling, touching and original.

I absolutely loved this book. Bourne centres it around a group of 4 female friends, at various stages of their life or motherhood journey. We know from the beginning that something happens leading to police involvement and Bourne slowly reveals the truth including long-held secrets that could damage a friendship forever.
I enjoyed this for so many reasons, the plot is fast paced, set over one day apart from flashbacks to fill in the backstory. This is intense and an electrifying read. The characters are perfect, 4 strong women who also have a strong friendship and it was so interesting to see how motherhood or not having children impacts their lives and friendships.
As well as the exciting side, Bourne really focuses on different viewpoints of motherhood; what it means to be a mother, different ways of approaching motherhood and those who choose not to have children. It was great to see different perspectives and experiences reflected in the read. Because of this, Bourne writes about some very sensitive and dark subjects which made for difficult reading however it really suits the plot.
I loved this book and its portrayal of strong women, motherhood and friendships.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.