I am yet to find a Holly Bourne book I did not enjoy (YA or adult). Holly’s third adult book, this one looks at the complexities of motherhood in a very real way, and the impact it has on friendships and ourselves. Set over tjthe course of one day at a baby shower, a lot of different perspectives are represented through this lens, including pregnancy and child free individuals. I also really enjoyed the “twist” aspect about who began the focal point of the book (if you read it, you'll know what I mean). Somehow very hard hitting and laugh out loud funny at the same time.

An interest premise on what happens when friends have children but some of it felt exaggerated and slightly unrealistic.

A terrible heatwave. A very tense baby shower. It will all end in tears….someone started a fire at the house but who?
I really enjoyed this light hearted read of four 30-something uni friends who reunited at an ill-fated baby shower. It held my attention and the for main characters were all very well constructed. A story of friendship, rivalry, emotions and motherhood.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also posted this review on Goodreads and will post it on Amazon.

I absolutely loved the author’s previous novels this Girl Friends so was excited to read So Thrilled for You.
The novel explores friendship and motherhood through the relationships of four university friends at different stages of their lives. I found that it took me a while to get into but once I did it was an immersive and sometimes unsettling read. I really appreciated the honest insights on motherhood and how our experiences and desires around it are so different, An excellent honest and emotional read that I’d recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC,

A must read for anyone. This felt like a really real portrayal of different viewpoints on having children, nuanced in a way I've not seen in literature before.

Seeing the friendship between these four women be pulled taunt by their situations, caring so deeply for each other but worrying that they can't relate or connect, was really beautiful.

For such an introspective read (it made me question a lot!) I was surprised by how gripping it was. I read this super quickly and the tension was perfect.

Holly Bourne’s So Thrilled For You is a sharp, witty, and deeply relatable exploration of friendship, envy, and the complexities of adulthood. The story follows a friendship pushed to its breaking point as one woman’s life seems to be flourishing while the other grapples with disappointment and self-doubt. Bourne expertly captures the subtle dynamics of comparison and resentment that can creep into even the closest relationships.

The writing is insightful and laced with Bourne’s trademark humor, which helps balance the heavier themes of jealousy and insecurity. The characters are flawed yet sympathetic, making their struggles feel authentic and raw. While some parts of the story are uncomfortable to read, they’re handled with sensitivity and nuance, encouraging reflection on the pressures of societal expectations.

This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy realistic, emotionally charged stories about the messiness of life and friendships. Bourne’s honest portrayal of imperfect relationships makes So Thrilled For You a compelling and thought-provoking read.

So Thrilled For You centres around four university friends – Nicki, Charlotte, Lauren and Steffi – as they navigate their thirties and different life paths.

Nicki is pregnant and seemingly content, yet struggles with her own doubts. Lauren is a new mother and is completely overwhelmed. Charlotte is desperate to conceive – she tries to have a positive outlook but in reality, she is struggling with envy. Steffi is happy child-free and putting her career first, yet feels open to judgement by her friends.

As they reunite for a baby shower during a sweltering heatwave, underlying tensions surface, leading to unexpected revelations and a dramatic turn of events.

Holly Bourne delves into the intricate dynamics of female friendship and the societal pressures surrounding motherhood. Each character is meticulously crafted, representing different perspectives on motherhood and societal expectations.

The novel’s structure, alternating between the day’s events and police interviews, adds a layer of suspense, keeping readers engaged as secrets unravel. Bourne’s writing is both sharp and empathetic, offering a candid exploration of the societal pressures women face and the personal choices they make.

So Thrilled For You is a compelling read that resonates deeply, prompting reflection on the nature of friendship and societal expectations.

A laugh out loud book but, also a reflective book. This had everything all in together. I laughed, and I got emotional all the way through. A very thought provoking book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Wow what a book what a story! I love everything Holly Bourne puts her name too. A beautifully written book about being a woman, being a mother or choosing not to be. It explores misogyny including the internalised kind that women can have for others. But most importantly it explores friendship and love and all the things we never say. I devoured this book I laughed and cried and rooted for the characters. Thanks Netgalley

I love all Holly's books and the way she writes so deeply about female friendships (and also motherhood in this novel). So Thrilled For You reads like a thriller which is a new style for the author, but doesn't shy away from what she does best. Some of the chapters were very harrowing and I guess upsetting, but this raw honesty about motherhood is what made the book so great.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of So Thrilled For You.
4.5 stars
I loved this book, the mystery kept me guessing right qquntil the end. There Were two female characters who were intense to the point of manic. This was very well written, but stressed me out at times that I dropped the half star.
Highly recommend

In a world of liars, the honest woman is queen
—
There are pivotal moments in our lives: birthdays, graduation, weddings, gender reveal parties… When four old friends gather for a baby shower-cum-gender reveal party, the lies fall apart and the truth is revealed, until a fateful moment sweeps away everything in catharsis.

They don’t tell you how difficult becoming an adult can be. There’s no manual, no Dummies for adulting. You just get stuck in and do it. And so it is for our four women friends, taking their inevitable paths forward, and finding that things aren’t as advertised. Marriage, pregnancy, commercial success: something has always got to give. Told in alternating POVs interspersed with police interviews, the day in question is a watermark for these friends, to reset relationships that have changed out of all recognition. A Galentine’s book if ever I’ve seen one and told with brio like a mystery, the characters are engaging women doing their best, succeeding at times, failing at others; always striving to satisfy social constructs but in the end giving in to their personal and interpersonal needs.

A satisfying three and a half stars, rounded up to four.

Holly Bourne's story concept was excellent - a way to articulate the complexities and challenges contained in everyone's inner world, and just how much pressure this can put on even your closest friendships...especially when babies are involved! Moving, timely, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. Well worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC. Although I did have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of my latest streak of fantasy books, I can confirm that So Thrilled For You was just as compelling and thrilling as any tale of magic and warfare. One of the things I love about Bourne as an author is how sharp her pen can be. She is spectacular at dissecting social relationships and phenomena and turning them into incredibly compelling and unputdownable reads and So Thrilled For You is no exception. The novel centres around four friends who broadly embody the various models of thirties womanhood that we see in the media. Lauren is a new mother who is struggling more than any of her friends realise, Steffi is an ambitious career woman who is proudly child-free but convinced everyone is secretly judging her for it, Charlotte is desperate for motherhood and is channelling all of her OTT type A energy into throwing the ultimate Pinterest-worthy baby shower for Nicki, who is excited to have her baby but has half an eye looking to the past and the life she gave up to become a mother. This book had me crawling out of my skin with how toe-curlingly and casually cruel that these women could be to each other. The changing perspectives were superbly executed. Every interaction seemed perfectly innocent from the perspective of the person narrating it and was taken achingly personally by the friend who then perceived dozens of implicit slights. As much as each character was fantastically realised, Lauren takes home the prize for most unflinching depiction of motherhood and the postpartum experience that I have read in some time. The scenes from the hospital after she gave birth were so harrowing that I made my husband read them and promise that if we had children that he would never let this happen to me. Overall an excellent, highly readable novel that will keep you guessing and also really has something to say about female friendship and the way that society treats women of childbearing age. Highly recommend for fans of Big Little Lies or book clubs looking for a juicy discussion.

A story about friendship and motherhood, and above all, secrets!

This is a delicious book to read and will not let you go!

Genuinley the greatest book I've read in the last 12 months.

I read a lot of it thinking thank god little of this is my experience of motherhood or friendship but even so there were parts where I thought, yep, been there. Despite it not bing refelctive of my experience it felt so believable and just so raw. It hasgone straight onto my list of books I will always recommend when asked.

This is not my usual type of read at all, so I was unsure going into it. It was a wonderful surprise. The central premise is a group of friends getting together for a baby shower and all of the baggage they bring with them. What it really digs into is the time of life when the prospect of motherhood comes around. Deciding to have a child or not and what it's like when you do. The rejection of not wanting it, the desperation for it, the resentment of it. Probably the best depiction I've read of the subject.

I read So Thrilled For You as a digital book and gave it 3 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the honesty and vulnerability of having and/or looking after children, Holly Bourne does not shy away from some of the more unspoken circumstances/events that happen when you have a child and i personally really appreciated that in this book. The beginning for me was quite slow and boring, I did enjoy the multi POVs and learning about our four main characters and their lives, but the book only really started picking up pace after the 60/70%+ mark for me anyway; so I did enjoy the end more than the beginning and I did feel like the end was slightly rushed. At one point in the book atleast, all of the four FMCs in this book did annoy me sometimes but with this I also liked how it portrays the characters as real people who are all different and don't all get along, making them feel more realistic. Some parts of the book were a bit weird to me or I didn't see how they added any value to the story. Overall, this book was an OK read, I probably won't reread it or buy a physical copy for myself (this is the first book I've read by Holly, so Ill look into their other books as well as I might enjoy them more) , but would recommend to other people, but please make sure to check TWs and CWs before you read them though.

I finished So Thrilled for You by @hollybourneya last week and really enjoyed it, though I would say that it needs trigger warmers for infertility, baby loss and post-natal depression so if those are topics that are sensitive, this might not be the best book for you to read. It’s sort-of a whodunnit but without a murder being committed, set around a baby shower for a group of friends who call themselves the ‘Little Women’. However times change and so do friendships and this event will test the best of them. I must admit I’m not sure I could be friends with all of them myself after reading this!!! Thank you to @netgalley for the proof copy.

I enjoyed So Thrilled For You. It was a journey into friendship and motherhood , and touched on the topics which aren’t always freely talked about.
I look forward to reading Holly Bourne’s other books.