Many thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and HarperFiction for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas time in Northern Ireland, specifically Derry, which I’ve never actually been to before despite living in Northern Ireland. Being a fan of Serena’s social media it was very easy to picture everything the way Serena wants it to be seen!

A “normal” family during the holidays with “normal” family problems, anyone from Northern Ireland will especially relate to this book!

Would highly recommend as a heartwarming festive read with comedic flair!

Such a funny and heartwarming book!
Tara is eight months pregnant with a teenage girl suspended from school and two young boys , she’s got her hands full.
She loves her job but things have taken a downward turn there and is asked to start her maternity leave a week early , what’s going on there?
Tara loves her husband Paul but he’s being distant and not his usual self .
Tara suffers from anxiety and doubts herself constantly like many women do , her relationship with her mother is strained even more so when she turns up on her doorstep after moving back from Spain.
All these factors make this book a perfect read there are some laugh out loud parts and some parts that are poignant .
The writing moves on at a fair pace and makes the book an easy and enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

Tara is 8 months pregnant and she’s had enough. Her 13 year old daughter has been suspended from school for vaping. Her two younger sons are obsessed with Wee Donkey (elf on the shelf). The youngest boy seems to use everywhere as a toilet except the potty or toilet. Her husband has become increasingly distant and during a disaster she can’t get hold of him or her best friend so in the end she has to call her estranged mother.
I found this book hard going and tough to read. It took me along time to get to the end. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was ok.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I could not go to bed without finishing this super funny, relatable, entertaining festive story about the delightful Tara Gallagher and her tribe!

Christmas is always a time that, as a parent, I get stressed to the fullest, and Tara is no different! Only she is heavily pregnant with her fourth child whilst dealing with the horrors of the unplanned arrival of Norovirus, her mother, and the wee donkey! It’s difficult not to add spoilers, but the whipping in the face scene made me breathless with laughter!

I can not fault this read at all! I absolutely adore Tara and hope to see her back in the new year. I was actually a little disheartened that this book came to an end. I wanted to stay with The Gallaghers for longer. If I was to be part of a fictional family - this would be it!

This is a perfect light-hearted comical story, ideal for a book club read, for those that don’t take life too seriously or are offended by poop in the bath! Fans of the “Why Mummy” series will love this!

Such a fun story which most parents can relate to in some way. Full of laughs with some tears thrown in this is a great book.

If you need a funny Christmas read, this is for you.

Tara is Mammy to Gemma 13, Nathan 6, Jax 2 and hubby is Paul. Plus, she’s pregnant. It’s a countdown of the month of Dec, all the ups and downs of pregnancy and the fun of keeping Christmas alive. It’s full of laugh out loud moments, aww moments and some angry moments. All the characters are great, Gemma has the right attitude for a teenager and her friends are interested, but will always have her back.

I really enjoyed this book, did laugh at the Derry/ Irish glossary at the back. I’m so happy to see writing in the style that it’s spoken. It does have bad language, but the title tells you that. If you want a carefree, funny read, this is it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy for an honest review.

This book is full of emotion in every way, leading up to Christmas. Although some people will relate to this it is well worth a read. 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I've requested this book because I adored this title. I don't care abut TikTok, I don't know MammyBanter, I just hoped for a brilliant, hilariously funny... yes, craic (!) read. Filled with chaos, extremely witty situations and banter.
What immediately made itself feel and noticeable was the fact that the word "wee" was used in every single sentence. I was confused, as for me it's an Irish word but, as it turned out, the story is set in Ireland. However, except for "wee", I truly didn't feel any other irishness there. I missed this hallmark Irish humour which makes the books so exceptional and outstanding, this overwhelming family bond - yes, they were in sync but still, it somehow felt forced, not genuine. I've read a review that said if you like Aisling, you'll like this book. I love Aisling and I think we can't compare this book to Aisling. There is Aisling, then there is long, long, long time nothing and then, maybe, comes "The Shite Before Christmas". I also struggled with it at the beginning, I had a feeling it is way too descriptive, that nothing is happening and we're only fed with tons of words.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a light, entertaining book (yes, there were some moments that made me smile, not on the whole it felt too far - fetched) on the run up to Christmas, this might by your book. As I've mentioned, it had its moments, it's relatable and well, the end brought some tears. Happy tears. And the main characters was adorable, strong and standing her ground.

On request I didn't realise that this is actually the sequel to Mammy Banter, The Secret Life of an Uncool Mum (which I haven't read) To be honest I didn't even realise that it was written by Mammy Banter from Tik Tok, even though I follow her there! I'm like a Netgalley Magpie lured in by a pretty book cover and witty title clicking request before I fully read the blurb (it always works to my favour, so I'm not knocking it!)

Anyway, this book works well as a standalone, if like me you haven't read the first one!

In the book you meet the Gallagher family, pregnant mum Tara, dad Paul, teenage daughter Gemma, sons Nathan and Jax and estranged granny Pamela.

Tara loves her family and loves Christmas although this year the month of December is proving to be more difficult than previous years thanks to her kids bad behaviour, her husband's strange behaviour and the one and only Pamela Sweeney (her mum) waltzing back into her life after 13 years.

If you're looking for a fun book to read on the run up to Christmas, this could be for you. It's relatable, funny, heart warming with the right amount of cheese (as every good Christmas book should have!)

It's a quick, don't want to put down, read and if there's to be another instalment I will look forward to heading back to Derry to catch up on all the craic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

This book begins counting down the days left until Christmas handy when you want to known how fast paced it is from the start.

Paul and our protagonist Tara, are marred and busy parent to stroppy teen Gemma aged 13, Nathan 6, Jax who they are struggling to potty train! To make matters worse Tara is 8 months pregnant!


Taras mother Pamela who is 63, moves in after splitting up with her boyfriend whom she lived with in the Costa del Sol. 

There is a strange end part of the book which I can mention only by saying 

'I'm glad you've found your tribe' Tara states 

'She has her reble mums club' and now he has his.


Then finally we reach the big event and the day which we all excited for Christmas day, will it go perfectly or be just one in the author words 'shite'!?

I’m a sucker for this type of ‘young mother coping with her hectic life’ books - god knows why because I’m well past that sort of carry on, but there you go. I also like a funny Christmas book and this was my first of 2022, and to make ‘The Sh!te Before Christmas’ even more appealing to me it is set in the Northern Irish city of Derry, where the women are all full of sass and craic - so I absolutely loved it; I loved it so much that as soon it was finished I immediately bought the first ‘Mammy Banter’ novel and now I’m totally hooked.

It is a long time since I have actually wept with laughter when reading a comic novel, but TSBC actually made me do that - some advice, don’t read the chapter about the nativity play when you’re on public transport if you want to emerge with your mascara and self control intact! Also, there’s many more layers to enjoy in this brilliant book - it lightly touches on the delicate relationship between mothers and daughters, female friendships, marriages, life/work balance and pregnancy. Serena Terry has definitely got the precious gift of making her reader believe that the narrator is a real person and Tara is a fabulous narrator - feisty, brave but loveably vulnerable (usually simultaneously); she is a proper grown-up Derry Girl for the 2020’s - a ‘boss bish’ as she would say.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific book.

This book made me cry, cringe and laugh out loud! There were parts that made me so mad, and parts that were so tender and fun! Perfect first Christmas book for this year, even if it is a bit early! The main character was wonderful, what a strong, inspiring and hilarious woman!

Tara is eight months pregnant with her fourth child a teenaged rebel daughter who has just been caught vaping at school, a distant husband, an all of a sudden flaky best friend and a mother who she has never been close with but has just moved back from Spain and decided she wants to start making amends.... all in the lead up to Christmas which is usually her favourite time of year... what could go wrong?

I really liked this book. I was worried at first being a person who is not married and has no children that this book wouldn't be relatable at all but I found it really laugh out loud funny and also really heartwarming as well. Would definitely recommend this one.

Great title, but I wasn't expecting so much actual sh!te! A tough read for anyone who struggles with bodily fluids and other eruptions (there's a reason some of us aren't parents) but the heroine's voice is adorable and her festive struggles and triumphs hard to resist. The plot with her mother Pammy was also surprisingly moving at the end, as the women have a frank discussion about how motherhood isn't for everyone, even those who had very few options in 1970s/80s Ireland (Tara seems mid-thirties, but her wild mother would have grown up in a more conservative time). Like Tara, I'm a sucker for Christmas, but I hope none of this happens in my house!

A book that will make you smile from the first . Any mum will totally relate to this book. The humourous slant on family life in the run up to the madness of Christmas.
The unreasonable expectations of perfection and the truth of family life in all it's glorious messiness.
Find a quite corner and relax because you will smile through the book as you remember times of your own Christmases growing up and with your own family as an adult.

This book was hilarious and I giggled most of the way through it!

The author weaves the words into the story in such a way that you can't help but laugh, even at some of the more embarrassing moments. I loved the characters and the festive feeling throughout the book.

Definitely a great Christmas read to get you into the spirit... and to make you thank your lucky stars that you don't live in a home quite as chaotic as that in the book.

I really enjoyed this book. Tara has a stroppy teenage daughter, two young and excitable sons, a husband who is being absent, an irresponsible mother who has just split up from her toyboy boyfriend in Spain and a best friend who is not herself … and it’s the start of the festive season and she is 8 months pregnant. This is a caper through December, but with hormones running high. I laughed a lot, sympathised a lot and had a really enjoyable time reading it. Great fun.

Loved This Book❣️

From the very first page this book had me hooked.

Following Tara's hectic life and build up to Christmas. Married to Paul with a teenage daughter, two young sons and a baby's imminent arrival... and to top that off, her mother Pamela is returning for Christmas, which she's yet to break the news to husband Paul.

Filled with humour from the very start, definitely the funniest book I've read for some time. If you like Mrs Browns Boys humour, you'll definitely enjoy this read. I've not previously read any books by this author before, but look forward to reading more.

The shite before Christmas by serena Terry

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Oh tara , it’s impossible not to feel for our leading lady. You almost just want to give her a hug and tell her to not overthink, to relax but with her life in hectic mayhem you can equally see why she’s got to this point.

It is an incredibly slow burn . And a couple of points I got frustrated at the speed and thought of not continuing but something kept drawing me back to Tara. There are laugh out loud Moments but it can get a little repetitive at times. I don’t think I’m probably the target audience and I think if you have or have had small children you will fall in love with this .

It is a little cheesy and predictable but it’s so festive and feel good or can completely get away with that!

I’m not really sure what I would categorise this as. It doesn’t feel rom com but I suppose its a book about appreciating all that you have , even if that is a toddler leaving skid marks down the stairs.

I think this book will really appeal to a lot of people and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for and honest review

*3.5 stars*

It’s Christmas time in Derry, Ireland, and Tara wants this to be the perfect family Christmas, cosy twinkling fairy lights, gifts around the tree, the toasty warm fire, everyone happy, content and feeling the love - yeah right!

With an increasingly distant husband, two young sons causing havoc, a rebellious teenage daughter, and Tara’s pregnancy of eight months, well good luck with all that Tara! And then, to top it all off, her errant mother who walked out on Tara and her father years ago, returns after years spent in the Spanish sun with her sleazy Spanish barman and thinks she can just walk straight back into their lives - granny of the year she is not!

Mums around the world will recognise at least some of Tara’s dilemmas, and there were many laugh out loud observations from her, but will she get the Christmas of her dreams or will it literally be The Sh!te Before Christmas? Very entertaining.