I seem to have got into a habit of reading debut novels recently and, as was my last few experiences, Ms Wheeler’s debut does not disappoint. Is there any common link between these authors? Well, yes, they are pretty much all members of the Romantic Novelist’s Association. Go RNA!

What we have here is a group piece telling the trials and lives of three women who all find themselves pregnant under different circumstances and those around them who provide much needed support, in some cases, hindrance. Through their eyes, we feel their highs and lows and everywhere in between.

Quick note – a book doesn’t often capture my attention so much that I put aside everything else but here, that’s exactly what I did.

This is a very well written book which I believe the author has used personal experience to make our reading experience that more enjoyable and realistic. Well-constructed and paced, with believeable characters you can’t help but fall in love with (and in one place grow to hate), this is an auspicious offering that will give the reader of the Romance genre much pleasure and I feel that we must expect great things of Ms Wheeler if ‘The First Time Mum’s Club’ is anything to go on.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to pre-read.

What a glorious debut novel, it contains everything you want from a chick lit book, plenty of laughs, female friendships, angst about men, and some incredibly likeable characters (and a couple of ones designed to make your blood boil!).

What we have here is three women who are all pregnant for the first time, in quite different circumstances to each other, who are all brought together by Zoe, and the First Time Mums' Club she runs in her cafe.

For Zoe is Pippa's best friend, and Ellie's sister, and gets to know Imogen along with the others, as they all attend the club. Pippa's marriage is going through a difficult time so her pregnancy announcement doesn't come at the best moment. Imogen is over the moon to discover that she and Alice are pregnant and that the IVF has worked. However Imogen's mother is not so accepting and is downright vicious and malicious. And Ellie, well finding out she's pregnant was a shock to the system, especially given the father is her best friend, who only sleep together very occasionally.

We join the ladies on their journey through pregnancy, the ups and downs in their relationships, and Zoe is a rock for them all. This is a wonderful story of female friendship, and how women can bond over a common interest.

I loved Ellie's outspokenness at just about every situation she comes across. She may be a bit confused as to what she is doing, but some of her comments to the other girls are just pure gold! I loved the tenderness and loving relationship Imogen and Alice had, and how Alice is such a supportive wife. With Pippa I was shocked at how her husband treats her, and yet there were still surprises in that direction!

I found the women to be incredibly engaging, and I loved every aspect of the book and how it drew me in. It is a pleasurable story to read, and I believe Lucie Wheeler is an author I will be looking out for a lot more in the future.

Thank you so much to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

What a fantastic debut book for Lucie Wheeler!

I absolutely loved this so much I couldn't put it down!

The main characters are brilliant, they are all so different and have so much going on in their lives and they join this club and they really do become the best of friends and they can rely on each other for anything. They go through highs and lows together and support each other through anything and everything.

Please let there be a follow up book, I cant bare to let go of these characters!