More Than a Mum

by Charlene Allcott

Mother : a woman considered in relation to her child or children. Wife : a woman considered in relation to her spouse. Shouldn’t there be more? Alison has built her life around her family. Every day she packs lunches, rushes to work, and breaks up her daughter’s squabbles. She’s bored, restless and hungry for some excitement. Perhaps the charismatic Frank could be what she’s missing. But is Frank all he makes out to be? And what if a new, glamorous life isn’t quite what she needs? Praise for Charlene 'One of the freshest, funniest, most exciting new voices I've read for a long time.' Jane Fallon 'Fresh and funny and REAL...' Veronica Henry 'Very funny and delightfully relatable - this was a real treat.' Trisha Ashley

Genres: Chick Lit

368 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ Fun, Witty, Light Hearted Must Read!

More Than a Mum had me hooked and giggling out loud. It's a fun, entertaining and relatable read.

Alison is getting fed up with being an underappreciated Mum, Wife and employee.
She does everything, never feels like she gets any thing or any thanks back and just feels like everything around her is waying her down and she's stuck in a rut!

Well that is until she meets the Charasmatic and charming Frank. Who makes Alison feel alive!
She meets him at a book signing event her boss makes her go to, in order to network and get potential clients for marketing.
But instead she meets Frank! The Author and life coach!
Who promises if she goes with him for one drink he will hook her up with someone special who needs marketing.

But is he for real?
Why is Frank so addictive to Alison?
Can she hold back her attraction towards him or will she risk blowing apart her wonderful and loving family?

I really loved the family dynamics. Ruby the oldest was so funny and sassy, Chloe the youngest definitely a Daddy's girl.
Each of the characters are so relatable, as are there stories and family dramas.

More Than a Mum is a fun, witty, entertaining, light hearted Story of wanting more, family dramas, lies, deceit, secrets, regret, romance, relationships, moving on.
The Characters are very well written, flawed yet likeable, and will definitely be relatable to lots of women and mum's.
It also highlights that the grass isn't always greener on the other side as Alison was quick to find out!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Gorgeous Book it was an easy read, flowed along beautifully, was funny and had me giggling out loud.

Thank you to Damppebbles tours and Transworld Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.



My Review is also on my Blog Website :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/0...

[Davina Bowkett · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Not a bad story, hugely disliked the main character though. Despite the 'tag' line of it being hilarious, I didn't really find it funny. It was just a story of quite a selfish person who did some very selfish things to get a bit of excitement back into her life. If the gender roles were reversed, I doubt the book would have ever been published.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the synopsis for 'More Than A Mum' and it certainly sounded intriguing. It also echoed how some of my friends, who are Mams (or Mums) , have told me they often feel. I was eager to start reading to see if this story played out as I thought that it would. I couldn't wait to get started and so I grabbed a cup of tea, a bar of chocolate and I settled down to read. 'More Than A Mum' is certainly a read and a half and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it but more about that in a bit.
It didn't take me long at all to immerse myself in the story. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first chapter, I knew that I would find it increasingly difficult to put the book to one side for any length of time. To say that reading 'More Than A Mum' is addictive is putting it mildly. If I had to put the book down for any reason then I immediately started looking forward to being able to pick the book up again. I made the fatal mistake of picking the book up when I had five minutes to fill in but I was still sat there over half an hour later and on the receiving end of some rather stern looking stares from my two Labradors, who were waiting for their walk. They had a bit longer to wait than they wanted to. I flew through the story at a rate of knots and the pages turned over increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out how the story concluded grew and grew. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and whilst I was correct with some things, I was way off the mark with others.
'More Than A Mum' is well written. The author has created a realistic and likeable character in Alison, who is married and a mother of two, who has got stuck in a rut and she has lost some of her identity along the way. I am not lucky enough to be a Mam but some of my friends are and how Alison feels, is how they feel. So from that point of view the story rang true. The author knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into the story. I found that Charlene uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I felt as though I was part of the story and that the characters were just as real as you and I.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'More Than A Mum' and I would recommend it to other readers. I think that this book with strike a chord with Mams everywhere. I will definitely be reading more of Charlene's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

[Lorraine Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair this is more a 3.5 but not good enough to give it a 4. A nice easy read.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I immensely didn't like the MC, she blames her whole life on her husband then rather communicate goes off and burns all the bridges in her life. Plays the victim without owning up to any of her own part in it.

Seriously didn't try even ending things with Dylan just goes treats everyone around her like trash.

Okay about the book it was really well written and if i didn't loath the main character so much i would really have enjoyed the writing.

[Vanessa Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison, a mum of two daughter and wife to Dylan, longs for her big break! Despite being married, she raises her children alone with Dylan barely lifting a finger. Working as a manager in a fast paced, high demanding office job and dealing with the daily struggles of her own family dilemmas, Alison finds she is dangerously close to a breakdown. Her marriage is stale, her daughters are becoming difficult to handle - Alison needs some excitement in her life!

An opportunity arises at work to attend a seminar, which she is greatly encouraged to go to by her colleagues, Bettina and Annie. Begrudgingly and with much persuasion, Alison hauled herself out of her comfort zone - an evening she would never forget! What was meant to be just a work event blossoms into a whole series of activities, but is this enough for Alison or has she just fallen into a trap?

More than a Mum highlights the daily struggles and strains that relationships bring - not just the sexual desires or lack of in this case, but also the stress our unconditional love, both family and friends that we choose to surround ourselves with. It's a novel which emphasises that mum's too can feel bogged down with the constant mundane responsibilities of parenting.

Despite not being a mother myself nor anywhere close to motherhood, I thoroughly enjoyed the story-line and engaged quickly with Charlene's style of writing. Witty, lighthearted and definitely an easy read that I would highly recommend to everyone.

[Mo Chapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am excited to be involved in the blog tour for this witty, emotional lovely book. First glance at the cover and I knew I'd be hooked! The blurb caught my interest and as soon as I opened it up and started reading it was clear I was right - this was going to be a great read. 

More Than A Mum is a beautifully written book which shines a spotlight on relationships - within the family and those friends we choose to surround ourselves with. This is an emotionally fuelled book - heartbreak and heartwarming, funny and fresh - it truly is a delight to read. It will make you think and leads to pondering questions, decisions and where you go from here...

I don't have children but I do enjoy stories like this - where the mundane daily living is rocked, questions asked leading to decisions that need to be made. 

The author has told an emotionally genuine tale whilst still being a funny and joyful read. 

I found this book captivating, witty and an easy read and would happily recommend it. Don't take my word for it, have a look at the other bloggers involved in this blog tour (see image below).

I would like to thank damppebbles for the opportunity to read and review and be part of this #blogtour for ‘MORE THAN A MUM’ by CHARLENE ALLCOTT.  

This review is being published today as part of the blog-tour by damppebbles.

All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway. 
All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary.com

[Alison Pashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first half of the book, it was heading towards a 4 or 5 star review - lots of spot on and pithy observations about motherhood and how all encompassing it is, how it affects relationships and the endless juggle of working mums. Even when Alison was staying her affair with Frank, I still wanted her to find her own happy ending.

Unfortunately as it went on, it all got a bit far fetched as she skipped off for several weekends at a moment's notice without her family questioning it (don't know about your house, but if I go away for the weekend I need at least a month's notice and a lot of planning!!), and by the end I had lost all respect for the main character and her decisions.

An easy read and fine for a bit of escapism!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

[Sally Tyrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the single mums wish list so was eager to read this!
More than a mum illustrates how we as women,mums and wife’s can become bogged down in the mutinae of everyday life the constant washing,cooking, cleaning,school runs etc etc grind you down and you wonder if there is more to life than your lot! Alison feels this way her marriage to Dylan is stale her daughters take her for granted she craves excitement and a different sort of life! Having an affair with the charismatic frank shows Alison a new way of life full of excitement intrigue and promise initially,but things aren’t always as good as they seem and the grass isn’t always greener in the other side! A fun read that helps you appreciate what you have got!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

[Rebecca Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently become a mum myself, the title of this book instantly appealed to me.

I love a book where you can really relate to the main character and Charlene Allcott’s protagonist is not ‘just’ a mum, she also works in marketing, like me.

The book begins at a turning point in her life when, truly sick and tired of feeling taken for granted by her family and unfulfilled by her work, she seeks an escape from her normal life and fate puts an enigmatic man in her path one evening, offering her an escape from her normal life...

Read my full review here:
https://theoverduebookreview.wordpres...

[Kerry-louise Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the story of Alison, a complex woman who has spent years holding back her needs and wants to keep her family running smoothly but when she is sent to a networking event and meets Frank everything changes and Alison is swept up in a whirl-wind love affair but is Frank really all he seems.


I was easily able to relate to Alison’s struggles as a working mum, sometimes life just seems so repetitive with constant barrage of chores and tasks to work though, normally, with little or no thanks your mind can easily wonder if there is more to life. There were parts that I found a little unbelievable but could easily over look them as they build the story.

Allcott really takes the time to build the characters leaving you thoroughly invested in the outcome and I really liked that this book didn’t just romanticise everything, it felt real and gritty.

This was the perfect book to cosy in with, grab a glass of wine and the ice cream and enjoy!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished a gifted copy of this book and although it's different to my usual reads I can see it being popular. Alison, is both likeable and unlikeable in equal measure but I think it's the empathy that you build that keeps you reading. As a mum I can definitely understand a lot of her gripes. I think the ending is deserving for the plot and the narrative is engaging. Would make a great summer holiday read as it's an easy light read with some interesting points to focus your thoughts about your own life.

[Rebekah Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - got to page 190 and couldn’t read another page.

To summarise the book it follows a Mum of 2 named Ally she’s in the trenches with a job she dislikes, is knee deep with moody teenagers, and has a husband who would do anything for her but the relationship is stagnant.

She meets the illusive Frank, has a night of spark and connection and then she goes off and eventually sleeps with Frank and I suppose you can then figure out how the rest of the book goes. As soon as it involved cheating I was done.

[booksbytheboats · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I felt like this was a very raw and honest description of how motherhood can really be and how easy it can be to slip into a domestic rut.

I enjoyed the characters, the relationships they all had and the way this book was written. It involved humour which helped make this book into an easy read and I actually found the ending quite uplifting.

This isn’t my typical genre of book but I’m glad I chose to read this. It was light, amusing but also very real.

[Jessica lipani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tag line is the funniest book to have been read in a long while… I didn’t really find anything that funny but I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, storyline and lesson to be learned.

Will definitely look at other books this author has written. I was gifted this by my sister and I’m really glad that it made It to my bookshelf.

[Anastasya · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst ones. I picked this book randomly in the book shop, drawn by the title. I expected strong willed ambitious woman who wanted to be bigger than “just” a mum. What I found was a pathetic unlovable liar and cheater. Writing was poor, stories are full of loopholes, endings rushed and unrealistic. The amount of coincidence. I hated it.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry I just could not get into this book. I didn't like the main character which surprisingly makes it very hard to finish a book. Hate giving a negative review but its more about my likes and dislikes rather than the actual book.

[Isla Turner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why am I reading this rubbish?

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.