Good Eggs

What a great book!
I really liked that it’s a story told from multiple perspectives as it gives an added dimension. It’s funny and tugs at your heartstrings in a way you wouldn’t expect.
I loved the character of Millie, she’s just so outrageous!

If you’re in the mood for some good ole Irish craic allow me to point you in the direction of Good Eggs, a gloriously comic debut novel featuring the Gogarty family, three generations of whom will entertain you with their lives in which mishaps, wayward adventures and crackpot schemes are the order of the day. Naughtiness and irreverence abounds in this cracking good yarn that you’d be foolish to miss out on.

I knew there was going to be something very special about this novel the minute 83 year old Millie Gogarty of Dun Laoghaire Dublin enters the frame, embarking on another one of her shoplifting sprees. In a place where everyone knows your business and gossip spreads like wildfire,Millie makes her mark immediately as a much loved reprobate, a character whose cantankerous, wily ways and death defying driving skills will have you howling with laughter from beginning to end. I couldn’t help applauding the author for the hilarious way she introduces the first member of this madcap family to her readers, kickstarting what promises to be a raucous, riotous affair. Buckle up for some hair raising jollity as this family’s foibles are laid bare, giving you the opportunity to select the good eggs from the bad ones as the author treats you to an eclectic batch of characters, all designed to thwart Millie and Aideen’s thirst for freedom and adventure.

Kevin, Millie’s only son has enough trouble to contend with without his mother’s latest pilfering expedition adding to his woes. An unemployed father of four, it is sixteen year old Aideen who is severely testing the boundaries of parental tolerance; her moodiness and ill disguised hatred for twin sister Nuala aka the Nemesis is proving too much to handle given wife Grace is a mostly absent parent, her work seemingly taking priority over their less than blissful home life. With patience wearing thin exactly what is Kevin to do with his clever, limerick writing, wayward daughter and his equally wayward mother??? His cunning plans to keep these two in line form the basis of this storyline, which ricochets off the scale in terms of laughter and mayhem. Grandmother and granddaughter, peas in a pod when it comes to their high spirited and rebellious natures won’t accept these dramatic changes to their lives without putting up a good fight. Whilst Millie is resigned to part time carer Sylvia keeping a beady eye over her miscreant behaviour and obstreperous Aideen is whisked off to Millburn boarding school for girls, expect an escalation in naughtiness and hijinks as this pair continue to break the rules in the most hilarious ways ever. Partners in crime they most definitely are so it’s no wonder Kevin ends up experiencing a midlife crisis of his own!

Told from the perspective of Millie, Kevin and granddaughter Aideen, tears of laughter streamed down my face as this comedic trio continue to amuse with their antics, shenanigans and escapades alleviating my weekend boredom. Rebecca Hardiman has hit the comedy gold jackpot with her creation of this family and indeed the rest of the supporting cast which include the alluring school administrator Rose Byrd and the formidable mint crunching house mistress Miss Bleekland. There’s something about the Irish vernacular that automatically gives it a comic air (that’s not meant to be offensive!) lighting up these scenes like a 100 watt bulb and although I admit some verge on the ridiculous I loved them all the more for their absurdity. Rebecca Hardiman ups the ante in terms of the comedy element as accidents and disaster befall both Millie and Aideen setting in motion what has to be the piece de resistance, the icing on the cake of this highly recommended piece of feel good fiction. I couldn’t have anticipated where the author would eventually lead our dynamic duo but it’s a finale guaranteed to bring the house down.

As this tremendously comic caper drew to a close I was reluctant to bid farewell to the Gogartys. I wanted MORE!! Whether or not the author chooses to revisit this eccentric, highly entertaining family in the future remains to be seen but I for one will be right here waiting for whatever this talented author decides to delight her readers with next. ABSOLUTELY EGGS-CELLENT!!! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Thank for the advanced copy of this book.
A delightful, warm, fuzzy and hilarious rollercoaster of a story that follows the dysfunctional Gogarty family and their antics (and there are antics a-plenty!) Told from three different perspectives; the crazy 83 year old Granny, the unemployed and slightly lost Dad, and the anguished teenage daughter, we go on a journey of good times, bad times, mistakes, and laughs.
Definitely add this feel good book to your collection. I couldn’t put it down!

Featuring three generations of a slightly unconventional Irish family this lighthearted story about 50 year old Kevin who lost his identity when he lost his job, his shoplifting mother Millie whose eccentricities drive him to distraction and his troubled teenage daughter Aideen provides great escapism. I loved Millie and her unconventional ways and desperation to keep her independence and felt for Aideen who was really just fed up of feeling like the inferior twin. This simple but at times far fetched plot has some great chunks of humour and a great mish mash of family life 7/10

Thanks so much fir the chance to read this great book. I am Irish and was excited to read a fun Irish family. The characters are engaging and funny, and so relatable! If you are looking to escape from the constant doom and gloom this is the perfect choice.

I found this book hilarious, I’m not sure if I should have, but I did. In a time (lockdown 2021) where there is very little to laugh at, I really enjoyed escaping in to this book. As a socially deprived individual, right now, I needed this glimpse in to another home. I needed to read about others outside my bubble, living their lives normally. Well, as normally as dysfunctional families do. This book was so well written. I definitely feel like I’ve got a bigger family now as I fell in love with all of the characters.
Perfect book- just what I needed.

An absolutely delightful story of a 'real' Irish family full of characters and laugh out loud moments. I absolutely loved it until I came to the very abrupt end; too cruel! I'd love to read more of this ilk whether Rebecca Hardiman continues with the Goggarty's or introduces us to others. thoroughly recommend.

Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman

Three generations of the Gogartys from Dublin, all facing different challenges: 83 year old Millie living alone and growing old disgracefully; her son Kevin, former journalists, now unemployed and lost; and 16 year old Aideen, moody, argumentative and... well, a teenager!

Fantastic characters and story - what a fabulous read! I absolutely loved Millie, such a feisty and unconventional 83 year old, really bucking the stereotype of an elderly lady - brilliant! There were some very serious themes in the book but they were always dealt with in a sensitive and yet entertaining way. Lots of poignant and hilarious moments throughout. Very highly recommended, I loved it! Hope we get to catch up with the Gogartys again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Possibly the best book I've read this year. I hooted and chortled my way through this. The plot is unlikely but glorious. I loved it, from front to back.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s from the point of view of three different characters and I thought it was a really good way to tell the story. The characters are believable, the plot is possibly a little bit out there in places, but I enjoyed it none the less and was sorry to have finished the book and not be able to spend anymore time with them. It is very well written and I definitely recommend it. Thank you #netgalley

This is a wonderfully funny yet poignant tale of three generations of the same Irish family. Milly the gran, Kevin, the son and Aideen his daughter.
Aideen is a troublesome teenager railing against the rules and her perfect twin sister. Kevin is downtrodden, out of work and looking for more than his life is currently offering. And Milly, for me Milly steals the show. She’s so funny and independent and naughty!
Definitely worth a read for warmth and laughs.

A wonderful, funny story of the Gogarty family. Millie the ageing shop lifting grandmother, Aideen ,the rebellious teenager and dad Kevin who is useless. Hilarious antics ending with a transatlantic trip to catch a thief. Loved it.