Mom's Night Out

by Tricia Goyer

Mom’s Night Out is a novelization of the hilarious family comedy that celebrates real family life—where everything can go wrong and still turn out all right.
 
All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms’ night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours—what could go wrong?
 
Chronicling one night out gone awry, three harried moms, their husbands, a sister-in-law with a misplaced baby, a tattoo parlor owner, a motorcycle gang, and a bewildered cabbie all learn to embrace the beautiful mess called parenting. This book spotlights the unfulfilled expectations and serial self-doubts many moms feel . . . then reassures us that the key is raising kids in a loving home. Mom’s Night Out is an endearing, true-to-life comedy.
 
The MOMS’ NIGHT OUT film features Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Sean Astin (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle), Alex Kendrick (COURAGEOUS), Robert Amaya (COURAGEOUS), Andrea Logan White (REVELATION ROAD), Kevin Downes (COURAGEOUS), and platinum-selling country recording artist Trace Adkins (THE LINCOLN LAWYER).

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Christian, Humor, Adult, Comedy

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of ten, grandmother of two, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites.In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.

Reviews

[Meliltodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, easy read. Every mom can relate. I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms’ night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours—what could go wrong?

Chronicling one night out gone awry, three harried moms, their husbands, a sister-in-law with a misplaced baby, a tattoo parlor owner, a motorcycle gang, and a bewildered cabbie all learn to embrace the beautiful mess called parenting.”



Series: Has a movie of the same name, which I can’t wait to see! {My parents and I were going to see it on the 9th but we all got sick. :( }


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Sondra is a Pastor’s wife; Talks about God, doing your best for Him & Trusting Him when things don’t go as we planned.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a two forms of ‘crap’, a ‘dang’, a ‘freakin’’, and a ‘darn’; Bones headbutts a guy.

Sexual Content- a ‘tramp’; Allyson & Sean share some (not-detailed) kisses; Bridget had Phoenix out of wedlock with Joey.

-Allyson

P.O.V. switches between Allyson, Sean, Izzy, Marco, Sondra, Bridget, Kevin, Bones, Mary (once) & Hank (once)
276 pages
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Pre Teens- One Star

New Teens- Two Stars

Early High School Teens- Three Stars

Older High School Teens- Four Stars

My personal Rating- Three Stars(and a half)

Oh my. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong in “Moms’ Night Out”. I don’t know what I cracked-up at more—the cabbie or Bones’ and his Pinterest! Plus, Allyson is a (mommy) blogger!

Link to full review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...

[Laura Radniecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the movie so the element of suspense wasn't there quite as much while reading as it would have been if I hadn't seen the movie. But I still enjoyed the book! I'm a mom now, so I "get" it a lot more than I did before. I'm even a blogger, so I connect with Ally there too. It was a fun read for me as I primarily read it in the evenings, after my 18 month old son went to sleep (that I stay home with during the day.) It made me smile, laugh and roll my eyes in all of the right places.

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grown kids had asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. I said that I really wanted to see the movie Mom’s Night Out. I had read the novelization a few weeks back, written by Tricia Goyer and thought it would be a great movie. I laughed out-loud and got choked up in parts. I wondered if they could pull off the fun and craziness I had read about in the book and put it on the big screen. I told my kids about the actors that were in this movie. They didn't seem thrilled. In unison the said, “How about watching the new Spiderman movie or there is this other movie… Mom’s Night out really?”

I told them the movie depicted the joys and struggles of motherhood. It could be a wild ride of family fun. No one looked thrilled to see it. But because I asked them. We went as a family. A mom couldn't ask for more! I told them of all the cast members (listed below) hoping this would real them in. Nobody changed their expressions. They just gave me polite smiles, saying inside, “OK, Mom I’m doing this for you because I love you. You can’t change my mind. Just go with it.” So, I did. I knew what lay ahead. I was excited about my Mom’s Night Out! Grin!

The MOMS’ NIGHT OUT film featured – CAST - Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Sean Astin (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle), Alex Kendrick (COURAGEOUS), Robert Amaya (COURAGEOUS), Andrea Logan White (REVELATION ROAD), Kevin Downes (COURAGEOUS), and platinum-selling country recording artist Trace Adkins (THE LINCOLN LAWYER).

The movie starts out exactly as the book did. Allyson is up early her husband is away on business, she’s feeling stressed and she begins to blog.

“It’s 5a.m. And do you know where your children are? Mine are in bed. I should be in bed. It’s Mother’s Day. But I’m not. Wanna know why? Because I’m a clean freak! ……I can actually feel the house getting dirty. Like I have nerve endings in the carpet. And it affects me.”

As we watched the first few scenes of the move I heard the audience roar and I watched my children on either side of me laughing hard. As I looked at them and watched the movie I remembered being in the thick of raising small children. Those times were precious and overwhelming at the same time. The movie showed that. The Lord brought me through along with girlfriends and prayer.

I looked over at my oldest son who is graduating from high school next week who was actually enjoying the movie and I stared at him. I couldn't believe he had grown up so fast and would be off to college soon. I looked at my daughter who was in the thick of raising a precious 3 ½ year old son with her husband. She laughed but saw this movie in a different way than my son. I saw in her eyes she was relieved that other women had gone through the things she had. I saw her being energized. My 16 year old son laughed even though doing so hurt. He wasn't feeling well but came anyway to be with us. I appreciated him doing that even though he had a stuffy nose. I looked at him almost a man. He’s’ always be my baby!

After the movie ended the credits came and we usually stay to read them all. Everyone was relieved when they read in the credits that nothing happened to the bird named Mama! We roared even more at the thought of it. It reminded us of the whole bird scene. Hilarious!

SPOILER ALERT: There was a part that touched me in the book but more so in the movie when Bones was talking to Allyson about motherhood.

“I saw something the other day…It was an eagle just caring for its young….It’s a beautiful thing to watch one of God’s creations just doing what it was made to do…Just being an eagle, and that’s enough.” He looked at Allyson.

“Lemme tell you something, girl. I doubt the Good Lord made a mistake giving your kiddos the mama He did. So just be…you. He’ll take care of the rest.”

…hearing this from Bones tugged at her heart even more. He was an unlikely prophet, sent to speak to her at an unlikely time. Only God could do something like that.

Allyson wiped away a tear, sniffling as she did. “That was really…profound, Bones.”

“What? Wha’d I say? Was it good? He straightened in his seat.
…”Where they true, Bone’s words? Was she enough? Had God made her enough just as she was? Was she enough just in being who she was…no matter how well she performed?” (Quotes taken from the Book by the same name written by Tricia Goyer – this scene was in the movie)

I know I struggle to walk in what God has called me to do and not be swayed to perform to the standards of this world. I walked away encouraged. The message I heard was that being a Mom matters so does balance and being a team with your spouse. Everyone needs a time out and time to unplug, regroup and breathe before going back at it.

It was wonderful to see I could go to the theatres and have a choice at watching this great quality of a movie with clean fun, laughs and a great message. I LOVED IT! And so did my kids. They were talking about their favorite parts in the car on the way home. Laughing again at what they had seen and heard. Great memories created on this Mother’s Day!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY EVERYONE!! Thanks Kids and my honey for BLESSING ME and encouraging me on Mothers day!

Disclosure of Material Connection: #AD Sponsored by publisher.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St.Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com

[Bridget Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I loved the movie, and it felt like I was watching it all over again. Yay.😊

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every single mom needs this message. We all struggle with comparison, with self-worth issues, and wonder if we're doing anything right. We go through stages of sleeplessness, of stress, and loneliness. Whether your a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, a young or older mom, or whether your kids are little and busy or big and complicated, Mom's Night Out has something for you.



I'm generally leery of movies that are books and vice versa. Usually one is drastically better than the other, and that makes for a big disappointment somewhere. The great thing about this book is that 1) Tricia Goyer wrote it, and she's a fantastic writer, and 2) it is EVERY BIT as good as the movie and then some.



I read the book first, and with this particular set, I don't think it would have mattered. Because it isn't your typical book but a novelization, the two are very, very similar. Goyer actually watched the movie over and over to put it on paper accurately, and she did an amazing job. The book flows smoothly with one scene falling into place right after another, and it captures what's happening on screen perfectly. Exactly.



With one exception, and in this instance the book most definitely rules. One of the main mom characters speaks much less than the others. One is clearly the main, with the other two being important supporting roles, and they each have a lot to offer. There is little background on what might be motivating one or happening in her head; but the book delves into the motivations of the other. I loved that extra information. It's perfect. It's necessary. It's something that we all face, to some degree or another, and Goyer blended Patricia Heaton's facial expressions and the tidbits of information from the script with reality to really round out this person.

These deep lessons don't make the book dry, though. I started it at a baseball game one evening and was reading on the couch with my husband afterwards. By the end I was laughing so hard I nearly fell off! My son - who's seven - decided that anything that funny needed to be read by him, as well, so he's been carrying it around for a few weeks. It's definitely a keeper.

Why is it so funny? Do you remember that '80s movie Adventures in Babysitting? They could've named this book Adventures in Mommydom and it would've been perfect - except that unlike that older movie, in this one they learn from all the things that go wrong and see that there really is beauty in life's struggles and imperfections.

And that sometimes God put them there. Other times He uses them.

Either way, our mess doesn't have to cause us stress. We could choose to laugh and see the joy and beauty in our adventures.

Then we could band together for a mom's night out to laugh about them.

Wouldn't that be fun?

I received a free copy of these books from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie (the nerdy princess) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was a very enjoyable read. Very funny and very relatable if you are a parent. I honestly thought It was going to be funnier…. But it was still a good story. I think the movie is probably better but I have yet to watch that.

Allyson is a mommy-blogger with not a lot of followers yet, but hoping it will, mother of 3. She is a stay at home mom, and loves it and this is what she has always wanted. She has some type of phobia about messes and with 3 children she is always struggling to remain calm even though there is a mess somewhere. She seems to have to fix everything, and my favorite part of the book with her is when she has a meltdown, grabs a bag of chocolate and hides in her closet…. WIN! That’s where I would go to if I wanted to hide from my children!

The next character we are introduced to is Sandra. She is the pastor’s wife with a teenage daughter. She is always trying to be perfect and set a great example since everyone is looking up to her and using her as an example. It must be hard being everyone’s rock when you have nobody to be your rock….

Last but not least we met Izzy. Proud mother of twins with a husband who is scared crapless of little kids. She is always afraid to leave them alone with him because he just cant handle it.
With all 3 moms stressed out, Allyson decides to have a “mom’s night out” she got a groupon and it is going to happen. The husband has all agreed to watch the children with a promise of not calling the women.
Well sure enough, all hell breaks loose and allyson’s wonderful night turns into something else.

I’m telling you once you get to the night out the book gets 10x better! :)

I have to say I wanted to punch Joey in the face… who is joey you ask…read the story and find out! :)

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a definite "to read" book! I loved it! This book will have you literally laughing out loud. I'll be honest. I haven't seen the movie yet (although my friends say it's awesome). For the record, I have been wanting to see it, and, at this point, I'll just have to catch it when it comes out (which will be soon). If the movie is as great as this book, then I cannot wait to see it! Tricia Goyer did a fantastic job in turning this into a must-read book :)

I am not a mama, but I could totally relate to Allyson. How many times have I honestly felt like she did and questioned my own self at times? Sondra, the pastor's wife, was another character I could relate to in some ways. She always felt like she had to stay "on" and I don't say that in a bad way. Just in an "always-having-to-keep-appearances-don't-let-them-see-the-real-me-at-times-because-they'd-hate-or-judge-her" persona way. I loved reading about their longed for Moms' Night Out which takes them on a very interesting, sometimes scary ride. Their night definitely becomes an adventure none of them expected it to be with bikers, a tattoo parlor, a missing baby, an incredible dislocated shoulder seen, and so much more!

I truly think this is a book that any woman can relate to whether single or married or as a mama or not.

[Cheryl Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious!!! The Mom's Night Out was something every mom could relate to! Whether it is the planning and making sure the dads are ok with the kids, or trying to make dinner reservations, we know how crazy it can be to get away for a few hours.
This book is a must read, especially for moms with young kids, or the mom who is frustrated when things are "not perfect".
Very much enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see the movie!

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novelization of a really great movie. So much to say about life and parenting and how we need others to lean on. Even if you have seen the movie--read the book because she does such a great job of putting the emotions into everything.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny funny book! I've never expected to laugh out loud with this one but I did and I'm pleased.
I'm not a mom but I think that everybody can enjoy this hilarious story.

[Kristina Seleshanko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watch the movie instead. It made me laugh a lot and cry a little, but the book did neither. Plus it's full of typos.

[Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - a bit slow at the beginning but certainly picks up at the end. You can have a good laugh in some parts. Bones is an interesting character full of surprises...

[Angellika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zu Anfang hat der Roman mit vielen Emotionen, Ticks und Spannung gestartet. Allyson, mit einem Ordnungstick, kümmert sich nahezu alleine um die drei Kinder, die ihr das Leben schwer machen. Als sie dann ausgeht, scheint der Abend eine Menge lustiger Szenen zu bieten. Doch schon schnell wurde der Roman zu einem Ringen der Frauen mit sich selbst und Gott. Immer wieder beten und sind ohne Grund in Panik. Und der Ordnungsfimmel Allysons verschwindet kurzer Hand.
Einzig die Suche nach dem verschwunden Kind hat Spannung aufgebaut, doch leider wurde zu früh verraten wo sich dieses aufhält.
Der Handlungsstrang der Männer hatte ebenfalls viel Potential. Doch trotz mangelnder Erfahrung in der Kindererziehung schlagen sie sich besser als die Frauen, sind dennoch ständig in Panik.
Weshalb sie die Autos getauscht haben, hat sich mir immer noch nicht erschlossen. Auch Allysons Gedanken, dass ihr Mann so toll sei und er sich immer so gut kümmert, fand ich absurd. Mein Eindruck zu ihm war, dass er ein Workaholic ist, der seine Frau auf sich allein gestellt zurücklässt und dies ohne größere Gewissensbisse, die Schwierigkeiten seiner Frau nicht richtig ernst nimmt, ... also ein furchtbarer Vater und Ehemann...

Der Roman an sich ist nicht schlecht, doch nichts was ich nochmal lesen würde. Immer wieder habe ich mich gefragt, wie daraus ein Film werden können.

[Melanie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed out loud throughout a good part of the second half of this book. In my mind I saw the events I was reading, and they were “snortingly” funny (you know .. when you laugh so hard you snort).

This is a cute, fun, easy read. The only complaint I have is there are a lot of typos. By a lot I mean over a dozen. I have not encountered this with a book before. The words are spelled correctly. The wrong usage of the word is there, or a similar word is used. I like to read and give a review before I look at other reviews. I want to be sure and give my view only. I’m interested in reading other reviews to see if anyone else mentions this. I thought about not finishing because they distracted me enough to aggravate me, but I forced myself to let it roll off. Im glad I did.

My next step is to rent the 2014 movie as soon as possible. I can’t wait to see it. I need more good laughs.

The first half drug on a bit for me. I had trouble maintaining my attention and just read a bit at a time. In the second half I had trouble putting the book down. Though I had to because I mostly read it while at lunch.

This quote resonates with me the most:
“In truth, my life hasn’t changed much at all. I have.”

Solid 3.5. 3 is not at all fair. So I give 4.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every mom can relate to something here

This book was hilarious and real. It was about the night where all hell breaks loose when the moms try to take a break from their lives. It turns out that all of the moms, including the preacher's wife, have their problems and insecurities. I wish there was more of the Bones character and that he remembered Sondra sooner because these characters epitomize the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". I wonder what else she has written because this was so relatable and funny.

[B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this one in a little free library. Vaguely recognized the cover as something I remembered seeing ages ago, vaguely remembered the biker dude mostly. Figured okay, sure, snag the book for free. It was pretty funny up until about halfway when all the Christianity started getting shoved down the reader's throat. Would have been good without that nonsense. Would have been a better story too. Talked to my partner about it, realized that was why we chunked the movie too. Oh well. At least neither the book (nor the movie ages ago) were bought full price so I didn't support any of this crap.

[Laura Benton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an entertaining, wild ride (literally). I was enticed to read this book after seeing the movie several times. It’s one of my favorites. The book is pretty much word-for-word of the movie, so I wasn’t very enchanted by it. If I hadn’t seen the movie, I would find it lighthearted and adventurous. I still enjoyed it but there were no surprises hidden in the pages for me.

Please read if you want something clean, funny, and relatable. Especially if you are a mom.

[Stacy Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim…but I thought it was terrible. 🫣🫣 I hate giving bad book reviews but maybe it was because this is not my normal genre: it was too silly. Like incredibly silly - silly like the Diary of a Whimpy Kid books my kids read.
I realize it was based on a movie which means it’s gonna be silly - but give us some actual real-life that doesn’t seem insane. Like framing your kids’ art that they drew on the wall? Come on. 😂😂😂

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

For one of the only times in my life, I found a movie that is better than the book. A great story and a highly recommended film, but the book felt just like reading the screenplay; nothing new added or rich details given that typically make a book shine over its movie counterpart. Still, an entertaining cotton candy read, if that's what you're looking for.

[Sam Pauley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had ended up with this book thinking I was getting the movie from hold at the library. I didn’t even know it was a book. Very glad I read it. It was a quick read and the author kept a things moving. Even though I’m not a mom, I could relate on so many levels. I like these kinds of books. 🙂

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't seen the film, and I might not. Some might think this was a silly book, but when you read it from the view of a housewife and/or Mum, it's outrageously fun! Granted, several scenes are for obvious laughter and are unlikely to ever occur. Nevertheless, I found it an enjoyable read.

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

disappointed

[Yvonne Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I could very easily recommend this book to any mom out there. Not only does it have humorous moments but it also covers some serious topics every mother had ever felt.

[Salinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a extremely funny read, I'm giving it 3 stars on account of it was kinda a waste of time....too silly!

[Keshia Burchette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish now I would have read the book before seeing the movie. I still really liked the book but there were no surprises since I had already seen the movie.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and kept my attention. The only issue I had with it is there are a lot of typos within.

[Carmen Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and action packed. Love how it’s clean humor

[Susan Andress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read. If looking for a cute book, this is it. Very simply written.

[Marnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light, easy read!