Jess is a stay at home mum to a 14 - months - old daughter. She enjoys her maternity leave but also she realises that she needs something more than that, she needs inspiration and fulfilment. The fact that her husband is working full - time and almost never there doesn't help. So when he encourages her to type the letters she has written to their daughter since she was born and create a blog, she gives it a thought and then a try. Quickly, she's overwhelmed by the response and starts to gain the internet fame and followers - but also enemies.

Since I'm a mum myself, I found myself enjoying books with "Mummy" in the title, and about parenthood generally speaking, and this is why "From Mum with Love" caught my eye on NetGalley. Although, of course, you don't have to be a mum to read this book, oh no! This book is a great, relatable and genuine read - however, I had huge problems with Jessica. She was mostly behaving like a spoiled child and I couldn't help but wonder how come her husband bears with her. You know, blogging is not everything - or maybe it is, if you are relying on paid co - operations etc and the number of followers is what matters to you - and I've learnt long, long time ago that as much as I love blogging and writing about books, I do have a real life, you know, and it is much more worth to me than an odd negative comment. On one hand, Jessica was trying to stay down - to - earth, not let blogging to overwhelm her but on the other she was like a child that was refused a new toy and was presenting us with the biggest tantrum in the world, if something went wrong or differently to what she's planned. Also, the number of followers sky - rocketing after one post, everybody ecstatic with the blog, awards, advertising happening immediately... I mean, hello? Being always unfair to her husband, taking it out on him, being angry that not everyone else in the blogging community is welcoming her with open arms, that not everybody adores her... Well, that's life for you, right? I think that the subplot with her sister was much more interesting and I'd love for it to be more developed. But on the other hand, Jess was also a normal woman, just like you and me and had to face the same problems as other people. Her three friends, who we get to know in the story as well, were a breath of fresh air and I really loved them and their interactions.
I totally enjoyed Jess's letters to her little daughter - they were poignant and moving, and so very honest, capturing all the highs and lows of being a new mum. Also the problems Jess had - apart those brought forth by the blog, of course, as they were simply too shallow for me - sound true to life and realistic.

My problems aside, it was a lovely, and also brutally honest story about being a new parent, and I could easily relate to Jessica and her observations. You know, such books are important, I think, because they show that you're not the only one thinking/feeling like this - especially when you don't have any support or just feel uneasy. There are not perfect mothers, no matter what, all of us have better and worse days and hats off to Louise Emma Clarke for telling how it really is. It is about learning what's really important in life, about ups and downs of parenthood, about how important it is to be honest and to share but also about how to keep your identity, how to stay yourself after such a big change as becoming a baby.

This book was an unexpected find in one of my random NetGalley searches and was refreshingly honest. I never believed in the so-called romantic picture of motherhood, but sort of thought that the greatest trouble is giving birth itself. Looks like, it is just the beginning of a whole lot of sleepless nights and pent up emotions.
Anyone who is in the blogosphere can pretty much identify with Jess' new venture into writing and what I loved most about this book is her blog posts (not that surprising since the author is an award-winning blogger). In the form of letters to her daughter Bella, they talk about her initial struggles as a mother, but it all ends irrevocably in a positive note. I won't be human if I am not jealous of Bella.
It is with the conflict relating to Tiggy, the novel picks pace. I haven't met anyone like that before in this field, and I don't wish to be. Most of the time I was really happy to see Jess rising up to the challenge with the help of her sister and female companions. And that is what this whole book is about; motherhood is no bed of roses, but help is always there for those who ask for it.
Altogether an enlightening read that hooked me from the very beginning . . .

I thought this was such a fun concept. It really is like reading a parenting blog and then reading the things that go on in Jess's life in between. Imagine if you could get inside the head of your favourite blogger and get their insight into everyday life and not just the picture and posts that you see online-tempting isn't it?

Because this book is structured blog post to blog post, it is definitely a quick read and because there is plenty of drama within the pages, this only adds to the pace of the story. I am definitely a fan of this structure.

Jess is a great character to follow over the course of this novel because she is just like us. She doesn't have it altogether, she sometimes has irrational thoughts and fears and she is just trying to make it through the day. Ok I've been blogging longer than her but that's the only difference really! There are three other mummy friends of Jess who we get to meet in the story as well as a could of other parenting bloggers. I loved Jess's friends an their unconditional support of one another, it definitely made me miss my best friends! Of course we have Jess's husband and Chris and daughter Bella who have key roles to play in the setting up of her blog.

This book is an open and honest as Jess is with her readers and so definitely reads true to life. The struggles that Jess goes through on an offline are very believable and very relatable and I enjoyed reading about them even if some of them were somewhat cringe-worthy and sometimes a little upsetting. I admit that I was jealous of the speed with which Jess's blog took off and the notoriety she achieved in the mummy blogging world but I definitely won't hold it against her. There were no major surprises in the storyline and I predicted quite a few of the key moments but that in itself was comforting, true to life and made me enjoy it all the more. I would definitely recommend giving this one a go.

This was just the kind of entertaining read I needed to start the february releases with.To all those bloggers who are reading this post , I am sure there is a little something in this tale for all of you. The story begins with Jess who has been home with her fourteen month old daughter since her permanent maternity leave began and frustration is mounting in her life and she's feeling bogged down by it all. Then her husband suggests blogging as an outlet, especially since she has always wanted to write. With just this brief introduction, I can already draw a parallel with my own reasons to start blogging, including the nudging part!

Although the blog is a parenting/maternity blog (a topic I know only through observing my relatives), the core issues stay the same. The level of revelation that you are planning to put forward in the blog. She has a tight-knit group of friends to rely on, a very supportive husband (even though she uses him to vent most of her pent-up frustration), a loving sister and doting parents. With this strong support system behind her she enters uncharted territories and it becomes her new normal. Her foray into social media is sudden and viral and it has all the ups and downs required to make it a good read. The letters she writes to her daughter, are the highlight of the book. They are well written, emotional and very vivid, making the entire story worth reading.

I enjoyed the book, even more so because of the reasons I mentioned in the beginning. I think it might appeal to non-bloggers as well since it just the story of one women and her brood. The repeated use of 'babe' put me off a little, but other than that, I would recommend this to all on the lookout for a light-hearted but still emotional read.

Jessica and Tiggy were friends once but now they are competing bloggers! Jessica was overwhelmed as a new mom and created her blog as an outlet, not expecting that it would take off in popularity. How she copes with this, and how her family and friends cope with it, is at the heart of this funny tale. There are some very good chuckles here as well as some sympathetic smiles for anyone who has been in this position. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a breezy entertaining read.



One of the best stories I have read in ages. Takes me back to when I had my kids as it didn't go smoothly with me. Nice to feel I'm normal and not a freak of nature with how I struggled with motherhood but still loved my children with every waking moment and often even when I'm asleep even now my kids have grown up. Just wished these blogs were around when I was younger.

Moms of kids of any age can relate to this! Sometimes you have to hold on tight to who you are or your kids will steal your soul!!!! Lol

I usually am more of a thriller kind of girl. Lately though I have been trying to change it up and read some lighter, fun reads in between my thrillers. This book was exactly what I needed! Hilarious, adorable and witty really sum it up. I loved it.

This book really had something for everyone in it. You don't have to be a mom (or mum) to enjoy this. Quite frankly anyone would be highly entertained with the summaries of her day that Jessica wrote in her blog. I mean going to Tesco with baby poop on your forehead and not realizing it for hours? Yeah that is pretty funny. Jessica literally had me giggling at some of her antics. I say antics but come on you know it happens to everyone with kids.

The part I really enjoyed was that Jessica decided to become a new blogger. As a newer blogger myself I loved this part so much because I could easily relate. She went through the stages of asking herself if she should try blogging. It went something like this:

What me blog? Nooooo...I couldn't possibly do that. Or could I? Wait, maybe I can. Okay well I will write this out but I am sure nobody will read it. OMG I got likes! What? Holy crap someone shared this?!!! You get the picture. I am sure most bloggers can relate.

This was a joy to read and I flew right through it. I defiantly wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author. She made my day a little brighter with this adorable book!

Thank you so much to Louise Emma Clarke, Aria and Netgalley for this ARC. Publication day is February 5th!

I ended up giving this three stars because I think the author can definitely write. I just think that I was more interested in Jess's sister and her best friend more than I was with her and her trying to find fulfillment writing a mommy blog. I think it didn't help that Jess was shrill and generally unfair to her husband throughout mos of the book and also angry that a rival blogger wasn't opening her arms to her. A times you think it's the first time she ever had someone that didn't like her. The other reason why I gave this three stars is that the letters to her daughter/blog entries were actually written very well and made me smile, laugh, and tear up at times. If it had just been that, I would have given this book five stars.

Jess is a stay at home mother dealing with her 14 month old daughter. Jess realizes that staying at home isn't all it's cracked up to be. She feels tired and resentful that her husband gets to leave all day and barely seems to be around to be around their daughter. When her husband encourages to do a mommy blog (a subject that came up some other time) Jess is surprised to see that people really want to hear what she has to say. Quickly gaining internet fame and followers, Jess is quickly set up against the queen of all mommy bloggers, Tiggy, a childhood friend.

I think the book playing into the rivalry really wasn't a thing besides here and there. Most of this book was about Jess learning what is important and being there for her sister and her friend. I thought at times though Jess was being a brat and unreasonable. She needed people to tell her how good she was every single minute it felt like it.

The secondary characters took up a bit in this book and not complaining because I liked them, but Clarke should have pushed the rivarly more. Maybe have Jess do a huge messed up viral moment and deal with being "cancelled" by people.

I thought the writing was good, but have to say that I wish that Clarke had talked more about how someone is popular for a moment before the internet moves onto someone else. Also I am going to say it, it seems really odd to have a blog be a huge influencer these days. Most people are on Instagram, twitter, snapchat, etc. So the book missed the boat to not even have those come into play. I can't recall the last time I went out and read a lifestyle blog. I just follow people on Instagram because I like the pictures/writing content that way. The only thing I read is Apartment Therapy, Cup of Jo, and Domino.

The flow was good. I liked the book having Jess in the present, with her typing up letters she had written to her daughter before and after she was born.

The ending left some things up in the air (mostly with Jess and one of her best friend) but I think we are supposed to take away things are going to work out.

Whether a mother, a blogger, or just an average woman, this book has something for everyone! I found the characters quite relatable and the story catchy and engaging! I loved the "blog" entries and they were adorable little asides to the story.

I read this book in just over a day. I loved the storyline about Jessica deciding to use her voice as a new mom to start a blog. The book did a nice job of covering the positive of the mom blog world, as well as some of the pitfalls that can occur in the business. My favorite theme however was the importance of a tribe of women to support and encourage each other through life's ups and downs.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel!

I follow the authors blog so her writing was familiar to me and so I was excited to be able to read a copy of her novel.
I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! I really enjoyed this and read the story of Jessica pretty much in one day. I loved the story as it followed the highs and lows of mothering but also blogging. The letters to her daughter were beautiful and at times really struck a chord!

From mum with love by Louise Emma Clark.

Such an honest view of motherhood!
First time mum Jess has to deal with the challenges of motherhood and not all of it is glamourous and happy moments but the only thing she is sure about is that is all worth it!
As a mum myself, I had so much fun reading this book , each letter that jess wrote to her daughter had lots of moments that I could understand and relate so well.

Well written, this is a book that speaks about the experiences that every mum goes through when raising a child, the different ways that they cope with it and the impact that can have in one's life.

I give four stars to this great book, thank you to Netgalley and Louise Emma Clark for sending me this advance review copy, with publication date of 05 February 2019.

From Mum with Love is a relatable and hilarious read that I devoured in one sitting! Being a mom myself, I could totally see pieces of Jess in me! I can't wait to read more books by the author in the future because this one was perfect!

Found this book very easy to read, appealing & a pleasure to read. Funny & relatable would recommend this to anyone.

As a mom of two young children, I frequent lots of mommy blogs. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at blogging that From Mum With Love provided. I had never thought of the competitiveness, or 'dirty', side of blogging before, but I am sure that it exists just like this book details.
However, the stand out for me were the actual blog posts written by Jessica, the main character. Jessica's posts were honest and brought back so many memories of the early days of having a child. I honestly could read an entire book of her posts, and wish that she was a real person with a real blog!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I do not have a child but many of my friends do and I thought this was a beautiful and accurate representation of what it must feel like to be a mother. Very well written and inspiring.

Wonderful entertaining warm funny enjoyed the story the characters highly recommend #netgalley #Aria

A fun light hearted read.
It was well written and very enjoyable.
The main character was very easy to warm to.
Well worth a read

From Mum With Love
By
Louise Emma Clarke


What it's all about...

Jessica is a new mum and a very tired one. She has kept a sort of diary of her daughter’s life in the form of letters...letters to Bella. She decides she needs an outlet for her feelings and publishes these letters...one by one...on a blog. Her blog slowly gains an audience and Jessica becomes both fulfilled and popular.

Why I wanted to read it...

The idea of this book was appealing to me. I was quite happy to read it.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

Jessica was an entertaining character. I loved reading about her growth as a mum and as a blogger. She had a group of women friends. She was confident. The only thorn in her side was from nasty blogger Tiggy...but even that just added to the charm of this book.

Why you should read it, too...

If you enjoy fun light hearted books...this is one I wouldn’t miss!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.