thank you to emma rosenblum & netgalley for an arc of this book. all opinions are my own. ♡

<b> ₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts:</b> this gives me upper east side gossip girl moms kind of vibes and i cant wait to indulge

<b>₊˚⊹⋆ final thoughts:</b>

Mean Moms is a fast-paced satire with a mystery twist that’s enhanced by its audiobook narration. The narrator’s performance is spot-on—witty, expressive, and well-paced. The social dynamics were easy to follow and very entertaining. The audiobook flows smoothly, with clear transitions and a rhythm that keeps the listener hooked.

Emma Rosenblum’s writing is clever and utterly enjoyable, especially in her portrayal of suburban motherhood. While some plot turns are a bit over-the-top, the story keeps the reader engaged throughout. This was a one sitting read!

A great listen for fans of smart, sassy fiction with a twist of suspense. This one will keep you reading!

I'll read everything Emma Rosemblum writes. I didn't find this to be as mysterious and provocative as her other two novels, but I enjoyed it. She is so skilled at creating a world and characters who feel so tangible. Everyone knows this circle of moms!

The audio performance was entertaining and compelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC. Mean Moms is out now!

Another really fun skewering of rich people behaving badly. While I’m not anywhere close to the social class of these characters, there are definitely some pressures related to motherhood that are universal. I also liked how absurd a few of the chapters are, and there was a great use of group chats.

I read a portion of this using the audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher. I was particularly impressed with how the narrator was able to distinguish the voices of all the moms.

Mean Moms
By: Emma Rosenblum

- multiple POVs
- moms at an upperclass private school
- murder, mystery & drama — oh my!!

This book was great & kept me guessing!! I loved the drama amongst the moms & the mystery mixed in. It gave me Gossip Girl vibes if they were all parents.

The narrator was great and added personality to the characters!

Content/trigger warnings: affairs, murder, theft, body image issues

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for access to this ARC in return for my honest review!

This story follows a group of unhappy women and the drama of their lives. If you love all of the drama then you will love this. I was hoping for more or a plot with some humor or mystery but it read more like a reality TV show. Overall a good palate cleanse of a read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book gave real housewives vibes and I was totally here for it because I love the drama!!! Some of the situations were a bit unrealistic however I ate that shit up and still really enjoyed it

Oh boy! If you are a fan of the scandal and drama behind the moms of the 1% this here is the book for you! We start by following the moms as they meet the newest mom, Sophia, on the first day of school. On the first day, another mom gets spit on by a homeless man, and Sophia whacks him with her purse, turning her into the "hero" of a mom clique, and she quickly becomes their new friend. As the school year progresses, each member of the group has bad things happen to her, and it goes from feeling like freak incidents to malicious intent. The more POVs you get, the worse everything gets, from the duplicity, gossip, jealousy, and infidelity. This story is told in 3 parts and multiple POVs. The first act is the build-up, the second act is where everything starts falling apart, and then the third act is when you finally figure out what is going on. I have never seen a Real Housewives episode, but I would imagine that it is like this book, but more sinister. So basically, this is a drama-filled whodunit with lots of high-end pop culture NYC references. I would never be able to relate, as my pocketbook would not allow me to set foot in this area of Manhattan, but it's entertaining. January LaVoy does a wonderful job narrating and brings the sass and suspense when needed.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

I enjoyed listening to this! A satirical take on rich people behaving badly, specifically parents of children at a New York private school over the course of one school year. There’s a little bit of a mystery storyline, but that’s not the main focus.

I’m glad I had the audio version of this because it made it fun listening to the gossip. The narrator, January LaVoy, is fantastic, but there are multiple POVs and so many characters that sometimes I found it hard to keep track of who was who.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

A book about a bunch of rich, terrible women whose secrets are being exposed? Well sign me up please! The drama in this is amazing, There are some completely horrid woman, the kind that make you root for their social demise. There are also some women you can root for. I really loved this. The narrator was great as well.

A tightknit group of Manhattan private school moms have their friendship challenged by series of minor but damaging attacks. Sofia, a recent arrival in Manhattan quickly joins the group--could she be responsible for these "pranks"?

The book was ok. I didn't really connect with any of the characters--who are mostly upper class snobs. Sofia is bit more relatable but she's so determined to ingratiate herself with the power group, that it seemed suspicious.

I found the main characters interchangeable and I didn't care very much about any of them. I also didn't find the "thriller" aspect of the novel very compelling.

Although it didn't work for me, I'm sure this book will work for other readers. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy Liane Moriarty.

I enjoyed this book. I love Emma Rosenblum, and love how she made reference to "Bad Summer People". It kept me engaged and wanted to know what happened next.

(3.5 stars – rounding up to 4)

I am a fan of Emma Rosenblum and enjoyed Mean Moms. I recommend the audiobook – the narration is fantastic. It’s a fun, quick read.

You follow all the gossip, drama and rich-girl problems of a mom’s group from an elite private school. Frost, Morgan and Nell’s group quickly bring a new mom from Miami, Sofia, into their high-society clique. There are scandals, affairs, elaborate parties, hit & run and much more. I liked the cattiness between the women and their scandalous secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Emma Rosenblum, and NetGalley for a chance to preview this title.

This book is about a group of very rich, very privileged moms of a prestigious private school in New York City. The group is then divided into cliques. But when a new family mysteriously arrives on the scene, bad things start happening. Chaos ensues and it is all back stabbing and accusations.

The story was a bit hard to get into at first because there are so many characters thrown at once, like within the first chapter. I assumed that the "important" ones would emerge, and while that was true to a point, it was still a lot of characters to keep straight. The plot was entertaining and held my interest, I do not think there was a lull in the story. There was good character development. Even with that, I felt the story was lack luster. And I feel that it is 100% me and not anything wrong with the book itself.

I listened to this on audiobook and very much enjoyed the narration. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially to those that like reality shows and competitions. This is just what you'd be looking for.

This was a great ride. Well paced, funny rich people behaving badly tale. I read it in one day and had a really good time. But, it’s a little hateful towards women. Not sure why so many bad feelings about what women deal with and how.

This book was delicious! I found the beginning a little slow as we met each of the main women and learned their backstory but once the drama picked up, I gobbled this up.

Read on audio, the production and sound effects were amazing and really helped organize the story, especially in What's App and Text Threads. Also the narrator, January LaVoy, was perfect. There was so much of this to enjoy: the frenemies, the fancy parties, the adultery, the fashion and backstabbing. Mean Moms was just so juicy!

4.25 stars

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early audio in return for an honest opinion

This was a jarring book to listen to after reading The Girls Who Grew Big. The contrast between the MM moms’ privilege and inanity and the GWGB moms’ hard luck and earnestness is shocking.

Mean Moms reads like Big Little Lies meets Heathers, with lots of gorgeous seasonal NYC in the background. The moms in this book have one bad thing after another happen to them - hard to feel too bad for them since they’re so rich and so mean - but the whodunnit aspect of the book is fun. Loved January LaVoy’s narration, and this is a great read for back-to-school season!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio #MacAudio2025 for the advance copy of this audiobook 📚 🎧

I really enjoyed the audio for Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum! Her writing voice is clever and entertaining, and I'm always amused by the 'rich people behaving badly' genre. The story was silly but fun, and I felt the characters were developed and believable with well flushed=out motivations and backstories.

Four instead of five stars because of the unnecessary extra POV's. A few of the background characters felt like filler and distractions, and I found myself wishing I was reading the physical copy so I could skim those chapters.

BUT overall, I think this book was a great read and will definitely recommend to readers who share an appreciation for this genre!

Thank you for the ARC!

Another rich people behaving badly story... I seem to gravitate towards these lately! These moms were SOMETHING ELSE and seemed to care about any and everything except their children. I liked the mystery aspect of this and did not call it ahead of time. I loved Bad Summer People and Very Bad Company more than this-- this didn't quite live up that those in my book, but still a solid read.

I had this book in both Kindle format and audio, and the narration on this book was fantastic- thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

I don't watch Real Housewives, but I'm thinking that if you're a fan of that show, you'll probably enjoy this book. These women are self-centered and vicious to the max. Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, they up the ante. I enjoyed the different twists and the inclusion of the kids thoughts and feelings. I also thought the message thread between chapters was hilarious. The narrator did a fine job in the audio version.