childfreebooks's reviews
64 reviews

Me vs Brain: An Overthinker's Guide to Life by Hayley Morris

2.0

Hayly Morris is hilariously brilliant in her YouTube/TikTok, her videos are laugh out loud fynny. Unfortunately it hasn't crossed over to her book. Some parts were funny but thos  parts were not many. 
Future mum and ambiguous  vibes, similar to her videos.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

4.0

This was great! Funny, warm, real. Surprisingly strongly childfre in its spirit, even if some of the close friends of the main characters were parents.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

4.0

Just love this series and this fourth book is possibly the best so far. Lots of brilliant childless/childfree characters that we are getting to know even better. Cosy crime done brilliantly well, funny and touching.

Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie

2.5

There are two main characters, one of them childless/free, one of them a parent, parenthood or lack of is not addressed much in the book. The main characters are privileged and sheltered in Karachi and in London and it's hard to get much out of them. The first part of this book taking place in Karachi was better than the second half in London, it described better the friendship the women had. 

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

2.0

I was hoping I would like this because I liked the set up of four female assassins in their sixties, all childfree, and on a killing spree. It was all too predictable, too sweet, they only kill bad guys, and breeze through killings easily with not much of a challenge. I couldn't tell apart the  personalities of the foursome team and somehow also they didn't feel like their age. There is one pregnant character in the book. Childfree/Childless choices or  journeys are not discussed.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

4.0

Great story about being single and not-yet-mum in your early 30s when everyone else is partnered with kids. Lots of characters are parents and getting pregnant here. A balanced and compassionate take on being on either side of the divide. 

Not Married, Not Bothered by Carol Clewlow

3.0

I was excited about this book, the main character is childfree, single, and in her 50s, and we don't get many books like that. This book is fully focused on that specific thematics. Reading this was at times a delight and at times a disappointment. Delight for celebrating childfree and single life with grit, rebellion, and humour, and  the ambivalence wasn't avoided either. Disappointed that childless women were decipted as sad bitter losers - it's ironic that the childfree main character is judging childless the same way others judge her childfree status, when the entire book is defending alternative lifepaths. There was also not much understanding for disabilities (not the same as ugly!), misinformation about endometriosis (majority of people with endo do get pregnant and become parents even if infertility rates are higher than in general population), and the chapter about being gay and nature/nurture was strange. The book was published in 2005 so maybe it hasn't aged well. Also it was said they were writing an unlikeable character so was it intentional? Trigger warnings: surprise pregnancy and abortion

Sinisten ympyröiden mies by Marja Luoma, Fred Vargas

3.0

This is one of those easy to read who done it crime books. It was entertaining! I read the Finnish translation. 
Lots of childless/childfree characters, the lack of children is not commented upon which can be both refreshing or irritating, depending how you feel. Parenthood also not  hugely important at all, of course some characters are parents. Then again, it is a murder mystery and I like to observe how often the brainy crime solver is childless/free, how often those killed are or the killers themselves. 
Other than that I was confused by how maniac/neurotic/ocd labels where thrown around, not helpful for mental health awareness at all but the book was written in 1996 and it probably didn't age well in this regard.

Death in Fine Condition by Andrew Cartmel

3.0

This was a fun book to read! Paperback books and casual killings and fun. Main character is young so kids a non topic for her but look out for a few older childless/free minor characters. I liked that the main character stayed true to herself all the way through 

What Goes Around: A London Cycle Courier's Story by Emily Chappell
Did not finish book.

I liked it at first as an insight to the courier subculture and unique viewpoint to London but as the book went on the book lacked structure and thread to follow, the chapters lacked focus or story. I think this could be a great book if each chapter had a clear theme or a ministory to tell.