It took me a little time to really get into the writing style and the back and forth of the book. Because there are so many characters I occasionally lost track of who was where and who was being talked to or about. It’s also slightly given me pause on becoming a mother with some really devastating discussions about motherhood and what that means for the mother, not just the baby.

A group of friends, seemingly still friends through history rather than shared interests pouring themselves into an unwanted celebration for the main ringleader of the group. This wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed reading, it felt a bit too obvious and a bit too chick-lit that said however the relationships and inter personal aspects I think felt obvious because they were so accurately portrayed rather than as a negative to the author.
I would recommend this to a lot of people who I'm sure will love it, it just isn't my preferred type of book

This book tells the story of Charlotte, Nicki, Steffi and Lauren, aka The Little Women, who have been friends since university. Fast forward to now and Nicki is expecting her first child so they reunite at her baby shower. The book begins at the end of Nicki’s baby shower where things haven’t quite gone to plan and disaster has struck. As it progresses, we see the background to how the day ended in that way, and are introduced to the secrets that the women have been keeping over the years.

The events of the day and flashbacks to their earlier years show the reality of how female friendship aren’t always plain sailing, despite how they look on the surface. The book also addresses struggles that can sometimes be experienced when becoming a mother. Even knowing very little about motherhood, it was a difficult read in parts and in my opinion, was very eye opening.

I did think this book was a little slow starting for me and took me a while to get into it, however after about 40% of the way through I was very invested and couldn’t wait to read on. The only downside I found to the book, which is definitely personal preference, is that the chapters were longer than I would usually like as I feel this makes me less inclined to keep reading.

Overall I thought this was a very good read and I will definitely be reading more of Holly Bourne’s books. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

Absolutely brilliant! Four best friends from university, all at different stages in their lives - one with a year old baby, one heavily pregnant, one desperate for a baby and one still playing the field, are all at the baby shower when disaster strikes and a fire destroys the host’s house. This book is about the lead up to the fire, with snippets of the police investigation into how it started.
As someone who struggled with early motherhood, I could really identify with Lauren, who has had no more than 3 hours sleep a night for a year and is finding motherhood relentless, yet feels unable to tell her dearest friends at the risk of sounding ungrateful. However, I found all of the ladies relatable to and felt I really got to know them through the time the author spent on each one.
I really loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who has been a mum or is yearning to be one. Highly recommended.

Highly recommend this book. If you like your characters complex and messy. Holly Bourne really has a knack for putting into words what a lot of women are thinking.

Bourne’s ability to balance the drama with sharp humour and heart is astounding. She doesn’t shy away from tough topics, but she also gives space for the women’s love, loyalty, and raw humanity to shine through. If you’re looking for a gripping, thought-provoking read that tackles big questions while delivering delicious suspense, So Thrilled For You deserves a spot on your shelf.

Holly Bourne has blown me away again. Her books are always so insightful and thought provoking for me & this was no exception! Such a deep dive into motherhood & female friendships.

The cast of characters was perfect. It was so intriguing seeing their different point of views. They were fully fleshed out people with flaws and it all felt very human.

I struggled to put it down!

Highly recommend to all ladies even if you don't plan on becoming a mother.

Such a good book centring on four depictions of relationships with motherhood, coupled with distinct and realistic characters. Together these provide a strong foundation to play out themes of love in all its guises, friendship and loss.

This was a really good read. My first read of Holly's and not my last! With a good narrative and characters were written with such depth abd empathy. A good 5 star read!
Thank to @Netgalley and @Hodderbooks and @Hodderpublicity

First and foremost, if you are pregnant do not read this book! The potential horrors of pregnancy, birth and the expected rituals such as baby showers are presented in the most honest and unforgiving way - it gave me flashbacks and my kids are in their late teens!
The book is based round the day of Nikki’s baby shower , which is rapidly descending into the day from hell - boiling hot and micromanaged to the nth degree by her perfectionist friend Charlotte, who is desperate to have a baby herself. The other two women from their close friendship group are also attending - Lauren, who is the grip of severe postnatal depression following a harrowing birth, and Steffi who is wrapped up in a huge success for her fledgling business.
The women have drifted apart in recent times and soon undisclosed issues come to light. As tragedy hits they start to remember what brought them together in the first place - are they ready to forgive and forget?
I absolutely adore this book and couldn’t put it down. Holly Bourne is a brilliant storyteller and she gets the characters of the women just right, identifiable and believable. It’s a great story and there are plenty of moments that you are desperate to find out what happened next. Just fantastic.

Loved this immersive and often extremely dark story about four women in their thirties navigating friendship, old arguments and some elements of motherhood. Should be required reading for anyone in that age group.

So Thrilled For You sounded like an interesting, entertaining read to get me out of a slump, though structurally and thematically like some other books I'd read before. What I got, instead, was the first book in a long time where I couldn't stop thinking about the characters. I shut myself away from everyone in the house and devoured most of this in a single day, sometimes having to stop because I felt so uncomfortable and nervous, though not in the way I might have expected.

The book is set at a baby shower and is narrated by a group of friends who are drifting apart and increasingly at cross purposes, and everyone feels judged for and even insecure about the path they have taken. Structurally, it is somewhat familiar to Big Little Lies or the Perfect Couple, especially when a Reese Witherspoon type with a similar productmpany is mentioned (which maybe is there to manifest a similar adaptation of this book, or so I can only wish).

The framing device of the women being questioned about a crime that went down (arson at a baby shower, just like that real life story of a fire at a gender reveal party gone wrong), does help it to be paved nicely and keeps the mystery/thriller feeling going nicely, but that idea of the book being a whodunnit feels in itself like decoration on a much more interesting and uncomfortable story.

It's worth saying found depictions of post partum depression, as well as the rage at the helpless situation the medical community and wider society lead them in, very difficult yet moving. There are also very affecting elements to do with infertility and adultery that some readers may find hard to read.

A baby shower that culminates in a wildfire. Who, or what, is responsible? Will one of the women attending the baby shower be charged with arson?
From start to finish this was one of those books that felt divisive. You’ll fall into the camp of one of the women, but it’s so hard to say which one.
Lauren, Sheffield, Nicki and Charlotte have been friends since university. They’ve shared so many moments but as they move into their thirties it’s the issue of motherhood that proves to be a tricky one for them to navigate. Nicki is about to give birth and her over-achiever friend Charlotte - though desperate for a baby of her own - is organising it. Everything is mapped out with military precision and each of the women has their own reason for dreading the event.
The actual party felt like it dragged rather. There’s only so much joy to be had out of reading about the countless animal-festooned baby outfits someone can open. Far more fun was reading about the background of the assembled party guests and trying to work out which of them might have been responsible for the awful outcome of the party.
Perpetuating the motherhood myth may well be the way life continues. When it goes wrong or when you acknowledge many of the awful moments involved, nobody in their right mind would sign up for it. There were more than one or two knowing nods as I read about Lauren’s experience, and it really did make me laugh out loud at some moments.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication.

Friendship groups are complicated and beautiful and chaotic and this book covers so many aspects of the inner politics within them, the jealousy, the secrets, the misunderstandings and the threads of love that bind them all together.
Though set at a baby shower, and certainly covering many graphic realities of pregnancy, birthing and newborn sleep deprivation, it is ultimately more than just about motherhood. I thought the characters were really well written, often to the point where you love to hate them at times, and I could certainly relate to the traumas Lauren suffered with feeling so alien in the depths of postnatal depression and utter exhaustion. The "who done it" aspect of the plot was intriguing and I particularly enjoyed the police interview snippets each chapter featured.
A gritty and superb read

Compellingly written contemporary thriller/drama that will ring true with readers who like Sally Rooney. The narrative pace is good, and Bourne knows how to keep the reader hooked. An easy and satisfying read. Recommended.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars (just) This book started well but lost its way a bit at the baby shower. It was hard to like any of the characters and the men in this book were totally useless or annoying.

Aside from that (!) it was overall enjoyable to read. I liked the different pov chapters especially Charlotte and Lauren. I thought the author did a fantastic job of describing how Lauren felt and maybe this made the book resonate with me more as I have 100% been in her shoes.

The last chapter seemed implausible given what happened at the end of the shower but it did round things off well

Every time Holly Bourne writes a book, it's her best one yet. So Thrilled For You is an addictive novel about the friendship of four women and how the topic of motherhood impacts them all individually and as a unit. Highly relatable, hugely important and executed to perfection. I am surprised no one has beaten Bourne to writing this much-needed novel and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

This book blew my mind, it's utterly fantastic! A raw and brutally honest depiction of female friendships and motherhood. And what an opener! A pinatta of a vulva on fire 🔥 🫣

I devoured it from start to finish. This was my first foray into Holly Bournes writing and I'm super excited to read through her back catalogue. The story is told through the pov of each friend. I really enjoyed this and the inner monologue of each friend. I thought the topics particularly post natal depression and infertility were excellently written. There was plenty of drama but the important topics weren't over dramatised. I found them to be real and relatable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book!

Huge thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

So Thrilled For You follows a group of friends and focuses on their experiences of motherhood. The central event bringing the friends together is Nicki's baby shower organised within an inch of its life by the earnest and well-meaning Charlotte. But out in the countryside during a particularly hot summer, a gender reveal pyrotechnic device (meant to be an exciting surprise for Nicki) causes a fire and the destruction of Nicki's parents' dream home.

Alongside some hilarious and heart-breaking insights on motherhood, post-partum depression, and infertility there is also a whodunnit as each of the women is interviewed by police to find out how the fire started and whether it was truly an accident.

I rarely laugh out loud when reading but I genuinely laughed and nearly cried as I recognised myself in Lauren and Steffi being someone who was convinced she would be child free only to have a child and suffer post-partum depression. Bourne captured how I felt both pre and post baby expertly to the point, I had to question whether she had somehow managed to hack my mind and steal my thoughts straight out!

This book is so relatable, it's funny too but importantly (for me at least) it is also incredibly well written and well observed. I read this ARC right at the end of 2024 and it is without question my favourite read of 2024. I can't wait for more people to discover this book in 2025.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC for free for the purposes of review.

Oh wow, I did not see that coming! I didn't even consider it an option!
This book is a bit of a wake up call for anyone wanting to be a mother, but it's so important. It made me realise just how important it is for us all to be a little more honest and accepting of the reality of motherhood and childbirth. Yes, the truth is terrifying, but I'd rather be prepared than stuck struggling to survive whilst I try to uphold this 'cool mum' persona as one of the characters puts it. It's so easy to look on social media with only the highest of the highs (that's if they aren't fabricated) and make that your goal. This book shows the importance of not doing that. It was raw, funny, emotional and the end was such a shock that I've been telling everyone about it since I finished. Read it. You won't be disappointed.