Great story about family, and relationships. Characters that you liked and wanted to see how they developed. This made it a "cant put down" book. Would recommend !

I haven’t read a decent chick lit for a while but I’ve kick started the year with this excellent little debut novel by Aussie Jessica Dettmann.

The book is written in the first person point of view of Emma, a recently divorced mother of two. For the man-did-her-wrong plot, Emma’s ex, Troy, has a daughter the same age as his and Emma’s with his new wife, the Insta-glamorous Pilates instructor, Helen. To add to the tangled web, Emma not only lives in the same street as Helen and Troy but, as she juggles her work as a book editor already around her kids' schedules, she also provides free childcare for their daughter, allowing them to return to work.

The book follows Emma’s realisation that she and Troy are not getting back together and by being so accommodating with this unconventional childcare arrangement, she is subconsciously trying to be a better mother/wife than Helen. She decides she needs to learn to be second best.

Along the way Emma inadvertently gets into all kinds of hilarious trouble, usually in the most ordinary of places such as family birthday parties/barbeques, parent/teacher nights, public swimming pools and school camping trips. Importantly for the romantics amongst us, she also has time to squeeze in meeting two handsome potential new boyfriends.

Yes, the book is romantic but mostly it’s funny. Dettmann’s observations on parenthood especially made me laugh out loud several times. If you’ve had children and had anything to do with other parents in your local community, you’ll definitely appreciate every single scene.

The humour was very Australian. I hope readers from other countries understand all the jokes. (I must admit the time I laughed the most was when Emma’s father took the kids to Bunnings to buy some timber and a sausage whilst she dealt with a crisis.)

I loved Emma. She’s a great character, mature despite the way she keeps landing herself in strife, and so so funny. I really enjoyed cheering her on and crossing my fingers that she reached her happy ending.

All the supporting characters were well-written. Troy and Helen were often selfish idiots but never the complete villains. Emma’s dad and sister were great; as were both of the new men in Emma’s life. (I admit to preferring one of the men over the other but I think that was the idea.)

This is where I usually say, ‘the one thing that annoyed me was...’ but I can’t actually think of one gripe I had with this book. In fact, Dettmann and I are both hitting the ground running with this 5 out of 5.

This was a hilarious take on one woman's life with kids after her husband leaves her for another woman. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the little details that only a gifted writer could make funny! I loved the evolution of Emma from doormat to a woman that is independent and capable of sticking up for herself. This was a light and fun read!

I loved the characters in this novel and found them to be funny and relatable. I highly recommend.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma is doing a great job raising her two young children – as well as often taking care of her ex-husband Troy’s daughter, who was born within days of Emma giving birth to their own daughter. Emma’s sister and others think Troy and his new wife Helen – a Pilates instructor - are taking advantage of her but she just wants the best for all the kids. Meanwhile Emma, a freelance book editor, is waiting for her star client to deliver her latest memoir and also has her eye on one of the school dads.
Focused on the trials of co-parenting, this debut novel is a wonderfully observed tale that is both amusing and relatable. Emma is a great character you’d love to have as a friend and it was a joy watching her learn to stick up for herself and cut herself some slack.

I LOVED this book! Emma's voice comes through loud and clear and so real. She's a thirty something dealing with a unique situation and doing it with verve. Lola, the daughter of her ex, is a delight- she calls Emma Memma, who only serves to annoy Helen. And how wonderful is it that Emma's ex is named Troy? And Freya- little Freya who loves tigers will steal your heart. Emma's not looking for love or anything else for herself because she's so busy. You know, however, that this bright and funny woman deserves a happy ending. What would Tilde do? Tilde would find her one (when not solving gruesome crimes.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was a treat that I gulped down with both laughter and solemn chin wags. Can't recommend it more highly.

I really, really enjoyed this book. When Emma finds herself in a woman's stereotypical nightmare- husband impregnated a 26 year old yoga teacher around the same time he also impregnated his wife; wife is then left and replaced by said yoga instructor; wife somehow winds up practically raising both toddlers- she has to learn how to live, cope, and rebuild. The storyline, which sounds far-fetched at times, ended up being incredibly believable. I was able to feel empathetic towards Emma and her several predicaments; and found myself rooting for her as she grew a backbone and became stronger. The character was so relatable and so well written, and even the secondary characters were extremely well developed. I have never read another book by rhis author- this may be ger firs novel, for all I know.... But I do know she will now be on my radar as ab author to further explore. I hope this book sells well, as it deserves to do. I cannot wait to more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins-AU for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book so much. I felt like I knew the characters, and love the way we could see the characters changing and growing. The premise- the former wife living down the street and caring for her children and her husband's new baby almost all the time, seemed far fetched, but it was written well, and you didn't feel like she was ridiculous. I loved her Dad and sister. The dialogue was witty and real and I adored it. Well done.

I wanted to love this book. I had even added it to my Amazon Wish List in case I didn't get an opportunity to read the novel through NetGalley.com.

I hated this book because I was shocked that Emma could function without a spine. I don't care if she finally grows one - I was so disgusted with her character than by the time I reached about 30-something perfect I could have cared less about her, Helen or Toby ever again.

I received an advanced reader copy of this novel via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Over the past 3 years, Emma has learned a lot about being second best. When her cheating husband left her with a 3 year old and a newborn, to move 3 doors down the street with his hot young pilates instructor and a newborn of their own, Emma has had to manage as best she could. For the past 3 years she has done everything possible to prove that she was handling it, but now holding it together is seeming tougher than ever.

Okay, so this book sounded good but I'm pleased to say that it was a million times better than I expected. I absolutely loved it. The main character was both hilarious and frustrating, the storyline was the same. If you're a lover of a good Australian drama that's not too heavy, this could be your book

I LOVED this book! I was very greedy and gobbled it up in a day because it was so much fun and I just didn't want to put it down. Such a delicious summer (or anytime!) read.

This is the story of Emma, who for too many years has been a doormat to her jerk ex-husband and his new wife. She's a pleaser. She chauffeurs her husband's new child around everywhere, attempting to make a normal life for her children (while instead creating a weird new family and being the talk of the small community she lives in!) It's only with some stern but loving advice from her sister and father, and meeting not one but TWO interesting men that she is able to wrestle back some control of her life.

What did I love about this book? It's funny! Like, laugh out loud funny. I love the dynamic between Emma and her sister and her wise-talking Midsummer-Murder-loving-dad. It's full of Aussie truisms which I love, but it's not too heavy handed, so it could be set in England or America. It was very pacey and punchy, and you really couldn't guess what was going to happen, but I just knew I wanted to be along for the ride!

Intelligent and funny chick lit! Love it!

Great story about a woman losing herself while trying to keep things afloat for everyone else in her life. Completely relatable, and compulsively readable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How to be Second Best was a wonderful and hilarious read about how a woman named Emma navigates her new mess-of-a-life when her husband leaves her for another women. The book goes through Emma's transformative stages of being walked on like a doormat to her eventual understanding of sticking up for one's self.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and laughed out loud several times. Emma's insight to things like parenting were spot on and I related so much to it. The author's writing is fantastic and the book is well paced. I didn't want to put the book down! I would absolutely recommend this to a fellow Mom-friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a Kindle advanced readers copy of "How to be Second Best," by Jessica Dettman. This book is both fun and funny. The story follows Emma, a 30-something single mom of two children, living near Sydney Australia. Emma has been single since she discovered her ex-husband, Troy, had also gotten another woman pregnant at the same time she was pregnant with their second child. Troy's new wife, Helen (yes, Helen) has their daughter, the same age as Emma's second daughter. In the interest of keeping the peace between the two families, Emma becomes a "doormat," by helping take care of Troy and Helen's daughter while they continue to work and live their lives. Sounds dreadful - all of it - but the subject of divorce, co-parenting, finding new romance is handled so deftly, honestly and hilariously that I could barely put the book down. Ms. Dettman has a way of making a terrible situation humorous, while having the characters come full circle into resolving their own problems and issues. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Dettman. One of the most fun books I've read all year - a real winner!

The cover of this book caught my eye. Then the more I read, the more I could not put it down! I found myself laughing so many times as I followed the journey of Emma and her exhusbands new family. I loved that the author gave Emma her own career and shared how she struggled with maintaining the balance of family and work.

I want to be friends with Emma! As the story progressed it was nice to see her stick up for herself, to get out and meet people all while still managing her family.

Highly recommend! Thanks Netgalley!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in years. The characters were warm and relatable, and you really feel for the protagonist’s conflict as her love for her children is very believable. Made me re-think a few things. Stellar mom-lit.

I had fun reading this book especially since the main character found her voice and became herself again. A sequel perhaps? I did wish they explored more of Laura's character as she could have been more of a source of strength for Emma.

I received a copy of this book via netgalley. It describes the the unenviable life of Emma, a 40 year old mother of two, who over the past three years finds herself divorced and coparenting her husband’s daughter, born a week before her own youngest. In a bid to give all three kids a sense of normalcy, she allows herself to be taken advantage of by her ex-husband and his new wife. The book describea how she recognizes and eventually gets out of her rut.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written, funny in parts, it didn’t have much of a plot per se but the narrative was still entertaining and easy reading. One couldn’t help sympathizing with the characters. I did wish there had been more comeuppance for the ex husband and his new wife but I guess that is true in reality too and who are we to judge. Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience.