Review of Happy & You Know It by Laura Hawkin

 

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Synopsis: "A dark, witty page-turner set around a group of wealthy mothers and the young musician who takes a job singing to their babies and finds herself pulled into their glamorous lives and dangerous secrets….

After her former band shot to superstardom without her, Claire reluctantly agrees to a gig as a playgroup musician for overprivileged infants on New York’s Park Avenue. Claire is surprised to discover that she is smitten with her new employers, a welcoming clique of wellness addicts with impossibly shiny hair, who whirl from juice cleanse to overpriced miracle vitamins to spin class with limitless energy.

There is perfect hostess Whitney who is on the brink of social-media stardom and just needs to find a way to keep her perfect life from falling apart. Caustically funny, recent stay-at-home mom Amara who is struggling to embrace her new identity. And old money, veteran mom Gwen who never misses an opportunity to dole out parenting advice. But as Claire grows closer to the cool women who pay her bills, she uncovers secrets and betrayals that no amount of activated charcoal can fix.

Filled with humor and shocking twists, Happy and You Know It is a brilliant take on motherhood—exposing it as yet another way for society to pass judgment on women—while also exploring the baffling magnetism of curated social-media lives that are designed to make us feel unworthy. But, ultimately, this dazzling novel celebrates the unlikely bonds that form, and the power that can be unlocked, when a group of very different women is thrown together when each is at her most vulnerable."

My Review: I picked this up as an extra from Book of the Month not knowing much about it. I was kind of expecting a book I could laugh during. It ended up being a lot more serious than I was expecting. There were definitely some funny moments and I did love Amara's dark humor, but it tackled much harder issues than just judgmental mommy groups or elitist society. I did enjoy how the moms in the group are presented as so perfect, but the further we dive into the story, the more flaws we see. It did a great job of showing how anyone can project that flawless, perfect life image (especially on social media) but the truth is we all have our struggles, some darker than others. I really did like the almost fly on the wall view this story takes on but it was definitely missing a little something for me.

My Rating: While it wasn't quite what  I was expecting it was still a interesting and entertaining read.  A nice reminder that social media perfect life isn't real and there is no point in comparing my parenting to those images I see online.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.