Why Mummy Doesn't Give A ****! by Gill Sims

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book as I have not read either of the previous 2 books in the trilogy.  to be honest, you definitely don't need to as this is truly a stand alone story that is really, a bit of a gem.  Of course you are thrown straight in to Ellen's world and just expected to know the major players in the tale.  However, the writing is such and the voice of the narrator so charming that you immediately "get it" and the tone genuinely feels like a good old chinwag with that friend you have known your whole life and you have a plethora of in jokes and key phrases that only mean something to the two of you.

I loved the whole moving in to her dream cottage and then finding out that the dream was damp and gloomy and not what it had looked like on the beautiful day she first saw it.  How relatable for anyone that has ever moved in to a new house; no matter how perfect it really is somehow your imagination makes it better whilst you wait for moving in day so it always feels a let down when you finally get there.  It seemed like the perfect metaphor for her separation and divorce and I am sure this was deliberate but it didn't mar my enjoyment.

The only glitch for me in the book was Ellen's seeming eagerness to get back out there and find someone.  Maybe if I'd read the first two books I would know what the gap is between the marriage breakdown and this move but it just seemed awfully fast and like she hadn't given herself time to fully lick her wounds.  Although, dating just to get away from two teenagers does seem like a plan.  Talking of which I really enjoyed the portrayal of her children in this book; they were living breathing anachronisms as all teenagers are and whilst you could feel the strong love between each family member you could also see all the tensions as they try and figure out who they are and what they want from their own lives.

To be honest a masterfully handled book that genuinely made me laugh.