Poppy never thought her husband wanted children - especially not with her best friend.

When Poppy arrives home to find her husband and best friend sitting side by side at her kitchen table, she thinks they're planning her a birthday surprise . . .

Little does she know, they're waiting to tell her about their affair. And worse, that they're having a baby.

Now everywhere she goes, mothers are reminding her of their betrayal.

This story started off with such promise with a best friend/husband betrayal and a pregnancy into the mix. However, once Poppy started the online NOP group and buddied up with Annalise and her secrets, and moles in the groups, the story went into a Mean Girls mode and for me, it lost it's way of being authentic and believable from then on.

I finished the book, waiting for it to come to lovely neat conclusion but I was disappointed.

From the author of The Fifth Letter comes a controversial and darkly comic story about the frustrations of being a childless woman in the modern baby-obsessed world... .

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This unfortunately was just not my cup of tea. I found the characters so unlikable and nasty, there didn't seem to be any redeeming factors to them. I found myself skipping through pages just to get some clarity. Not my kind of book sadly

Working in an office environment with a number of women, I could identify with a lot of the problems and issues mentioned in the book. Interpersonal relationships get very complicated and women are the worst.... The book was well written and gripping until the end.

A good story which explores the issues of your best friend having an affair with your husband. Who do you feel the most betrayal from? Would you ever trust anyone again

This book is great modern fiction. It took me a wee while to get going but I stuck with it. It's the story about woman with children versus women without children. Mainly in the working world and on Facebook. It was quite a good ending which I enjoyed.

This is a really fantastic book which I enjoyed very much. My full review can be found on cwtchupbooks.com

Absolutely loved this book, so well written, has everything, drama, humour, a gripping storyline, loved it!

Those other women

I can't make my mind up the whether this is a good one for the beach or for a winter's night tucked up with hot chocolate and tissues.

This novel has so many layers and small short episodes that it's almost a collection of stories. not totally what I expected from the title.

We meet Poppy straight away having a married life crisis. We follow her through her life choices.

At work she makes friends with Annalise who becomes her best friend. We think we know but we're not quite sure as the writer drops hints about Annalise's secret past.

Then there's Frankie the boss's secretary who appears to be having an affair but confusingly sticks up for Poppy when a similar situation arises.

All of this while Poppy, as a modern woman, not wanting to have children, creates a group on Facebook for other like-minded women. she thinks, but the writer shows us we can never trust everyone on Facebook to be honest about who they are, causing conflict in the group. Cue the war between mother's and non mother's or MOP and NOP!

This is so well written and layered that it feels like a novel twice the size and I needed to have breaks to allow me to pause between crisis / events in all of their lives.

This is beautifully written and easy to read but the contents maybe a bit too heavy for a lounge by the pool.

Either way I really enjoyed this story of modern women at different stages/choices of their adult lives.

I received a free copy from net galley.com for my fair and honest review.

This was a very interesting and captivating read following the story of Poppy who, at the very beginning of the book, is presented with the devastating news that her husband and best friend have been having an affair and that husband Garrett is leaving Poppy to set up home with her. To add further insult to injury it's not long before Poppy discovers that they are expecting a baby despite Garrett and Poppy agreeing that neither ever wanted to have children. Poppy is already feeling that working mothers in general seem to get an easier ride and have less expectations than that of their childless peers so her feelings of betrayal and unfair treatment are at an all time high! Her work colleague and friend Annelise shares many of her feelings of frustration and is also child-free through choice and together they set up a "secret" Facebook group for like-minded women in direct opposition to the Facebook groups for mothers. It is not long before the gloves are coming off and it appears that there is a mole within Poppy's group sharing secrets with the "enemy". An interesting read which examines the ever-topical subjects of working mothers, childless women by choice, social media pitfalls and how woman can be women's worst enemy when it comes to judging and supporting each other.
Many thanks to Netgalley UK and Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for the advance review copy.
Update: Amazon review posted 14/05/18

An easy to read book. I enjoyed reading all about the different characters and how they all fused together. A great read.

Clever story about guilt betrayal and a lot of lies.
It is a book of the 21st century where social media is central to the storyline. It has a theme which all women who work can relate to regardless if they have children or not.
Very clever and in some places very dark because what you think you see is not actually the reality.
Loved it.

Really enjoyed this story. Full of great characters and a delightful setting. Will read this author again. I recommend it.

I received an advance copy of this book on Netgalley. Nicola Moriarty has a lovely way with narrative that makes her books very easy to read and enjoy. At the same time there is a complexity in the storyline as the plot weaves through these women's lives. The characterisation is varied and very well done and as the reader I had real empathy with all the characters. There is a reality in the way the author portrays the characters and unfolds the storyline - I could see some of the emotions in my own life, raising children, Nicola Moriarty has a real hold on the lived experience of those with and without children.

When Poppy thinks her life is running smoothly then she is shocked when one day after work she finds her husband and best pal waiting for her and is shocked to discover that her beloved hubby has been having an affair with her lifelong pal and what's more he is leaving her. How this modern story develops is beautifully told when Poppy sets up a Facebook group that is the opposite of a young Mothers Group and she calls it NOP. into the mix add a new pal from work Annalise who seems to hard to believe and some nasty postings on each website and as they say, "light paper and retreat. How the pals cope with the outworkings of this and how the the Company they both work for becomes involved makes for a great read. A modern take on life and the myth of happy ever after!

Poppy has never wanted children and she thought her husband Garrett didn’t want them either until he reveals that he got her best friend pregnant. Without husband and best friend, Poppy finds comfort in her new friendship with her colleague Annalise. They are tired of other women threating them as strange when they reveal that they don’t want to have children or mothers using their children to get off work earlier so they decide to start a Facebook group where women like them can connect and share their experiences. Things get out of control when their group start a war with a Facebook group for mothers. In the meantime, Frankie, another colleague, is so busy with her children and with her work that she doesn’t find time for anything else and she feels like a bad mother every time she doesn’t have time to go to a school event or help her children with a project. This novel is not only about mothers vs childfree women, but also a book about working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. I didn’t really like any of the characters, I couldn’t really sympathize with any of them and I found some of their motivations and the rivalry between the two groups petty. There were a few moments that kept me interested in the story, but I found the author’s other book, The Fifth Letter, far more interesting and intriguing.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Poppy felt shocked and betrayed when she found out her husband Garrett was having an affair with her childhood friend Karleen. When Poppy first met Garrett she explained she never wanted children which he agreed upon. However Garrett had changed his mind and did want to start a family.

Four months after Poppy and Garrett had divorced she was devastated to learn Karleen was pregnant with his child. Football fanatic Poppy soon made friends with work colleague Annalise when she joined her football team.

Poppy and Annalise further bonded when Poppy found out Annalise did not want children either. In work meetings Annalise and Poppy felt resentful because they felt women with children could finish work earlier and take time off for assemblies. They both hated Frankie who was their boss Paul's PA, Annalise suspected Frankie and Paul were having an affair.

Poppy decided to form a Facebook group for non mothers called NOP. An alternative group for mothers called MOP. NOP quickly became popular until a MOP member posing as NOP member wrote a scathing article in a local newspaper. Angry Poppy declared on Facebook it was time to retaliate and to confront the parents if there child does something wrong. Suddenly the peaceful group Poppy envisioned goes to pieces and hears stories about her members confronting women in restaurants..... But who is the mole in the group?
I think Nicola Moriarty has become one of my new go to authors. I think the storyline was very relatable. I work in an office environment, many times a work colleague has asked me to work late so they can finish early so they can pick the kids up from school. Or I have had to cover the work of someone who is part-time. I have to admit I have felt bitter in the past but I have never considered the other side of the story.

My favourite characters were Poppy who dealt with the breakup of her marriage so well. I also liked Frankie who on the surface seemed so calm but her legs were paddling underneath. I was not keen on Annalise, I thought she was reckless but I came to feel sorry for her on the charity cruise.

In a nutshell Those Other Women had some memorial moments with great characters. I highly recommend this book to other readers.

I was lucky enough to review Nicola Moriarty’s first book The Fifth Letter last year so was interested to see what she wrote next. Those Other Women, like her first book, centres around a group of women, their friendships secrets and lies. The book follows Poppy after her husband leaves her for her best friend. What makes this an even bigger betrayal is that Poppy and her husband had decided that they didn’t want children, but now her best friend is also pregnant. In comes Annalise to take on the role of best friend and together they form a Facebook Group for women, like themselves, who make the choice not to have children as an opposition to a similar group that only allowed mothers to be members. The plot is narrated by Poppy, Annalise, and towards the end Frankie, their work colleague who has wanted to be their friend.

The Other Women does have an interesting point in how women who choose not to have children can be treated by other women. Mostly sartorial it does open up many relevant discussions about women’s issues, but in a light hearted way. There are a few humorous moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. Also, being a mum, it brought back all those experiences and problems with having young children; I remember locking the bathroom door just so I could have a bath in peace.

The characters were very realistic and I found I really warmed to all of them for different reasons. Poppy has lost her husband and best friend in one go, and her mother is forever telling her that she will change her mind about having children. Whereas Poppy has her family for support, even if they are annoying at times, Annalise is alone. She doesn’t seem to have any friends apart from Poppy and only has one night stands as she doesn’t want any emotional commitment. There is an air of mystery about her, she never talks about her past or childhood and the mystery is further fuelled by a red notebook that she always has with her to write her thoughts in. Frankie is their work colleague and a mum who is struggling to find the balance of work and childcare. She feels those at work, like Poppy and Annalise, look down on her as she frequently has to leave early to pick up her kids from school. She also feels inferior to those mothers who don’t work and again feels that they judge her harshly.

The Other Women is one of those books that you feel comfortable with from the first page, and know you are going to enjoy it. There is a lot of humour in this plot, mainly between the two opposing Facebook Groups, one for mothers and one for those who chose not to be mothers, and some mothers wishing they could have five minutes without their children. This is a witty and warm book with wonderful characters and a plot many readers will relate to.

I enjoyed this book of female solidarity and friendship. Bit of a plodder though and took me a while to get through but glad I stuck with it.