You know what you are going to get with a 'why mummy drinks' book and this was more of the same, with familiar jokes as Ellen and her chaotic life take off during the holidays.

Some laugh out loud moments but Ellen seems to be becoming more and more of a parody figure, as do some of the other characters.

I'm still infuriated that Ellen bought her bizarre and feckless sister in law a house in France, I don't know why it bothered me so much in the first book but it continued to in this book and i found that difficult to get past!

A 3.5/5 from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another excellent installment of such a genuine and funny book series (and perfectly fine to read as a stand-alone too!).
Holidays are always stressful times and you can't help but compare yourself to other parents at the school gates, but it's not the tale of woe and jealousy it could be.

I won't spoil it but I was pleasantly surprised with the complete turn around of events from the start!

i can see why people enjoy these books but sadly not my favourite read . maybe it’s because i like to get lost in a. world of a book and this was too much like reality haha
a funny read

Another brilliant addition to the utterly hilarious Why Mummy series. Returning to these books is like meeting up with old friends. Louisa is by far my favourite character as she is just so completely bonkers. I thought Angie was a great new addition and hope she pops up again in a future book... I do very much hope that there will be future books as this really is just the best series ever - perfect escapist holiday reading.

Ellen thought it would be easier as the children grew up but she has come to realise that is not the case. With fantasies of an Enid Blyton style summer she goes all out to have "the best summer ever." She soon discovers that this is only possible if she increases the amount of Chardonnay bottles she recycles every week. This book is a laugh a minute as Ellen and her mum posse find themselves in al kinds of bother. A very enjoyable read and you don't have to have to have children to appreciate the humour.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC 'of this book

This is my first book by Gill Sims, but definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed this; I found the main character to be whiny and a tad annoying at times, but realised that she is supposed to come across like that and actually, there was something wonderfully human about her. I read this whilst on my first holiday as a mum and it did make me laugh, the naivety of Making Memories and Best Holiday Ever with a 6 month old who genuinely did not care what we did, he just wanted to be snuggled (when not screaming blue murder or sicking up!) He did not care for shushing when we visited the Best Bookshop Ever, for staying awake during our visit to the zoo despite my "look, snow leopards!" protestations nor did he care for Alnwick Castle despite being dressed up as Harry Potter.

I loved the friendships within this book - the female comradery (towards the end had me cheering out loud!) - and Ellen's development was great. A lovely little read.

This is my first Why Mummy Drinks read and although I enjoyed it, I wouldnt rush to read the rest of the series. I found the main character a bit annoying and unlikeable and I found there to be too many yummy mummy cliches for my liking. This is not a bad book but I found the chapters a little bit long and it was a bit of a hard slog for me to finish it.

Another really good book from Gill Sims. Very funny.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

The latest in the "Why Mummy..." series, but works well as a standalone.

This time round, we see Ellen determined to have the best summer ever with her children. Nothing goes to plan however - she has a falling out with best friend Hannah, and finds herself spending time with yummy mummies Fiona and Gemma, as well as dealing with her mother, who just appears on her doorstep. The book has plenty of laugh out loud moments, but also highlights how lonely motherhood can be, and how important friendship is. A great summer read.

The summer holidays are approaching and Ellen is determined to have the best summer ever with her friend Hannah and their children. Not everything goes according to plan, however, when a falling out with Hannah leads her towards the ‘yummy mummies’, desperate to find someone to share her summer adventures with. New friendships are made but Ellen yearns for the company of Hannah but she does not seem keen to reciprocate. The ‘best summer ever’ looks like being a bit of a damp squib…

This is the sixth book in the ‘Why Mummy…’ series and I found this one a lot more melancholy than the others. There is still humour aplenty – I loved seeing Ellen trying, in her own chaotic way, to fit in with Fiona Montague and Perfect Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy and a certain scene involving Ellen’s mum will be imprinted on my mind for a while!

This is ultimately a book about friendship and female empowerment. Ellen, despite her constant joking, is lonely, her estrangement from Hannah highlighting just how much she needs her. Although she found others to spend time with, none of them matched up to her friend and I had real sympathy for her.

The ending of the book is powerful and we get to see a very different side to some of the regular characters. If there are any further books, it will be interesting to see how this has affected the relationships between the mums.

She’s back! The funniest and most chaotic mother in the world is back right on time for the summer holidays. This year, Ellen has decided to take a two-month sabbatical from her work (which she hates, by the way), so that she doesn’t have to juggle babysitters and summer camps during the school holidays, and she has decided to make the most of it. Together with her best friend Hannah, she’s organized fun activities, picnics and adventures (lots of “japes and frolics”) so that they can have their Summer of Happy Memories. Of course, things never go according to plan. First, Hannah leaves her alone to go and spend three weeks with her ex-husband in Cape Town, so Ellen decides to make new friends (and make Hannah jealous) by spending time with perfect yummy mummies Fiona Montague and Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy which involves healthy food, intellectual activities, and Fiona’s ever-present clipboard. Then, her disapproving mother moves in with her, luckily Ellen and her family are going to France to spend two weeks at her in-laws “chattete”, but the presence of her crystal crazy sister-in-law (who lives nearby in a house paid for by her) doesn’t help things. Also, it may be time to decide what to do with her life and the job she dreads returning to.

I love the Why Mummy series and I am always looking forward to a new story. I don’t know how many times I laughed out loud while I was reading this book. Why Mummy Drinks on Holiday is hilarious, entertaining, but also relatable as it addresses topics of friendships, how to juggle friends and family, and trying to appear different to be accepted by new friends. Highly recommended!

What a absolute joy to read. I loved the previous books and this kept me giggling all the way through

Thank you for the opportunity to review

I love the ‘Why Mummy’ series and this book was a great sequel!
Not only was it hilarious, but it focused on the difficulties of navigating friendships through parenthood.

Ellen is trying to provide the perfect summer holidays for her children with lots of ‘japes and frolics’ whilst simultaneously having a crisis about who she is and what she wants to do.

‘The Summer of Happy Memories’ doesn’t quite go to plan as Ellen continues her sweary ranting about the struggles of living up to expectations of yummy mummies like Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy and her sidekick Fiona Montague. Especially after a rather brutal falling out with her best friend Hannah, who abandons their Summer of Happy Memories to bugger off to South Africa with her ex.

All is not as it seems, and even two weeks in her parents-in-law’s French ‘chattete’ isn’t enough to help Ellen overcome her problems. Especially when her crazy, crystal wielding, poet of a sister-in-law makes a reappearance.

This book had me laughing out loud the whole way through, and even as somebody who isn’t a parent, I still find it relatable!

Highly recommend for a lighthearted, hilarious read.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest review!