Real Mothers of Manhattan, No Filter
Writer/performer Laura Hankin’s sophomore novel, Happy & You Know It is freaking fantastic. This timely tale of a Insta-worthy Mommy and Me group of stylish, rich, thin, and hot MILF’s and the mess of a thirty-something unemployed musician with a drinking problem and a chip on her black-tee’d shoulder that they hire as the musical infotainment contains insight into the pressures of motherhood in the age of comparison via the phone constantly in your hand and the strength of sisterhood. Don’t pass it by on the way to the next cute/clever cover.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Helped that there is a twist.

Claire, a down on her luck musician, becomes a playgroup musician for wealthy wives. She, and the readers, get to the know the mothers and how hard they have to work to keep up the pretense of being a perfect stay at home mother. Things take a turn when Claire tries one of their overpriced 'multivitamins'.

This was a funny read. When the book reveals the ingredient to the multivitamin, I laughed. The main characters are fleshed out. I really liked the twist. Some of the moms weren't really developed and I had trouble remembering which one was which.

Review based on a ARC from Netgalley I received to make an honest review.

The beginning few pages may seem off-putting, but just keep reading: it is such fun! A modern tale of parenting norms in the 21st c , complete with a great murder mystery with a killer surprise. Perfect escape read, Laura Hankin’s Happy & You Know It left me hankering for more Hankin... 5 stars for offbeat genre.

Claire’s band members forced her out, and now they are flying up the charts. She has to have a way to make a living, so as a part-time job, she becomes a playgroup musician.
I don’t know if this is really a thing or not, but in any case, Claire attends the playgroup for these infants from wealthy families and soon finds herself forming a tight relationship with some of the moms.
These mothers are quite different, and they are all hiding some secrets that Claire begins to uncover. Lots of twists and turns in this story. I loved it!

Happy & You Know It is truly an entertaining. Fantastic characters, great humor, and an enjoyable plot. The varied characters that make up this rich mommy playgroup is so entertaining. The writing is witty and fun. The ending twist caught me off guard and it was brilliant!

Every book its reader is one of the laws of librarianship that every librarian learns in graduate school. This book was not the one for me. I did not care for the first few characters that were introduced, and didn’t really want to meet any more., unfortunately.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

This book is about a group of Moms from Manhattan who with their children form a playgroup which is, on the surface, perfect. They hire a musician to play interactive music with the children. Laura Hankin described each character in such a way, that the reader had an opinion about each one. There was an underlying problem that didn't become evident until halfway through the book. I really enjoyed it.

I grabbed this one because of the cover. It was just so cute and adorable I had to have it. And I have to say that the story wasn't to shabby either. This book was full of funny and sarcastic moments and it really gives you a funny look into the look of rich moms. I loved the dark humor as well.

What a fun book! I laughed aloud throughout the story and could also sympathize with a lot of what the characters were going through. Some unexpected plot points made this a nice surprise! Definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Aspiring singer/songwriter Claire is down in the dumps after getting kicked out of her band right before they hit it big. She becomes the musician for a group of very wealthy NYC women and their babies and gets very involved with the mothers.

I really enjoyed Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin. While some parts of the characters followed the cliche of wealthy stay at home mothers, there was a lot more to several of the women. This book is a reminder that there is a big difference between the shiny perfect glimpse of life on social media and real life.

A wealthy, NYC play group employs the services of down-on-her-luck musician Claire to sing to their babies. Claire just needs the money and never expects to become immersed in the world of the mommies...or their dark secrets. Happy And You Know It was a binge-worthy novel, full of dark humor and smart social commentary. I expected this to be a fun, fast novel and it delivered that, and more. Hankin delves into issues of infidelity, the smokescreen of social media influencing, postpartum depression and, a twist that I did not see coming! Loved this engrossing, scandalous story!

Big Little Lies meets The Nanny Diaries as readers get a front-row seat to New York City high-powered playgroup drama. When struggling musician Claire loses everything, she never expects that the one bright spot in her messy life would be singing clap-along songs to a Park Avenue playgroup. Yet from the moment she enters Whitney's picture-perfect home, Claire gets drawn into their easy culture of wellness, acceptance and Instagram fame. Of course, as she gets deeper into their high-stakes popularity gambit from an outsider's perspective, street-smart Claire quickly picks up on cues that like internet fame itself, things aren't always what they seem.
This fast-paced fun romp of a read delivers drama, intrigue and deceit alongside a big helping of hope and redemption. A quick read, Happy and You Know It can be read in the school pickup line, at nap time, or with a glass of chardonnay after the littles are asleep and you have some time to yourself.

Claire, a down-on-her-luck musician, gets booted from her band and spends a year "drinking to forget." As her finances dwindle she has to face the realization that she will soon be forced to head back to her megachurch town and home to endure the judgment and castigation from her family and the community. Claire's cousin, Thea, offers a last minute Hail Mary in the form of a job opportunity to be a playgroup musician for a group of pampered, wealthy mommies and babies. Claire reluctantly accepts the position and before long is swept up in the monied world of stay at home moms. She is offered trips to spas, goodie bags and other free treats from the playgroup. One treat, the TrueMommy vitamins, makes her realize the world of "so perfect" is TOO perfect to be real. As she confronts the playgroup, the dirty little secrets of each member are painfully revealed.

Stories that reveal the secrets of the monied and privileged who share perfect lives in perfect worlds on social media are always a certain kind of enjoyable, "Happy and You Know It" is no different. Readers can easily connect to Claire who just wants a freaking break already and seems willing to work for it through her bouts of self-destruction, and Amara, the not-so-wealthy mommy who was swept into the privileged playgroup but still only hangs on from the fringes. This book is also relatable to any stay-at-home moms who know this "dream" is, in reality, tough and lonely. Fun read for when you are feeling a little snarky and want to make sure everyone else has more miserable moments than you.

Happy & You Know It was extremely refreshing. Not only is it well written, but it was blessing me with unexpected content throughout the entire story. From the blurb I expected a young musician doing a job that she didn’t want by running a children’s music play group. What I got was the “rich Manhattan mommy” experience that could translate perfectly into a television show. I swear, there are laughs, tears, and even a bit of mystery. There are a few instances in this one that I found extremely relatable as a stay at home mom. There are also things that happen that had me shaking my head thinking, “what the heck is wrong with these people?” And I sort of think that was the point. I don’t want to spoil the book, but what I can’t leave without saying is that this book is very entertaining. It took me awhile to read it, because I had life things going on, but trust me I did not want to put it down. I can see this one ending up having quite the buzz once it arrives.

I feel like this one is going to be a big hit! I got all the #Momstagram/wellness industry/self-care craze vibes from this mixed with the woman-to-woman friendships and a bit of competitiveness and mystery like Big Little Lies (I know, we are ALL tired of that comparison). It came together well, kept me interested and had some fun reveals. Overall, I really enjoyed it!

Quick, light read with great characters and an unexpected story line. Just when it started to get a bit tedious it started to come together. At the same time, the end felt rushed. Good writing and character development.

This book is unputdownable . Claire a singer kicked out fro her band become a singer for a new Mom’s playgroup . At the center of this group is Whitney who via social media has the perfect life . Full of vivid characterizations and twist and turns this will be your beach read anytime of the year

This book is fabulous! I haven't seen such a fresh take on motherhood since I DON"T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. Funny and fresh, it reminds me of the tv show ODD MOM OUT. It is going to be huge.

4.5 stars

A true definition of a page-turner! I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I was definitely shocked by the direction the story took.

Claire is a musician whose former band became famous without her. She takes a gig singing nursery rhymes for a playgroup, and her life takes a couple of sharp lefts from there!

This book was fast-paced and quite enjoyable. I liked reading the perspectives of Claire, Amara, and Whitney, even though they were each frustrating in their own way.