Mums Like Us

by Laura Kemp

[Leah]

When I heard about Mums Like Us, I wasn’t sure if it was really the book for me. I’m 22, no where near being a mother (if I ever will) but I really, really liked the synopsis for the novel. I loved Stella’s open letter to all mothers out there, and I admit, I was intrigued about mothers who aren’t perfect, because at the end of the day, that’s 90% of mothers, isn’t it? Yet the only mothers you ever read about seem to be the so-called Mother Superiors, so I was really looking forward to reading about a normal mother for a change.

Mums Like Us is possibly one of the most uniquely written books, ever. It’s written in a way I don’t even know how to describe. In fact, I asked Laura how she would describe it and she said chatty, as if you’re there in Stella’s kitchen and that sums it up perfectly. It isn’t written traditionally, the way a normal book is written, the entire novel is pretty much in the same vein as the synopsis. It’s like you’re sat there in Stella’s kitchen, like you’re part of the Mums Like Us group. I’ll be honest, it’s a bit weird at first, but I soon got used to it and it definitely makes the novel stand out because it’s not a writing style you’ll come across very often.

I found the novel a bit overwhelming if I’m honest, not having any experience of being a mother, this book sort of put me off. It sounds awful – sure, kids are undoubtedly the best thing you can ever have, if you’re that way inclined, but man! It sounds like hard work. But I liked the book, it didn’t resonate with me the way it will resonate with most, and mothers EVERYWHERE will be nodding at everything Stella believes in, because it’s very real. I love the idea that mothers don’t have to be absolutely fantastic at everything, and I loved that there’s nothing wrong with feeding your child fish fingers (I love fish fingers, grew up with them in fact). I also liked that we didn’t just get Stella’s point of view of being a mum, but also Matt’s view on being a Dad, I thought that was ace, and I would have liked more of him because I thoroughly enjoyed his emails to his brother and his pep talks for his football team.

I really enjoyed Mums Like Us. It surprised me, and I loved it. I loved the writing style, I enjoyed the Mums Like Us campaign, though I had my ups and downs with chairwoman Stella, she’s a bit intense. And perhaps a bit bonkers. But overall I enjoyed the novel. I’ll definitely be checking out Kemp’s second novel when it comes out next year, Mums on Strike, it’ll be interesting if she carries on the same writing style from Mums Like Us or if it’ll be more of a traditionally written novel. Either way is fine with me. This is a book that will resonate with mothers worldwide, and I love that, I love that this is a book that speaks to real, normal people, and if I ever have kids, I will definitely be a Mum Like Us and not a Mother Superior.