Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. There were moments of humor that I loved, and moments of relatability. But overall, at least the first 20% of the book that I DID read...I felt like it was a lot of whining and complaining about living in NYC. I live in New York, and I read books as an escape. Not to be reminded of how annoying life is. :) I hope to pick this book up again one day and see where it goes, because there were definitely some funny moments, and i'm hoping there are more of them!

Winging It by Emma Murray is a light-hearted contemporary novel about life and motherhood. It has a wonderful fun tone juxta posed with some serious topics.
The majority of the novel is set in America as the reader witnesses the loneliness of high rise living in New York City. The city seems noisy, dangerous and unfriendly in complete contrast to the friendly suburban life a few miles away.
In the suburbs, friendships are formed. The friendly, welcome from the PTA in America is the complete opposite of the PTA in London which was more of an exclusive club.
Family is important as well as friends. Many are hiding secrets that need to come to light so that hearts can heal and burdens be lifted.
The addition of young children and a cat is a pure delight.
There are family fall-outs, marriage break ups and infertility issues – all are sensitively portrayed by the author.
All the characters are well drawn, likable and realistic. There are some highly amusing scenes especially when young children mispronounce words.
Winging It was a deliciously fun read and just perfect to brighten any day.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read about a family of three moving from London to New York City for a year long stint. I giggled throughout the book and could relate to so much of what Saoirse said about parenting/marriage that it was really a fun read. The only thing I had issue with was the side plots were kind of confusing and almost unnecessary to the point where I felt like the book started to feel “cluttered” after the halfway point. And I just realised this was the third in a trilogy so apparently, I'm on a roll with doing that! So that might be why everything seemed kind of rammed in there during the last half of the book...either way, I really enjoyed this book!

So beautifully written and howl out loud funny! It was my last read of 2021 and the perfect way to end the year.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book.I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
I have not read the previous books in this series, but the author has ensured new readers are given enough information about past events to understand the current relationships. The language used and references to drinking enough to develop a hangover is fitting for the characters, although it is not to my taste. The story and it's many twists is good, and the characters are generally likeable (although I found it a little unrealistic that Saoirse thinks a 20 minute train ride followed by a 10 minute walk to take Anna to school is too much to manage, but David should be happy with a 40-minute commute to work!).
I have signed up to follow this author after reading this book, and plan to read the others in the series at some time in the future.

Having adored Time Out, I was dying to catch up with Saoirse, David and Anna. This time David as just been seconded to New York and what starts out as an exciting family adventure soon turns difficult for Saoirse as she finds it hard to settle in NYC and starts to miss home. Once she moves to Westmont however, Saoirse starts to find her groove. If you've read the first 2 books in this series you'll recognise some familiar characters including Saoirse's hilarious mum - Emma Murray has nailed the Irish mammy – but it doesn't take long for Saoirse to find a new nemesis in the form of the irritating 'Brigitte' and just what is Beth hiding? This is a great, fun read to conclude the hilarious trilogy with lots of witty one-liners as you can expect from Emma Murray.

This is the third book in the series and it has all of the same charm as the first two, with some added characters and switching the location to American. Murray’s books are quite relatable and easy to read. I read this one quite quickly and thought it was fun.

Heartwarming and funny, a story of friendship and finding your group. Relocation to a new city and absence of your spouse, the reasons for the search. I imagine everyone has experienced this in one way or another. I appreciated the lightheartedness of the story.

Female friendship at its best with this read. It’s funny and feel good story makes you keep turning the pages until you realise the book is finished!

A feel good, relatable and entertaining book. I love books about female friendship where you feel connected to the characters. This one did this and more - definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is the 1st Book that I have read by the author , I really enjoyed this book , with thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book

What a treat – the next instalment in the lives of Saoirse and David and their outlook on love, friendship and parenting. The thing is, will they find their tribe in New York – and will that tribe be different to the suburban London tribe they are used to? Regardless, I’m sure there will be many laughs along the way!

I loved the way that Saoirse’s Mother could read her like a book – it made me feel right at home! I was also overcome with a massive wave of empathy, at the thought of staying in a New York apartment with one bedroom and no washing machine, for a year, especially with a young child! I must admit, when things weren’t really going to plan in New York (understatement of the year), to a little moistness around the eyes, when Saoirse’s best friends turn up on her new doorstep!

I adored the essence of friendship running throughout this book; the way that you can be happy around your closest friends, neither saying nor doing anything – just soaking up each other’s auras – the mere togetherness. Those are the best types of friends and Saoirse is blessed in that respect.

My curiosity was aroused by the Westmont beach house – who owned it and why were they watching the family? What did the owner have to do with Bonnie? Regardless, it sounded idyllic and a far better environment in which to be living with a young family. Indeed most of the people seemed so much friendlier, for starters. Once we were introduced to Beth, the landlady, I was interested to know why she was so distant. But, however distant, I would rather have 100 Beths than 1 Brigitte, another school Mum, who seemed frankly, awful. I was also intrigued by the identity of the person leaving negative reviews about Saoirse’s book – just who would do such a thing?

This book was full of funny moments, but I had a real laugh out loud moment, at the idea of life doing a full 360 degree turn, when school playground life across the Pacific starts to mirror that which Saoirse thought she had left behind in London. One thought though – will we be treated to a further installment

Can Saoirse find happiness in New York and will the mysteries be resolved? You will have to read this great book for yourself to find out.

I laughed, I cried and I wished the ladies in this book were my friends. A really enjoyable and feel good book. Once I finished, I realised there is a book before this detailing the main characters story. I have to say I didn’t even realise and this book read perfectly as a stand alone!

This has been a really fun book to read. It’s the third book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone which is what I did. It’s the first Emma Murray book that I have read completely and I can’t wait to read everything else she has written and all she is still to write! I accidentally started reading the second book, “The Juggle” a while back and was gutted to discover it was the right type, but the wrong book as I was really enjoying it. Due to too many commitments I have not gone back and finished it yet, but I definitely will!

My main issue with this book was the main character’s name… I think I spent the whole book trying to remember how it is you are meant to pronounce “Saoirse”. I even looked it up and still I kept wondering if what was in my mind was correct!

Despite not having children yet, there is something that I love about reading stories of young families and learning what it’s really like to be a struggling mum. I got strong Marian Keyes vibes from this book as soon as I read the synopsis, so I was looking forward to some warmth and laughs.

Saoirse’s husband David has been offered a great job in New York, so together with their five-year-old Anna, they make the move across the Atlantic. But with David busy with work, Saoirse is left to entertain Anna alone while settling into a city that isn’t quite what she hoped it would be. As she starts to feel the strain, it becomes apparent that there’s only one way to deal with these new challenges -wing it.

I was laughing out loud from the start of the book and Saoirse came across as the kind of woman who always seems to find herself in cringey, awkward situations. These are often my favourite kind of heroines and I was really looking forward to see what she was going to get up to next.

Anna was another great source of humour and I thought she was a really delightful kid. New York doesn’t seem to have phased her as much as it has her mother and I was often in awe of how well she seemed to be adjusting to her new life. I think I would have loved a version of this book from her perspective as she has a wonderful mind and I’d have loved to take a closer look at it.

Winging It does feature serious topics too and Saoirse does start to spiral into a dark mental health hole. This was very similar to what happened to me during last year’s relentless lockdowns, so the fear of the outside felt very fresh to me. I’d never suffered from agoraphobia before but somehow the fact I’d spent weeks inside caused me to develop an intense phobia. I knew that Saoirse would find her way out of it, as I did, but I thought Emma Murray did an amazing job of describing exactly what those high emotions feel like.

It also visits themes of infertility, loneliness and fear of not living up to expectations. The narrative takes a turn around halfway through and we’re introduced to a new set of characters, who prompt the uncovering of family secrets. My heart broke as I learned more about these stories and I was willing them to sort out their tensions. The discussion of the shame that some women feel after going through miscarriage or infertility is a topic that is still not spoken about much. There is still the assumption that women will have children at some point in their lives and when they don’t, the questions come without any consideration as to what they could have been through. I really appreciated this issue being brought to light.

I think my favourite parts of the book were the PTA meetings and events that Saoirse inexplicably finds herself at. At the beginning of the book, she couldn’t be further from a typical London PTA mum but in New York, she is fully embraced by the healthy, thriving group of dedicated women. There is no drama or politics and I loved that Saoirse was finally able to find her mum tribe.

Winging It is a heartwarming, funny book featuring an intercontinental adventure, plenty of parenting joys and woes and wonderful female friendship. It’s a light, easy read for the most part with a few twists thrown in to keep you on your toes and a cast of loveable characters.

I knew I was going to enjoy this book from the very first page. It was very well written, funny and it amused me from start to finish. This is a 5 star novel and I look forward to reading more from this author, it is the first I have read from her but it won't be the last.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

This is a warm and witty read. By this third book, Saoirse's character is well established and it was lovely to meet up with her again and to see what was next in her life. Her reactions to living in New York were completely believable and you could feel her relief when she was able to move out of the city. I well remembered the posse of parents who she christened The Organics back in the UK so you can imagine her scepticism when she met a group of American Moms. Family life is messy and difficult at time but Saoirse's friends rally round her just when she needs it.

There is so much humour to be had, especially from Anna and her friends, as well as a few delightful cameos- I'm thinking about the New York receptionist really and his oh so helpful advice. There is a mystery around one of Saoirse's neighbours which has a surprising solution and one which I had not seen coming. The humour comes from the characters and their reactions to modern living. This is a great read which has energy and feels current. I wonder what Saoirse does next?

In short: Family, friendship, fun

Oh my, and another "laugh - out - loud" novel that was, sadly, not laugh - out - loud, so so far with the promises. I mean, it was funny sometimes, but on the other hand this humour felt forced and appeared on the pages so randomly, as if the author remembered, oh, I must add one witty sentence. It's not an easy book to review, to be honest, I really didn't know what to think about it for a long time. It felt like a very minuted record of the characters' activities - I felt like the author, literally, wrote every single action, reaction, word, thought and gesture made by the characters. It felt sooooo long, really. Also, the book felt so chopped - we are in Manhattan, then we are in the suburbs, then we have the plot with Beth, then the one with Brigitte, then the PTA, starting and finishing, there is no fluency between them, it's like it's done and crossed of the list. MOst of the things feels very brushed over.
I also had some problems with the characters. Saiorse felt as if she didn't know what she wants, her husband David was probably sex - obsessed, as he only mentioned sex and I hated Anna. I'm sorry, it doesn't happen often that I use this word in my reviews, and it doesn't happen often that I feel such a dislike to a child character, but firstly, Anna was mentioned in every second sentence and everything resolved around Anna, and secondly, I've never seen so spoiled child in any book. Absolutely not my case. No way, thank you very much.

I didn't read the previous books in the series and you can feel and see that the characters have common background and history, however, I think, you can read as a stand - alone, and if it makes you curious, go back to the previous stories. I won't - the mentions of the past put me off the main character even more.

However, I loved the thread of friendship in this book, with its ups and downs, no matter how immature the characters behaved it still felt real and genuine.

Favorite Quotes:

Eventually, I do what I always do when faced with a complex problem: I push it to the back of my mind and pretend it doesn’t exist.

I do everything in my power to stop my face from falling. Just when you think you’ve found a new friend, she turns out to be in the PTA.

‘Well, I don’t mean to generalise but I’m not sure if Americans are into swearing,’ I say, hoping I haven’t offended them… Roars of protest follow. Darcy’s voice is the loudest. ‘Of course I swear!’ she says indignantly. ‘I have five kids and a husband who still hasn’t learned the kids’ soccer timetable, or how to take out the trash.’ … A feeling of pure exhilaration fills my chest. Maybe, just maybe, I have found my American tribe.

This is our first time celebrating Thanksgiving and I really enjoy the festiveness of the occasion. Mind you, I think it’s fair to say that Anna doesn’t quite grasp the concept: her teacher laughingly told me that when she gave a smooth rock to each of the kids and asked them to paint what they were grateful for, Anna wrote ‘iPad’ when everyone else wrote ‘Mom’, ‘Dad’, ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’. At least David and I know where we sit in the pecking order.

‘Come on, Mummy!’ Anna says, pulling at my sleeve impatiently. ‘Jen is having a connip-shit!’ A fit of giggles rises up in my chest. ‘I think you mean “conniption”.’


My Review:

This was my introduction to the cleverly amusing wit of Emma Murray, and I found it good fun as she kept a near-constant smirk on my face during perusal. The storylines were comical, engaging, original, and easy to follow. I enjoyed all the characters as they were generally likable, realistically flawed, and accessible and even the obnoxious ones were humorously entertaining with knowable and recognizable traits. I look forward to reading this author again and again.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I absolutely love her writing style! It is so easy to get along with and you really settle into the book in no time at all!

In this book we have Saoirse and David , originally from London , they live with their 5year old daughter ... but when David gets offered a job in New York they cannot pass up on the offer. Saoirse was definitely not expecting New York to turn out the way it did , she very much had rose tinted glasses on. We follow her on her hilarious journey being a Londoner in New York and being a parent. They may just have to wing it in order to get through this!

A brilliantly written book , funny , a real page turner! The characters and setting are enchanting , they are characters that you can relate too at certain parts , a lot of parents will see some similarities. A really great uplifting read!