A laugh-out-loud debut novel for anyone who’s tried to live the perfect life—and learned the hard way there’s no such thing.
Holly Banks could not have made a worse first impression on the seemingly perfect moms in her new affluent community, the Village of Primm. Turns out wearing pink piggy pajama bottoms while dropping off her kindergartener late to the first day of school wasn’t her best … wasn’t her best look.
Not to mention Holly’s worried her husband may be having an affair, she can’t get her daughter to stop sucking her thumb, her hard-won film degree is collecting dust, and to top it all off, the power-hungry PTA president clearly has it in for her…
To make matters even worse, Holly’s natural eye for drama lands her smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood mystery—right as her own crazy mother shows up in Primm “to help.” Through it all, Holly begins to realize her neighbors may be just as flawed as—and even wackier than—she is, leaving her to wonder: Is there such a thing as a perfect mom?
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This book,y’all. It’s so good and it gave me so many feelings. It made me laugh out loud multiple times which is always a big thing for me when reading. It’s more than that though, it’s relatable. I felt like I could have been the main character in different stages of my life. One of the characters of the story is the Umbridge of their world. If you can write a story that makes me feel that strongly towards a character than you’re doing something right! I also really enjoyed the pop culture references. Read this book. You won’t be disappointed
Ever wonder what would happen if Liane Moriarty could channel the late Robin Williams? Me neither—until I read this astonishing debut, a modern allegorical marvel. Holly Banks Full of Angst is as whimsical and charming as its namesake, but don’t dare mistake it for simple fluff. Valerie absolutely skewers Parenting While Privileged, and somehow pulls it off without preaching or condescending, thanks to the inimitable goofball heroine, Holly, the (questionably) sane person in the insane (but wholly recognizable) world of Primm.
Come for the humor, but stay for the honesty. Some passages were so outrageously hilarious, I could not believe what I was reading. Others rang with so much truth, the world fell away around me. I’m on my feet and clapping: Brava!
With wit, whimsy, and an artful sleight of hand turn of more than a few phrases, Julie Valerie’s frothy cautionary tale of suburbia on steroids is like a finely crafted cocktail: effervescent but complex, sweet but with just a hint of bitter, and packing a potent punch. I’ll have what she’s having—and you’ll want it too!
SERIOUSLY: GET THIS BOOK.
It was disorganized making the plot hard to find, let alone follow.
The characters didn’t ring true, really cliches and over drawn.
This book made me laugh out loud so many times! Holly and her family has just moved to a small town, a competitive neighborhood. This is perfect for anyone but especially anyone who has experienced this. Have you ever dealt with the busybodies at school? What about the overzealous overachievers? Can Holly get it all together as far as her family and the new school thing? I can’t wait for the next book.