I really enjoyed this audiobook! After a slightly slow start, the twists pulled me in & I was hooked! I binged the audio & enjoyed the mystery, satire & plot!

This book was full of very interesting characters that definitely kept the listener on their toes in terms of uncovering the twist. It was an entertaining and quick listen as well. I was shocked by the twist at the end and glad that (character name redacted to avoid spoilers) got her moment to clear her name

Much like Very Bad Company, I enjoyed the social commentary by way of satire sprinkled throughout the book.

This had a bit of a slow start, but it hooked me by the halfway point and then veered in an unexpected direction I didn’t see coming—which made it a lot more enjoyable than I initially expected. The author did a solid job of hoodwinking me when it came to who to be suspicious of (and who was just an asshole for sport).

It’s giving Gossip Girl meets The White Lotus— a bunch of despicable rich people doing shitty things to each other with way too much money and no shame. Lots of snark, petty drama, and general messiness, which was thoroughly entertaining. #eattherich

If you like Real Housewives, Desperate Housewives, and New York society, this will make you so happy! A delightful mystery that will keep you guessing as to who is the meanest of the moms. Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum
Narrated by January LaVoy

Sometimes it's fun to jump in the stinky muck of rich people doing everything they can get away with while thinking they are better than everyone else. Meet the super wealthy moms of children who attend Atherton Seminary, the top private school in Manhattan. Famous real life names get dropped as having kids go to this school or as people living in a mom's apartment building and you should see who shows up at the parties the moms host. Yes, this is the much desired big time and you can only stand back and watch the cream of the crop, coolest, most beautiful moms and feel the burn of envy. Who cares if they have help being beautiful, at this level of wealth, everyone does it, must do it.

The top moms at Atherton Seminary are Frost, Morgan, and Belle. Everyone else can just wish they were them, it's not going to happen, these women know their game and they aren't giving up the top spots. Then a new mom, Sofia from Miami, arrives on the scene and is able to quickly make the trio a foursome, thanks to her good heartedness, good humor, interesting past, enviable body, and just all round ability to slither in like a friendly snake. It's so weird, how could she even get her kids into this school? She's done the impossible and she's not talking, which just has everyone clamoring even more to stay close to this intriguing, stacked like a Kardashian, woman.

When Sofia and Frost buddy up, the foursome becomes a duo of twosomes but they are still the top dogs. There is suspicion all around and for good reason. Everyone is up to no good in one way or another, the wives, the husbands, the kids and school staff. There are so many hoops to jump just to not embarrass oneself in this environment and the rumor mill is always looking for another carcass to drag through the mud. If it's someone else, then it can't be them, they all hope.

Once Sofia arrives on the scene, bad things start happening, very bad things, more bad than the bad going on before she showed up. Now it's past just rumor mill stuff, things are getting dangerous, violent, and it is obvious a sociopath (maybe psychopath) could be standing right there among all the wealthy moms. A best friend even? Reputations are going to be destroyed, the mighty will fall, and they may take those below them with them. All one can do it stand back, stare, and hope the chaos doesn't spread too far.

I am amazed, once again, at the narration of January LaVoy. This story has a huge number of characters and she is narrating all of them yet it's easy to forget there is just one narrator. She is one of my favorite narrators now and it's because she gets lost in the character, I can forget she is narrating, she can become so many different voices. This is a great vehicle for her skills and she made the story even more fun than if I had read it.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

This story was a WILD and fast paced, and I devoured it. It’s giving Big Little Lies, Gossip Girl & The Favorites vibes. It’s weird and shocking and entirely entertaining. 4 stars for the intrigue alone!

The narrator did a fantastic job, I loved her performance!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my review.

This is my kind of book. Suburban moms and wives just going at each other behind the cloak of best friends, yes please!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you like all the b!tchy rich Mom drama you will LOVE this book!! I listened to the audiobook and at the start the nauseating factor was a bit much for me. But as the story went along I got into all the chaos! I was fully invested in each Mom’s ‘issues’.

Secrets. Lies. Cheating. Cruel acts. Deception. Fakeness.

Along with the insanity of the uber rich, there was a string of uncertainty woven throughout. I love a good sociopath reveal!! This one sure packs a punch!!

In this story we get high society, entitled moms who all have their own issues, agendas and hidden secrets but are eager to discuss others’ issues and gossip about their friends behind their backs.

Rich moms, spoiled children, and high society NYC vibes gave so much drama it was like an episode of Real Housewives. Ridiculous events happen and they are so wild, they were too unbelievable and kept me out of the story.

Now, with that said the story did lack some for me throughout.

STORY/PLOT RATING 📖: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Although this had my interest from the jump, it took a bit of a nosedive as we looked through sooooooo many POVs in the book.

I was initially invested, but when things started to happen that seemed incredibly unlikely (like the motorcycle incident) it felt like too much. Obviously this sets up for a later reveal, but to me it just fell flat.

I eventually became bored and it felt like it lost the plot of the story along the way. I couldn’t connect with any characters as they all seemed corrupt and there were too many to keep track of.

NARRATION /AUDIOBOOK🎙️🎧 - 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The narrator in this did a phenomenal job with all of the different characters and portraying multiple personalities and accents, it was a joy and fun experience to listen. I do feel like the audio brought these characters to life more than a standard read would! I would highly recommend the audiobook on this one! I think it’s a must!

It also opens with some added sound effects via a group message with school parents and the group chat comes up several times throughout the book with the sound effects and I just ate this aspect and of the story up!

✨I received this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio! Thank you for the ALC! Everything in this review are my true and accurate statements.

This audiobook was so well narrated and the book itself held a lot of promise. I enjoyed feeling like I had an inside look at the elite, wealthy NYC moms who were so cliquey, scandalous and self indulgent. There were some moments in the book that really made you feel like it was real life - like all the drama caused and constantly trying to one-up each other. If you enjoy hearing about other peoples problems and drama, you will enjoy this book.

The multiple POVs were sometimes had to keep track of and felt confused at times, so I am definitely glad I got the opportunity to hear the audiobook versus the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Macmillan Audio for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoyed Bad Summer People, then Mean Moms is a sure thing. This was so much fun listening to wealthy private school mom’s and their VERY first world problems. The story revolves around a group of moms who find that maybe it isn’t a coincidence that bad things keep happening to them. While it is pretty easy to figure out early on who the culprit is of all the misdoings, there are still some twists at the end that will entertain you.
A very realistic part that made me laugh everytime it came up in the storyline was the “mom group chat” and how absolutely insufferable they can be in real life, but even more magnified and annoying when it is comprised of the 1%’ers.
Overall, a fun read at anytime of the year, but I am finding Emma Rosenblum to be the perfect summer audio books for some fun escapism.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I love Emma Rosenblum's books about intrigue in high-society. In her new book, she explores the lives of rich mom's in a fancy private school in NYC

Frost, Megan and Nell's friend group looks perfect from the outside, but everything changes when Sofia joins their fancy school as the new hot and cool mom, but Sofia has no idea how she got a place in this fancy school for her kids.

This book is told from multiple POVs, I swear you need a notebook to keep track of all the character's back story.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Yup, I love Emma Rosenblum! I could not get enough of these "mean moms" and loved every minute of the audio! There was lots of drama, wealthy women behaving badly, backstabbing, infidelity, gossip, and scheming!

I loved that the novel centered around four women who were all so different. There were also several peripheral characters and I think it was easy to find a bit of yourself in someone - for better or worse! I also loved the setting of a prestigious private grade school in New York City. And while the book literally has "Moms" in the title and the entire plot is centered around several moms, it had shockingly little to do with parenting or children (which is not my experience as a mom AT ALL)! I liked that the children, and even the husbands, were very much not the focal point of the story and that the women and their lives and relationships with each other was.

The parties that took place were super fun. I loved the descriptions and over the top themes, costumes, and decor. I also loved the insight into the relationship between a school and the community and the school and the families that attend it. I thought that aspect was really well done and the tone deafness surrounding current issues like the unhoused was unsettling but also humorous.

The novel takes a turn I wasn't quite expecting that added a bit of mystery/thriller which I absolutely loved. It really was a great blending of all my favorite genres and Rosenblum executed it flawlessly.

I listened to this novel on audio and January LaVoy delivered a tremendous performance. I always love her voices and acting and this was no exception. I did feel that the voices/inflections for Belle and Morgan were a little similar but overall, this wasn't a distraction.

If you've enjoyed Rosenblum's prior novels or you just love a good "mama drama", this one cannot be missed.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Flatiron Books for the copy.

This book has me literally laughing at some of the ridiculous things that these private school New York City moms said/thought. Told from lots of perspectives but the characters were fun and love-to-hate-able. I really enjoyed this read.

Emma Rosenblum has such a talent for juicy drama set in an elite world. She has the perfect amount of characters and detail that make her stories come together perfectly. In Mean Moms, we follow a group of wealthy NYC private school moms as strange/dangerous things begin happening around them. Who is behind all this?! Read to find out, it will not dissapoint!!! Thank you, NetGalley.

An excellent narrator can often be the difference maker in my enjoyment of a book. January LaVoy kept me engaged during this satirical tale of horrid rich people behaving horribly.

If you are a fan of salacious reality television, and I’ve been known to binge watch those early Real Housewives franchises, you’ll find yourself squealing at the utterly despicable behaviors of the moms of Atherton Seminary, an elite NYC private school. When a new mom enters their clique after moving from Miami things begin to go terribly wrong; proving there’s a thin line between friendship and back stabbing.

I will admit I found few redeeming qualities for any of these characters, with the exception of one. I kept listening in the hopes that karma would have her way with all of them. Let me tell you, no matter how frustrating and dysfunctional your PTA experience was, it pales in comparison to this group of malicious moms.

My final hope is that the mom trapped in the group chat finds a way to extricate herself before it’s too late.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to this one after loving Bad Summer People and it did not disappoint. This book genuinely made me laugh out loud! Emma Roseblum's books are a funny, snarky, gossipy delight. This one gave me grown up Mean Girls/Gossip Girl vibes with a little mystery for a treat. I loved listening to January LaVoy's narration - one of my favorite narrators!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Audiobook review: January LaVoy is one of the best audiobook narrators working today. I was very excited to learn she was reading this book! She does a fantastic job with the different characters (her ability to switch voices is seriously impressive) and displaying the full range of emotions. I feel like she personally saved the harder parts of the book for me with her impressive skills. Audiobook rating is 5 stars.

Book review: While this book started really promising, it disappointed me in the end. The narrative was twisty and funny at first but unraveled in a very dull and cliché way. However, my biggest issue (as a Latina) was with Sofia. The character felt very stereotypical and more of a caricature to me. Everything from her back story (Colombia plus poverty plus drug violence), her code switching in random conversations, her physical description and her being overtly sexual and sassy are all very classic Latina stereotypes. I believe this book could have benefited from sensitivity readers or more exposure to Latin Americans. In 2025, it's a shame for this kind of characterization to still be prevalent in very self-aware and socially conscious works. Book rating: 2.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller centered around a group of mean moms all out to get each other and pretend to be supportive of one another. I thought the way this played out was really interesting and was actually pretty surprised by the reveals. The character development was fantastic and we really got to know each mom. I also loved how it bounced around from each mom's perspective so we could get the full picture of what was going on. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an interview.

If you are looking for a cross between Desperate Housewives and Mean Girls this is your book. This story centers around a group of very rich private school moms and oh are they nasty! There is a little bit of everything (mystery, humour and drama). The details at the end were a little over the top for me but overall I enjoyed this one.

The narration was perfect, easy to listen to and follow

Thank you Net Galley, Emma Rosenblum and MacMillian Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Mean Moms is expected to be released July 29, 2025.