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.

After her girl band career falls apart, Florence finds herself unemployed and stuck in a small flat with her 10-year-old son, Dylan. Feeling lost, she’s jolted into action when Alfie Risby—heir to a frozen food empire and Dylan’s school rival—goes missing on a day trip to a local wetland centre. Alfie & Dylan were paired up when he was abducted, and so Dylan is now the police’s prime suspect, Florence takes matters into her own hands to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any dectecting skills, and no friends among the other mothers to back her up, not to mention the added complication that she has found Alfie's missing backpack under her son's bed!
That is until solicitor Jenny comes into her life. Jenny also has children at the school, and has never really spoken to Florence before now, but suddenly they find themselves partnering up to find out the truth.
This was a great story, and has a rollercoater full of emotions - worry, sadness, reflection & with a touch of humor added into the mix.
I found this a real page turner, and even though I did guess some of the plot, it was still a great book.

I think maybe I wasnt in the right mood to read this book. The premise sounded fun, but I found the style a bit grating with a determination to be fast paced and witty that made me feel quite jaded and tired!
The plot was clever and the author did well with her depiction of flawed and unpleasant characters, but on the whole not one for me I'm afraid.
Thank you to netgalley and 4th Estate for an advance copy of this book.
2.5 rounded up to 3

Not my usual read but I enjoyed it. I hated the protagonist Flo, as well as most of the other characters, but I guess that’s the point! And I kept wanting to come back to the story to find out what else was happening, so it definitely had me gripped. Overall an easy read and I think a lot of people will enjoy it.

It doesn't reinvent the whodunit wheel but All The Other Mothers... is a funny take on motherhood that also manages to be a fairly satisfying mystery in its own regard. Its lead heroine is messy to the point of frequent exasperation, but the supporting cast are decently sketched out, with things rattling along pleasingly, even amidst some of the worst personal decisions ever committed by an amateur sleuth. All around, a pretty funny and spirited take, with Harman more than proving why All The Other Mothers... is worth investigating.

Florence is a former member of a 2000s girl band group who went on to bigger things without her. Now a single “slummy mummy” to troubled Dylan, she lives on the edge and does not fit in with the school mums at the posh school paid for by her ex. When one of her son’s wealthy classmates goes missing and suspicion falls on Dylan she determines to solve the crime, or at least deflect blame, and teams up with the only other mum who seems to like her, although even she calls Florence a “chaos muppet” and is concerned about her methods…..This is a light, often funny romp, a bit unsure about whether it is a “Motherland” type satire, a cozy crime or a screwball comedy and not really living up to any of these. The characters are a bit cliched and the morals a bit dubious, but it is entertaining enough.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book but I thought it would be a bit of fluffy fun. How wrong was I! The story grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go at all. Just when you think you’ve got it all sorted, the story changes and the reader is thrust into a maelstrom of emotions. As a mother I totally get the motivation and compelling need to defend your child but at the same time as a reader I’m shouting ‘don’t do it’. Totally engaging and realistic. Sarah Hartman has somehow got under my skin and I’m already looking forward to her next book.