It's my turn on the BlogTour The Juggle by Emma Murray.
About the book
'You can have it all,’ they said. ‘Happy children, happy marriage, great career – no problem,’ they said…
Mother-of-one Saoirse is just about holding it all together – combining part time work with the school run, while her husband David gets to focus on his career. But when David loses his job, everything has to change.
With no hesitation, Saoirse suggests she takes on the role of main breadwinner. After all, how hard can it be? And when a new client offers her a life-changing sum of money, Saoirse can look the other over-achieving Woodvale school-run mums in the eye with pride.
But there’s a problem with keeping too many balls in the air – eventually one is bound to drop. And when that happens – well, who knows what the consequences could be…
Laugh-out-loud funny, achingly relatable, but with a heart of gold, and warmth running through every page. This is the perfect read for anyone who has way too many balls in the air! The novel may or may not have been inspired by real life…
Review
Saoirse isn't exactly the plan by the minute and very organised kind of mother, she is more of a fly by the seat of her pants kind of mother. She finds the Organic Mommy gang quite annoying and tries to connect with the outsiders at school, as opposed to the women who think they can guilt trip you into changing the way you parent.
Her home life is about to change when she becomes the sole breadwinner, which changes a lot of things. She is convinced it's going be a doddle, but she couldn't be more wrong. Talk about juggling ten balls with one arm tied behind your back. What could possibly go wrong?
There is no doubt that the author captures the idiosyncrasies of playground culture, the Mommy brigade and the unrealistic amount of pressure placed predominantly on young parents, but especially on women. There always seems to be division and multiple factions when it comes to the important topics of pregnancy, motherhood and parenting.
Other women are the worst perpetrators when it comes to mommy shaming. Things like a C-section isn't a real birth, breast or bottle feeding or in this case snacks full of E numbers or purely healthy snacks. So many controversial points that are used to isolate and pressure mothers who choose to parent without the invisible authority of the Mommy state.
Although the read is full of serious moments and is highly critical, rightly so I might add, of the parent playgroup culture for one - it is also one filled with moments of humour. They are the kind of moments other parents will find completely relatable. Screaming kids, small humans who insist on befriending the enemy, and trying to navigate marriages, friendships and relationships at the same time. It's a chaotic and yet quite honest read.
Buy The Juggle at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Boldwood Books; pub date 11 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Waterstones.
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