Oh no oh NO, I'm going to have to buy this for all of my friends. I wanted to send quotes to about ten people which is a sign of a great book.

The Advanced Review Copy (ARC) was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's set the tone... I am not an empty nester, nor will I be anytimes soon as I have a pre-teen and two toddlers. BUT I found myself identifying and understanding Meagan, especially in the first half of the book. She talks about how our "arms-full" periods differ greatly from our "hands-free" ones, and I felt this to the bone. As I navigate my life being needed and pulled by my two youngest boys, I have felt my closeness with my eldest wavering. This is a taste of what I will likely feel more of when he, and his brothers, grow older and eventually leave the mothership.

Meagan's experience with five kids is a realistic view into motherhood, a job we believe we should be experts on, yet so very few of us feel we are doing a good job. From feelings of needing to simply survive the day, to feeding growing boys, Meagan is real about this "job." She teaches us to move past our fears that are rooted in raising newborns and being courageous about stepping back into OUR life. When days of naps, temper tantrums and diapering are well past us, we can venture into the world again with our "big" kids and enjoy connecting with them differently.

I absolutely loved this book, The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read, by The Mom Hour’s Meagan Francis, but I can’t quite put my finger on what kind of book it actually is. Equal parts memoir, parenting advice and parenting humor, the one thing it is not is the last parenting book you’ll ever read. If you are the type that enjoys reading how-to books from cover to cover, in particular parenting books, you will no doubt feel a bit disappointed by this one. However, if you love a lighthearted look at another parent’s triumphs and failures, while finding the humor and connectedness with your own triumphs and failures, you will definitely enjoy this book. Just don’t expect it to answer all your questions about launching your adult kids. You’ll probably want to scoop up some other titles for that.

With four kids, my husband and I are constantly looking for books to help raise our kids. This book was marvelous! It was spot on for the areas we need some direction to. Wonderfully done!

I still have little kids so I'm technically not this book's target audience, but I enjoyed it as a preview of what's to come. The author offered a great perspective on how it feels from going to being SO needed to needed much less for the practical things (meals, etc) and more for the life skills (how to make a dentist appointment or buy insurance on the marketplace). It was a good balance of advice and personal anecdotes and was a fast read.

I also appreciated that she only alluded to her kid's specific challenges and didn't air their dirty laundry publicly. She clearly has a lot of respect for her kids as their own people and tells her story/experience separately from theirs. In the age of the oversharing mommy blogger, that's refreshing.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was more relatable than I thought it would be! It helped me plan for the future. It made me think of things that I never thought about. Easy read

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. Despite the title, this book is really geared more towards mothers with talk of perimenopause and hormones. There are some chapters that a father could gain insights from, but they may feel a bit left out in other places. This is part memoir about the author's 5 children, divorce, and subsequent remarriage, but it doesn't overwhelm the book. It inspired me a bit to start thinking of my future as I have similarly aged children.