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.

I absolutely ADORED this book! I felt it spoke to me on so many levels - between complex friendships, “interesting” mother/daughter dynamics plus motherhood itself, I honestly felt seen at times.

Holly Bourne’s writing is searingly honest, witty and emotionally provocative. As much as I tore through this novel because I was enjoying it so much, I did not want it to end.

An absolutely stellar depiction of what it is to be a woman.

Absolutely loved this book! From page one I was hooked and couldn’t wait to pick the book back up.

I can’t wait for more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit hesitant going into this book, as I have had mixed results with Holly Bourne before and I wasn't certain there was anything left to be said about the horrors of motherhood in fiction.

Well, I was proven wrong. It is not so much that this book has something new and profound to say about pregnancy or friendship or motherhood, but the way I genuinely began to feel for every single one of these women. Every single one of them was messy and selfish and complex and at times a terrible friend. And yet I could not find any true fault in their behavior. It is so refreshing to see grace given to women who are trying their best not just by the narrative, but by each other.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about complex female friendship.

So Thrilled For You captures the complexities of female friendship and womanhood so incredibly well. University friends Nicki, Charlotte, Lauren and Steffi are now in their thirties and firmly in different stages of life. Their genuine friendship has become quasi-performative and beneath these performances, jealousy, resentment, insecurity, sadness and uncertainty simmer. This novel is unashamedly honest and raw, delving into the socially unspoken aspects of motherhood, infertility, and the stigma childfree women face. This was my first time reading a Holly Bourne novel and I loved the knife-sharp wit and distinct narrative voice of each character.

So Thrilled For you is a hard hitting tale of otherhood and toxic friendships. A baby shower is due to take place on the hottest day of the year but doesn't go to plan. The four friends who gather together are Nikki, the expectant mother; perfectionist Charlotte who battles with IVF and who organises the baby shower as if it was her own; Steffi, who feels as if she is given no credit as she has no children; Lauren who has suffered a traumatic birth and finds early motherhood very difficult. All the characters and their viewpoints are well drawn and believable. Although some of the topics are dark, this is a very good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book.

So thrilled for you by Holly Bourne

In this fast paced novel four friends from University reunite for a baby shower. They all have things going on in their lives and when they come together and group dynamics creep back in there are fireworks. There are some hard hitting topics in this book (miscarriage, fertility issues and postnatal depression) which I felt were dealt with well. I loved the exploration of friendship and different views on and experiences of motherhood within the group. The writing was gripping and funny at times. I recommend this book but definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. I haven't read any of Holly Bourne's other books but will be looking them up.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So thrilled for you is out now

This was a great girly story with some hard hitting truths included. It keeps you turning the pages as you can’t wait to find out what happens. My first book of the year(2025) and I really enjoyed it.

I’ve read previous books from Holly Bourne and really enjoyed them, so I was extremely excited when I was able to read this one.
This one, I found a lot more hard hitting than her other books, the topics discussed are sensitive and upsetting, no matter which way you look at it.
The way the author has written it though is thoughtful, touching, impactful and engaging. She manages to weave a bit of humour and light-heartedness into what could be a sombre tale, she makes it real.
The story talks about, amongst other things, problems and experience with miscarriage, issues conceiving a child, and (the part I related to the most), post natal depression.
The characters have depth, empathy, and strength and fit perfectly with the topics of the novel itself.
If you can read these topics. I’d highly recommend this book.

Genuinely one of the best books I have read in a long time. This is in no way an easy read - there are topics of miscarriage, trouble conceiving, post natal depression and others - but it is highly impactful and meaningful and will make the reader think. Moments of humour tangle well with utter shock, beautiful imagery and characters you will genuinely care about. Bourne is forever an author whose books I will prioritise reading, and this novel encapsulates why.

Pure brilliance.

This was a hard one to read. I've read all the books Holly has ever written and I loved them. I'm more torn about this one. The subject matter wasn't one that I can really relate too I guess, despite the characters being so close to my age. This was about motherhood and toxic friendships.
I did really love how the whole book was built, the interviews, the articles, the different points of view leading to the Crime. Holly Bourne truly is a master at what she does.
This book will stay with me for a while but maybe not in a good way, Lauren's point of view really read like a horror novel and it terrorized me. I guess I enjoyed none of the points of view but I did sympathize with three of the main characters, and had a lot of trouble with the last one. I honestly don't know how I felt about this overall. It was a hard read and, at some point, I just wanted it to end. I also can't agree about the view on friendship... It's just not been my experience, but that's personal I guess.
Overall, this was an interesting book with a great concept but it was a little too hard for me to properly enjoy. I would still recommend this with a few conditions!

An amusing look into friendships and how or if they survive the passing of time especially when pregnancy and children divide them. Well written and told from different friends’ viewpoints.

Initially I struggled getting into this book as I didn’t like any of the characters due to their various personalities and flaws. However, when I reached the end of the book I realised that I really rather enjoyed it and understood why each of the women behaved as they did. It is I good story and a well written book, I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for your hard work.

The publisher's pitch that this is Big Little Lies meets Expectation is spot on. If you have (or had) a group of friends that are all at different stages and have very different takes on motherhood, this is the book for you. I loved how each character is clearly defined, as our their different takes on attending a baby shower. The fact it happens on the hottest day imaginable is the (swiftly melting) icing on the cup cake.
The climax is a shout-fest and a fireball rolled into one. Very cinematic.

A baby shower with a difference, it certainly didn't go to plan.
This book explores friendship and the various experiences of pregnancy and motherhood amongst four long time friends. Well told, the reader really got to feel the diverse emotions of the four women.