Just Between Mothers: The compulsive, unputdownable and thought-provoking novel that you won’t be able to put down!
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By Celia Silvani
avg rating
2 reviews
The raw, compulsive and unputdownable debut about the choices mothers make and the split second between having it all and losing everything.
‘Gripping, gritty, maddening and compassionate’ KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE
‘Razor-edged, unsettling and compelling’ EMMA VAN STRAATEN
‘Tense and absorbing. Loved it!’ SILVIA SAUNDERS
‘A magnificent debut’ NATASHA BELL
‘I basically inhaled it over the course of a weekend and highly recommend’ LISA SMITH
‘A brilliant, tense story with beautifully drawn characters and so much emotion’ HEATHER DARWENT
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Everyone has an opinion. But who can you really trust?
Claire is expecting her first baby. It’s her dream but not everyone is as supportive as she’d like.
Isolated and vulnerable, she is drawn into an online group for ‘natural motherhood’ and is warmly embraced by the other mothers in the group.
As Claire withdraws further into their world and with her due date fast approaching, she is unsettled by the group’s conformity and the total shunning of medical intervention.
But blind loyalty can be catastrophic – and her silence could be fatal…
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‘Dark and intense and such a fabulous read’ 5* Reader Review
‘This emotional roller coaster will keep you gripped until the very end’ Heat
‘An excellent, thought-provoking exploration of loneliness, healthcare and misinformation that feels all too urgent right now’ Elspeth Wilson
Previously published as Baby Teeth in hardback
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A strong 3-4 star. This emotional look at pregnancy and motherhood in our current culture was an emotional and compelling read. My review and recommendation come with a strong trigger-warning. It deals with a number of sensitive issues: loneliness, fertility issues, traumatic birth, neonatal death, loss, and mental health. It is certainly a hard read but a very interesting perspective on pregnancy and our society and culture and its impact on young mothers when they are vulnerable, anxious and scared.
Although I felt the book started rather slowly, once in I was compelled to keep reading. It is sensitively written but at times I was frustrated by the characters and choices that they made. Claire, who has experienced the loss of her father, a significant house move to London and is finally pregnant with her longed for first baby, is anxious, lonely and stressed but oh! I wanted her to talk to her support network: mother, friend, husband, to open up to them rather than the online motherhood groups that she finds herself sucked into. I was also frustrated with James, who I fully expected was having an affair, maybe with Helen or even Taya, when she first reacted to Claire’s pregnancy. The online mothers’ groups become such a strong influence on Claire. Their advice proving toxic and destructive. The book offers an interesting perspective on our ‘influencer’ culture.
I am looking forward to other members of our book club reading this. I am sure it will provoke interesting discussion.
Thank you to The Reading Agency: Book Club Hub and to Orion Books for our book club copies.
This emotional look at pregnancy and motherhood in our current culture was an emotional and compelling read. My review and recommendation come with a strong trigger-warning. It deals with a number of sensitive issues: loneliness, fertility issues, traumatic birth, neonatal death, loss, and mental health. It is certainly a hard read but a very interesting perspective on pregnancy and our society and culture and its impact on young mothers when they are vulnerable, anxious and scared.
Although I felt the book started rather slowly, once in I was compelled to keep reading. It is sensitively written but at times I was frustrated by the characters and choices that they made. Claire, who has experienced the loss of her father, a significant house move to London and is finally pregnant with her longed for first baby, is anxious, lonely and stressed but oh! I wanted her to talk to her support network: mother, friend, husband, to open up to them rather than the online motherhood groups that she finds herself sucked into. I was also frustrated with James, who I fully expected was having an affair, maybe with Helen or even Taya, when she first reacted to Claire’s pregnancy. The online mothers’ groups become such a strong influence on Claire. Their advice proving toxic and destructive. The book offers an interesting perspective on our ‘influencer’ culture.
I am looking forward to other members of our book club reading this. I am sure it will provoke interesting discussion.
Thank you to The Reading Agency: Book Club Hub and to Orion Books for our book club copies.
