When you want to read a light but gripping, lovely chick-lit book, Moriarty sisters never let you down.

Nicola Moriarty has a witty and entertaining tone. I loved the way she described the 'hipster' cafes:

<blockquote>In a time when most cafes had gone full hipster - everything organic, staff with beanies and thick glasses, and seats made out of tree stumps or milk crates - the cafe next to Cormack was unapologetically ... plain. Everything on the menu had gluten in it, there was no fancy coffee art on top of the cappuccinos and no quirky 1950s style names for the meals. No beards, no fedoras, no kale.</blockquote>

The novel is about motherhood and friendship. Poppy's husband betrays her with her life-long best friend. Back-stabbed twice, she tries to keep her chin up. Her colleague Annalise replaces as her new best-friend but there is an air of mystery around her. The duo set up a Facebook group together, NOP, which embraces the women who doesn't want to be mothers. The group quickly seen as a rival to an existing group for mums, called MOP. It doesn't take long that events get out of control.

This was such a fun read; and lots of delightful conversations about what mothers, and non-mothers go through. You get judged either way, with or without children. Funny but true!

I liked Annalise and her honest, brave and crazy personality. everyone needs a friend like her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Nikola’s writing when I read her debut The Fifth Letter. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to read her next book, Those Other Women. Like her debut, Those Other Women is a wonderful, engrossing read right from the first to the last page.

The story begins at the end of Poppy’s marriage. Her husband has left her for her best friend. One thing that is very clear about Poppy is the fact that she doesn’t want kids. She seems to have found the perfect new friend, Annalise who also doesn’t want kids. The two ladies form a Facebook group with other like-minded women in their town. However, there is a rival group for mothers in the same town. The two groups soon clash providing readers with an entertaining, emotional and relatable story.

I wasn’t so sure that I’d enjoy this title as much. I didn’t expect to connect with Poppy. I don’t have kids but I do want to have them someday unlike Poppy. However, I totally found myself relating with her. There are some issues that non-mothers raised that had me nodding my head in agreement. Some of the concerns that they raised about the workplace were things that I have experienced. I won’t lie; I was totally on the side of the non-moms at this point. I wanted to get placards and picket. However, the author masterfully ensured that I was also able to see things from the moms’ perspective.

This is a story about womanhood, motherhood and friendships. I love how the author also covered social media illustrating the benefits and perils of online connections. Told through three main POVs, the story has well crafted, memorable characters that had me totally immersed in the narrative. The themes were very well developed and I like the fact that the book allowed me to think about womanhood from different perspectives. I also love the fact that I could identify with different characters in the book. They were so relatable that it felt like I was reading about women that I know and not fictional characters.

This was definitely an emotional read for me. The book had me smiling, laughing and crying.I was able to connect with the women and share in their joys and sadness. I enjoyed spending time with the characters and was sad when I got to the last page and had to say goodbye. I have no doubt that these characters and their stories will stay with me for a long time. If you are looking for an engrossing, well-written women’s fiction then you need to read Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty. What a beautiful, moving story!

I really enjoyed this book. The humour and the storyline are very good. I laughed a lot through it. The characters were good and believable and kept me reading. A good book to curl up on the sofa with .

I couldn't put this book down. . When Poppy's husband shatters her world, she and new BFF Annaliese take the childfree social media world by storm with their exciting new group. But rivalry with other online groups and Annaliese's lies create and exciting and compelling narrative and I just had to keep reading - thank goodness for the easter holiday!!

A different story of women who do not have children setting up a group. As with most things in life it becomes dysfunctional. A very enjoyable book about characters I cared about.

A heartwarming true to life story about the lives of different women mixed in with a bit of social media!!!! Loved it! Would recommend!!!!

A great modern story highlighting the good and bad sides of social media.
I can see both sides of the story having thought I didn’t want children, then changing how I felt at 32 years old.
The story is told from the point of view of Poppy and Annalise.
It’s a really well told story and I liked the characters. There were lots of touching moments and lots of fun too. It also highlights some of the problems with dementia.
I liked the ladies football team, makes a nice change. And I liked the parts set in Poppy and Annalise’s workplace. I found it really interesting.
A really enjoyable read and I’d definitely recommend it, very relatable.
Thanks to Sam Deacon at Penguin Random House UK, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the review copy, in which I give my honest opinion

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
I do enjoy a good book by a Moriarty!
Well written, good characters who are realistic, a modern day poignant storyline, what more could you want?
The everyday battles between women is real. Whether it be mother vs non-mother, mother vs mother or non-mother vs non-mother. This story outlines some of those everyday, mostly silly and pointless battles and really makes you think about why you might take umbridge with someone for having a different lifestyle from you.
I have no more to say but to recommend you pick up and read this book!

The book opens with Poppy discovering that her husband and best friend have been having an affair for the past four months and have decided to confront Poppy about it. It doesn't sit well with Poppy at all, but clearly her relationship with her husband and with her best friend have come to an end. Particularly when she learns that Karleen is pregnant. She was led to believe that their affair had hinged on the fact that Garrett had changed his mind about wanting to be a father, since Poppy has never wanted children and believed Garrett was the same.
She then makes a new best friend, Annalise and together they start a Facebook group for women who don't have or want children. The events that then unfold provide captivating reading.

I really enjoyed this book. A great plot with wonderful main characters. I was gripped by the story all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.

Crazy, dramatic, but relatable!

The story begins with Poppy. She discovers her husband hasn't been faithful. That, and he was slightly confused when he told her, he was like her, he didn't want children. A betrayal that would be hard for anyone to get past, alongside her mother's lack of acceptance that her daughter really and truly just doesn't want children. So to move on, Poppy creates her own private, exclusive, Facebook group to connect with like-minded women. It gets disastrous, as do most things when the online world is involved. And to topple it off, there's the side problem that not everyone is who they say they are, and not all their secrets are safe...

These characters will resonate with you, their stories, and their need to talk about their situation. I was overly judgemental regarding some of the women and I was quick to take sides. It was realistic of human behaviour: we listen to a story and quickly decide who's right and who's wrong. But it's never so black and white, for one thing we're only hearing the storyteller's version and we're caught up by our own problems and our own values.

But this book was more than drama, it was intelligently written and beautifully thoughtful in its portrayal of women. Representation is a huge thing, and this book is for any woman: whether you wish to be a mother, and can't contain yourself by the prospect, or whether you simply don't harbour that wish.

I stayed up late reading this, as though it was crucial to read another chapter and to know more. I just felt so involved, it was brilliant. I remember a debate that took place on This Morning, the subject was stay at home mothers vs. working mothers. I despise that there's a rivalry and intense judgment. Nicola Moriarty got that: and she offered the idea of openness and simple acceptance. We should lift each other up and have the more difficult conversations. We all have so much to say.

A very 'fun' Mother's Day read!

I received this book through Netgalley.

Loved this really easy read, realistic characters all with their own story. Affairs, secrets, Facebook groups with impostors mum's versus non mum's. Ultimately each woman having secrets of their own and it shows things aren't always what they seem and how easy we make opinions of others

I've read other books by the author and like her style and found this book as captivating to read as her previous books.

Intertwined into the story is the age old issues of mother vs non-mother and within those groups, mums who work, mums who don't, non-mothers who want children and ones that don't. She addresses the issue that as women we spend a lot of time tearing each other down rather than supporting each other. I hope that if nothing else people can take from this book that being supportive is the positive step.

Recommend a read and will be looking out for her next one.

I was lucky enough to review Nicola Moriarty’s first book The Fifth Letter last year so was interested to see what she wrote next. Those Other Women, like her first book, centres around a group of women, their friendships secrets and lies. The book follows Poppy after her husband leaves her for her best friend. What makes this an even bigger betrayal is that Poppy and her husband had decided that they didn’t want children, but now her best friend is also pregnant. In comes Annalise to take on the role of best friend and together they form a Facebook Group for women, like themselves, who make the choice not to have children as an opposition to a similar group that only allowed mothers to be members. The plot is narrated by Poppy, Annalise, and towards the end Frankie, their work colleague who has wanted to be their friend.

The Other Women does have an interesting point in how women who choose not to have children can be treated by other women. Mostly sartorial it does open up many relevant discussions about women’s issues, but in a light hearted way. There are a few humorous moments in this book that made me laugh out loud. Also, being a mum, it brought back all those experiences and problems with having young children; I remember locking the bathroom door just so I could have a bath in peace.

The characters were very realistic and I found I really warmed to all of them for different reasons. Poppy has lost her husband and best friend in one go, and her mother is forever telling her that she will change her mind about having children. Whereas Poppy has her family for support, even if they are annoying at times, Annalise is alone. She doesn’t seem to have any friends apart from Poppy and only has one night stands as she doesn’t want any emotional commitment. There is an air of mystery about her, she never talks about her past or childhood and the mystery is further fuelled by a red notebook that she always has with her to write her thoughts in. Frankie is their work colleague and a mum who is struggling to find the balance of work and childcare. She feels those at work, like Poppy and Annalise, look down on her as she frequently has to leave early to pick up her kids from school. She also feels inferior to those mothers who don’t work and again feels that they judge her harshly.

The Other Women is one of those books that you feel comfortable with from the first page, and know you are going to enjoy it. There is a lot of humour in this plot, mainly between the two opposing Facebook Groups, one for mothers and one for those who chose not to be mothers, and some mothers wishing they could have five minutes without their children. This is a witty and warm book with wonderful characters and a plot many readers will relate to.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Poppy felt shocked and betrayed when she found out her husband Garrett was having an affair with her childhood friend Karleen. When Poppy first met Garrett she explained she never wanted children which he agreed upon. However Garrett had changed his mind and did want to start a family.

Four months after Poppy and Garrett had divorced she was devastated to learn Karleen was pregnant with his child. Football fanatic Poppy soon made friends with work colleague Annalise when she joined her football team.

Poppy and Annalise further bonded when Poppy found out Annalise did not want children either. In work meetings Annalise and Poppy felt resentful because they felt women with children could finish work earlier and take time off for assemblies. They both hated Frankie who was their boss Paul's PA, Annalise suspected Frankie and Paul were having an affair.

Poppy decided to form a Facebook group for non mothers called NOP. An alternative group for mothers called MOP. NOP quickly became popular until a MOP member posing as NOP member wrote a scathing article in a local newspaper. Angry Poppy declared on Facebook it was time to retaliate and to confront the parents if there child does something wrong. Suddenly the peaceful group Poppy envisioned goes to pieces and hears stories about her members confronting women in restaurants..... But who is the mole in the group?
I think Nicola Moriarty has become one of my new go to authors. I think the storyline was very relatable. I work in an office environment, many times a work colleague has asked me to work late so they can finish early so they can pick the kids up from school. Or I have had to cover the work of someone who is part-time. I have to admit I have felt bitter in the past but I have never considered the other side of the story.

My favourite characters were Poppy who dealt with the breakup of her marriage so well. I also liked Frankie who on the surface seemed so calm but her legs were paddling underneath. I was not keen on Annalise, I thought she was reckless but I came to feel sorry for her on the charity cruise.

In a nutshell Those Other Women had some memorial moments with great characters. I highly recommend this book to other readers.