Atherton, an elite NYC school and its ultra rich parents are shocked when on the first day of school a new mom is in town, Sofia from Miami, and no one is sure how her kids got into the school in non entry years. Sofia is taken in by Morgan, Belle, and Frost and joins their friend group. Except when a series of targeted attacks against the moms of Atherton, especially Sofia’s new friends, the only common denominator is Sofia. But what is really happening and is there a snake in Atherton’s mix?

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Mean Moms...They are rich, beautiful, and scary as hell. Frost, Belle, and Morgan are the IT moms of Atherton Academy, but what you see isn't always what you get and everyone has a secret or two they would like to remain buried. And wouldn't the other moms love to hear all about it? Enter Sophia, a single mom, new to the New York scene. Hailing from Miami, Sophia finds herself quickly adopted in the elite group, but when strange, no dangerous things begin to happen at Atherton, fingers start pointing at the common denominator, Sophia. What have they done to themselves by taking her in? What have they done to their kids? their community? their beloved school?

This book follows an eventful school year in the lives of these women as they try to figure out who or what is against them and what they can do to stop it. This is a book you won't be able to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mean Moms offers a glimpse into the lives of ultra-wealthy mothers who seem detached from the realities most people face. While the book provides some interesting moments, it doesn't leave a lasting impression. It was an okay read overall—nothing particularly deep or groundbreaking, but it might appeal to those curious about high-society dynamics.

This book gives Gossip girl in their mom era vibes. This was a light, fun read. The audio version was so good with one of my favorite narrators in the biz— this is def a book I’d recommend opting for the audio version. I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end, which was a nice surprise and wrapped up the book nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Rich petty NYC private school moms. This was a true love/hate relationship with all the characters. Everyone had something chaotic going on in their lives. MESSY MOMS.

At the beginning I wrote down who my suspects were and it got to a point where I figured out who but not why. And the why was wild and I couldn’t get enough.

I ATE THIS UP. This was such a fun audiobook. Probably one of my favorites this year? Yeah I stand by that. Narration by January Lavoy was perfection. I loved the beginning of chapters with the school group chat. It made the listening experience more interesting.

This is a great summer read also any time of the year and I highly recommend. READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC

Emma Rosenblum writes another entertaining, engaging book that has just enough social commentary bite to make it more than a "beach read". This book is about a group of wealthy, beautiful NYC moms whose children all go to the same expensive private school and the relationships between them. The characters are well written with enough details to be engaging without being tiresome. I always love the endings of Rosenblum's books and this one was another winner with a twist and some sweet revenge.

Mean Moms was a solid read with a clever premise and sharp moments of humor. I appreciated the snarky commentary on suburban social politics and the secret lives people lead behind closed doors. While the characters had intriguing layers, the pacing occasionally dragged, and some scenes felt repetitive or lacked energy. Overall, it was enjoyable and had its strong points, but there were stretches where it didn’t fully hold my attention. A decent read—especially if you like dark, gossipy drama—but not quite a page-turner for me.


Thank you to NetGalley for an early review of the book.

Really fun book, and a really engaging writing style. The a super fun book to listen to vs read as the narrator does different voices and there’s mixed elements to it (text messages, group chats etc).

Audio book was good. I like drama. Not in my life but in books :) This was peppered with drama. Just litle things but it was still entertaining.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Funny and witty, I love Emma Rosenblum's books. Mean Moms is like Mean Girls all grown up. This is a fun one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the advanced copy!

As a New Yorker, I love any book that is set there, and "Mean Moms" is exactly what I expected. It's funny, devious, and stylish, with several unexpected twists. The story captures the chaos of school drop-off and pick-up, PTA emails, and group chats, but on a much higher scale with NYC's elite moms and dads. January LaVoy's narration is, once again, perfection. The story is fast-paced, and I finished listening to it in just one day. My favorite part of the story is the one mom who is desperately trying to get herself removed from the WhatsApp chat. Mean Moms is so much fun!

Mean Moms has a little bit of humor and mystery and a very dark side - it centers around a private school and the rich families that have children enrolled.

Frost, Nell and Morgan are the popular moms at Atherton Seminary School. At the beginning of the school year a new mom, Sofia, is at first day drop off and the mystery of how she got her kids enrolled and who she really is becomes the focus of the Mean Moms.

Tragedies start plaguing the moms from an armed robbery to a scooter hit and run …. The Mean Moms are the victims and they are determined to figure out what is happening - the twist and turns to uncovering why bad things are happening keeps you reading to the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early review of the book.

I just finished watching “Your Friends and Neighbors” so this book matched the vibe perfectly. January LaVoy is one of my fav narrators so the listening experience was 🤌. Everyone was unlikable. I had zero sympathy for any of the characters. But the schadenfreude was so good! Definitely recommend!
*Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley

What I liked: An elite Manhattan prep school’s PTA Moms behaving badly while caught up in crazy situations riddled with gossip, backstabbing, sabotage, affairs, jealousy, and revenge.

What I disliked: This is incorrectly promoted as a thriller. There is a mystery, but it is not suspenseful.

Emma Rosenblum is the queen of writing books where not a lot happens but they are addictive popcorn reads! Her prose is engaging and funny, and you simultaneously care about her characters while you hate them. This book was no exception, with an added mystery component. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC!

Thank you net galley and publisher. I really enjoyed this book, its twists and turns. It kept me guessing and interested.

This one didn't click. I didn't like the characters or the storyline. I also felt like there was much more story to Morgan that could have been explored and her "crazy" seemed to explain a lot when the issue feels like it's much deeper than just liking to hurt others. The ending felt rushed to me and also like it finished too "pretty" after all the reveals. Even Sofia's story, I was intrigued by it in the beginning and bored by the end. It was very clear that she was thrown in there as the person to blame. There was something about this story that just felt incomplete for me, or like there was too much happening and happening fast and then it was just done.

January LaVoy did a great job narrating.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

4.5 rounded up

𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗦 by @emma.rosenblum
🏙️👗🎀❄️💎
Releases July 29/2025

REVIEW:
JEEZ LOUISE THIS WAS FUN!
Some UBER rich private school moms and all of their “problems”, add in some toxicity, drama, and danger and you’ve got yourself a good time! There was even an unexpected twist I didn’t see coming which I love!

Disclaimer- this is SATIRE. You have to read it as eye rolling utter ridiculousness because if you take it “seriously” it would definitely offensive! (ex: rich b!tches complaining that using the pronouns they/them is poor grammar)

NARRATION:
Does January LaVoy ever miss? No. She doesn’t. So funny - the voices, the drama, the sassy toxic tones I LOVE IT!

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the ALC 🩷🎧
#netgalley

Mean Moms was so much fun!! Exactly the kind of juicy, elite drama I love sinking into during summer. Emma Rosenblum delivers all the sharp-tongued chaos, PTA power plays, and polished savagery you’d expect from a story set among the upper crust of mom circles. It was equal parts biting and bingeable.

What really elevated the experience for me was the audiobook, it was incredibly well done! The narrator brought just the right amount of flair, tension, and sly humor to every scene. This is the kind of book that feels like a guilty pleasure in the best way, and I flew through it with a grin on my face the entire time.

Perfect for fans of messy, high-society drama with razor-sharp commentary hiding behind the shade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

*No spoilers*

I LOVE rich people shenanigans, and boy was this book chock-full of it! The story was crazy, salacious, wacky and ridiculous in the best ways.

I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and the narrator did a terrific job creating distinctive voices for all of the characters. The story had good pacing and it kept me so interested in the dynamics between all of the characters. The WhatsApp chat threads were some of my favorite parts of the book and I chuckled multiple times in those chapters 🤭.

If you’re into Park Avenue mayhem, frenemies and private school gossip, then this book is for you. It would make a great beach read or a pallet cleanser between heavier series. I hope someone adapts this story for TV, it will translate well on the small screen 📺.