Ellie is fresh back from her honeymoon and can’t wait to share her news with her best friends Katie and Jane. To everyone’s surprise, mother-of-two Jane has news of her own… The women are due a day apart, on December 25th and 26th, and Katie can’t wait to be an honorary aunt to the babies.
But it’s hard to keep your sense of humor, not to mention your self-esteem, in the face of hemorrhoids and elasticated waistbands. Add a clingy mother-in-law, a career in cardiac arrest and a sex life that makes Mother Theresa look lusty, and soon their lives are as out of control as their bodies.
As the co-founders of The Curvy Girls Club, where loving yourself is the only rule, will the friends be able to practice what they preach?"
Rating: 4/5
Available to buy now.
I read and really enjoyed Michele Gorman's last novel The Curvy Girls Club, a book that made me appreciate the curves us women are lucky to have, with a story that left me with a smile on my face too. I was pleased when Michele announced there was going to be a novella sequel to that, and I was lucky enough to be sent a proof copy to review on my kindle. The cover is really cute, kind of telling us exactly what the book is about, and I was excited to catch up with these characters once more.
Ellie, Katie and Jane are back, and they have got some exciting news! Ellie's just got married, and she is back with a bump... literally! She's pregnant, and she can't wait to be a mum, even if it means her over-bearing mother-in-law is going to be around even more than normal. Then Jane drops her own bombshell - she's pregnant too, and due the day after Ellie! Katie can't wait to be auntie to both babies, and the women start enjoying their pregnancies. But as they progress, both Ellie and Jane have their own obstacles to contend with before their Christmas babies put in an appearance...
As I said, it was lovely to catch up with these women again, having enjoyed their previous story. This time around, they are a bit happier, and looking forward to their babies. I loved Ellie's excitement at being a first-time mum, and her husband Thomas was very excited too, even if he still couldn't tell his mother Millicent to butt out! This, though, becomes more of a touching story as the book goes on, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that Ellie's family story took. Jane's, too, was lovely. She's expecting her third baby, juggling her existing family life and her job on television - her bosses aren't exactly over the moon when Jane tells them her news!
I really admired Jane for standing up for herself, for trying to make her bosses realise that just because she is on telly, her appearance isn't the be all and end all, despite what they believe. She was a fantastic role model, and I loved her story very much. Katie still has her hang ups about her body that she had in the previous books - it isn't something that goes away overnight, and I felt the story was a realistic portrayal of pregnancy, body hang-ups and friendship. While it's an advantage to have read the previous story to understand these characters more, you can still just enjoy this novella on its own too, it's a fun and heart-warming read.
Gorman's writing is brilliant - capturing the humour, embarrassing parts and joy of being pregnant and having a baby. Although it concludes in the Christmas season, this is definitely a book to be enjoyed all year round, and left me with a big smile and a warm feeling inside, so happy for the characters that I have grown to love through 2 books now. Although this was only a short story (around 120 print pages), each of their stories were well-developed. and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I do hope that there will be a third outing for these ladies, if only to see them coping with motherhood! A fab read.
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