A fun read, not what I expected but a good time was had. I found the formatting a bit hard to follow and it did pull me out of the story quite a bit.

I guess I wanted to read more about what made the protagonist turn into a beast. There was much ado about becoming the beast and not enough why and how...

Ohh, this was good! I came in with no expectations at all and... wow! This book has all the female rage, with some sci-fi superhero aspects thrown in. I loved the writing style, although some passages seemed to have some pacing issues.

Thank you to Mudlark and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. When the inner rage and despair of being a mother explode and turn you into a 'monster', do you go with it? Harry does and then finds others in her neighborhood also changing. I found the concept of this book fascinating and I could feel so much with Harry as she navigates her life and the misogyny of the wider world and finally lets it out. The framing narrative leaves this open for a possible sequel but also can remain exactly as it is. Starting the book and feeling so affected by it hurt my experience at first but as it went more supernatural I enjoyed it more. 3.5 stars.

Harriet Lime is overwhelmed in her daily duties but has been putting on a "Harry face" a.k.a. masking her feelings and keeping everything within herself. Suddenly, things seem to implode, creating what I interpreted as a manifestation of the "mad woman in the attic."

Beast Mom was a delight to read, there were so many moments where I scribbled in notes when Harry was putting herself down. Typically, I've only seen the developing magical abilities trope and its equivalent YA books, where teens have revelations about supernatural power. I loved how Kim Imas wrote Harry's reactions to her newfound abilities. How would an adult woman and mom of three react when she suddenly transforms into a beast? I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes where Harry was "spidermanning" and testing her abilities.

The book also speaks to female solidarity, acknowledging shared struggles and standing in support of one another, in the workplace and even socially. There were a few moments where the book started sounding a little bit preachy, but honestly, it was nothing off-putting. The footnotes were also very funny and entertaining. The mythology of the book was fascinating and I would love to read a sequel.

Thank you Smith Publicity for the review copy.

This was unique and entertaining, some of the pacing was slow in the middle which made it harder to stay engaged but I also found it very relatable as a mom and a woman who will often smile even when I want to rage at people.

Oh, this is a total romp for every person--not just woman or mom--who has been infuriated by misogyny, racism, classism, ageism, and/or being taken for granted. In the world of the novel, placental tissue has morphed, evolved, changed, and given parents in a one town super powers. Harry Lime, mother of three, becomes an enormous, ape-like creature when enraged by the local White men on the school board, and as she learns to control her power, she finds that she's not alone--others have gotten powers too--all of them different. Followed and watched by governmental officials, a violent men's-rights group, and having to deal with her husband's and her own depression, the grooming of her daughter and her daughter's friends by a coach, and her younger kids' pre-school's passive-aggressive lunches policies, Harry and her friends make plans to stop the groomer and the men's-rights group while keeping their powers a secret. Although I do wish there'd been recognition that transmen and nonbinary people can have children and thus have placentas also, this book is for anyone who has wanted revenge--or at least some justice--served-up superhero style.

(3.5 stars)

I really loved the premise of this book and thought it was so unique. I enjoyed the story it’s humor, and the way the author uses sci-fi to draw attention to societal issues.
The only drawbacks I have are that I found the pacing to be a little too slow in some areas making it hard for me to stay engaged in the story. I also think the author tries to posit the MC as a *Good and unproblematic cishet white lady* in a way that felt a bit forced to me in a few areas.

Overall it’s a cool sci-fi story that you will definitely relate to if you’re a mom or just a woman who is fed up with the disrespect 😂

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book to review.

Harriet "Harry" Lime is a mom and she's had enough. From misogynistic bosses to condescending messages from the healthy daycare place she sends her twins to, she's ready turn into a monster. Literally.

Beast Mom by Kim Imas is such a fun satirical take on motherhood and I really enjoyed the campy writing, and how the book delt with different social issues mothers and women face in their daily life.

I did feel at times the story dragged a little bit at the middle, but it picked up the space quite quick from them and was overall really enjoyable read.

I would recommend this one.

Beast Mom by Kim Imas is a great women’s novel. I loved the idea from the description and glad it didn’t disappoint from the description. I enjoyed the way this was written and wanted to know more in the characters.

The cover of this book caught my eye, and then I read the description. It sounded hilarious and relatable.

And it was. This was such a frustrating joy to read. So many moments that I connected with as universal experiences among women. I too wanted to punch Mr Terrence in the face.

I appreciate when books also are real about character growth. No one is perfect, and no one shows a 180 in personality. It's satisfying when books don't end in unrealistic happiness, but in something messier and authentic.

And the ending very obviously is setting up for a sequel; which I'd read without hesitation! Harry is a delight to live in her head. And we get enough closure and enough mystery that it's both rewarding to finish and enticing to want to read a followup.

At times, the message of the book gets a little too preachy and stalls the plot. Harry's tangents could be edited down a little to keep the pace of the story going.

And it does take a while to get where it's going. The plot moves very slowly until Harry becomes the beast, picks up a bit, and then is back to going slow until the last 50 or so pages.

But. I would and already have recommended this to a friend. I loved so much about this story!!