I couldn't stop laughing when I read this book. I don't have kids but I immediately wanted to find someone who does so I could ask them if everything she writes is true. I loved the story, although it got repetitive after awhile. The whole "you love your child and that makes it worth it" refrain is something child-less women hear a lot. Not to mention "you forget all about the birth once you see your baby". However, I liked the premise and I think it's an important book for moms who may feel isolated.

Well, where do I start with this unbelievably entertaining, hilariously funny and realistic novel, other than to state that I loved it!

Meet Ashley, married to the love of her life David and a first-time mum to Aubrey, her adorable eight-month-old girl. Ashley envisaged what being a stay-at-home mom would look like - her daughter sleeping through the night, regaining her pre-baby body while becoming a Pinterest perfect mother who grows her own produce, makes clothes for her precious child from organic materials, while becoming a pillar of her new mommy tribe community, and keeping her house looking like a castle at the same time. So when reality rudely intrudes on her fantasy of being the perfect mother, Ashley finds herself lonely and anchorless in this new world of parenthood - nobody told her about the exhaustion, the mountains of laundry and everyday tasks that become insurmountable, the fact that you wear the same pair of leggings for a week, or the need for adult conversation. So when mommy blogger extraordinaire, Emily, runs a competition to turn you into the mother you were born to be, Ashley jumps at the chance to take part and throws herself into the competition with hilarious, and often disastrous consequences around every turn.

CONFESSIONS OF A DOMESTIC FAILURE by Bunmi Laditan is a must-read for every parent, or soon to be parent out there, and I devoured this fantastic novel from beginning to end in no time at all. In today's social media world where it seems that everybody else has their sh*t together and are more than willing to comment on other's decisions, this novel is the smackdown of reality that is more than needed. Ashley can be annoying at times, but as we travel through her journey of parenthood, there really is something for everyone in her character - the overwhelming love she feels for her little girl, the need to be the best mom that she can be, the desperation that she is making a mess of it, the yearning for adult communication, the mommy guilt, and more. And it is all topped up with Bunmi Laditan's flare and sass, that will make you laugh and well up at the same time. CONFESSIONS OF A DOMESTIC FAILURE by Bunmi Laditan is the ultimate story of motherhood and love, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!!

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan (aka @HonestToddler !) http://bit.ly/domesticfailure

I received a copy of Confessions of a Domestic Failure through NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you to Harlequin and to Bunmi Laditan for the opportunity.

This book is Mommy Therapy! I laughed out loud SO MANY TIMES while reading. The author has such an honest, real, and humorous perspective on motherhood. New mom Ashley Keller is definitely entertaining. She is flawed, she is human, she is struggling, and she knows it. She thinks and says things that I have about myself when I was a new mom. She takes “hot mess” to a whole new level. Her struggles are so very real that I had to remind myself that this is a novel. Ashley makes all of us feel better about ourselves when we don’t feel that we have our s**t together.

I really enjoyed this book. I will be following @honesttoddler on Twitter so that I can continue to enjoy Bunmi Laditan’s perspective on life.

What I liked:
- The author’s sharp and witty writing style. She is absolutely HILARIOUS. I laughed about a hundred different times.
- The plot around the Motherhood Better Bootcamp.
- The humorous excerpts from Domestic Diva Emily Walker that began each chapter. This character is definitely NOT real!
- Ashley’s mother-in-law, Gloria, who supports Ashley in her times of need.
- The references to social media and the guilt, jealousy, and envy that it provokes. It’s very real!
- The trip to Emily Walker’s home in Napa. The night of debauchery before the show was laugh out loud funny.

What I didn’t like:
- It’s a bit longer than I anticipated.
- The middle of the book was a bit slow. Ashley seemed miserable and pathetic without any incentive to help herself. I didn’t feel that she was getting anywhere near coping with her situation or trying to make herself happy.
- Her husband David was so lame, checked out, and not likeable until the end, but maybe that’s on purpose.

Ashley Keller, career and now full time stay at home mom, is trying to navigate new motherhood and live up to the usual crazy standards of what mother's are "supposed to be", and failing miserably at it. When she finally get s a chance to go into a Mommy boot camp, she jumps at it and decides to try to be the best mom she can be. Can she do it?

I enjoyed this book. Sure, maybe it has to do something with the fact I have an 11 month old myself, but Confessions of a Domestic Failure really hit a note with me. Laditan's sharp narrative about society's, and other mom's pressures, in becoming and portraying the perfect mom especially on social media, was both hilarious and very very true. There were a lot of times I laughed out loud, finding my own crazy thoughts had at one time mirrored poor Ashley.

I loved the comments about breast feeding vs. formula, cleaning the house, trying to make mom friends and just the general pressure that society puts on today's moms to get back in shape, get back to the job, look fabulous and be the most stellar mom. I have a mommy & me group that I'm going to recommend this book to because I think they will love it. We're all first time mom's and Ashley, I know you're fictional, but let me tell you something - you're not alone! Though let's face it, Ashley is on the extreme side. Which I loved.

That said, I do wish that Ashley did enjoy a lot more of motherhood through the book. I felt like it was a little off balance because yes, there are crazy obstacles and challenges that we don't ever see coming and that no one told us about, but at the same time, there's overwhelming joy and love and I feel like that could have been a little stronger in the book. Also, the book seemed a little long in that it took Ashley so long to get it together (kinda). It was all entertaining, but about half way, I was thinking - come on. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Overall, I'm going to recommend this to every mom I know. Because we've all been there!

This is parenting humor at its best. I am a big fan of The Honest Toddler twitter feed, so I was excited to see she wrote a book. I am a seasoned working mom of two teenagers, but I still found her wit and sarcasm hilarious. (Of course I wouldn't want to relive those moments, but I can relate!)

Wow, I am a better wife, Mom, housekeeper, driver, cook, educator and referee than I thought. The character was a Hot Mess like Burning Hot kind of Hot Mess. This book was humorous and very relatable.

Laditan's fiction debut about a mother struggling with self-judgment and impossible expectations is part social commentary and a whole lot of slapstick comedy. The synopsis calls the main character a "hot mess" and wow, that portrayal is over the top. The humor wore down quickly, like a joke that would.not.end. I almost DNF'd halfway though, but then the story started moving and I enjoyed it to the end. Fun read when you're craving brain candy.

I did not finish this book as I did not engage with the story or the characters.

You'd never know this was Bunmi's first novel. Well written, laugh out loud funny and destined to become an instant best seller. I LOVED this book! How soon can we get the next one?

I initially loved this book, relating to laugh-out-loud reflections on life as a new mom. It didn't take long for the luster to fade, though, as the main character continued to reveal herself as shallow and vain.