Mammy Banter: The Secret Life of an Uncool Mum by Serena Terry #bookreview

She used to want it all.
Now she just wants a nap.

Tara Gallagher is knackered. She used to dream of being Beyoncé but suddenly she’s thirty-six – with three kids, a loving husband, a very boring job – and instead of headlining Coachella, she’s in her pyjamas on a Friday night, watching Gogglebox.

It’s time for a mammy makeover. She’s going to show her teenage daughter she’s still cool. She’s going to show her husband she’s still an absolute ride. She’s going to show her colleagues she’s still a Boss Bish.

But most of all, she’s going to prove to herself that she can still be a mum, still work full time, and still be Beyoncé…

My thoughts on Mammy Banter

I think I might need to start tagging some of my posts “TikTok made me do it” because I’m not sure I would have requested a review copy of Mammy Banter if I hadn’t already been a fan of Serena Terry (a.k.a. @MammyBanter) on TikTok. She’s one of the first posts I saw when I first signed up mid-pandemic and I became a faithful follower. She is smart and funny and just the right side of irreverent for me, which is just how I’d describe her debut novel.

Tara Gallagher is mid-30s, struggling with the idea of having a teenage daughter and no longer being ‘cool’, leading to a series of (mis)adventures as she tries to find herself and her place in a world where she is no longer the bright young thing but by no means ‘over the hill’. Each decision she makes seems to make the situation worse until it all works out in the end (just like we knew it would).

This isn’t my normal type of read (no one dies for a start!) but I am really glad I read it (especially after it was right after the dark Burncoat by Sarah Hall). It made me laugh. It made me smile. It made me remember being stuck somewhere on the wrong side of 30 before I realised 40 wasn’t that bad.

Could I relate to all of it? No. Did it matter? Also, no. Is it a quick, fun, read that will brighten your day? Yes. If that sounds like something you fancy, I’d definitely recommend it.

Emma

Please note: I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own.

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