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Good Eggs

Rebecca Hardiman

3.60 · Rating details · 265 ratings · 182 reviews

A hilarious and heartfelt debut novel following three generations of a boisterous Irish family whose simmering tensions boil over when an American home aide enters the picture, becoming the calamitous force that will either undo or remake this family—perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

When Kevin Gogarty’s irrepressible eighty-three-y ...more

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published March 2nd 2021 by Atria Books

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· 265 ratings · 182 reviews

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Feb 02, 2021 Paromjit rated it liked it

Shelves: humour-comic-fiction, contemporary-fiction, family-drama, netgalley

Rebecca Hardiman's debut novel revolves around a multigenerational Irish family living in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, a small gossipy place where everyone knows everyone. Feisty gran, 83 year old Millie is a real live wire, with her dangerous driving, penchant for shoplifting and plans to grow old disgracefully. Her middle aged son is the put upon and exhausted Kevin, a stay at home father to four children, an out of work journalist in an occupation that has been turned upside down. However, it is hi ...more

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Jan 20, 2021 Liz rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This novel tackles the problems of three generations of an Irish family. We have 83 year old Millie, accused of shoplifting and obviously suffering the first effects of dementia. Her son, Kevin, unemployed and aging out of his chosen career, being a stay at home dad to his teenage kids. When one of the sixteen year old twins becomes too much to handle, she is shipped off to a boarding school. And Aiden, the teenager in question, trying to find friends and then romance. Enter into this mix an Ame ...more

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Feb 10, 2021 Katie B rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, family, ireland, fiction, netgalley, read-in-2021

3.5 stars

Sometimes you find yourself drawn to certain characters and that's my experience with the Gogarty family. I can't say I loved them, nor do I hate them, but I instantly felt invested enough to want to see what was going on in their lives. Perhaps I just needed to be reminded that each family has good, bad, ugly, and crazy moments and well, we are all just trying to get by, aren't we?

Kevin Gogarty is dealing with a few problems. He's unemployed, his 80 something year old mother, Millie, h ...more

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Dec 03, 2020 Kerrin P rated it really liked it

Good Eggs is a debut novel by Rebecca Hardiman. It is a story of three generations of the Gogarty family in Dublin, Ireland that is told with enough humor to make it endearing. While the main characters all have issues, they are generally “good eggs” who deserve a second chance.

The eighty-three-year-old widowed grandmother of the family is Millie Gogarty. The story starts with Millie shoplifting a greeting card she didn’t need from a local store. Her son, Kevin, picks her up from the police stat Good Eggs is a debut novel by Rebecca Hardiman. It is a story of three generations of the Gogarty family in Dublin, Ireland that is told with enough humor to make it endearing. While the main characters all have issues, they are generally “good eggs” who deserve a second chance.

The eighty-three-year-old widowed grandmother of the family is Millie Gogarty. The story starts with Millie shoplifting a greeting card she didn’t need from a local store. Her son, Kevin, picks her up from the police station with the understanding she will allow a part-time caregiver into the home. After another incident occurs later in the story, Kevin describes his mother as “a thief, (an arsonist?), a misanthropic malcontent, an exaggerator of mammoth proportions, a driver of sane sons to vivid fantasies of matricide.”

Kevin Gogarty is fifty-years-old, and recently unemployed after working for a celebrity news magazine. He is not up on his skills in digital publishing and is having trouble finding new employment. His wife of twenty years is very successful and travels often for her work. They have two sons and sixteen-year old twin girls. One of the twins, Aideen, has been acting out to the point where she is sent to a local boarding school. Upon checking Aideen into the new school, Kevin becomes attracted to the young receptionist and starts pursuing her. Aideen’s only friend at school is a trouble-maker who drags Aideen down with her.

After the shoplifting incident, Kevin hires Sylvia, an American to be the caregiver. Millie enjoys Sylvia’s company. Aideen starts a sweet teenage romantic relationship with Sylvia’s nephew who has come to Ireland with her. Kevin fires Sylvia against Millie’s wishes. Then Sylvia tells Millie of an urgent medical need, and Millie gives Sylvia most of her savings. Afterward, things really start to fall apart for the Gogarty family. Two of the members take a surprise trip. In the end, it mostly works out for this family that is bound together by love.

4-Stars. I found this to be a light and enjoyable read after the seriousness of the last two novels I read. The novel will be published on March 2, 2021. Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Gabrielle Grosbety rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

“At sixteen or seventeen, a year from now is unfathomable.”

Wow, what a beautiful book about the Gogarty family, an Irish family with all the right kinds of dysfunction and flawed lovability, including the memorable grandmother, Millie, with all of her hilarious, screwball antics and minor problem with kleptomania! She urgently wants to maintain her independence amidst the growing concern she has that her son, Kevin, who creates wishful fantasies in his head about what his life could be as he ha “At sixteen or seventeen, a year from now is unfathomable.”

Wow, what a beautiful book about the Gogarty family, an Irish family with all the right kinds of dysfunction and flawed lovability, including the memorable grandmother, Millie, with all of her hilarious, screwball antics and minor problem with kleptomania! She urgently wants to maintain her independence amidst the growing concern she has that her son, Kevin, who creates wishful fantasies in his head about what his life could be as he has lost sight of what he has, gets closer and closer to putting her in a nursing home. I loved every minute of getting to explore these characters, especially teenage Aideen’s character, her growth, troubles, insecurities, mistakes, feelings of mounting alienation towards her family, and her budding romance, which felt ineffably pure, with the adorable Sean, who she shares playlists with, wakes up to share midnight, illicit adventures with, and gets to know through a power and subtlety that I could feel deeply.

“She marvels that one day can be so brimming, others so bereft.”

The Irish dialogue was also very authentic and made these characters feel all the more alive, as they sprung from the pages and took me on an adventure through the whimsical vibrancy of their worlds, emotions, and perceptions. Each character has an inner life that mixes recklessly with the choices and decisions they make in their outer life, leaving each individual to face up to their actions, but also move forward after having learned more about themselves in the process. People and the everydayness and unpredictability of life were organically explored through zany humor, which felt very true to reality as humor can be used as a more pacifying antidote to pain.

“ “Sometimes she doesn’t know who I am, and I’m the closest one to her.” Both statements, Millie realizes, contain truth.”

I think throughout this story, too, the characters learned more about each other and how interpretations of a certain person aren’t always right on the first read, even if you know that person in a way you thought was intimately. There is always more to uncover and experience in someone as we all at different times in our lives have our own feelings of stasis, anxiety, and uncertainty that we have to work through. The world comes with growing pains and the love for one’s family can undergo bumps comparable to a rickety rollercoaster ride, but what is increasingly apparent in this novel is the capacity to be resilient and for love to persevere even when it seems impossible.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Feb 16, 2021 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-reads, 2021-netgalley

Meaning of the idiom 'a good egg': "Good egg is a friendly, old-fashioned way to talk about a good guy or a kind person. The expression originally came from its opposite, bad egg, British public school slang from the 1800's for someone who was not nice.”

Rebecca Hardiman's debut novel is about an Irish family in the midst of dysfunction. This is a character-driven story in which she has created some remarkable personalities. I consider the father, Kevin Gogarty, to be the hub of this family. He's Meaning of the idiom 'a good egg': "Good egg is a friendly, old-fashioned way to talk about a good guy or a kind person. The expression originally came from its opposite, bad egg, British public school slang from the 1800's for someone who was not nice.”

Rebecca Hardiman's debut novel is about an Irish family in the midst of dysfunction. This is a character-driven story in which she has created some remarkable personalities. I consider the father, Kevin Gogarty, to be the hub of this family. He's a stay-at-home dad since he lost his high-level position with a celebrity magazine and at 50, he's caught in the middle between his fractious children and his elderly and somewhat demented mother. His wife Grace has a high-profile job of her own and, to Kevin's mind, is rarely home, so he's forced to deal with all the everyday problems that crop up. And boy, do they crop up!

They have four children: Gerard, their oldest child, is off to college; Ciaran, the youngest child, is still at that sweet little boy stage, but in the middle are two teenaged twins, Aideen and Nuala, who don't get along at all. Nuala is Miss Perfect--beautiful, talented, well-behaved--while sullen Aideen struggles with her self-esteem and her position in the family. Maybe acting out is her way of being noticed but it's gotten so bad that Kevin and his wife decide she should be sent to a boarding school and only come home on weekends--which only proves to Aideen that she is not really wanted.

And then there's Kevin's 83-year-old mother Millie who still lives on her own but is not doing well--having auto accidents, forgetting things. And now she's been arrested for shoplifting! What's a son to do? He convinces his mother she must have a caretaker if she's to avoid jail and hires an American named Sylvia Phenning to come in a few days a week to help out. Soon Sylvia is indispensable to Millie but she's no Mary Poppins!

And then there's the Gogarty marriage--can it handle the strain of all these problems and a bit of mid-life crisis as well? These scenarios all come to a head, about to explore. If all this sounds rather desperate, it's not really. The story is actually quite amusing and heart-warming. I enjoyed meeting the delightful Gogarty family who are all 'good eggs!'

I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity! ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Rose rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, fiction, ireland, my-reviews

Good Eggs, by Author Rebecca Hardiman is her debut novel.

This is a fun book from start to finish, all being told with an Irish style of storytelling. The characters are lively and colourful, and there is not a dull moment in the book.

The three generations of the Gogarty will warm your heart

Thank you to Goodreads, Author Rebecca Hardiman and Simon & Schuster Canada for my Advanced copy of Good Eggs from to read and review

#NetGalley @#Goodreads

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Feb 17, 2021 ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook rated it really liked it

The first thing to say about this book is that it is funny and I really loved it. It is told from three points of view and how the author manged these VERY different points of view is beyond me....I believe she did a bang up job though. One is a teenage girl, one is a middle aged man and one is a octogenarian woman. I loved all three characters, faults and all BUT Millie and Aideen really captured my heart.

Millie is quite the character and how she interacts with people is hysteric ...more

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Oct 15, 2020 Elaine rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, fresh-meat, netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Good Eggs.

From the blurb alone, it sounded like a straightforward, albeit typical novel about a feisty older lady who triumphs over being elderly and overlooked with the help of her aide, Sylvia (perhaps) so I was pleased when my request was approved.

Sadly, the blurb is misleading.

** Minor spoilers ahead **

Yes, Millie is an octogenarian with sticky fingers, driving mishaps and a tendency to do as she wishes. But she's 83! Cut the woman some slack.

Her lo ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Shaylan rated it liked it

Millie Gogarty is a strong willed 83 year old who is caught shoplifting. Her son, Kevin, has had enough and sets Millie up with a home aide. Kevin has plenty more problems than his mother committing petty crimes. He is unemployed and unable to find work, leaving his wife to work long hours at an airline to keep the family afloat. Kevin is also dealing with his 16 year old daughter's outbursts, which have gotten out of hand and now he has to put her into a boarding school. Both Millie and her gra Millie Gogarty is a strong willed 83 year old who is caught shoplifting. Her son, Kevin, has had enough and sets Millie up with a home aide. Kevin has plenty more problems than his mother committing petty crimes. He is unemployed and unable to find work, leaving his wife to work long hours at an airline to keep the family afloat. Kevin is also dealing with his 16 year old daughter's outbursts, which have gotten out of hand and now he has to put her into a boarding school. Both Millie and her granddaughter find themselves in a mess and team up to solve things but they end up going awry.

I found this to be an amusing book that was lighthearted but it fell a bit flat for me. I didn't really connect with most of the characters except for Millie. I felt Kevin was whiney and nothing going for him. He was so caught up in his own struggles that he failed to see that those around him needed him. Kevin's wife, Grace, felt very underdeveloped and like a shell of a character. I wanted more depth from their marriage and didn't get much. I thought Millie's antics were hilarious and over the top. Millie was what made this book for me and she kept the plot interesting and funny, she was always up to something ridiculous. There were also moments where I really enjoyed Kevin's daughter and seeing her perspective in the book. She's your typical misunderstood teenager character and I wanted to see more character growth from her, there was some but I think she could've been better.
I thought the plot pacing was good but the beginning did drag a bit, the last part of the book has a lot more action and there's a lot going on. This is a book that doesn't take long to read and there are some laughs along the way but I don't think this will be a particularly memorable read for me.

Overall, Millie was a gem of a character and this is a quick, light read but I thought it was just ok.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own. ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 Vonda rated it really liked it

This one is a fun intergenerational book set in a suburb of Dublin. An extremely dysfunctional family that you feel almost immediately emotionally invested in all the characters especially shoplifting grandma. This is a simple read that is just a period of time in this family, no grand schemes, just meet the family, it's a relaxing good old time. ...more

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Mar 01, 2021 Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) rated it liked it

Two cutes dogs with a copy of the book entitled Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman

📚 Hello Book Friends! GOOD EGGS by Rebecca Hardiman was a fun and frustrating read. I love the characters of Millie and Aideen. I could not stand Kevin and Sylvia from the beginning. Unfortunately, I guessed the plot early in my reading, so it took away many “tada” moments. That did not stop me to read it since I had to know how it would all come together… and “come together” it did indeed. I was cheering for Millie all the way. Her character reminds me of my own grandmother who lived in her own ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Mo Smith rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

In general, I adore Irish fiction (think Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, and Cathy Kelly), so I was excited to get an ARC of this from NetGalley.
To say that this book was a disappointment is quite the understatement.
This is a book with terrible people putting themselves in terrible situations, and still trying to get the reader on their side.

**minor spoilers ahead**
In the first two chapters, you're led to belie ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Barbara Powell rated it really liked it

This was a fun romp through Ireland and Florida. Light and easy read:)

Millie is getting older and into all kinds of mischief so her son decides to get her a home care worker. Although Millie doesn’t want her at first, she soon takes to her and they become friends. Meanwhile, Millie’s son is having all kinds of trouble at home including with his daughter who has been sent to boarding school and is too distracted to realize what’s going on with his mom. However, his mom realizes that she’s been co ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 Jennifer rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: simon-schuster-canada-arc, netgalley-ebooks

Good Eggs is the author's debut novel. I would classify it as general fiction.

The book looks at three generations of the same family. The 3rd person narrators are Millie (in her 80s), her unemployed son Kevin and his 16 year old daughter Aideen.

This book is set in Ireland. And it is meant to be very humorous. So I had very high hopes that I would love this story.

The characters were intriguing. However the writing was very Irish. And in the first sentence there were terms that I was completely un ...more

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Oct 20, 2020 Jill Dobbe rated it it was amazing

I always enjoy Irish humor. Good Eggs, about a zany and somewhat dysfunctional Irish family, delivered. The dialogue was laugh-out-loud funny at times and the characters were emotional and convincing. It's always interesting, too, to learn how others around the world see America and Americans. Good Eggs was a quick read that readers who like to read about family strife will enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher. ...more

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Mar 02, 2021 Cheri rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-contemporary, netgalley-2021, cultural-ireland, debut-novel, netgalley

Set in Dublin, Ireland, this story centers around the Gogarty family, which is experiencing a myriad of problems, seemingly all at once. Millie is 83 years old, a widow who seems to have a habit of nabbing a few items now and then from shop shelves that end up going home with her. Kevin, her 50-year-old son has his own problems to deal with, having lost his job too many years ago, and feeling unappreciated for what he brings to the table in other ways and disconnected from his increasingly dista
Set in Dublin, Ireland, this story centers around the Gogarty family, which is experiencing a myriad of problems, seemingly all at once. Millie is 83 years old, a widow who seems to have a habit of nabbing a few items now and then from shop shelves that end up going home with her. Kevin, her 50-year-old son has his own problems to deal with, having lost his job too many years ago, and feeling unappreciated for what he brings to the table in other ways and disconnected from his increasingly distant and bitter wife, Grace. Among their four children is 16-year-old daughter Aideen, who loves her grandmother Millie, and seems to see her for who she is, and not just a crazy old lady. But when Aideen’s behavior veers into a more disturbing and disruptive mode, her parents decide to send her to boarding school.

Meanwhile, Kevin has to decide what to do when Millie’s tendency to shoplifting has drawn more attention, and he ends up hiring Sylvia, a young American woman to watch over her, despite Millie’s insistence that she neither wants or needs this young woman’s help. It isn’t long before Millie has developed a fondness for her, considering her an ally, a protector from Kevin and his bah-humbug attitude that she is unable to care for herself. Meanwhile, Sylvia is busy worming her way into Millie’s life, and soon it is Millie doing Sylvia a favour, which backfires. Soon after, Kevin finds out that Sylvia has lied to him, and she’s sent packing and Millie ends up in a Convalescent Center, which she is determined to flee as soon as she can find a way.

The second half of this story centers mostly around Millie and Aideen, and a trip they embark on, which was more focused and which I found more enjoyable. Millie and Aideen’s little “vacation” brings some much needed balance after all the craziness and hijinks of the first half.

A romp through the life of a grandmother and granddaughter, and their determination to live life on their terms.

Published: 02 Mar 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books ...more

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Feb 09, 2021 Kimberly rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, arcs

"Good Eggs" by Rebecca Hardiman is the story of three generations of the Gogarty family. When unemployed Kevin decides to hire a caretaker for his elderly mother Millie (after she is once again caught shoplifting), and send his rebellious 16 year old daughter Aideen to boarding school, their lives all change forever. In short, chaos ensues. Set in Ireland, this book is both funny and heartwarming. The author's words set a vivid scene for family drama and she had the attitudes and thoughts of the ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Kristen Beverly rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-from-publisher

Join the hilarious and delightfully terrible Gogarty's on this wild ride in Good Eggs! The Gogarty's are a family in Ireland whose lives are falling apart. 83 year old Millie is caught shoplifting, her son Kevin is unemployed and one of his children, Aideen, is sent off to boarding school for bad behavior. But they get through it all with their quick wits, funny quips, and dark Irish humor. If you've loved any of the recent books that have a cranky, yet hilarious elderly character, like A Man Ca ...more

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Feb 01, 2021 Wildflower Reading rated it it was ok

**Spoilers ahead**

Calling this an Irish Schitt's Creek seems like a misstep. The characters in Schitt's Creek are a little quirky and very flawed, but they are also incredibly charming and likable. This was not the case with the characters in Good Eggs.

Kevin, the father, is particularly appalling. He's unemployed and spends most of the book feeling sorry for himself, being a cad, and more or less dunking on his wife for working hard to keep things afloat. His complete disregard for his daughter ...more

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Feb 18, 2021 Ilyssa Wesche added it

DNF - Millie doesn’t like librarians (p. 51 - along with goodie-goodies, busybodies, elementary school teachers of a certain age, social workers and nuns)? Right back at you sister!

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Oct 11, 2020 Emily Matthys bennett rated it really liked it

Loved it! I love a good saucy elder woman and family drama. This has plenty of both. Interesting story, not as schmaltzy as I thought in reading the description so that is great! Enjoyed it, couldn't put it down. Read this early on netgalley! ...more

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Oct 31, 2020 Chrissy rated it it was ok

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. The only character I found even slightly likable was Aideen, the daughter, and even she was questionable. Kevin, the father, was creep and gross. Grace, his wife, was cold and unfeeling. Aideen's siblings were either snotty or non-existent. Millie, the grandma, was obnoxiously annoying. And I saw right through the care-taker from the first moment she was introduced. Very disappointing.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an hone ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Jules rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, netgalley

Rebecca Hardiman’s debut novel, Good Eggs, is a character driven tale featuring a multi-generational Irish family. This dysfunctional family is full of zany characters. Millie, an octogenarian with a proclivity for shoplifting, is stubbornly trying to live on her own. Sixteen-year-old Aideen is insecure and filled with anger and angst toward her adored twin, Nuala. The patriarch of the family, Kevin, is not much of a leader. He’s in the middle of a midlife crisis from a life that has hardly star ...more

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Mar 04, 2021 Terris rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this book so much! It was sweet, funny, thought-provoking, action-packed, but always entertaining!

The story is based on three main characters: octogenarian Millie, her son Kevin, and Kevin’s teenage daughter Aideen (even though he also has a wife and three other children). Set in Ireland, it begins with Millie (who is quite a character!) and certain actions that get her into trouble. She is often afraid that Kevin wants to put her into a nursing home, and sometimes he does! She tries t ...more

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Feb 23, 2021 Erin rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman.

If you're a fan of slightly disfunctional families then this is a book for you! Especially if your like slapstick drama and Irish humor. There were some pretty funny scenes especially with Millie the 80 year old grandmother.

When Millie shoplifts from the local shops, it forces Kevin Gogarty to hire a caretaker to keep an eye on her, since he's busy with running the household after being laid off and his wife Gr ...more

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Mar 01, 2021 Lain | onceuponanattorney rated it really liked it

3.5 ⭐ for Good Eggs

Thank you to @atriabooks for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This one is out tomorrow, March 2!

Pages: 336 pages
Genre: contemporary fiction
Pace: medium to slow

Themes: dysfunctional family, dynamics of elder care, feeling unseen/neglected, falling in love at any age

My thoughts: this was a lighthearted, humorous read revolving around three perspectives: a father who recently lost his job; his daughter, who is struggling in the shadow of her twin; and h ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Ria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Gogarty family have a lot on their plates, Gran Gogarty is a petty thief and all round scam artist who is often brushing with the law, father Kevin is out of work and trying to parent four kids including on sullen, moody half of twins, mam Grace is working all the hours God sends and life is hectic to say the least.
When Aideen finally goes off the rails so bad she is sent to boarding school and Gran ends up nicked for pilfering from the local shop Kevin swears things are going to change.
Aid ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 Elida Liederbach rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways

Here is a story of one family with three generations who are each trying to find themselves, quite not satisfied of the current stage in their life. Millie is alone and a grandmother whose family is to busy to stop in, so she make excuses for her son, Kevin to stop in. Kevin has lost his job, is primary caregiver and has become resentful of the responsibilities and the day to day failures of job seeking. Aideen is the granddaughter who is going thru the teenage conflict years. Everything changes ...more

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Feb 27, 2021 Kerry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I won an advance copy of this book on Readers First website.

I really enjoyed this lighthearted story about a family full of great characters. Although there were some pretty serious topics covered, they were handled with the right mix of reality and humour to keep the book an easy read. There were also some really uplifting parts that made my heart happy.
The chapters are written from different characters perspectives - there is Millie (the matriarch of the Gogarty family), Aideen (Millie’s gran ...more

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