I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance reader copy.

So let me start by saying that this cover is simply beautiful. I love all the bold bright colors.

Now, if I was Sandy I would go crazy! I think it was huge for all three of them!

Justin you are a butthole and I hope you stubb your toe multiple times a day!

This book is definitely about Mothers, but it is about the bond between family. (Even when you are not blood)

This is my first Domenica Ruta read and it will not be my last.

This was my first time reading Domenica Ruta, and it definitely won’t be my last. All the Mothers is easily one of my top reads of 2025 so far. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in—especially since I’m not a mother and don’t plan on becoming one—but this book completely won me over. It turns out, this story is about so much more than motherhood.

At its heart, this is a novel about women: women supporting each other, forming deep and unexpected friendships, surviving life’s curveballs, and carving out space for themselves in a world that often fails to show up for them. It’s raw, real, and hilarious. Like, actual laugh-out-loud funny.

The story follows Sandy, Steph, and eventually Kayla—three women who all share the same deadbeat (and hilariously pathetic) baby daddy. Instead of turning on each other, they choose to turn toward each other. What follows is a story of unconventional sisterhood and found family, as they band together to build a life that works for them.

Ruta writes with so much heart, honesty, and wit that I couldn’t put this book down. The dynamic between the women is electric, and I was rooting for them every step of the way. Whether or not you're a mom, if you're a woman—or just love a great story about resilience, friendship, and figuring life out—All the Mothers deserves a spot on your shelf.

This was sweet and tender and I loved the focus on unconventional relationships and dynamics between women. Sandy, raising her child solo, discovers that her daughter has a half-sibling and grows close to said half-sibling’s own mom, Stephanie. The two moms then create a “mommune” of sorts upon learning that their baby daddy is a bit of a hoe and has more children beyond their two daughters. The baby daddy is the least important part of this story, though, as this is a story about women and mothering and all of the different ways to be present for the people you love. It’s a really lovely, positive take on what community can mean to people who feel lonely and on building family outside of the family you’re born with. This was a quick, thoughtful read and I loved the focus on different kinds of motherhood.

Picked up All the Mothers based solely on its blurb. It's a lovely novel about found family and empathy. A lovely, refreshing novel with feel good vibes.

“…Sandy is about to discover that when nothing goes as planned, the best things become possible.” 100% agree with this blurb. It took a while in the beginning for me to get into Sandy’s story. I was waiting for the drama that would come from meeting her ex’s ex. Sandy’s story is the typical girl moves to NYC and upholds the facade of how great everything is when it really isn’t. It was hard to empathize with Sandy. She’s 30+ years old with the mindset of a 20 year old. Her mentality starts to shift after meeting Steph. I could have done without them both having names that begin with the letter S - me and my reading idiosyncrasies. Things start to fall into place as their friendship grows and it all seems a bit too perfect. Then something won’t go as planned and you see them struggling with that reality. I realized I had grown attached to these characters when the book ended and I thought “That’s it? No, I need to know how this all works out.”

Woman that are thrown together because of an unworthy man. It’s a tale of love, devotion and the power of a mother’s love.

An unexpectedly complex, emotional, at times hilarious story of 3 unique mothers who share one baby daddy and form their own found family. The pacing was somewhat uneven for me and there were a few superfluous plot points, but overall I enjoyed this entertaining take on a modern family.
Sandy, Steph and Kaya each fell for deadbeat Justin, became single mothers and eventually found each other through social media stalking. They have realistic messy lives, are discriminated against, but are trying to do their best for their children. I loved how they figured out how to care for each other and all of their kids by teaming up and mothering together. I was touched, knowing how much I lean on my own mother support system. The author also handled a nonbinary child and queer relationship with sensitivity. I would recommend this book to literary fiction readers who enjoy complex family dramas. 3.5/5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Single mom Sandy finds out her child's father has a daughter with another woman, Steph. The two of them connect and lean on each other to raise their daughters. Soon enough, a third mom comes into the picture and they create their own little family.

This was a super quick read really focused on found family. The author wrote this in a very interesting way where the beginning was mostly internal monologue, so it felt really lonely. As the relationships between the women and children began to grow, it started to feel so much more rich and light. There wasn't a ton of driving plot, but the author did a great job developing these characters and their relationships with each other, so it still felt like a really full story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

3.5 🌟All The Mothers is a women’s literary fiction piece about a group of women whose lives are pulled together by circumstances outside their control. I love stories where a group of unexpected individuals are brought together to navigate an unforeseen event as a community, and Ruta does a beautiful job here of intertwining the lives of these women and showing what the beauty of a found family can look like. The first 70% of this book was a great read, but the ending ultimately fell off for me and felt like an entirely different novel than the one I started. Multiple new plot points and twists were introduced in a way that felt rushed and random, and the switches in perspective felt jarring to me as a reader. Overall, I think this was a good book with a great story of how the family you choose can make life beautiful, even if the ending wasn’t perfect for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the early review copy!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review.
At first, I was reluctant to keep going due to what I thought was a predictable plot.. I am sure glad I continued. It does take a village to raise kids. I love the idea of a momune! (Mom here.) The cast of ladies had everything. What a bunch of lucky kids. Parenting isn't just by blood, but of the heart. It had everything to make a great movie, too! Thank you.

Thanks for the review copy. The colorful cover is nice, I like how the mothers and half siblings connected. The idea is very nice

This, unfortunately, was not the book for me. The premise was a sound one but the story moved too slowly when it moved at all and I could not become engaged with the characters. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC but I cannot recommend it.

DNF @15%

It's possible that sad/pathetic woman fiction might not be for me. I didn't really likw this at all.

I really liked the premise and several things about this novel. I really like how the three women came together and worked things out in such a way that they could all help each other take care of their children and do the things that needed to be done. But there were also several things I did not enjoy, which means this book lands right in the middle.

I really enjoyed this book and the authors realistic take on dating and motherhood in our current times. It was uplifting to see the three women come together and create their own family instead of having enmity towards one another.

All the Mothers is a wonderful story about chosen family. It actually closely mirrored my friend's story. I think this is an important but enjoyable read!

I loved this - loved the dynamic between the women and the three stories. Felt the custody stuff towards the end was rushed and random.

I loved the first half of this book. It was engaging with the back story of how Sandy got with Justin. Somewhere along the way, the story started getting choppy with the timelines and the situations happening to the mothers. The pacing was also a bit all over the place.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars

Three mothers, Stephanie, Sandy, and Kaya, discover they each have a child from the same man and decide to raise the children together.

All the Mothers had an interesting premise and a beautiful book cover. What the three female protagonists have created is an unconventional but loving family. I liked that the author, Domenica Ruta, doesn't write overly precocious children. They're just babies, toddlers, and school-age children with ups and downs, and their mothers love them. Of course, Steph's child, Ash, was my personal favorite. The baby daddy and his mother, who felt he could do no wrong, perfect villains for this story.

I did find that a lot happens in the last 15-20% of the novel and it had me feeling that everything was a little rushed to wrap up the story. All in all, it was a good story; it didn't sweep me off my feet, but I enjoyed my reading experience.



Expected Publication Date 06/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 11/04/25
#AlltheMothers #NetGalley.

All the Mothers is a haunting and beautifully written novel that dives deep into the messy, often painful realities of motherhood, identity, and loss. Domenica Ruta’s lyrical prose and emotional insight are undeniable, and there are passages that hit like a gut punch.

That said, this was a tough read—emotionally heavy from start to finish. The overall tone is quite bleak, and at times, it felt like it lingered in sadness without offering much relief or resolution. It’s one of those books where you have to be in the right headspace to take it on. As someone who struggled herself both times she had a new baby, it was still difficult to read.

Sandy, one of the central characters, was especially frustrating. Her constant cycle of poor decisions—particularly when it came to men—was hard to watch unfold. Her relationships often felt self-destructive, and while that might have been the point, it made it harder to root for her.

There’s no denying Ruta’s talent, and I respect what she set out to do with this book. But for me, the emotional weight and lack of narrative cohesion made it more admirable than enjoyable.

I received an ARC of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.