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Holly Banks Full of Angst

(Village of Primm #1)

Julie Valerie (Goodreads Author)

2.93 · Rating details · 4,531 ratings · 776 reviews

A laugh-out-loud debut novel for anyone who’s tried to live the perfect life—and learned the hard way there’s no such thing.

Holly Banks could not have made a worse first impression on the seemingly perfect moms in her new affluent community, the Village of Primm. Turns out wearing pink piggy pajama bottoms while dropping off her kindergartener late to the first day of scho ...more

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Kindle Edition, 373 pages

Published December 1st 2019 by Lake Union Publishing

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Nov 02, 2019 Rebecca rated it did not like it

This book, like most of the Amazon First Reads that I have been unfortunate enough to download, was not worth finishing. It was supposed to be funny, but what little I read was increasingly upsetting. I should have selected the children's book about the little grey blob instead. ...more

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Sep 25, 2019 Nursebookie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Julie Valerie and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this amazing debut book that gave me so much joy and happiness the entire time I was reading.

I felt like Julie Valerie entered my brain and knew exactly what all my hidden insecurities were about taking on the most important job in the entire universe, and that is becoming a mother. Holly Banks Full of Angst is a definite must read. You will enjoy the story line, and the many laugh out lo 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Julie Valerie and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this amazing debut book that gave me so much joy and happiness the entire time I was reading.

I felt like Julie Valerie entered my brain and knew exactly what all my hidden insecurities were about taking on the most important job in the entire universe, and that is becoming a mother. Holly Banks Full of Angst is a definite must read. You will enjoy the story line, and the many laugh out loud moments that Holly finds herself in. I am certain you will be able to relate. I guarantee it.

Holly is everyone of us trying to navigate our multiple hats every day - a mother, a wife, a daughter, a member of our school community and a neighbor in an upscale community. For Holly, that would be the community of Primm –perfectly lined homes with Pinterest worthy porches, manicured lawns and topiaries, and of course, every family’s dream is the amazing school system where everyone is dying to get their child into. Julie Valerie was able to connect and creatively write all these pressures we put on ourselves in such a glorious and hilarious way.

Julie Valerie wrote such an amazing cast of characters too that surround Holly’s life. There is Mary-Margaret St. James, the PTA president, who is someone you will love to hate. Greta, Holly’s mother, who needs some rescuing from time to time, but the love for her daughter and grand-daughter is some of the sweetest parts of this book. And let us not forget about the psychic reader, and their out of this world email exchanges. There are so many more like the peahen, the apple brigade, the realtor, and others you will enjoy getting to know.

This book was an absolute delight of a read and was truly an escape for me. It was fun and funny, it was light-hearted, and heart-warming too. I loved the pacing – it read very quickly and you will not want to put this book down. The dialogue was so creative including the non-curse words, the dash lines for when you are talking and no one hears you situation for example, and the different scenarios Holly ends up in. How can you not root for Holly who is trying her best to keep it all together?

Pick this book up when it releases Dec. 1st and be ready to have a great time with Holly and her posy. I look forward to the next book in this series!!! ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars!

Are you looking for a lighthearted read? One that never takes itself too seriously? Holly and her family recently moved to the town aptly named Primm. Enter PTA President, Mary Margaret St. James. She has high demands of her school’s moms, and she has Holly in her sights. This felt like a satire on trying to be the perfect mom and trying to fit in within the mom crowd, and I found the drama and escapades to be a nice escape.

I received a complimentary copy.

Many of my reviews can also ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2019 mich rated it did not like it

Shelves: cheesy-corny-roll-eyes, dont-do-it, first-read-from-this-author, kindle-unlimited, bad-writing, contemporary

Almost all those editorial reviews praising this book on the amazon page has the word “wit” or “witty” in it. Yeah I guess you could say this has wit, but it was the desperate, trying too hard kind.

I felt like this book was telling me “Aren’t I so funny!!?!” every few pages.

No. No, you aren’t.

I didn't finish this. DNF around 30% you couldn’t pay me to try to finish this thing ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Mackenzie - PhDiva Books rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

Do you ever think that a book was just simply meant for you to read when you did? I had been having a really stressful few weeks at work when my copy of Holly Banks Full of Angst arrived and when I started reading it, I immediately knew it was just what I needed. Holly is beautifully imperfect and filled with the sort of hysterical hijinks that just made me forget my worries and relax for awhile!

This book truly had me laughing out loud at every turn. I did a mix of audio and physical book this t Do you ever think that a book was just simply meant for you to read when you did? I had been having a really stressful few weeks at work when my copy of Holly Banks Full of Angst arrived and when I started reading it, I immediately knew it was just what I needed. Holly is beautifully imperfect and filled with the sort of hysterical hijinks that just made me forget my worries and relax for awhile!

This book truly had me laughing out loud at every turn. I did a mix of audio and physical book this time, and the audio narrator was so perfect, that even when I switched to the physical book I could picture the tone she would use for each character in my head. Holly Banks is a mother who tries so hard to fit into the life that she can’t quite achieve, and with spectacularly funny failures at every attempt, she warmed her way into my heart.

The house in the Village of Primm was not cheap, and Holly soon realizes that buying at the top of their finances will have a price. Namely, that it is not enough to live in the Village of Primm in order to belong, there are a lot of expectations. From the way she decorates her house and porch (she can’t live up to the expert decorator and mom extraordinaire who lived their prior to her, and the other residents make sure she knows it!) to the way she dresses (pajamas are maybe not the best thing to wear out of the house, even if you think you won’t be seen!), Holly is wonderfully imperfect!

And then Holly finds out that she has to not only be on the PTA at her daughter’s school, she needs to serve as the PTA secretary to the intimidating and perfect Mary-Margaret St. James. Mary-Margaret is probably the best character in the book to me (well, besides Holly). She is a real piece of work! Polite, bubbly, and a bit mean-spirited if you are Holly, Mary-Margaret makes sure to point out that Holly volunteering to bring the napkins is the worst sort of volunteering (everyone knows those napkin moms!)

Holly can’t worry, though, about her pig pajamas that everyone saw, or the 14 cherry pies she offered to bake, or the school bus she hit in front of all the kids and parents, because she has bigger problems. Her husband may be having an affair. She saw him in Wendy’s with his attractive boss, after all, laughing and laughing. And she also wonders quite poignantly why it is that the female parent has to be the one giving up their career and interests, serving on the PTA, volunteering to bake for the school, and not getting to have a life outside of their child and husband. This theme was powerful, through all of the hijinks and funny scenes, the comment on the role women are forced to play in the home resonated.

And finally, there is a bit of a mystery going on. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say the Village of Primm is about to realize how fragile their perfect, privileged lives are…

Thank you to Kat Carter and Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own. ...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2019 Berit☀️✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fun, 2019, arc-physical

Peacocks. And Pies. And My Little Pony.... Oh my!

This was such a fun feel good story that made me smile, laugh, and crave some pie!

LRTC

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2019 Lorilin rated it liked it

Over the top and unrealistic. I love the idea of a down-to-earth mom trying to navigate the weirdly competitive and judgmental PTA at her kid’s new school. But this was so ridiculous it stopped being entertaining. Every character was one-dimensional and uninteresting to me. I wasn’t invested in the story at all.

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

May 30, 2019 Sonja Yoerg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, contemporary, funny, wow

Ever wonder what would happen if Liane Moriarty could channel the late Robin Williams? Me neither—until I read this astonishing debut, a modern allegorical marvel. Holly Banks Full of Angst is as whimsical and charming as its namesake, but don’t dare mistake it for simple fluff. Valerie absolutely skewers Parenting While Privileged, and somehow pulls it off without preaching or condescending, thanks to the inimitable goofball heroine, Holly, the (questionably) sane person in the insane (but whol ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Lori Spielman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Holly Banks Full of Angst is a must-read for any mother who sometimes feels inadequate—and what mother doesn’t? With vivid scenes that make us laugh and cringe in equal measures, Julie Valerie’s depiction of motherly angst is palpable. Valerie creates in Holly Banks a wholly relatable, refreshingly genuine protagonist, shamed by the seemingly perfect suburban mothers surrounding her. With themes of new beginnings, the quest for perfection, motherhood and marriage, Valerie delivers lessons in hos ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 Amy rated it it was ok

Too much...

I thought I’d relate to this book but the characters were so over the top.

I’m from a “ keeping up with the Joneses” type of place like Primm but I chose to move to the “Southern Lakes” type of town to raise my kids because I’m so very far from the “Perfect Mom” type and I loathe people who try to portray themselves as such.

So I thought I’d identify with Holly and her struggle against the Stepford PTA moms, but both sides were unlikeable in my opinion.

Mostly it was because it was pa ...more

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Nov 08, 2019 Nursebookie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-ebook, arc-physical, blog-ig-feature, books-i-own, netgalley, womensfiction, humorous, women-author, favorites, amazon

Thank you to Julie Valerie and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this amazing debut book that gave me so much joy and happiness the entire time I was reading.

I felt like Julie Valerie entered my brain and knew exactly what all my hidden insecurities were about taking on the most important job in the entire universe, and that is becoming a mother. Holly Banks Full of Angst is a definite must read. You will enjoy the story line, and the many laugh out loud moments that Ho Thank you to Julie Valerie and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this amazing debut book that gave me so much joy and happiness the entire time I was reading.

I felt like Julie Valerie entered my brain and knew exactly what all my hidden insecurities were about taking on the most important job in the entire universe, and that is becoming a mother. Holly Banks Full of Angst is a definite must read. You will enjoy the story line, and the many laugh out loud moments that Holly finds herself in. I am certain you will be able to relate. I guarantee it.

Holly is everyone of us trying to navigate our multiple hats every day - a mother, a wife, a daughter, a member of our school community and a neighbor in an upscale community. For Holly, that would be the community of Primm –perfectly lined homes with Pinterest worthy porches, manicured lawns and topiaries, and of course, every family’s dream is the amazing school system where everyone is dying to get their child into. Julie Valerie was able to connect and creatively write all these pressures we put on ourselves in such a glorious and hilarious way.

Julie Valerie wrote such an amazing cast of characters too that surround Holly’s life. There is Mary-Margaret St. James, the PTA president, who is someone you will love to hate. Greta, Holly’s mother, who needs some rescuing from time to time, but the love for her daughter and grand-daughter is some of the sweetest parts of this book. And let us not forget about the psychic reader, and their out of this world email exchanges. There are so many more like the peahen, the apple brigade, the realtor, and others you will enjoy getting to know.

This book was an absolute delight of a read and was truly an escape for me. It was fun and funny, it was light-hearted, and heart-warming too. I loved the pacing – it read very quickly and you will not want to put this book down. The dialogue was so creative including the non-curse words, the dash lines for when you are talking and no one hears you situation for example, and the different scenarios Holly ends up in. How can you not root for Holly who is trying her best to keep it all together?

Pick this book up when it releases Dec. 1st and be ready to have a great time with Holly and her posy. I look forward to the next book in this series. ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2019 Kathleen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I have discovered that I am satire impaired. While others found this book to be witty and clever, I thought it was boring and silly. It might have worked in 1950 but 2019 women are more diverse and less likely to act like desperate middle schoolers. I'm not sure what the author thought she was satirizing because there are precious few of us who have the time or energy to play these games when we are just hoping go keep our heads above water and our families safe. ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 Jessi ♥️ H. Vojsk rated it liked it · review of another edition

Holly Banks isn’t a perfect mom. But she surely isn’t a bad one. Even though she brings her daughter late to the first day of kindergarden.
And hits the bus while being there.
In Pyjamas.

This was a fun, light read. It reminded me a little bit about the whole background story in "Bad moms".
But it wasn’t a story for me. I was absolutely stressed out when I read what happened in Hollys life.
Like absolutely. Stressed. Out.
And I didn’t really warm up with the whole style of the book.
The writing ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Fall-Out-Book-Nerd rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-as-ebook, netgalley

I was sent an eARC of this book from the publisher through netgalley to review.

Getting straight to the point, this was just over the top, cringey, forced humour with a very simplistic plot. I have seen a couple other reviews likening this to the movie Bad Moms and I could definitely see why within the first couple of chapters. I might have actually enjoyed this if it was a movie but at the same time I think it's been done so many times that I could guess what was happening next and it just made ...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Rojita rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Never. Reading. A. Free. FirstRead. PrimeBook. Ever. Again. 🤦‍♀️

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2019 Megan (Glitter and Plato) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, 2019

Ok, I'm just gonna be honest and say this book wasn't for me.

The story centers on Holly Banks who recently moved to the upscale Village of Primm right before her daughter starts kindergarten. Holly is basically a hot mess compared to the picture perfect mothers of Primm, and she has a heck of a time making a good impression and fitting in. But as she gets to know the families around her, she realizes that everything inside the house is not as manicured and perfect as their front lawn's landscap ...more

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Mar 17, 2020 Khurram rated it liked it

Surviving Anxiety

This is not my usual sort of book, there are parts of the book that are really good, and if you have partner who is a home carer many of the things in this book are spot on. The main downside of this book is it is a bit too slow for me. In this type of story I can understand why or even expect it, but not to my taste.

Holly Banks have moved to the village of Primm. Being an anxious person anyway she now has to contend with:

Meeting new people
A new place
Unpacking
A husband working ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 ABookwormWithWine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, contemporary, female-authors, from-the-publisher, kindle-books, netgalley, ebooks, womens-fiction, cover-love, made-me-lol

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie is a debut novel that I had so much fun reading! Valerie has a very unique writing style and while sometimes it was a little confusing, I loved that it was different from everything I have been reading lately, and it was a nice departure from thrillers!

Holly Banks Full of Angst is book one in the Village of Primm series, and what a great start it was. Holly Banks is such a funny character and even though I don't have kids, I can imagine that ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Bridget rated it did not like it

One Star. I wanted to like this book. It was supposed to be a funny and light-hearted story about an overstressed, struggling mom whose daughter just started kindergarten in a "Stepford Wives" community, but it was just over the top and stupid. I forced myself to finish the book. I wanted to punch all of the main characters in the throat - Holly Banks, her husband, her mother, Mary-Margaret PTA Asshole President, and Plume, some peahen mascot BUSH? of Primm.

Strange, tried too hard to be funny an ...more

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Nov 14, 2019 Toya (the reading chemist) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, rom-com

Holly Banks Full of Angst is a charmingly hilarious story that highlights the craziness that life becomes when juggling marriage, kids, and over the top PTAs.

Holly Banks and her husband moved to the idyllic and utterly pretentious Village of Primm. If you’ve ever seen Stepford Wives, it’s definitely Stepford. Their five year old daughter Ella is just starting kindergarten, and if being new to town isn’t bad enough, Holly is crumbling under the pressure of being a Primm school mom.

While I may n ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 Dianne rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2019, horrible, kindle-unlimited-books, never-read-again, books-with-aut-or-fan-issues, dnf

One Half Star

Free for a book is pretty good, right? Kindle Unlimited, Kindle First Reads, ARC's, Library books, etc.
Some times these freebies are just the best books, sometimes they are pretty good but they have issues which you can overlook. This book just made me want to tear my eyeballs out and then get drunk.
This was the most stomach roiling, un-witty, un-funny book I have ever tried to read.
The kid was a brat, the mother was a wimp, the PTA President was...I don't even know what to call her ...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Terry rated it liked it

This one just wasn't for me.
The plot sounded full of really good ideas, but something didn't work for me.
I couldn't relate to or become invested in it and had to force myself to finish it. ...more

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Oct 07, 2019 Alysia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

“Apple pies are too easy for this town,” Greta said. “If it was easy— it wouldn’t be Primm.”

What was the last book you read that made you laugh out loud? Well, Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie was just that read for me! Holly Banks and her family have just moved to the community of Primm, with its prime real estate and highly sought-after school system. During her 5 year old’s first week of Kindergarten, Holly faces a multitude of mishaps: she can’t seem to get her daughter to the bus ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Jessica rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I normally don't 1 star books (on the if you don't have anything nice to say theory). However, I wanted to pinpoint exactly what I didn't like about this book. I was at an author's talk once and the moderator described how she loved "competency porn," which is to say that heroines who knew what they were doing, in at least one area of their lives, made for good reading. (I believe it was Sarah Wendell of Smart B*tches, Trashy Books.) And done right, which is extremely hard, the hapless heroine c ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 Suzy Krause rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and I could not put it down. I loved the time I spent with Holly Banks in the Stars Hollow-esque Village of Primm—an eerily immaculate town with unwritten but unbendable rules and fast-talking caricatures of people we all know in real life. Holly is the perfect heroine: flawed, impulsive and self-deprecating, but also deeply relatable, lovable, and hilarious. This book was pure fun (but I cried a little).

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Nov 03, 2019 Carmina Valdizán rated it did not like it

This book was my selection for November Amazon First Reads. It was supposed to be ”funny,” even hilarious, said some. For my taste, the story is tedious and meaningless, or it's simply not my kind of reading material. In either case, it was the wrong choice for me. ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Dee Blankenship rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

A big thank you to @julievalerieauthor @netgalley and @lakeunionauthors for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel!

Holly Banks Full of Angst will hit bookstores on December 1, 2019

Holly Banks is ready to settle in to her new home in the quaint Village of Prim .
Everything is so perfect in Prim! Beautiful homes, Pintrest worthy porches and scrapbooking, pie making, PTA Moms.

Holly on the other hand is stressed out with unpacking, getting her daughter ready for Kindergarten, keeping ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Morgan Clift rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First, I want to thank @netgalley and Julie for the digital copy of this book! I absolutely adored this book and as a mom with anxiety this spoke to me on a level that so many women hide, moms are mean and you’re always being judged. I loved how the ending turned out because once you let go and start being yourself you see we are all in this together just trying to do our best for our kids without losing ourselves. I hope there’s more to come and thank you again for a wonderful story of real lif ...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have been wanting to read this novel for a long time. Ever since Julie Valerie announced she was writing it, in fact. And thankfully, the story was worth the wait!

Holly Banks Full of Angst is a fun story throughout. While this is Julie's first time at bat, she hit it out of the park. Holly was extremely relatable, as were the situations she got herself into. There were a lot of things that Holly was experiencing that even filled me with angst. I could definitely relate to moving to a new town ...more

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Nov 30, 2020 Jamele (BookswithJams) rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks

This is the first book in the Village of Primm series, and Holly is a hot mess express. She loves her family, and after moving to the affluent community in the Village of Primm, she needs the acceptance of the school moms. How does that go? Ehhh, not the best. She starts off by getting on the wrong side of the Queen Bee, is not sure what is going on with her husband and his new female boss, and her daughter does everything to get out of going to school. And their dog, Struggle, oh I loved her. H ...more

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About Julie Valerie

Julie Valerie

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Standalones in a connected series, Holly Banks Full of Angst, Book One in the Village of Primm series, released December 1, 2019, with Lake Union. The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks, Book Two in the series, releases November 24, 2020, also with Lake Union.

Julie earned an editing certificate from the University of Chicago Graham School and has a master's degree in education, a bachelor of fine arts i ...more