I'm not surprised the other mothers hate her. I wasn't best pleased with her either. I'm afraid I found this book infuriating, there were some fairly big plot holes. None of the characters are likeable nor not really very believable. I didn't really enjoy it.

I am one of them! I hate Florence 😅

When 10-year-old Alfie goes missing after a school trip, Florence embarks on a journey to find the culprit.

And why, you might ask?

Well, Alfie is somewhat of an enemy to her son, Dylan, at their all-boys private school. They’ve had issues in the past.

At this school, Florence is frowned upon, as she doesn’t fit in with the other parents' status. She is a former pop star, and her ex-husband pays for the school fees.
After Alfie's disappearance, she discovers that both children were paired up on the day of the trip. When Dylan goes to spend the week with his father, Florence finds Alfie’s backpack under Dylan’s bed. Instead of speaking with her son, she joins forces with Jenny—another outcast mother with an interest in investigation—to find Alfie. Secrets are uncovered, terrible decisions are made, and an unlikely friendship develops.

Florence is simply chaotic. How her son manages to thrive with her as a mother is unbelievable. She would be a case for Social Services, especially when she leaves her 10-year-old son alone at night to go out drinking and for casual hook-ups (are we still using this word?). She’s self-centered, impulsive, immature, and untrustworthy. She makes terrible decisions, and I found myself constantly shaking my head and rolling my eyes at her thoughts and actions.
But one thing is undeniable: the immense love she has for Dylan. She would move mountains to protect him—even if it means breaking the law.

I can’t say I liked any of the characters. They are all so obnoxious, snobby, arrogant, and toxic, yet addictive to read about at the same time. Maybe Jenny and her evolving relationship with Florence made them a little more tolerable.

Now, based on this review, you might think I’m telling you not to pick up this book—but it’s quite the opposite! I really enjoyed it, and it's so well written that it evokes all these strong emotions. The pacing is well executed, the plot is engaging and extremely humorous, and while the ending didn’t surprise me, it was still satisfying. Some parts felt like filler, and at times, the narrative dragged a little.

Although this is completely different from what I normally read, I actually really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down.

This book will be published in the UK on April 10th.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for the opportunity to read this book.

All the Other Mothers Hate Me was quite the wild ride of a novel. This is a story about fitting in, the desire for a second chance and the extreme lengths people go to for those they love.

All the Other Mothers Hate me centres around the disappearance of a boy named Alfie. Alfie, a pupil at a London private school, went missing during a trip to the wetlands. For failed pop star Florence Grimes this represents somewhat of a problem given that Alfie is her son Dylan’s bitter rivalry, leaving him as one of the prime suspects. Florence has to get her act together, find the missing boy and clear her son’s name or risk losing him forever. The only problem? She doesn’t have any detective skills, she’s not exactly popular at the school gates and she’s just found Alfie’s backpack hidden under Dylan’s bed…

This is one of those darkly funny reads that has an awful lot to say within it. It is also comprised of almost exclusively non likeable, and yet total compulsive reading, characters. Florence is pretty hopeless in most respects and yet the love she feels for Dylan is so incredibly clear. She makes some absolutely terrible choices throughout the novel, yet it’s all to try and protect her son. With that in mind I did find her willingness to leave him, a ten year old boy, alone at night pretty jarring.

The mystery surrounding Alfie’s disappearance certainly keeps you guessing. I enjoyed the way the different strands came together, with the red herrings throughout, worked especially well. This is a carefully and cleverly plotted novel.

I think what I enjoyed most was the unconventional friendship between Florence and Jenny; two mums who were both on the outskirts of the school mum hierarchy and circle. Though there were some stumbling blocks along the way, what they were left with was a solid bond that you only hope will continue.

This was certainly an entertaining read, that once you hit that magic point was impossible to put down.

The title and concept of this one completely hooked me in, and such lively and engaging writing! However, the main character was so unlikeable that I wasn't sure what to make of it overall. But I definitely wanted to finish it to see what happened, so for that reason I'll give it 4/5..

All The Other Mothers Hate Me is a read that takes you on a right journey from start to finish.
Florence used to be in a girl band before she had a disastrous relationship with her manager that ended her career but gave her a son. Dylan is 10 years old and goes to a swanky private school that his father pays for. Florence is immature, terrible at time keeping, a lot younger than the other mothers and not to be trusted with gossip. Dylan’s class mate goes missing on a school trip and Florence links up with another mother that no one likes and together try to find out where the boy is and who has taken him.
This was a really good read, it had me laughing to myself in places as Florence is just so not a natural mother. The storyline was good and had a good pace. There were some red herrings thrown in to keep you off the track of the culprit. Characters were plentiful and all very different so it was easy to remember them.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Fourth Estate for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

‘All The Other Mothers Hate Me’ by Sarah Harman is a novel full of dry wit, interesting characters and multiple plot twists. The main character, Florence, is absolutely not part of the upper echelon of mums at the school gates of St Angeles Prep School, attended by her ten year old son Dylan. However, the parental group chats go from bitching to downright panic when wealthy heir Alfie - who happens to be Dylan’s bitter rival - vanishes on a school trip. Soon, Florence is caught up in an investigation with her son’s future hanging in the balance…

While ex-popstar Florence wasn’t a super likeable character, she was redeemed by the love she felt for Dylan and her status as an underdog compared to the glossy gaggle of St Angeles mothers. I enjoyed the hilarious dialogue and the tentative friendship between Florence and fellow outcast mum Jenny, and found myself racing through the pages! The fictional scene of the disappearance - Barnes Wetlands Centre - is somewhere I have visited a few times, which was a fun feature and grounded the action in reality.

I found the plot a little bit predictable - though the shocking ending had the last laugh - but the humour of the book was what made it stand out rather than the central mystery.

Overall, this gets 3.5 stars from me, and I’d recommend it to fans of ‘Happy Bloody Christmas’ by Jo Middleton or ‘The Herd’ by Emily Edwards.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher 4th Estate Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

All The Other Mothers Hate Me
By Sarah Harman

This is not your usual missing child story. Florence is not your usual mother. She is chaotic and immature, self obsessed and convinced that none of the other school mothers like her.

When her son's school friend goes missing, and she realises that her son might be more implicated than he's letting on, she can't help herself perverting the course of justice. She'll do anything to protect Dylan.

Poor Florence. She's one of those messy women who never learns from their mistakes. She is morally flexible and that makes her vulnerable to manipulation. Almost everything she does makes the reader cringe in horror, but you just can't help but love her and want to protect her from herself.

This story should not have worked for me. Silly drama would normally turn me off, but sometimes the narrative voice and the tone get their hooks into me and with it's fast pace and intriguing plot, which I never would have figured out, this book has been a surprise win for me.

Should be on everyone's summer reading list.

Publication Date: 10th April 2025
Thanks to ##Netgalley and #4thestatebooks for providing an ARC for review purposes

The first half of the book had me hooked. The pacing was fast, the humor sharp, and the story immediately engaging. Florence is a fantastic character. She’s flawed, funny, and just trying to navigate motherhood while dealing with the cliquey, judgmental “yummy mummies” at Dylan’s school. Her struggles felt real, and I loved her messy, relatable personality. I enjoy the fact that this book had two stories merged into one where there’s Alfie a schoolboy who was missing and the last person who saw him was Dylan and a serial killer strangler on the loose.

However, the second half didn’t quite hold up for me. This could be because I took a break before finishing, but when I came back to it, I struggled to find the same momentum. Around the 65% mark, I had a strong hunch about who the killer was and I was right. While this made the mystery a little predictable, I was still interested in discovering what happened to Alfie.

Despite losing some steam towards the end, All Other Mothers Hate Me was an enjoyable read. If you liked The Dead Friend Project by Joanna Wallace, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s darkly funny, packed with intriguing characters, and keeps you entertained.

I had a blast reading this, quick paced, questionable decisions, awful yet loveable characters, what more could you want?

Florence is so unapologetically awful and would absolutely anything for her child (except miss out on a night on the town). We follow Florence as she tries to cover what happened to missing rich kid Alfie and it seems that wherever Florence goes, chaos ensues.

I’ve seen reviews that likens this books to Only Muders In The Building and I can kind of see that, with the suspense, red herrings, and humour entangled in a whodunnit mystery. So if you enjoy that show then give this a read!

I kept seeing the cover of this book on 'must reads of 2025,' so I was so pleased to get an arc. After reading the opening chapter, I worried I wouldn't like it - Florence (the main character) definitely has her flaws - but it quickly turns into a real page turner. I read it in a day as I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to the missing boy. Also, there are so many other plots weaved in that the stakes are really raised by the finale. I loved it. Definitely five stars.

Yeah I kind of hated Florence too….

Florence knows all about failure. After a dismal end to her 2000s girlband career, she’s moping around West London, single, broke and unfulfilled. The only things she’s proud of are her increasingly elaborate nail art choices – and her ten-year-old son, Dylan.
But when Alfie Risby, Dylan's bitter class rival and the child heir to a frozen foods empire, mysteriously vanishes on a school trip, Dylan becomes a prime suspect. Florence has to get her act together, find the missing boy and clear her son’s name or risk losing him forever. The only problem? She doesn’t have any detective skills, she’s not exactly popular at the school gates and she’s just found Alfie’s backpack hidden under Dylan’s bed.

I struggled to really get into this book with Florence being a such an unlikeable character, however the last 40% had me gripped and I really enjoyed the finale. A steady 3 ⭐️

haha. this is a romp of a read. it was energetic and fun. it had the flawed characters that you just adore reading about. this story was unputdownable. it was unique and glowing with the fury of flawed characters in a fab plot. the kind of book you realize we all need sometimes. to make us all feel better. to make life seem better. to make the difference we have in our decision making just feel a little less weighty.
because our main character is certainly flawed. her decision making us so so so not ok sometimes. and her need to protect her son doesnt exactly follow the rules. but you love her for it. and you love to witness it even when you dont agree with it!
its also great how much you see her do for her son when her own parenting is often questionable.
the title of the book is definitely apt for the woman herself. and you could very much see why mothers would not like this woman(rightly or wrongly)
i like having to put aside all morals to enjoy this book. because then you stop questioning and just get on board. and stories just need to be that for you sometimes.
Florence does has one thing going for her. her son. but when he becomes the main suspect in the disappearance of his classmate its up to Florence to figure out what happened so she can get the light off her sons direction.
i love how this book was about the mystery of what happened to the classmate but also about the cast of characters too. and they flowed alongside each other perfectly. after all the way we get to reveal is only by what Florence chooses to do next.

Having spent a bit of time in the sort of school Florence’s son goes to, I can definitely relate! Sarah Harman has clearly spent some time people watching in some of the more elite prep schools and created a fun satire on the utterly ridiculous lives of the 1% , particularly in London. Chock full of the sort of characters you love to hate, this is a page turner and a half. Extremely entertaining, very silly and quite horrific in places, definitely one for an afternoon in the garden this summer.

I became rather desponded with the story. The protagonist is definitely not a jewel... In fact, I presume that the moral vacuity of her is intentional but I didn't find its treatment here enlightening or actually funny in any meaningful way, alas. I also dislike her intensely (no hate though)... as for the plot, I could sadly not believe in it. Too unbelievable and stereotypical. I felt like giving up several times in my impatience with character and plot, but persevered out of wanting to ascertain how the mishmash would resolve itself (yes, I realised denouement before it happened). It is a first novel, so allowances must be made.

Florence is a very hard person to root for, but she definitely loves her son! The steps she goes to to save her son from a crime he may or may not have committed is immense.
When a book starts by calling a ten year old "a little shit" you know it's going to be good!
It's a really fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Loved this book right from the start. The characters were likeable and although Florence is very different to me she was easy to relate to especially with the love of her son. The friendship with Jenny developed through the book and I enjoyed the fact that Florence had her as a friend.

Funny, a good story that you cannot predict where it’s going.
I enjoyed and would recommend - a good read

So not what I expected in the best way! I thought this was gonna be a sad gal trying to find her happiness kinda chill book.

Didn’t know expect our former girl band girly and her 10 year old son who are both outcasts at the cliquey school figuring out where the missing kid went on a school trip with the main characters son being the main suspect of the disappearance 👀

Picked up super well really quickly and kept me engaged throughout. Was a pleasant surprise and I won’t share much else but it definitely deserves the high marks it’s receiving ! So much fun!

Flo is a mum struggling to cope with life and a 10 year old son. Life is chaotic and then a bot from her son’s school goes missing and her son is the prime suspect. So a crazy journey to prove his innocence commences. .

When Florence's son Dylan is implicated in a classmates disappearance she starts investigating what happened.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book, it's not what I'd call a cozy mystery of the type that I normally read. Florence isn't a rich mother, unlike the others at their private school, and hasn't made any friends amongst them, similarly Dylan is a bit of a loner. She is joined by another mother in this search, with a varying degree of success. There were some humorous moments, some frankly embarrassing ones as they continued the search, leading to, for me at least, an unexpected thrilling conclusion, so it's worth persevering if you struggle to get into the book to start with.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.