Book review: Mad about The Boy by Helen Fielding

What do you do when a girlfriend's 60th Birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend's 30th?Is it wrong to lie about your age when online dating?
Is it morally wrong to have a blow dry when one of your children has head lice?
Does the Dalai Lama actually tweet or is it his assistant?
Is technology now the fifth element or is that wood?
Is sleeping with someone after two dates and six weeks of texting the same as getting married after 2 meetings and 6 months of letter writing in Jane Austen's day?
Pondering these, and other modern dilemmas, Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of single motherhood, tweeting, texting and rediscovering her sexuality in what SOME people rudely and out datedly call 'middle age'.

I usually write my review as soon as I have finished a book so that it is all fresh in my mind. However, I have given myself a few days to think about Mad about The Boy. I love Helen Fielding's books and have a huge soft spot for Bridget so I wanted to be truly sure that I had enjoyed this book rather than simply enjoying meeting up with a much loved Mad about The Boy. It was fantastic to meet up with Bridget again but I also enjoyed the story that Helen Fielding has created.
character. But after much thought I have decided that I did very much enjoy
Mark Darcey is no more, I won't go into why but Bridget is  now a single mother to Mabel and Billy. She misses Mark every single day and there were several times where I had tears in my eyes. But Bridget's friends have decided that it is time to get back out there and online dating seems the best way. This is a mine field for Bridget as you can imagine but she does get a date so we get to go along for the ride as she gets to tackle modern day dating; will she ever get over Mark and is it really bad to lie about her age?
Helen Fielding has brought Bridget up to date and so quite a lot of the book involves Bridget texting and tweeting. At first this slightly irritated me but then I realised that it is actually very realistic.
I loved Bridget as a mother; there were so many situations that I identified with. Bridget is very much muddling along as well all do and she is terrified of getting it wrong. Mabel and Billy bring so much humour to the book but they also serve to highlight Bridget's situation. She is incredibly lonely and I just wanted someone to come along and help her out.
In some ways I would have liked Bridget and Mark's story to be left as it was with them living happily ever after. But life isn't like that and Mad about The Boy gives us another whole book's worth of Bridget so I'm not complaining!

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Pages: 400

Book Review: The Antenatal Group by Amy Bratley

Seven months pregnant, Mel is dumped by her partner and is suddenly facing parenthood alone.
But at her antenatal class, she meets a group of women who quickly become invaluable friends in the terrifying new world of birth and babies...
Katy- rich, successful and with the dream husband- has her delivery planned to perfection. But she soon realises that nature doesn't always follow suit.
Lexi, loud and confident, is coping well on her own. Until the only man she has ever loved reappears at the most unexpected moment.
Rebecca is the youngest of the group- not long out of her teens, in fact- but she's determined to hold onto her dreams, even without her family's support.
Erin already seems to be an expert on babies, but her quiet nature hides a secret tragedy.
When you're contemplating pain relief, birth positions and sleepless nights you really need a good friend- or four.

I have been seriously busy with work so I was only able to dip in and out of this book occasionally but I loved it.
The Antenatal Group is the first book by Amy Bratley that I've read but this author had me laughing and crying on several occasions.
Mel, Katy, Lex, Rebecca and Erin are five very different women but they all have something in common, they are about to become first-time mums. The story follows them from antenatal classes, through their five very different labours to the first few months of looking after a newborn.
As a mother of a one year old, this book totally resonated with me. Amy Bratley shows the mixed emotions and experiences of pregnancy and childbirth and then the elation and terror of holding your child and then taking them home.
The characters in this book were very realistic and likeable. I really did feel that the author presented a very honest picture of motherhood while still being entertaining and providing a gripping story.
The Antenatal Group is an excellent read, I would highly recommend it to parents to be or any new mothers who finally have five minutes to pick up a book again!

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Pages: 400

Publisher: Pan

Many thanks to the lovely Roisin at Midas PR for sending me a copy of the book to review, The Antenatal Group is out now.

Book Review: Dear Thing by Julie Cohen

Claire and Ben are the perfect couple. But behind the glossy facade, they've been desperately trying- and failing- to have a baby for years. Now, the stress and feelings of loss are taking their toll on their marriage. Claire's ready to give up hope and get on with her life, but Ben is not. And then Ben's best friend, Romily, offers to conceive via artificial insemination and carry the baby for them.
Romily acts in good faith, believing it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and has no desire for any more children. Except that being pregnant with Ben's child stirs up all sorts of emotions in her, including one she's kept hidden for a very long time: Ben's the only man she's ever loved.
Two mothers and one baby who belongs to both of them, which only one of them can keep. 

Wow, this book was a real emotional roller-coaster  I have read and enjoyed Julie Cohen's books in the past but Dear Thing was on a different level.
Claire and Ben have been trying for a baby for a long time; when their latest round of IVF fails, Claire is ready to give up. Ben, however, is clinging on to hope that they will be able to have a child. When his best friend, Romily offers to be a surrogate, Ben thinks it will be the answer to all of his and Claire's problems. Romily already has Posie; she's a single mum and has no desire to have another child. She would do anything for Ben but it may have been better to tell him she loves him before offering to carry his and Claire's chid.
Julie Cohen packs so many emotions into this book, Claire and Ben have been through so much, they have been so focused on having a baby that they may have lost sight of each other. Meanwhile, Romily is still getting used to being Posie's mum but maybe she's more of a natural mother than she thought. Will she really be able to hand over this baby after 9 months?
Dear Thing was a really interesting read, I thought it was particularly good as to how Julie Cohen approached the issue of parenthood. Ben, Claire and Romily all have different views on what makes a good parent and at the end of the day they are all right as the most important thing is
that the child is loved and wanted.
Dear Thing is a highly emotive read. The characters were realistic and the relationships between them made the story very intensive. This book is not just about surrogacy but love, friendship and parenthood. Dear Thing will have you gripped from the very beginning and leave you with a lot to think about by the end.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Transworld for sending me a copy of the book to review, Dear Thing is out now.