A collection of short stories that are an easy read. It didn’t captivate me though and it was a pick up, put down book which took a while to read. It was ideal to read a story between heavier books. A couple of times I was left thinking what next when the story seemed to end suddenly. The stories would be good for those who like to read but don’t have a lot of time to read a whole book but I prefer a longer story with more depth.

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

Well written but just not for me - too focused on including the pandemic. A few stories piqued my interest and would be excellent full novels if explored deeper, but overall unsatisfying.

I won't lie, I requested it because of the Taylor Swift reference in the title. Am I superficial? Yes. I enjoyed the writing, I thought this book had some powerful and beautiful quotes. My issue is that the stories were too short and I failed to connect with any of the characters because, as soon as I started understanding the characters' emotions, the story would be over. Still a good book, I also liked the themes it dealt with.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood feels like a very rote type of short stories, its explorations of subversive women also feels a bit derivative

I think the majority of these short stories weren't really my cup of tea, though I did really enjoy the last one and felt I could have read a whole novel in that world. A mix bag of short stories, that I know have been very popular with other readers, so still worth a read.

I very much enjoyed reading the collection of short stories that make up This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood. Her writing evokes slices of life and makes you feel seen and understood as a complex and flawed person.

I love a short story but some of this felt a bit forced and disjointed. The stories themselves within themselves were good… but I just wanted a bit more from it?

This is an interesting debut short story collection focussing heavily on motherhood, if motherhood is not something you are interested in then this one will not be for you. It is clear from each story that Wood is a good writer but some of the stories felt a little disjointed for me and lacked the ending / finalisation I would hope for.

I should have read the reviews before reading this collection as it touches on the pandemic / Covid and I was not ready / am not someone who wants to read about this (just yet) and it really pulled me out.

Wood is definitely one to watch and I am interested to see what Wood publishes next, hopefully a novel as her writing would lend itself to a longer form.

Short story collections are always a bit hit and miss. For me, not being a mother I'm not sure that this really is for me. Perhaps mothers or even parents might see more in the stories.

Winner of the BBC Short Story Award, this collection was a little hit or miss for me. These stories examine the darker side of pregnancy, motherhood and family life. This had everything I look for in a short story collection and I loved the title but I think some of the stories just failed to connect with me. I did enjoy 2 or 3 of them ( Dino Mums was my favourite) but found myself skimming others. I did enjoy Wood's writing style and maybe I will return to this one at a later stage and read the stories over time rather than consecutively as I did over the weekend. I think this is a collection designed to dip in and out of.

3.5 stars- with one 5 star read and a couple that didn't land with me at all.

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things is a pretty intimate look into the depths of motherhood - the thread that binds this short story collection together being stories about pregnancy, children, and how the emotional and physical brunt of that tends to fall onto the mothers.

In each story, we see men getting away from it - the partners physically distancing themselves (or straight up leaving), work colleagues who can slowly push them out of the picture as they prepare for maternity leave, the discomfort of pregnancy, the responsibility of children.

The stories are needle sharp, sometimes bringing up quite discomforting thoughts. The woman are flawed, as are we all, although some more outwardly than others - a pregnant director chipping away at her leading actress to try and discover the truths of her past trauma in ‘Dracula at the Movies’, or the mother in the last story ‘Dino Moms’, where they live in a bizarre Jurassic Park-esq reality show, come to mind.

Covid is another theme that runs through quite a few of these stories - so if you don’t like the pandemic appearing in your fiction, maybe give this one a miss. If, however, you’re like me, and like the reminder that it’s something we all had to live through - this book does a good job of highlighting that, with ‘Flatten the Curve’ being the most claustrophobic reminder.

The writing is sharp, the women multi-faceted, and I found myself quite deeply invested in each story. I’m looking forward to reading more from Naomi Wood in the future.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ by Naomi Wood is a sharp and timely collection of short stories about women subverting norms. Each tale is darkly funny, relatable and brave and together they paint a shrewd picture of the modern world.

Personal highlights for me were ‘Wedding Day’ which was vivid, biting and funny and ‘Dino Mums’ which was unusual and intriguing. I was also hooked by the corporate portrait and themes of failed sisterhood and competitive parenting in the opening story ‘Lesley, In Therapy’.

This gets 3.5 stars from me. While some of collection spoke to me, other short stories didn’t so it was a somewhat mixed experience. I’d recommend this and I think I’d have enjoyed more if I dipped in and out rather than reading each consecutively… so buy the captivatingly covered hardback and keep it to read in between other books!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood
Publication date: 4 April 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A debut short story collection from award-winning novelist Naomi Wood, exploring the dark side of family and femininity.

I really enjoyed Wood's writing but ultimately none of the stories really grabbed me - until the last story, Dino Moms, which came completely out of left field and was by far my favourite.
I appreciated the exploration into pregnancy and motherhood throughout the stories, of the difficult and often conflicting feelings they can illicit and I really enjoyed how Wood kept her characters raw and often unlikeable but, ultimately, very human and flawed.
Now, if Wood wanted to write a full length Dino Moms novel, I'd read that in a heartbeat. What a weird and wonderful little story that was!

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is a collection of short stories by Naomi Wood, with the theme of motherhood. There is particular emphasis on the difficult days of pregnancy and early motherhood as experienced by working mothers. I found the stories mainly interesting and emotionally real, but rather unsatisfying as most did not have a conclusion but just... stopped.

Good on atmosphere but not a comfortable read.

I thought this was so well-written and unusual - there were several stories that hooked me in, although I did find the short story format a little restrictive. Some of the characters, I wanted to read a whole novel about. Some I didn't get at all. Some felt a little unresolved - which reflects the fact that each story is an insight or vignette into a woman's life and so the endings are just as messy and up in the air as real life.

I didn't realise that the stories were going to be so focused on early motherhood. While it's an interesting time to read about, it wasn't wholly relatable for me. I've been there, survived that, but the challenges in the book aren't my current realities. It's my fault for not reading more about the book before I requested it.

Overall, I'd say these are intriguing and well-crafted stories that will definitely strike a chord with those in the early years of motherhood. It presents that time in all its obsessive, sleepless, emotional and slightly surreal glory.

Eclectic Collection..
A collection of eclectic tales with a central theme of womanhood are compiled in this sharp, edgy and often biting volume. Each tale is different, each smartly and slickly crafted as emotional derailments, revenges, rages, intellectual battles and genuine moments are all laid bare. Always keenly observed.

Unfortunately this one was not for me. I read the first 2 stories and decided to DNF. The stories just didn’t feel to me like they had much of an ending, just kind of ended without wrapping anything up.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I found I couldn’t get into the stories and found the characters a bit onesided.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I was looking forward to the short stories but they fell a little flat. I decided to DNF at 23%.

Overall it was a nice read into the slice of life of motherhood, where mothers are not portrayed as perfect people, but rather complex and faulty.

Read if: you are interested in short stories around motherhood
Don't read if: you do not like stories that are not linear or do not have a conclusion; those stories are rather a slice of life and do not have conclusions