Beth Callaghan and her boyfriend Will have started on their momentous parenthood journey. Newborn Joe is a source of wonderment and confusion as they suddenly find themselves adapting to their new roles. But can their relationship cope with the pressure and changes a baby brings…?
OMG I snorted with laughter soooo many times while reading Did My Love Life Shrink In The Wash? Author Kristen Bailey has such a down to earth way of writing and her turn of phrase is just magically and wickedly funny. Her brilliant way with words frequently made me chuckle as she brought back memories of childbirth and the early day with a baby: she describes postnatal girl bits resembling a dropped lasagne!!! Hahaha, other mums will appreciate that one as I did!
Beth is a fab lead character. She is kind, funny and loyal which makes her hugely appealing to us as readers. I think non-parents will laugh increduloulsy at the events and descriptions, whilst parents will nod along in understanding of the reality of having kids.
The relentless monotony of early motherhood is handled comically but the emotional side is not forgotten. The feelings of inadequacy and even the grief for the ‘old me’ are realistic and a little heartbreaking. A confused sense of identity and ‘losing yourself’ was portrayed accurately and sensitively despite the comedic tone of the book overall.
Family and friendships are strong themes throughout the book. I didn’t realise until the end with other book blurbs that this is actually the third book to feature the Callaghan family so I definitely want to catch up with their antics! This therefore works perfectly as a standalone novel.
Did My Love Life Shrink In The Wash? was an absolutely wonderful book. It has a genuine warmth that makes it extra special.
Book Description:
Sure, my bedroom gets lots of action. It’s called snoring.
Will and I didn’t have a clue what we were signing up for. It turns out that there’s loads we weren’t warned about:
1) You’ll spend more time spooning your child’s cuddly donkey than your own boyfriend.
2) Communication with your other half will be via post-it notes on the fridge, mainly telling him to buy more milk.
3) If you make the mistake of going to a nightclub you’ll nod off, drool, and be woken up by an angry bouncer.
4) In the middle of the night you’ll be begging Siri for advice on getting your baby to sleep. (Whale music doesn’t work.)
5) Sex is something that happened in another dimension.
But even if I feel like I’m waiting for my motherhood powers to come in the post, at least I’ve got Will. Our old life – festivals, sambuca shots, an actual sex life – might be a distant memory, but we can get through anything together, can’t we?
At least that’s what I thought until, one day, Will walked out on us… If I’m on my own (apart from Siri, obviously) can I do this whole parenting thing? Or I am destined to lose my sanity one sleepless night at a time?
A totally hilarious and absolutely relatable tale for anyone who has survived parenthood purely on microwave meals and wished for an IV drip of coffee to get them through! This uplifting page-turner will make your belly ache with laughter. Perfect for fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella.
Author Bio:
Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She has had short fiction published in several publications including Mslexia & Riptide. Her first two novels, Souper Mum and Second Helpings were published in 2016. In 2019, she was long listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. She writes women’s fiction and she hopes her novels have fresh and funny things to say about modern life, love and family.
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