Review: Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty

Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty

Release Date: 3rd May 2018
Publisher: Penguin

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Poppy never thought she wanted to be a mother - until her husband got her best friend pregnant.

Now everywhere she goes, mothers are reminding her of his betrayal . . .

So Poppy creates an innocent Facebook group to vent just a little about 'smug mummies'.

Except those 'other women' are already heartily sick of being judged by non-mums and stay-at-home mums alike. Two can play at Poppy's game.

Which is when the anger spills into the real world.

Cafés become battlegrounds, playgrounds become warzones and offices have never been so divided between the have children and have lives . . .

A rivalry that was once harmless fun is suddenly spiralling out of Poppy's control.

She started this - but can she end it?

The book opens with poor Poppy not realising what is going to greet her when she walks through the door from work one day. Her husband and best friend are waiting for her and within a few moments her whole world falls apart and Poppy finds herself a single woman again. Never wanting to have children means Poppy is somehow seen as a bit of an oddity among other women, even her own mother. However, a new friendship with co-worker Annalise soon confirms for Poppy that she's not the only local woman to feel that way about having children. After finding out about an online parenting group for women, Poppy is enraged that women like her are excluded from particular groups just because they choose to be childless. So, Poppy and Annalise start up their own facebook group for women just like them and what starts off as harmless bitching about mothers soon turns into something a little more sinister, leaving Poppy feeling guilty and not sure who to trust. Even Annalise isn't the person Poppy thought she was and with an imposter in the secret online group sharing secrets, the mothers in the area are fighting back!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt for Poppy when her best friend and husband betrayed her and Nicola Moriarty has captured this heartache perfectly alongside the need to fight back. However, at first I really didn't warm to the main characters and their mummy bashing but I think that was entirely the point. I did feel sorry for Poppy initially but when she and Annalise were being horrible about women who are parents I actually found myself going on the defensive and at one point did call them 'mean girls'! Again, Nicola Moriarty has cleverly written this book in such a way that almost makes you choose sides when actually there shouldn't be sides. Women should be supporting other women no matter what.

I particularly enjoyed the sinister side to the story and how things spiral out of control for Poppy. Here we see her softer side and her realisation that a lot of her actions were as a result of heartache rather than being a nasty person. Annalise is an intriguing character that I was desperate to find out more about. The author dangles a few clues about her true personality throughout the book and leaves a trail of breadcrumbs to direct the reader to the truth. The story itself will resonate well with those who have seen just how much damage can be done in secret online groups and how things can be taken out of content. People often say things online that they wouldn't say to a person's face. In this book however, the lines between whats said online and whats said in the real world soon become blurred and people start to get hurt and upset. Friendships are betrayed and trust is shattered. A really enjoyable read from Nicola Moriarty and a highly recommended read.