This was actually a hard book to read. The two main characters, Ruby and Beth, are living difficult lives. Ruby especially is such a self contained woman, she is difficult to like. Yet by the end of the book I found myself feeling proud of her, like she was a friend you are rooting for. Beth too, finds strength and clarity. The beauty of O'Porter's writing is that these characters are presented to us fully formed. They are three-dimensional, modern women who have complexities in their lives which they just have to get on with. Although the cards they have been dealt are sometimes harsh, there is little time for moping, and their vibrant spirits are their best qualities. They are easy to relate to, and also easy to root for. So…’ I say, trying to be all blasé about it… ‘What kinda vibrator ya got?’ I nonchalantly start to finger some paperwork, and then bam, a small, pink-silicone, bullet-shaped battery-powered device is waved under my nose. ‘It’s the best!’ Risky says, testing its various speed levels. I am hoping she washed it. It is very close to my face.”

This book is spot on in so many ways, from swipes at celebrities who express “fashionable” mental health issues and “keeping it real” in terms of body image while constantly portraying unrealistically perfect lives and bodies, to Beth’s assistant’s well meant and sincerely held but sometimes naive conceptions of feminism. Ruby has a medical condition that affects her self-confidence has led to her being introverted, shy and rather grumpy and antisocial. She takes commissions to digitally retouch photographs for magazines, usually creating ‘the perfect woman’ which doesn’t make her feel any better about herself. She has a little girl Bonnie and is separated from her husband after a disastrous wedding day where she feels he betrayed her and let her down. Ruby had a bad relationship with her mother and doesn’t really know how to be a good Mum to Bonnie, not least because Bonnie is always playing up and never does what Ruby tells her to. I laughed and I cried and I read some parts through squinted eyes. This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. I’ll be thinking about these women for a long time.I devoured this book in a couple of days; a modern-day fable that warns against the perils of thinking the grass is always greener - an adage as old as time, but seemingly more prevalent than ever in today’s era of social media. I was always a funny little girl who was theatrical, but after my mum died I became even more so. I didn’t want anyone to mention the elephant in the room. I became the kid who spent more time trying to make people laugh than learning, and failed at everything as a result. The joking around was annoying, but I just couldn’t stop doing it. I got pulled up on it when I went to drama school years later. A teacher said to me: “You hide your pain by trying to make people laugh.” Like it was some really negative thing! I thought: “At least I’m not being miserable, and if that’s the reflex reaction to what I’ve been through, I’m not going to be ashamed of it. I’m going to embrace it.” I stumbled across this podcast after reading your book and I absolutely love this! I feel as though your content is so real and relatable to everyones day to day life and it’s good to know that no matter how big or small our problems are - we are all going through something. Warning! This book is rude, so rude but in a comedy, honest way. It had me howling, and I mean really howling with laughter! It’s fun, refreshing and powerful. It’s simply brilliant. Dawn Porters last novel, The cows, made it onto my top ten favourite reads for that year. So I went into this one with extremely high expectations and a bit of trepidation, you know....just in case it didn’t match up. I needn’t have worried though as this was just as fabulous! A wonderfully written book with a cast of characters all with their own strengths, opinions and weaknesses. Making these people flawed I feel more of a connection with them which only serves to enhance my connection and enjoyment.

Beth who is married with a young baby. Her husband has lost interest in sex and she can’t work out why which is diving her crazy. Then we have Lauren who is about to marry a rich celebrity. She has the perfect life on social media but there are rumours about her fiancé Gavin which just won’t go away. They are all trying to go about their daily lives despite feeling like failures and are trying to make the correct choices for themselves.There are some very humorous moments (Beth’s assistant Risky adds a lot of those!), and there are also some dark moments. My view of the characters changed a number of times as they made mistakes, but ultimately learned from them. In true Dawn style, she has created layered, interesting characters who rile you up but also make you fall in love with them. If you enjoyed The Cows, you are going to LOVE this book. Timely, funny and very very entertaining’ Emma Gannon I found myself really moved by these characters; they’re addictive, relatable and ‘real’. O’Porter does a brilliant job at following each woman’s trajectory of growth. Each character gets a chance to grow and develop throughout the novel.

Oh, and I have to mention Risky who is one of my favourite book character’s of all time. She’s hilarious, loyal and truly believes in female empowerment. She also has the perfect cure to beat the afternoon slump which is apparently better than a Mars Bar. 😉women who on the outside appear to have it all but as we all know, it’s not always the case. Brilliantly honest & laugh out loud funny, this is another fantastic read from Dawn O’Porter. I read it in one sitting! 5***** Alone they are ashamed of who they are or of their past but thrown together they learn that the one thing you can rely on in your life is another woman or in this case 3 other women