When Kerry Tambini upped sticks with her family to a new home on the coast, she couldn’t have been happier. Then husband Rob made the biggest mistake of his life…
Stranded with her children in snooty Shorling, Kerry has plenty on her plate. So how can she say no to the kids' pleas for a dog when they're missing their father dreadfully? Will adopting a wayward hound lead Kerry to a new love – or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
As she steps back into the dating world Kerry must juggle her family, her neurotic dog and try to fit in with the local pedigree mums, making her a true heroine for our time."
Rating: 4/5
You can buy Pedigree Mum as a paperback or an eBook now!
I've read quite a few of Fiona Gibson's books, and I always enjoy her really amusing take on parenting and life in general. While they are often laugh-out-loud funny, they always have a great message and heart to them and I look forward to picking them up. When I saw that this one was based around dog's, I was a bit concerned as I'm not a huge dog lover and don't especially enjoy books all about dogs, but my fears were unfounded - the dog was a fun addition to the book but in no way took over, and I really enjoyed how the story was handled as a whole. I highly recommend Pedigree Mum, and here's why!
Kerry Tambini though she had it all - a good marriage, 2 lovely children and a great house in London. When she and husband Rob decide together to make the move out of London and to her relative's coastal home, Kerry is excited for what the future has to bring. However, when Rob makes a massive mistake, Kerry finds her whole future in doubt, and is unsure of how to go on as normal for the sake of her kids. She decided that granting their wish of a dog is going to help them settle in to their new home, but quickly realises she knows nothing about raising a dog. Will Kerry be able to handle a new dog, a new home and suddenly finding herself in a brand new set of circumstances for the first time in years?
I found this book to be a brilliant read from start to finish. I really warmed to Kerry straight away, she's a character a lot of mums reading about her will be able to relate to, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of the things she did and said, especially towards her children. She's written as a believable and likeable character, and you can't help but want things to go well for her. I also really liked Rob, even though because of what happens in the book I probably shouldn't! I felt incredibly sorry for him, and thought he had a good heart behind what happened. I did want to shout at him sometimes to wake up and stop faffing about, but he was likeable none the less.
Buddy the dog was a fantastic addition and allowed for some really good humour in the book to come up, whether you're a dog person or not! He is also a catalyst for allowing Kerry to relax a bit too, and I loved him for that. Gibson doesn't shy away from the less pleasant parts about dog owning as well, and Kerry's naivety about the whole dog situation makes it all the more funny in parts! Kerry's different relationships are well explored in the book, and I thought Gibson wrote them all so well, allowing the reader to really get into Kerry's head. I loved the small coastal town and the way it is written in the book too, it sounds idyllic and the perfect place for Kerry and her children, despite some of the local snobs lol!
Overall, I thought this was a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed picking up and reading at the end of a long, hard day at work. Gibson's writing is so easy to read, and I enjoyed the way the story flicks between Kerry and Rob's stories, and manages to weave them together at the same time. The pace of the book is really good, moving along enough to keep the story going but at a gentle pace that lets you easily follow and get absorbed into Gibson's descriptions of places, relationships and of course, Buddy the dog! I have to say I was surprised at the ending, it wasn't really what I had expected but I like that it wasn't perhaps the ending we may have all wanted... it was a realistic and believable ending, much like the rest of the book. I loved it, and look forward to Fiona Gibson's next book!
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