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crystalmethany's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
the_bookish_hungarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
mrshall2018's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maz403's review
4.0
An accomplished novel dealing with some difficult topics in a sensitive and believable way. The story is told from the viewpoint of the different characters living in a small town. It is easy to sympathise with their issues and I liked that it didn’t minimise or go for ‘happy endings’ . First book I’ve read by this author but I’d certainly read more.
k_lupin's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
salreads's review against another edition
5.0
This plot immediately appealed to me! I hadn’t heard of the author before but the plot was strong enough to excite me.
Erin and Rachel are lesbians or rather they are ‘LOLS’ - late-onset lesbians. Rachel, a successful career woman, has left her husband to set up house with her children and Erin. Rachel’s 3 children are angry, hurt, frustrated and unhappy - they see their father as a victim and see their Mum as destroyer of the family. Rachel and Erin are desperate to restore some level of peace to their home. Their neighbour, Jo, has problems of her own. Her son has returned, jobless, and the PTA are making things very difficult for her, especially when they start up a petition against the curriculum for sex education which, heaven forbid, includes positive discussion of same sex partnerships.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the portrayal of small town life; the small minded pettiness; the public discussion of people’s lives; ownership of everyone else’s business. I loved the characters - Rachel is strong, outwardly confident, inwardly questioning herself and anxiously examining her parenting. Rachel made me laugh as she zealously challenges the prejudice often without filter - ‘So please take your bright red clipboard and shove it up your vagina. She had meant to say arse. She really had…’ Jo is the kind of woman you would love as a headteacher - fair and balanced, patient…She reacts to challenges both as a Mother and a head teacher which make you want to stand on a chair and whoop! Maia, a teenager who isn’t coping well with this new relationship; who feels the embarrassment most keenly, and who reacts against it most dangerously. And there is Laura, a single Mum, who struggles to feed, clothe and care for her son; forced into desperate choices. Her difficulty in managing her son seems to be deeper than economic..she is an unhappy parent.
There are many big themes in this story - friendship, loyalty, trust, love, parenting and women - women as workers, as Mothers, friends, lovers..It reminded me of Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere but with more emotional intelligence in the writing . I really felt like I came to know these women.
A wonderful read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for a digital copy of this great read.
Erin and Rachel are lesbians or rather they are ‘LOLS’ - late-onset lesbians. Rachel, a successful career woman, has left her husband to set up house with her children and Erin. Rachel’s 3 children are angry, hurt, frustrated and unhappy - they see their father as a victim and see their Mum as destroyer of the family. Rachel and Erin are desperate to restore some level of peace to their home. Their neighbour, Jo, has problems of her own. Her son has returned, jobless, and the PTA are making things very difficult for her, especially when they start up a petition against the curriculum for sex education which, heaven forbid, includes positive discussion of same sex partnerships.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the portrayal of small town life; the small minded pettiness; the public discussion of people’s lives; ownership of everyone else’s business. I loved the characters - Rachel is strong, outwardly confident, inwardly questioning herself and anxiously examining her parenting. Rachel made me laugh as she zealously challenges the prejudice often without filter - ‘So please take your bright red clipboard and shove it up your vagina. She had meant to say arse. She really had…’ Jo is the kind of woman you would love as a headteacher - fair and balanced, patient…She reacts to challenges both as a Mother and a head teacher which make you want to stand on a chair and whoop! Maia, a teenager who isn’t coping well with this new relationship; who feels the embarrassment most keenly, and who reacts against it most dangerously. And there is Laura, a single Mum, who struggles to feed, clothe and care for her son; forced into desperate choices. Her difficulty in managing her son seems to be deeper than economic..she is an unhappy parent.
There are many big themes in this story - friendship, loyalty, trust, love, parenting and women - women as workers, as Mothers, friends, lovers..It reminded me of Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere but with more emotional intelligence in the writing . I really felt like I came to know these women.
A wonderful read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and HQ for a digital copy of this great read.
danajoy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you liked Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty then you'll probably like this.
This is a multi-POV story centring a small school community. West Burntridge is the sort of small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Drama is kicked off by the PTA opposing new LGBTQIA inclusive curriculum. We know from the start that things will escalate to a court date. We just don't know what crime has been commited.
Lately the gossip mill had been fuelled by local celebrity, Rachel Saunders moving her husband out of their family home and moving her new girlfriend in. Its easy to understand why the PTA's homophobic rhetoric would feel like a direct attack.
It's centred around and told from the perspective of 5 very different women. Lots of really important, heavy, topics are tackled and handled in very interesting, nuanced ways.
The characters are flawed and not entirely likable but it's all compelling.
I hadn't seen anyone talking about this book but it was great. Read it.
This is a multi-POV story centring a small school community. West Burntridge is the sort of small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Drama is kicked off by the PTA opposing new LGBTQIA inclusive curriculum. We know from the start that things will escalate to a court date. We just don't know what crime has been commited.
Lately the gossip mill had been fuelled by local celebrity, Rachel Saunders moving her husband out of their family home and moving her new girlfriend in. Its easy to understand why the PTA's homophobic rhetoric would feel like a direct attack.
It's centred around and told from the perspective of 5 very different women. Lots of really important, heavy, topics are tackled and handled in very interesting, nuanced ways.
The characters are flawed and not entirely likable but it's all compelling.
I hadn't seen anyone talking about this book but it was great. Read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
fourestxx's review against another edition
4.0
The Other Parents is told from five perspectives:
- Rachel, a doctor who has recently divorced her husband and moved in with her new girlfriend.
- Erin, struggling to find her place both in both a small ‘everyone knows everyone’ village in Northumberland and within her new girlfriend’s family.
- Laura, a single mother trying to make ends meet while raising a son with behavioural issues.
- Jo, Rachel’s best friend and headteacher at the local school.
- Maia, Rachel’s daughter and a bright, talented student juggling changes within her family and learning from her own developing relationships.
Our characters find themselves on opposing sides of an argument as to whether children at the local primary school should be taught age-appropriate sex education on an LGBTQ+ inclusive basis.
This is such a difficult topic to handle sensitively, but Sarah Stovell does manage to highlight the strong feelings on both sides without being offensive.
The largely female cast gives the story a real Liane Moriarty vibe and the focus on ‘mummy politics’, family tensions and female friendships/relationships makes this story a real page turner with a relatively satisfying ending.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
- Rachel, a doctor who has recently divorced her husband and moved in with her new girlfriend.
- Erin, struggling to find her place both in both a small ‘everyone knows everyone’ village in Northumberland and within her new girlfriend’s family.
- Laura, a single mother trying to make ends meet while raising a son with behavioural issues.
- Jo, Rachel’s best friend and headteacher at the local school.
- Maia, Rachel’s daughter and a bright, talented student juggling changes within her family and learning from her own developing relationships.
Our characters find themselves on opposing sides of an argument as to whether children at the local primary school should be taught age-appropriate sex education on an LGBTQ+ inclusive basis.
This is such a difficult topic to handle sensitively, but Sarah Stovell does manage to highlight the strong feelings on both sides without being offensive.
The largely female cast gives the story a real Liane Moriarty vibe and the focus on ‘mummy politics’, family tensions and female friendships/relationships makes this story a real page turner with a relatively satisfying ending.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
booksevereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25