Whether I’m sitting in the school car line, waiting while my kids are in dance class, or winding down at bedtime, I love a good read. With all of the chaos of my real mom life, it’s nice to be entertained by someone else’s fictional parenting problems. If you love finding humor in motherhood, these books are sure to bring a smile to your face!
1. Happy and You Know It
By Laura Hankin
Claire is a young musician trying to make a living in New York. She finds herself leading a music group for privileged stay-at-home moms and their babies. As the weeks go by, she begins befriending some of these well-off women and makes surprising discoveries about their lifestyles.
The book is driven by Claire’s humorous observations, the mom’s snarky dialogue, and a couple of unexpected twists. If you’ve ever wanted to know the “real” shenanigans of a wealthy mommy group, here you go!
2. Class Mom
By Laurie Gelman
This is a hilarious, semi-exaggerated year in the life of a kindergarten class mom named Jen. Her sarcasm is an acquired taste that most of the parents in her son’s class prefer to spit out. As the class mom, she encounters annoying parent politics, grating personalities, unusual demands, and a few new allies.
This is book one in the series and I can’t wait to read the other three.
3. Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes
By Alexa Martin
Best friends Lauren and Jude are struggling financially and decide to move in together. Lauren is a single mom of a five-year-old and Jude is a fitness influencer who secretly identifies as a hot mess. They start a mommy podcast together where they discuss the challenges and judgment they deal with as modern women.
Mom Jeans touches on female friendships, social media, and moving on past dysfunctional families and unpleasant circumstances. I definitely think the target demographic is “millennial moms,” and found myself relating to so many of their sentiments.
4. Girls with Bright Futures
By Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman
My kids are still young so I can’t directly relate to these moms yet, but with the 2019 college admissions scandals still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t pass this up.
As a competitive group of high school seniors and their parents prepare for college, gossip and drama ensue from every direction. The authors redefine “parent support” in this funny imagining of what cutthroat moms will do to get their kids into the school of their dreams.
5. Lessons in Chemistry
By Bonnie Garmus
This is one of my absolute favorite books from the last year! It is set in the 1960s and delves into all of the stereotypes and unrealistic expectations that women face. Elizabeth Zott is a talented chemist who is constantly misunderstood and underestimated. As the story progresses, she finds romance, has a daughter, and begins starring in a successful cooking show.
While her unconventional approach to parenting is one thing that made me enjoy Lessons in Chemistry, I appreciated the multi-layered story that encourages women to embrace their intelligence, independence, strength, and talents
I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did. What books would you add to this list?
