Frankie is a single mum writing a journal of her year. She goes through some major life decisions and begins to learn about herself, her children and how to live the life she wants to live.

This was such a funny and very real book. It's so easy to relate to much of what happens to Frankie. So many parents feel the way she does, I know I certainly have. The story is written in a diary format which I really liked. The story was strong and so very real. It also made me laugh many times. A brilliant, funny light read. The scene with the fountain was hilarious and loved the ending. It finished the story so perfectly too.

Now, this should be a new parent handbook because I remember motherhood being more like this than any book or leaflet that I had ever been given at the baby clinic. Set out like diary entries written by Frankie, this is a hilarious account of her daily life, from playgroup gatherings to teen tantrums, Tinder dating, and best friends, it is all there warts and all.
Frankie is a brilliant character that had me proper laughing at situations, nodding along agreeing and at other times wishing I had thought of some of the things she did. Frankie is a Jaffa cake addict and lover of a glass or two of Prosecco when the going gets tough. She has a brilliant couple of mates that band together to face the ‘new age mums’ at playgroup that do everything by the book, from carrot sticks to no additives in their pre-schools snacks. It really is a clicky place of the know-alls and the no-ways!
I howled at outings with her and her children that could have got Oscars for their acting up scenes when they knew they had an audience. Still makes me giggle. If you want an uplifting read then this is a go-to book. Oh my, I could have re-named everyone of these characters with people that I have known through life. That is what makes it so great. It is just so relatable to everyday life, mine and more than likely yours too.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

What an honest, down-to-earth read .. and SO FUNNY!

Since splitting with husband Ian, Frankie is on her own with toddler Jess and teenager Flo. It's hard to please everyone at the same time (never mind ALL the time) and this is her diary of 2018; the highs, the lows, the daily wine and jaffa cake count . . .

What a great read! There's no whitewashing here; Frankie isn't perfect but she is refreshingly honest and I suspect that deep down all mums can identify with 90% of her life. The sad, the funny and the downright cringeworthy moments are all here, and it is an introspective and intelligent read. I've loved every single thing about this one - her kids, her friends, her job, her search on Tinder and the interactions with the ex, as they work hard together to stay friends. And yes, that is possible!

This is a very easy read; easy to lift and lay - but why would you want to put it aside? Pulled in from the very first, I have laughed and cried along with Frankie and the predicaments she has been in, and I've been royally entertained. Such a fun read, definitely well worth a full five stars and a hearty recommendation! For a debut novel, it is awesome and I'm really looking forward to hearing more from Jo Middleton.

My thanks to publisher Ebury Digital for my copy via NetGalley. As always, all opinions stated here are entirely my own.

This book should come with a note on the front cover saying to not read in public places because it will make you laugh out loud and people around you will give you weird, this-woman-is-crazy looks. That’s what happened to me… PLAYGROUPS & PROSECCO is such a fun and entertaining book and I think I laughed almost every page.

It’s the story of Frankie, 37 years-old, recently divorced, two daughters (one is a teenager, the other is a toddler), a job (and a boss) she hates but that works around her daughters’ school hours, and a great love for Jaffa Cakes and Prosecco. In her diary, Frankie narrates a year of adventures, from facing the mommy mafia at the Busy Beavers playground to stalking the perfect mother with the perfect life on Instagram, from disastrous encounters with men on Tinder to awkward and embarrassing situations in public places, often caused by her three-year-old daughter Jess, she doesn’t leave anything out.

20190424_135335 (1)I think that my favourite character is Jess, Frankie’s toddler. She has a knack to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, to get her mother in humiliating situations, and to test her patience. There was a particular scene involving Jess, Frankie, and a fountain in the park that had me with tears in my eyes from laughing.

Frankie is a fantastic character that you can’t help but like. She is honest, funny, intelligent, and genuine and I loved how she develops throughout the book. Her stories are relatable and written in a natural and entertaining writing style that hold the reader’s attention page after page. I liked that the novel doesn’t focus much on Frankie’s love life (aside from her Tinder dates that made me doubt about the future of mankind) and more on her friendships (I liked Sierra, Lou, and their WIB WhatsApp group), her family, and her work life (her hate for her boss Steve was another motive for laugh).

PLAYGROUPS & PROSECCO is an uplifting, engaging, hilarious, and brilliantly-written novel, an absolute page-turner. I highly recommend it!!!

A lighthearted, entertaining and funny read.
I found it realistic, well written and it made me laugh loud more than once.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Ebury Press (Fiction) and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It took me a while to get into this. It's inspired by the author's blog and it reads like it. It's also little stereotypical in that way that's meant to make it relatable but instead makes it cliched.

However, it's worth persevering with because it's also sweet and heart warming, charming and uplifting; the perfect way to while away a hot afternoon in the sun.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Playground and Prosecco is the fun, lighthearted ramblings of a single mother of two. It’s full of wine, Jaffa cakes and amusing anecdotes that will keep you entertained with every turn of the page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK Ebury Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

It's not easy being a working, single mum, and to top it off, deal with the issues of a teen, as well as a preschool daughter. Oh and manage daycare cliques as well as find love... Or is it?

In this fantastic read, we meet Frankie who is all of the above and follow her over a year filled with Jaffa Cakes, Prosecco, Tinder, toilet happenings and Mooncups...

A hilarious diary style book that had been rooting for Frankie throughout. For the record, I'd have thrown a stapler at Steve, her boss, scrolled longingly through the Insta account of @simple_dorset_life, and embraced my new friends, Lou and Sierra too.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a light-hearted read, with maximum enjoyment!

Think of it as Adrian Mole for the Middle Aged, or Dork Diaries for grown-ups!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Ebury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not my usual type of book, and I definitely had reservations when I started - it seemed a bit too Bridget Jones without the substance. However, what emerged proved me wrong and I actually thoroughly enjoyed the read.

An easy way to pass an afternoon. This book is perfect for curling up on the couch with the fire on and a hot chocolate in hand. Although beside the pool would also work. Both hilarious and uplifting this is a must read for all mothers with a sense of humour. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC.

Frankie, single mum of two daughters decides to keep a diary for the first time since age was a teenager. Follow the ups and downs of a year in the life of Frankie, this book made me laugh out loud too many times to count, I could definitely relate to the toddler situations. A fantastic light hearted true to life book.

Hilariously honest and frighteningly accurate! Frankie is a single mum adjusting to life and negotiating the pit falls of juggling work, childcare, and the judgemental mummy mafia at playgroup while also starting to explore the possibilities of finding new love and dealing with the joys of a teenage daughter. Lighthearted, refreshing, fun read.

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced copy to review via NetGalley.

I absolutely loved Playgroups and Prosecco - I identified with Frankie perhaps a bit too much if I'm honest. I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face several times and seriously, people with kids around High School Musical Days - of course we Googled how old he was haha.

I loved the diary layout, and how varied the entries were. Frankie's friends Sierra and Louise were spot on and made me remember my toddler days with #2 fondly. I also think the fact that I have both a 14yo and an almost 3yo really struck a chord with me too.

All in all, I absolutely loved this book and would definitely read more from this author and I'd love a Frankie follow-up?!

What I really liked about this book is that Frankie is not your cliched slummy mummy. It would have been easy to write a book about what a disastrous mother she was, basically trying to make the reader feel better about themselves for not giving their kids fish fingers four nights a week.

But actually, the book is written in a much more elegant way. Frankie does have some classic slummy moments but the book is about so much more than that, and that is where its appeal lies.

It sums up what it’s like to be a mum; whether you’re single or married, working or staying at home. The guilt, the loneliness, the random flashes of enlightenment and anticipation, and the general all round drudge of daily life. I especially liked it when the time slipped a few days or a whole week, because nothing of note happened. Then there’s the work situation – the juggle of maintaining a decent job (and salary) and spending quality time with your children. Something has to give, and invariably it involves taking on an unsuitable job to make the family side fit. It’s a juggle that far too many parents face on a daily basis.

The book is also about what it’s like to be a mum and a person. In Frankie’s case it’s about dealing with a lovely ex-husband and the prospect of dating again, and the pitfalls of well known online dating apps. Even if you’re in a different position as a reader it still makes for enjoyable reading.

The range of characters and the descriptions of the social reality of parenting are brilliant. Yes there are the do-gooders that seem to frequent every kind of activity you take your child too. But there are also a lot of mums trying to do what they think is best for their child, and some succeeding more than others. We’ve all been there with bursts of making homemade organic chicken nuggets, but then the next weekend you revert back to trusty Birds Eye because your child had a tantrum in Asda and you just can’t be bothered.

I really enjoyed this book, it was like curling up with a snuggly blanket and glass of Prosecco and chatting with your best mum friend. Throughout the story I felt like I was there with Frankie and her girls, cheering at the highs and commiserating with the lows. The book doesn’t make me feel like I’m a better mum, but that I’m doing an alright job and no mum is truly perfect.

Absolutely fantastic book! Written in diary form so very easy to read. This book has it all especially humour and I laughed so much while reading.

It’s also very relatable. Two adult children and 4 grandchildren meant I totally got it. Everyone with children needs to read this book! I hope there’s more from Jo and in the meantime I’ll be following her blog.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

What a brilliant book this was! It was so lighthearted and such an easy read. I loved the main character and could definitely relate to her. So many laugh out loud bits. Fantastic book I would highly recommend

This book, written by the fabulous Jo, AKA Slummy Single Mummy was an absolute joy to read. It’s written in diary form, each day summarised by a tally of things such as number of Jaffa Cakes consumed, number of glasses of Prosecco and embarrassing encounters. The book is charming and relatable, and I was laughing out loud at some of the tales. Plus, it made me really crave Jaffa Cakes (and gin). Frankie also ventures into the world of online dating which was really funny to read.

Playgroups and Prosecco is one of the best mum books I’ve read, it had me absolutely howling with laughter at the relatable toddler behaviour and playgroup mafia wars.
It isn’t an aspirational parenting book, but Frankie’s way of mumming through life was just so accurate to what is a lot of mum’s reality. We are all doing our best, and sometimes we’re a bit rubbish but we try! The book was extremely funny in a very natural way. Some of these types of books exaggerate somewhat to the point of spoiling the joke, but Jo Middleton just tells it as it is and recognises that kids acting like normal kids are far funnier than any amount of made up over the top stories.
As well as a lot of relatable mum stories, I really enjoyed Frankie’s progression throughout the book with her friendships and work life. It was fantastic to read a book where the focus wasn’t on her love life and finding a man to save her from single mum life. Frankie’s Tinder experiences were funny because they were framed around Frankie’s obvious contentment to live alone with her girls. Focusing on making friends and finding a fulfilling and yet flexible working life was a far more positive, uplifting plot and I really love that this shift away from always having to put a romantic relationship at the centre of women’s fiction is happening.
This is the perfect book to curl up and read with a glass of wine having just had the bedtime struggle with the kids. I sped through the pages and truly felt like I was one of Frankie’s friends.

This reminded me of a Fiona Gibson novel- fast paced, witty, true to life, laugh a minute, friendship, family, love, frustration - all woven into one fantastic, rush to the last page, novel. I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book, it was like curling up with a snuggly blanket and glass of Prosecco and chatting with your best mum friend. Throughout the story I felt like I was there with Frankie and her girls, cheering at the highs and commiserating with the lows. The book doesn’t make me feel like I’m a better mum, but that I’m doing an alright job and no mum is truly perfect.

It sums up what it’s like to be a mum; whether you’re single or married, working or staying at home. The guilt, the loneliness, the random flashes of enlightenment and anticipation, and the general all round drudge of daily life. I especially liked it when the time slipped a few days or a whole week, because nothing of note happened. Then there’s the work situation – the juggle of maintaining a decent job (and salary) and spending quality time with your children. Something has to give, and invariably it involves taking on an unsuitable job to make the family side fit. It’s a juggle that far too many parents face on a daily basis.