A playgroup of well-to-do women holds many deep and disturbing secrets. Claire, who has been hired to play music for the babies, begins to unravel the sordid secrets.

I flew through this and really enjoyed the plot. Though some of the themes are common to other books of this genre, I found the playgroup setting to be unique and I found myself drawn to Claire. I also liked how secrets were revealed throughout this and the ending was satisfying.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley and Laura Hankin for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have heard a lot about this book and was very excited to be provided a copy to read in advance. The voice of the author in this story is what stood out the most to me. She writes with a unique wit that is, in a sense, snarky and quick-witted, but also very real. I love a plot of "the real world" of those who are rich and the discovery that not everything is as it seems. I wouldn't say this is a thriller but it is certainly an unpredictable mystery that provides appropriate and well planned plot elements that surprise and delight you. I enjoyed it and understand the hype it has been receiving! I can see this on multiple Summer Hits reading lists. I am sure to recommend it to my friends!

Having such high expectations going in, I felt a little conflicted while reading. At times I really enjoyed it and other times I just wanted the story to move along. I think without those expectations I would have settled in and enjoyed it more. This was definitely what you would call a Mommy drama. Yes the drama was exaggerated for entertainment purposes but the overall message is very relatable. No mama is perfect and you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy.

It took me a little bit to get a handle on all the characters. Kinda like BBL you have a slew of different relationships to keep track of. I could definitely see this being adapted into a tv series and think people will enjoy reading this over the summer.

REVIEW | HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT by Laura Hankin

When I emailed Berkley I thought I was requesting a contemporary romance about a struggling musician trying to get by as a singer at a playgroup for overprivileged babies in NYC. When I received the book I found it was actually categorized as women’s fiction. Having read it, I’d say it has elements of a thriller as well.

Happy and You Know It is a peak into the lives of wealthy stay-at-home NYC moms. Yes, they drive their babies around in $1,200 Bugaboo strollers, dress them up in 100% organic Belgian cotton onesies and post pictures on Instagram of their babies sitting on kitchen counters full of fresh peonies and hydrangeas - but does it render these women any less relatable?

I read this in pretty much one sitting, it’s a fun page-turner with a dark twist I didn’t see coming and sharp social commentary on motherhood and relationships.

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for my free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Twists and Tropes
http://www.instagram.com/twistsandtropes

Out of work musician takes a job as a playgroup musician for a Manhattan mommies group, she is surprised to discover an affinity for the moms who welcome her to their league. A quick, fun read full of twists that is perfect for summer book clubs.

Thanks to Netgalley, Laura Hankin, and Berkley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reading this book was pure fun. For some reason, I love the wealthy people behaving badly trope, particularly the version of it that focuses on rich moms and their problems, and this is full of it. Who knew it was going to be the down on her luck playgroup musician who would blow the world of these moms up so spectacularly? When the first REALLY big reveal happens, it was so honestly surprising and a change of pace that though unexpected was not unwelcome. This book chose the unexpected frequently and was so entertaining and refreshing.

This one fell a bit flat for me. I was enjoying it at first (around a 3-star level of enjoyment), but I never felt like it made it past that surface-level acquaintance with the characters. Many characters were left as fairly one-dimensional, and the others were given an attempt at fleshing out, but in summarized paragraphs that skimmed over all the interesting bits instead of really digging into them. As a result, by the end, I found myself feeling like it was dragging on for too long, and each conflict had to be wrapped up separately, so the end of the book was about 15% of it when it seems like it should only be 5% or so.

This book was so much fun. The author has such a great witty voice; it’s the kind of writing that sucks you in immediately and makes you want to keep reading. It’s a mystery, not exactly a thriller, but reads a bit like a Liane Moriarity novel but with more snarky wit.
This is definitely going on the adult bookshelf in the kids department. Planning to recommend this book to the many moms who ask for book recs.

I had zero expectations of this book. I picked it from a list because the cover was colourful and I thought it might be a cutesy romance story. Boy was I wrong. This book was amazing, it had me gripped from start to finish. It reminded me so much of old shows like Desperate Housewives and I just loved it.

Happy & You Know It looks a group of over privileged mums in New York, their families and their lives. To be honest, if I had read the blurb, I probably would have disregarded it, as I don't particularly enjoy reading about babies/mothers due to circumstance. Thank goodness I judged this one on looks alone as it was well worth my time!!

I found it so interesting dipping into these women's lives. On first appearance, all but Claire seem to have it made. Perfect homes, children and husbands. Delving deeper into their day to day was captivating, I just wanted to know more. They all had skeletons in their closets of various sizes, and about half way through the plot took a really unexpected twist that made me scream out loud. It's also massively funny, and made me laugh so many times. It truly had everything.

I've never watched any of the 'Real Housewives' shows, but I can imagine anyone who was a fan of those would get a real kick out of this book. I thought it was fantastic and simultaneously wanted to know what happened but didn't want to reach the end and have to stop spending time with these characters. A clear five star read for me!

Claire reluctantly takes a gig as a musician for a playgroup of wealthy mom and their babies. She begins to regret it, however, when she finds herself pulled into their little clique and learns their secrets. This page turner is filled with lots of memorable characters that readers won't soon forget.

Happy and You Know It is addicting like scrolling Instagram. Down on her luck musician, Claire, gets a gig playing music for some wealthy Instagram Moms and their adorable babies. Their picture perfect lives intimidate Claire. Slowly she gets sucked into their lives and slowly the picture perfect lives get skewed by lies. Quite the mystery!

This was such a quick and entertaining book--I enjoyed it so much! Claire is a struggling musician, and she is thrilled to get a gig singing to Upper East Side babies for a Mommy and Me group. She quickly becomes friends with several of the women in the group, even though she's not a mom herself. Of course, these moms all have secrets, so you'll want to pick this one up to find out what happens. The book's opening scene is a mom running through the August heat in a fur coat and heels, so you know it's got to be good! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley for the librarian preview copy.

This is a story that centers around a young woman named Claire who has recently been replaced with a newer sexier lead singer of the band she was in. Sounds awful right?! She finds herself in a new gig with a wealthy Mommy’s group singing to their small children. It doesn’t take Claire long to figure out this group has its fair share of secrets and she does her best to stay out of it but that doesn’t work out that well for her. But she’s does find some new friends along the way.

There are a lot of characters and POV’s to keep up with but it was pretty easy for me to keep up with them all. They each have their own feelings, fears and issues going on and some secrets too. I enjoyed how the story shows the dilemmas we as mother sometimes face all while maintaining ourselves as a woman and wife. It shows the ups and downs of stay at home mommy life. I might not be a wealthy upper east side mom but being a stay at home myself I could understand somethings that were felt among this group of women. Plus there is plenty of juicy gossip among these women. There are few characters that I really enjoyed and of course I adored Claire.

There are laughs, tears and a little bit of a mystery through out the story and it turned out to be a really good read for me. This would make for a fantastic book club read!

A wonderful contemporary take on Instagram moms and their inner lives. This also pushes the readers to think about the impact of social media.

This was exactly the light-hearted read that I needed this week (kind of as there is some heaviness). Lately I have been dwelling a lot in the thriller/women’s non-fiction genres, which often leads to darker subject matters. Hankin’s novel has a lighter tone and easy pace. It follows Claire, a 28-year-old trying to find her path in her adult life in New York City. She finds a job as a musician to a mommy playgroup, which consists of six wealthy stay-at-home moms. They seem perfect on the surface as they always look polished and poised regardless of how their babies are behaving. Claire soon worms her way into the inner circle of the playgroup and realizes that the women aren’t as prim and proper as they seem.

I loved the narration of the story from multiple women’s point of view. It gives a look into the difficulties of motherhood in a realistic way and the struggle to always be the best mom possible. The stream of consciousness narration worked well, as you really get a feel for each woman’s individual personality. I really liked the characters and plot development! You get just the right amount of each character’s back story mixed with current issues and a few twists. Bravo Laura Hankin.

A funny and witty quick read. I normally read thrillers so this was a nice change of pace for me. If I didn't receive this free copy, I would've included this in my Book of the Month box!

Claire was part of an upcoming band but when she decides to take a night she finds herself quickly replaced by someone prettier and maybe, if she's honest with herself, a better singer. Now the band is skyrocketing and she's plummeting. In a desperate attempt to save herself from heading back to her mega church town and living in her parents basement she takes a a job doing musical entertainment for some wealthy mommy group.

These women seem to have it all figured out. They've got beautiful babies with gorgeous husbands. They're wealthy and privileged. These new mom's don't seem to be tired, they've all got their figures back. These women also have the friendship of each other. What's their secret?

Claire struggles to figure out how she fits in. She's a paid employee but she seems to be becoming a friend and she's enjoying the feeling of belonging with the group.

Until one night when Claire is babysitting for one of the group moms and she's pretending to be one of the wealthy, put together moms. Claire accidentally uncovers the secret that keeps these women going and it changes the way she sees them.



Now she's not certain she can continue her friendship and performing for the group knowing what she knows. As more secrets unravel the group seems doomed. Well it was fun while it lasted.

Happy and You Know It would be great for any new mother, thinking about becoming a mother or even well past that baby stage. I think often mothers compare themselves and this book is for those that need to know that they aren't alone and often there's a secret behind those that look like they've got it all figured out. Although not a new mother myself, I still really enjoyed the story.

In Canada, Happy and You Know It comes out May 19th which seems unfortunate as it would make a great Mother's Day gift. Maybe pre-order it for an extra surprise or I recommend buying it for yourself.

This took several surprising turns and I really enjoyed it! The alternating POVs were entertaining and I really didn't know how it was all going to play out...but I really liked the ending!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Smart, funny, and witty-I immediately fell in love with Laura Hankin's Happy & You Know It!

We follow the lives of a playgroup that seems normal at first until secrets begin to be uncovered. I loved the diverse personalities of the mothers and the way they welcomed Claire, their newly hired playgroup musician, into the group. So much happens in this novel, I won't give anything away but... WOW, does Miss Hankin know how to give us twists and turns and laughs in between! With perfect pacing, I never got bored with this book and even found myself sneaking a page or two during work (Oops!).

As a May Book of the Month, I am sure this will get so much traction but I've already been recommending it to all my bookish friends! And I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this talented author!

Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin delves into the world of NYC moms and their trials/tribulations. Claire is a musician who is recovering from the surprise stardom her former band is experiencing without her. She becomes a musician for a playgroup for a group of NYC moms. These moms have no problem drawing Claire into their world of secrets. A fun read and look inside the lives of moms trying to have it all. Read and enjoy!