
Member Reviews

This sort of gave me Where’d You Go, Bernadette? Vibes at times. A bit over the top, but that’s where the sweet spot lies for this novel.

I could NOT put this one down, it was pretty easy and a fast paced read. I definitely had a love/hate relationship with Florence but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this entire book. 10/10

Loved the story and I love the way the author built the story. Loved the characters. As a mystery I felt it fell a little short, I saw the "bad guy" coming from first introduction Still, an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what this author brings in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed reading this book. As a mother, I can understand her actions and desire to protect her son. I would definitely recommend it to other readers.

This book was really fun! What a ride. The main character should have been totally unlikeable, but somehow, she was endearing. The book was funny, and also has a lot of heart. I felt like it started to slow down mid-book a bit but then, there was a turn I didn't see coming! The last half of the book, I couldn't put done.
Thank you to Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review!

If you’ve ever felt like the hot mess mom at school drop-off, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is here to assure you: it could be worse. Much worse.
Florence Grimes is a washed-up former pop star, broke, single, and perpetually side-eyed by the PTA mafia. The only thing keeping her semi-functional is her ten-year-old son, Dylan. Unfortunately, Dylan’s class bully—Alfie Risby, heir to a frozen food empire and an absolute menace—goes missing, and guess who’s suspect number one? That’s right. Dylan.
Now Florence, who has exactly zero detective skills (unless you count tracking down happy hour deals), has to play mom-turned-sleuth before her son gets permanently canceled—by both the law and the terrifying school moms. The only issue? There’s a nonzero chance Dylan actually did something shady.
This book is darkly hilarious, wildly addictive, and full of suburban suspense. Think Gone Girl, but with bake sales and wine-fueled bad decisions. Five stars—and a frozen lasagna in honor of Alfie.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Mar. 11, 2025
Florence Grimes is a former pop star whose career imploded after a string of poor choices. Now, she’s an unemployed single mother who lives for her son, Dylan. During a school trip, one of Dylan’s classmates, rich, entitled bully Alfie Risby disappears and Dylan was the last one to see him alive. Desperate to clear her son’s name, Florence decides to investigate the missing child. But as Dylan’s behaviour grows increasingly suspicious, Florence begins to feel the pressure. How far will Florence go to prove to everyone that her son is innocent? Even if he isn’t?
“All of the Other Mothers Hate Me” is the debut novel by author Sarah Harman. Florence is a recalcitrant has-been with a penchant for making terrible decisions and it is quite easy to see, right from the start, why the other uber-rich, high-profile mothers at her son’s school hate her. Florence is not an easy character to like and yet, somehow, Harman made her a character that was easy to root for. I wanted to see Florence clear Dylan’s name and her hilarious antics along the way provided some cringe-worthy entertainment.
Harman provides significant mystery in “Mothers”. What happened to Alfie and who was responsible? There were many potentials in both suspects and situations and I loved the guessing game of it all. I was not terribly surprised at the outcome, but it was still enjoyable and Harman crafted an ending that was believable and satisfying.
As far as debuts go, “Mothers” is both hilarious and dark, emotional and light-hearted, and Harman seamlessly connects the juxtapositions with creativity and spark. A protagonist that is not relatable and not that likable yet still manages to come out on top at the end and bring readers to her side. “Mothers” is a novel that you would not expect to work, but it somehow does! The plot flowed smoothly and was well-developed and there were plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep readers guessing right through to the comforting conclusion. A stellar debut that has marked Harman as an author I will be watching for.

I just love this title and it resonates with me so much :) I had high hopes for the story as well. It was pretty good but a bit underwhelming. The story redeemed itself a bit towards the end, but I have to say that I lost a little interest in the middle. Not sure I would go out and grab another by this author, but they also have not written anything like this (or anything at all) before it seems. I have for sure have had many Florence days in my mom-dom so I can relate to the content, I just wanted it to be so much more. Not a terrible read at all. I'd recommend giving it a try.

Do you ever read a book and the main character is just so hard to root for it makes you not want to read? Florence is a little like that. She’s selfish, manipulative, and hung up on things that happened a decade ago. Some of it I get, she had a rising pop career only to get screwed over and pushed out of the band. I get why she harbor’s resentment, but in the ten years since falling pregnant and losing her pop career, she hasn’t really done much else. Florence constantly seems to want more in life but has no direction or gumption to get it.
Besides being an unlikeable main character, the central story is good. A student goes missing during a field trip and Florence is worried her son had something to do with it. In order to protect her son, she teams up with one of the other moms, Jenny, to try to solve the case. Florence’s foray into being a detective is fun, but really just serves as another way to show how selfish she is. Florence does thing that she says are for her son, but I really for herself. I really with the author would have made Florence more likeable or at least set this book up to be part of a series. I think it would have been a better pay off and ending if Florence gained back some of her power and decided to be a Private Investigator.
There are some flashbacks that show Florence dealing with post-partum depression and the fall out of losing her career. That on top of having little to know support system does kind of show how she got to be so selfish, but it just felt so one dimensional.
All The Other Mothers Hate Me is a fun thriller, but the main character almost ruined it for me.

So much fun!! I think the miss for me for not loving it was the genre confusion. Was this women's fiction? Mystery? Thriller?? If it was supposed to be a thriller, it was SNAIL SLOW. I always love a hard to love FMC and this one definitely had it! The development was a bit predictable but still a fun ride to get to the end.

Raising kids is not easy, especially for a single parent. Add to that the fact that the child is a bit difficult, possibly on the spectrum. And that the child's father insists that he attend a school complete with strict rules and extremely wealthy and ultra judgemental parents, and you have quite the story. Add to that a school trip where one of the children goes missing, and that child was partnered with the odd little boy; well then you have a mystery/thriller that is really intriguing. Loved the story and the main characters. It kept my interest throughout and is a bonafide page turner. This is a really good read!

This was SO fun. Full of unlikable characters including our FMC, but so wild and I truly could not put this down. Will absolutely read more from this author.

Florence is no detective, that’s for sure, but this book is hilariously written and speaks to our unlovable main’s penchant for chaos. Paired up with Jenny, these two decide to go full-tilt to try and solve the mystery: what happened to Alfie (an insufferable boy, according to Flo’s son). The novel follows Flo as a hopeless mom, skating by (and honestly probably deserving of a CPS visit), drifting through life and doing the bare minimum to get her son to school every day. The other mothers in the pick up line don’t love Florence (they hate her, apparently), and she feels like an outcast at Dylan’s swanky school.
As we learn about Flo and her journey into parenthood, we realize she’s just like us. Maybe the worst parts of us, but still human. As she tries to better herself (by also framing someone else), it’s hard not to at least feel a little bit fond of her by the end.
Suspenseful, silly and a downright good whodunit, I’d recommend for a girls trip or book club!

3.5 stars
This book is off the rails and takes unlikable main character to the next level. Florence is selfish, inept, and it’s extremely clear why all the other mothers hate her. Combine that with the disappearance of a ten year old boy where Florence’s son is the top suspect, and you get one hilarious mystery.
Florence is the definition of watching a train wreck in action. I loved how Jenny kept referring to her as a “chaos muppet.” It perfectly describes Florence’s inability to function and to think through any of her actions. She’s incapable of putting anyone before herself and seems to believe others exist only as a means to her own ends. I’m not sure if I’m more shocked by the fact she actually got useful information out of people, or that she was able to convince a put together lawyer mom to join in her investigation.
Florence’s redeeming quality is supposed to be how much she loves her son. You can certainly argue she does by the lengths she goes to protect him, but I would argue that was always more about Florence. She picks herself every time - even leaving Dylan home alone at night so she can go out and party and relive her glory days. She proves she will look the other way if it means she gets to live in plausible deniable bliss rather than actually parenting, and proves she doesn’t actually want to know her son or what he’s been doing. For me, the ending negated any of her perceived growth.
While I didn’t find Florence redeemable, she certainly kept me entertained with her thoughts and actions. This book is perfect for readers who love arm chair detectives, school yard drama, and extremely unlikable, morally grey protagonists. The pace and antics will keep you engaged from start to finish!
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The pace of this story is perfect for readers wanting a fast-paced, suspenseful, stay-up-late thriller. The main character is flawed and no one would really want to be her friend because of the chaos of her life. But there is something about her that had me rooting for her to succeed in solving the case of a missing schoolmate of her son, for becoming a more responsible mom, and even for trying to make a comeback in the music business a la Mariah Carey. Sure, there were some situations where I titled my head like a cocker spaniel and thought, “really?”. But this book delivers a believable ending and some twists and turns along the way.
Thank you to G.P. Putnum’s Sons for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Books set in London are such fun. I love the feeling of being someplace other than Nowheresville, US. This book is no exception.
Florence was mostly raised in Florida, but ended up in the UK when her mother was dating a Brit. She ended up a member of a girl pop band, but that was short-lived. Now she’s a single mom of a quirky 10 year old boy. No job. Not a whole lot of money. And literally no direction.
One of her son’s classmates goes missing while on a field trip, and Florence immediately wonders if her son was involved. After all, her son Dylan is not particularly enamored of this rotten heir to a frozen food empire. So when she finds evidence that Dylan really may be have been responsible, she will do anything to clear his name. She’s a mom, after all.
But Florence is unskilled and unmotivated, so how will she do this? Recruiting a fellow mom, also from the US, to be her driver and her partner. Florence ropes this mom into her plan to prove Dylan’s innocence, even when it crosses the line.
Very cute, very fun story about a very aimless woman trying to find her place after plan A doesn’t work out. It’s reminiscent of the Finlay Donovan series. Hapless Florence makes a lot of mistakes simply by trying to do the right thing.
Definitely recommend this light read.

Sharp and incisive, ALL THE MOTHERS HATE ME is a sardonic romp. Florence is a hot mess of a protagonist -- a lot of fun, but you don't necessarily find yourself wanting to emulate her. I'm glad she teamed up with another mother, and the story moves along nicely. While the mystery is not super twisty or complicated, it does keep you turning the pages, and Florence's character development is an added bonus.
I look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

4.25 stars
This was a lot of fun to read. I really liked Florence, not sure what that says about me but she’s someone I would probably be friends with.
Florence is a single Mom to 10 year old Dylan, He goes to a posh school and doesn’t really fit in with the other kids. He’s quiet, kind of nerdy and his best friend is the weird old guy across the street.
Flo wishes he had regular friends and was more “normal” she doesn’t understand her sensitive son, she is pretty shallow and self absorbed so go figure.
A classmate goes missing during a field trip and Dylan was his partner and the last one to see him. Allie the missing student is the only son of a very rich and influential family so his disappearance gets a lot of attention.
Flo is concerned Dylan may have had something to do with his disappearance so she starts digging into what happened that day to make sure Dylan doesn’t go to prison.
This is light on mystery but still a lot of fun, there’s a scene in the hardware store that was hilarious.
I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone wanting a light and entertaining suspense novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was such an entertaining read! ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS HATE ME follows Florence Grimes, a former pop star whose life is now less-than-glamorous. Still, she has one person who will always bring joy to her otherwise mostly unfulfilling life: her ten-year-old son, Dylan. When school bully Alfie goes missing on a class field trip and Dylan becomes the prime suspect in his disappearance, Florence knows she has to clear her son's name—or risk losing him forever. And if her sleuthing skills aren't quite the strongest, all the other mothers at school hate her, and if Dylan might not be as innocent as she wants to believe he is? Well, Florence isn't going to let any of that stop her...
This fun, fast-paced thriller will have you hooked from start to finish! While the mystery aspect of the plot is really well-done, I also appreciated how character-driven the story was. Florence is often chaos personified—messy, sardonic, and sometimes unlikable. Yet, her character development throughout the story, her strong bond with Dylan, and her funny, snarky sense of humor all make her journey a total blast to read about. The contrast between Florence and that of her perfect, put-together sister and the other school moms was also very well-drawn, as was her friendship with Jenny! As I read, I found myself thinking about what a great TV show this book would make, and was not surprised to learn that that's already in the works. Overall, this was a fabulous debut from Sarah Harman, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you love mysteries! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Wow! There was A LOT going on in this one, and I wasn’t quite sure in which direction it was heading. The main character Florence is surprisingly quite lovable and relatable even though she believes that “all the other mothers hate her”. There is a serial strangler, a missing child, a prep school, a couple creepy neighbors and lots to keep you guessing! A+