This book is WILD in the best way possible. It's perfect for fans of the real housewives and will be an amazing summer popcorn beach read. I loved how bonkers it was, all the characters were over the top, and it went down so fast. I think I will be recommending this as something fun that is super engaging but it's not something that will stay with me forever.

Moms Like Us follows a group of families at an elite private school in LA. It explores the cutthroat underbelly of high society and how far mothers will go to secure their child's futures and cover their own asses. I really enjoyed the range of moms represented in this book, from people faking it 'til they make it in the financial department to a lurid affair or two. I think the author did a great job of mapping the cast and their connections but this book simply isn't long enough to adequately explore these dynamics in an impactful way.

Out of the moms, I really like Milly's character the most. She is the woman I would picture from the description of this book and I loved how her desperation to meet expectations pushed her to be a little crazy sometimes; some moments were very car-crash-can't-look-away. The portrayal that made me laugh the most was probably the fresh uni grad gen z teacher, I could definitely picture him in real life and how these women would react.

Obviously this is a work of fiction, but my biggest issue was how unrealistic a lot of the plot was. So much of what happens in this book relies on the reader just not thinking too hard in order for it to be fully enjoyed. I understand this book is supposed to be scandalous and create caricatures of rich moms, but I found myself rolling my eyes a lot, particularly in the second half. Similarly, there were a couple good laughs in the early chapters, but the humour didn't evolve as the story went on and the jokes were pretty one-note throughout.

By the time I got to the conclusion, the plot was so outlandish I was more confused than anything else.

Toxic relationships between four Los Angeles parents who want together their kids into the most desirably middle school. This is a familiar plot these days but Roter has created four unique women and a tale that goes a bit off the rails toward the end. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's black humor to be sure but Roter is a good storyteller.

Ok I really wanted to like this one but it was just meh. I did finish it because the author had me dying to know how these chaotic women’s lives ended !

Overall, the characters kind of meshed together and there was cheating which I didn’t see mentioned or I overlooked it, so that was tough for me.

I did find some parts humorous but others , wildly odd. The bear scene at the end. Dear lawd. 😂

definitely has some cool elements but at points comes out seeming underbaked, especially when it's trying to be funny and not dramatic. 3.25 stars. tysmfor the arc.

”Moms Like Us” was a tale about secrets and motherhood. For mothers in a private school community all vying for coveted middle school spots for their kids while trying to keep their secrets out of the rumor mill. All the lies end in a “murder” at an annual camping event. Where the story fell flat for me was character development. It was hard at times to keep all the moms separate in my mind and they had few redeeming qualities. That said, this was a fun and quick read.

The perfect blend of Class mom author Laurie Gelman and Big little lies author Liane Moriarty that has an LA mom fighting to support her neurodivergent children and secure her place in the PTA hiearchy. This was funny and relatable and great on audio. Definitely recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The story opens with the apparent cover-up of a death at the annual Palm School’s glamping trip into the woods. Then it backtracks to six months earlier, with PTA president Milly giving her speech at Back to School night.
Jillian is worried that her daughter, who has learning difficulties, won’t be accepted into their preferred middle school and wants to make sure principal Eva does everything she can to help.
Dawn and family have just returned to LA after leaving in disgrace when her combative husband was fired from his law firm. And Heather is certainly not happy that they are back.
Tell me it’s a story about bad-behaving mums with offspring at a competitive private school and I’m in. I enjoyed the dark humour of this one as the four women battle to go to great lengths for their families and to protect their secrets.

Yea. I dunno. It’s a lot of telling not showing in the writing. Like everything is being over explained to me. The humour does not land well in my opinion. It’s trying too hard. Satire and criticism only work if they’re effortless. The characters are unlikable in a caricature kinda way. It’s like the audacity, back stabbing, murder and manipulation only make sense of there’s some sense of true depth and emotionality to the characters who do it. Otherwise I’m just watching moms be petty just for petty’s sake.

*Thank you J. Roter and Little A for the, Moms Like Us ARC. My opinions are my own.

This book started off so hilariously describing the world of private school absurdity and then took a weird left turn and went off the rails a bit. The "murder" seemed so anticlimactic! I did enjoy it, but there were issues.

A funny whodunit based within the society of over eager moms vying for private school spots. This was a fast and entertaining read with a plot that never slowed down. I was pleasantly surprised that each character maintained a level of depth and humor throughout the entire novel. I loved how purposefully nonsensical the ending was.

There is nothing I crave more than a book set in a rich private school world that focuses on the dramas of the moms, and Moms Like Us did not disappoint. Moreover, I found a lot of the references and asides throughout so funny, it was like hearing a story from a friend. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Jordan Roter releases next.

This book was a scandalous journey into the rich mom world. Of course people were rediculous with their secrets and reactions about others, but I was hooked.

I dont have my posting schedule made for may quite yet but I will share this title on my bookstagram just before publication at www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

Privileged women, unsatisfied moms, and bad choices sum up the characters in this chaotic story that takes place against the backdrop of an ultra-progressive private elementary school in Los Angeles. There are four point of view characters, and all are horrible in their own way. There are multiple affairs, lies, secrets, and deceptions among all the women, and the issues come to a head at the school’s annual glamping weekend getaway. There are touches of humor along the way, some which fell flat for me and some that made me laugh out loud for the sheer ridiculousness of it. All in all, Jordan Roter’s writing draws you in, and I’ve never liked a book with such unlikable characters as much as I liked this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Biting, sexy, and truly funny. Such a quick read, partially because the short chapters read so easily and partially because you just won’t want to put it down. All the toxic privileged private school dynamics we love to judge from afar. And with the four women depicted in Moms Like Us, there is plenty to judge. There’s nothing a mama bear won’t do for her cubs. Excited for whatever Jordan Roter writes next! Thank you Little A and NetGalley for my copy!

Big Little Lies if it wasn’t serious whatsoever! Parts of this book were the perfect brand of snarky hilarity and it was generally an easy and fun read. Maybe too easy? It was incredibly short for having four POVs, which meant that we didn’t get too much further than drama and one liners for any character. The plot was fast-moving but with so many characters, it got confusing. In fact, I think the author confused herself, because at one point from Milly’s point of view, she wonders if Jillian’s husband’s restaurant would cater her celebration of life… but it was MILLY’S husband who was in the restaurant business. Jillian’s husband was unemployed.

Much like a reality show, the book what chaotic and lacked much depth, but if that’s exactly what you’re in the mood for, you’ll also probably find it entertaining.

Four very different women fight to have their children admitted into exclusive LA private middle schools with mixed results in the humorous, intense Moms Like Us. Milly is insecure, over volunteered and looking for validation from PTA mothers. This is definitely the wrong place to look. Heather had Dawn’s husband fired from their law firm causing him and his family to flee to Canada. Now they are back and looking for revenge. And Jennifer, Jennifer is looking for a guarantee that her daughter will be accepted by any school.

Moms Like Us is classified as Humor and Satire, Women’s Fiction. Two of the three are right. I’m not sure about satire. It verges on cruelty here and is off-putting. Without spoilers, a joke is made about the death of a baby, a woman makes (or intensifies) a false report to HR that has a life changing result, murder is planned and a man dies a horrible death. However, there are some really funny moments and I loved the required attendance fund raising plans. I will read what Jordan Roter writes next because she’s a talented writer. I hope for subtle humor. 4 stars, rounded up from 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little A and Jordan Roter for this ARC.

This was a great book! It was funny and entertaining with some serious themes but it was written in a light way, where it felt light and entertaining. I liked it!! I would read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is my first Jordan Roter book and I absolutely devoured it. Moms Like us follows a group of moms from a private elementary school in Los Angeles. The moms face infidelity, blackmail, being cancelled, and even death. Chaotic and hilarious- an easy 4 stars. Bonus points for being under 300 pages and getting right to the meat of the story.

Warning: wow, I really disliked this book.

Moms Like Us follows four mothers whose children attend The Palms, an LA elementary school. I went into this book knowing it was meant to be satire and tried to read it as such—but even then, it was a struggle.

Humor is subjective, but for me, this book wasn’t just unfunny; at times, it was outright vile. One moment, in particular, summarizes my biggest issue: early on, there's a "joke" about a baby dying because he disliked his mother (this happens in the very first pages, so it’s not a spoiler). Trying to be edgy with such a cruel remark—especially in a book about motherhood written by a mother—felt deeply wrong. That should have been my cue to DNF, but I held out hope it would redeem itself. It didn’t.

Then there’s the issue of the characters. Yes, they’re unlikable, which I could have overlooked if they had any depth. Unfortunately, they don’t. They all blend together to the point where I struggled to tell them apart. Not only are they devoid of depth and redeeming qualities, but they also lack any real uniqueness. The book leans on the idea of how far mothers will go to protect their children, but instead of exploring this in a compelling way, it focus on lying, manipulation, and even murder—while the idea of simply being a decent human being never seems to cross their minds.

Then there’s the storyline. I was intrigued by the murder element—I thought that might be interesting. Again: no. The attempt at humour falls flat here as well, and the llama stampede just before? Disappointing, to say the least.

Finally, the similarities to Big Little Lies were so pronounced that it barely felt like an original story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little A, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.