Mean Moms is exactly the kind of sharp, stylish, and suspenseful story I’ve come to love from Emma Rosenblum—but this might just be my favorite of hers yet. With a cast of glamorous, complicated NYC moms and a mysterious newcomer who shakes up their seemingly perfect world, this book is part biting satire, part juicy mystery, and all-around entertaining.

I loved the way Rosenblum told the story from multiple perspectives—it made the drama feel layered and kept me turning pages (or rather, hitting play). Sofia and Frost stood out as my favorite characters, each intriguing in their own way. The mix of backstabbing social politics, elite school drama, and slow-burn suspense was pitch-perfect. There were moments that genuinely made me laugh, even while I was wrapped up in trying to figure out what was really going on.

And I have to say—January LaVoy absolutely nailed the narration. She’s hands-down one of the best narrators out there, and she brought these characters and their world to life in such a vivid, engaging way.

If you’re into darkly funny mysteries with a satirical edge and characters you’ll love to love (and love to hate), Mean Moms is a must-read—or even better, a must-listen.

Cute story, but not excellent. Bunch of moms from a private elite school are friends, enemies, you whatever you want to call it. Affairs, lies, almost criminals in some aspects. Who is out to get these ladies though? Some emails are sent, some people are poisoned. Liked the ending. It was one of those books you could listen to but if you had to get other things done, you still knew what was going on.

She's back! I fell in love with Emma Rosenbaum a couple of years ago when she wrote Bad Summer People. I had never read anything like it, and I was just obsessed! The perfect summer read (if you can get into the satire and dark humor and none of the characters being redeemable LOL). Last year's Very Bad Company was a bit of a miss for me, but this one was another home run! Super rich moms in a NYC private school navigating their own popularity. The level of the villain who emerged was not what I expected at all! January LaVoy is once again the collaborator in the audio format, and they make a perfect pair. Rounding up from 4.5.. Thank you to Flatiron Books, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my review.

This was a fun audiobook. I liked that the story combined a mystery and satire. I hated all the characters, but that was the point. I think this will make a great tv show or movie. I thought the narrator did a pretty good job doing different voices.

Emma Rosenblum, the queen of writing characters you love to hate, has done it again!

I often complain when writing my book reviews that I cannot get into books in which I dislike or do not relate to the main characters. Rosenblum's novels are one of the few exceptions. Her newest book, Mean Moms, is another compulsive read about the upper crust of NYC.

The story follows different FMCs, all privileged women whose children attend the most exclusive private school in lower Manhattan. Though being released later this month as a beach read, Mean Moms starts at the beginning of the new school year, when all the families reunite after summering elsewhere, and follows them over the course of the academic year. True to the author's style, the novel provides tongue-in-cheek observations of the elite and is full of drama and scandal.

Special shout-out to the audiobook narrator January LaVoy! In books like this, which have several main characters, I usually prefer a full cast of narrators. However, January did a stellar job expertly voicing all the characters to make them each sound different. If you're like me and you enjoy both regular book and audiobooks, I'd definitely recommend giving this audiobook a listen!

Thank you to and NetGalley for Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve enjoyed every book by this author, so I was excited to get an audio copy of Mean Moms. The rich behaving badly is a favorite trope of mine and this is a fun one and may be my favorite so far. The humor is well timed and wonderfully sarcastic. January LaVoy is perfection as always in her narration on the audiobook production.

This was a really fun read. It read like a season of "Real Housewives" but on steroids. If you, like me, enjoy indulging in a good "rich people problems" book every now and then, this is a great selection. The characters are delightfully tropy - in the sense that everything you think of when you think of millionaire New York socialites can be found in at least one of the women. The plot is delightfully unhinged. This book does not take itself too seriously and you shouldn't go into it expecting that. If, however, you are looking for a fun send up of the uber wealthy, then this one should scratch that itch.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Mean Moms - Emma Rosenblum

Mean moms, messy lives, and plenty of secrets? Yes, please! I had such a great time with this one!

After loving Bad Summer People, I was excited to pick up Mean Moms—and it did not disappoint. This is another perfect summer beach read full of drama, humor, and rich people behaving very badly (one of my favorite tropes!).

When glamorous newcomer Sofia shakes up an elite NYC mom clique, things start to go very sideways very fast—think hit-and-run scooters, rash-inducing fashion, sound bath robberies, and plenty of scandal swirling beneath the surface. I loved how this book balanced sharp social satire with a page-turning mystery. It’s smart, fun, and had me flying through the chapters.

If you enjoy stories about toxic friendships, jealousy, and the dark side of privilege, definitely add this one to your summer stack.

What’s your favorite “rich people behaving badly” book?
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#MeanMoms #EmmaRosenbaum #SummerThriller #RichPeopleBehavingBadly #MomMystery #Bookstagram #ThrillerReads #BeachReads #SuspenseWithStyle #ReadingWithBrian

This was a fun and juicy book! I loved the mom chats interspersed throughout the book. MOST of these moms felt like real rich moms and then there was the one crazy one who was off her rocker. Most of these moms were keeping secrets or telling secrets just like their kids., lol. The ending was good! I loved Emma Rosenblum`s last 2 books and this one was just as good. This story kept me highly entertained and would be a great read for summer!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for advance access to Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this book so much that I binge listened to it in a single day while working on a home improvement project. It made the time fly by. The book was narrated by January LaVoy, who did a fantastic job bringing the story to life

If you loved Gossip Girl, this book will be right up your alley. I recommend checking it out.

#NetGalley #MeanMoms
Publication date July 29 2025

This book was so funny. I loved it. It’s a book about a group of mean moms Frost, Morgan and Belle whose kids go to this rich private school. They befriend a new mom Sophia who is a divorcee mother of two from Florida. It’s strange though because her kids jumped the waiting list and no one knows how. Buttttt someone is out to get the group of friends. This mystery person is messing with their lives. Also one of the friends is screwing the other friend’s husband. The drama. They also have this mom group chat for the whole school so they can keep in touch with school events and issues. One of the moms lets them know that her kids have moved schools and to please be take out of the chat but at the end of the book she is still in the chat begging to be taken out of it stillllll. 🤣
I haven’t been able to stop telling everyone about this book it was so good.

Sofia is the newest mom in one of NYC wealthiest cities. Both of her children got a full ride to Athertown Academy the top private school in the city.

Frost and her tight group of mom friends quickly welcome Sofia into their group. Some women in the group however are skeptical of this new friend Frost seems to be getting close with.

When strange things start to happen and people start getting hurt; everyone questions one another. Whose out to get them and why?

This audiobook was a fun read with a great narration.

Very fun and entertaining! I really enjoy dramatic books about the excessively wealthy and this one certainly delivered. A juicy, playful read.

(3.75 STARS) This is my third Emma Rosenblum novel and they hit an itch my inner reader loves. They are pulpy mysteries with the most reckless and unlikable people and I adore it. Mean moms was just what I needed.

Every character is similar to someone I’ve met in life who I’ve rolled my eyes at. I simultaneously dislike everyone and yet am rooting for each of them to overcome. Everyone is sleeping with everyone and no one has met a morale they didn’t want to change. I wish everyone had a little more depth and that the plot was a little more developed but this novel knows what it is and doesn’t try to be more.

This was a fun time and listening to the audiobook made all the text message changes and MOM GROUPS (ugh) feel all the more real.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance audiobook; all opinions are my own.

I seldom give 5 stars. My Goodreads star rating averages around 3.5 so when I give out the perfect score, it truly was a book I not only loved, but that I want you to read too.

Mean Moms was an audio arc that kept me listening for two solid days. A cast of characters of Uber wealthy New York moms, cliques, parents over involved with their offspring’s future, jockeying for clout and power, a series of unfortunate events - I was here for all of it. What struck me most is typically I require a character to root for - someone nice and deserving of happiness. Good luck finding one of them among this entitled crowd, yet I still was invested in all of them.

And, no, never in a million years did I guess the ending.

Buy this for your beach bag and buckle up.

What happens when a group of wealthy private school moms start getting exactly what they deserve? This drew me right in and kept me wanting to listen to it more. The narration was spot on! This book has a bit of everything, part satire, party mystery, and throw in some friendships, and jealousy you've got a very entertaining story. Loved this so much, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook, I'll definitely be recommending it!

My favorite part about this book is that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters so it was like stepping into another world. I mean a weird world where everyone is rich, bored, and trying to one up each other but I loved it! The mom’s of Atherton all have secrets and most are grown up mean girls. It was interesting to see the other side of things. The characters reminded me of what the the Gossip Girl characters would be like as parents.

I loved the WhatsApp chat with all the moms especially that poor mom who begged to be removed at the beginning of the book but was still there begging at the end. I was floored by all the craziness that seemed to surround these characters and then the end was so satisfying and made so much sense. This was such a different book than I would normally pick up but it was so good.

I usually gravitate toward books with multiple narrators but this book was only narrated by January LaVoy who did such an amazing job I didn’t even miss having additional narrators. She did an amazing job voicing all of the characters in a unique way that held my attention.

MEAN MOMS is a fun, amusing, silly, and entertaining story about rich moms and their kids in a private school in NYC, with a lot of tea, drama, spoiled kids - as well as their own mothers, revenge, and a mystery about a certain person trying to boycott a group of moms from this small and private circle of friends.
It's a wild ride, really. It's a book to have fun with it. With unhinged and crazy characters. To not take it seriously, and just enjoy the trashy mothers and situations they put themselves into. A light book to read in any day you want to relax with an easy-breezy novel about shallow rich people doing bad things to one another. Some would call this book a 'guilty pleasure' read. Personally, I have no shame or guilt at all to say I really had the most pleasure reading this book. :)

I loved it. I listened to this whole book in one single day and I had a blast. This is the third book I've read from this author and, even though I still prefer Rosenblum's debut, Bad Summer People, this new one is pretty close to my own enjoyment.
But I must say: this is not a book for everyone who likes to read mystery or thriller.
First, this is not truly a thriller. It's much more of a contemporary/women's fiction with a touch of mystery.
Second, pretty much everyone sucks in this book. LOL So you gotta enjoy bad people being shallow and, well, bad and vindictive.
However, I do think the characters here (especially the moms) are well-developed. You can distinguish one from another by their own personalities.

The audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy and, as always, she delivers everything. She's amazing at voicing so many different characters with different voices. If you're interested in this book and you are an audiobook listener, please do yourself a favour and read this book on the audio format. It's a must!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to an advance audio copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This one was a WILD and fun ride! It popped up on @netgalley and after reading the description, it seemed like a fun time. AND IT WAS!

If you took Sex and the City, mixed it up with Gossip Girl, added some mom drama, and dropped a sociopath in the middle, you would have this book! I loved it! It was equal parts hilarious, mysterious, and fun.

The story is easy to follow and entertaining, so it would be the perfect book to read on a trip or on a vacation when you're looking for some fun, brain candy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eARC.

Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum was just the right amount of crazy I was looking for. It follows a group of very rich, very wild moms who have kids attending the same private school. This book was full of privilege and wealth and I just ate it up. There was definitely a lot of terrible people in this book, sociopaths really. But I could not stop listening. I loved the audiobook narrator.

I predicted how it would end, but still loved it.