Kitchen Knives & Insta-lies

A funny, moving and relatable read, that Mum's will find themselves getting drawn into as they have likely experienced the same things and thought the same things.

What's intriguing about this book is that the paces picks up really fast and you cannot help but find yourself turning the pages until you get to the end of the story.
You've got Ari who seems to be in a world of his own struggling to make sense of grief, loss and his role in it. Then you've got Leah and their mom, Sophia, who starts posting accounts of her life as a mom on Instagram and soon gets attention for how authentic her posts are- and whereas she feels like everything is crumbling around her and the world is on the move while she stopped, you cannot help but read on hoping she gets that silver lining somewhere in the story.
It's got humor, wit, sarcasm- and characters you can relate to, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves some fiction.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

Oh yes, I got the real mum sxxt. I’m just really glad that Instagram didn’t exist when I had young children as I was not one of these shining examples of a clean, neat house and fashionable dressing. I was definitely in the ‘real’ category. Messy, lost kids – our daughter was brilliant at escaping – in the shops and onto the street and off and away; or one time she was let out – by her naughty brother who was sad she was locked in our garden and though she would like to play with him – and she crossed a main road and managed to get onto a main railway line into Euston! With her baby in its pram even… luckily brought back by station staff who knew she had come from our estate! She also managed to get left behind in a supermarket car park – there were extenuating circumstances – 2 cars and lots of shopping after both been at work all day and thus frazzled – and each of us, thought the other had her!
All that said, it was a funny book with many giggles bu the ending felt flat and forced.

Genre: Fiction/Novella
Rating: 5/5
Plot: 
She had fought tooth and nail for success, beat hundreds of others to the internship at Brightly Lit Productions, worked harder than anyone to secure promotion after promotion, prioritised work to the point of cancelling her honeymoon because her boss, Nick Maher, had declared they couldn’t manage without her. And all for what? 
Former hotshot TV producer turned frustrated stay-at-home mum Sophia Williams-Williams finds a secret outlet for her angst and endless grievances against her workaholic husband on Instagram.
But her unexpected rise to fame and growing financial independence soon place further strain on her marriage. 
Meanwhile, her 10 year old son’s obsession with keeping his loved ones “safe” has unforeseen and devastating consequences.
My verdict: Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. A very funny read about a mum’s transition from producer to housewife and now her transition into the limelight via Instagram. Not only does this book deals with the sometimes harsh realities and responsibilities of being a mum, it deals with Mental Health (OCD/Anxiety and post natal depression) as well as religion and finding something to believe in. Not only that it tackles many issues facing the modern family like long work hours, private school mum envy and rivalry as well as the ups and downs of social media. Overall a very engaging read with a plenty of sarcasm and dollops of dry senses of humour all the whilst tackling some heavy issues with lots of empathy and awareness. 

click the image to be taken to amazon to buy your copy

This book has it all - a gripping story line, relatable characters, humour.
This is a clever book from an author who clearly has a talent at turning the emotions and experiences of everyday life into books that her readers can't put down once they start reading them. Surely it's only a matter of time before Elise is a household name? I can't wait to see what she publishes next. Highly recommend.