Penny Baker is coping. Just about. Three kids, one dog, one lovely but sometimes oblivious husband. Tick, tick tick. She is even managing to hold her own among the competitive school mums - if you don't look too closely. But when she finds herself also caring for her elderly mother, diagnosed with dementia, the household is thrown into disarray and Penny finds herself stretched to breaking point trying to meet everyone's needs. Can she make the new family situation work? And is there any chance of finding some space in it all for herself?
This book was so good!! Now, I’ve never experienced motherhood or even anything remotely close responsibilities that Penny had, I really felt myself empathising with her and womanhood in general. With how she handled every curveball life threw at her, I was once again amazed at how strong us women are. Penny, 42, juggles herself between her marriage, kid and parents who need her. Her father ends up hospitalised after an accident so she ends up taking her mother, who has dementia, to her house. Even though she had plethora of responsibilities, she didn’t hesitate to take her mother in for care. In this book you’ll find telltale signs of real motherhood which is carefully handled with humour. This book was so entertaining and heart touching but also sends a powerful message. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this book🫶🏻
I’m not a mother in any capacity but I really felt empathy for all of the things that Penny went through in this book. Not my fav read but I did enjoy it!! SHOUT OUT TO NANCY PEACH FOR THE PHYSIO PRESENCE IN THIS BOOK!!! 🏋🏼♀️🦴
Nancy Peach - The Mother Of All Problems. I think this book may be responsible for a painful crook in my neck. I quite honestly nodding along in understanding and empathy through the whole of this book.
Penny is juggling a ridiculous amount of balls in the air. She has three lively, but loveable children to bring up. A husband, who occasionally tunes in to family life. Plus the responsibility of her ageing parents and all the other joys that life likes to throw into the mix.
#TheMotherOfAllProblems is poignant and quite beautiful. Penny’s situation is relatable to many of us and Nancy Peach doesn’t sugar coat any of it. What she does do so wonderfully is to find the humour in life.
#TheMotherOfAllProblems is raw and honest. It’s written with great humour and a real depth of emotion.
I can’t recommend this book enough. Nancy Peach is a gifted writer, who shares her skill with words that flow effortlessly. Words that will capture your heart and charm you. You’ll remember this book for a long time to come. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
With thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Canelo for a digital arc of this title.
This is a thought-provoking and eye-opening look at dementia from the point of view of the caregiver. Dementia is a scary disease and this serves as a reminder that we’re all getting older and may have to juggle the myriad of duties that come with being a wife, mother, daughter, and caregiver. Penny manages to handle everything with a lot of humor and a little wine. I found this fascinating and somewhat relatable (despite not having nearly the number of obstacles Penny has) and Penny is a rock star (and since it’s based on Nancy Peach’s life, she’s a rock star, too). Highly recommended as a reminder that life isn’t always pretty but it’s always worth it.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
What an absolutely beautiful story this was. I laughed out loud, I cried and I had many moments of self-reflection. Penny Baker is trying to juggle motherhood, along with all of the other curveballs that life throws at you, namely a mother with dementia, and a father who is hospitalised. This story was so beautifully written, with plenty of comedic moments to balance out the hard-hitting reality of motherhood and family life. Every woman, and every mother can empathise with Penny’s situation, and this story truly highlights the importance of family and friends, as well as the way in which we often end up having to repay our parents by mothering them as their health deteriorates. All in all, this was a wonderful book, and I’m keen to read more from Nancy Peach as I absolutely adore her writing style.
Approaches the challenges of a woman navigating her own mother’s dementia while juggling 3 kids, a busy husband, and her father’s long hospital stay after a broken hip & stroke. Feels genuine yet approaches the challenges with humor.
I was hoping to feel camaraderie with this mom, but it felt too contrived, like the author was trying to make every line funny. It was too much and it just fell flat for me. Didn’t finish.
i fear i may not be the target audience for this book (what with being 25 and childless), but it’s nonetheless been one of my favourite reads of the year. the love, chaos and family dynamics are familiar and refreshingly well and realistically written, and although i might not be a parent myself, the story felt achingly reminiscent of my family while i was growing up, and i could see my mom reflected throughout the novel. this was an absolutely beautiful read and i cannot recommend it highly enough.
I liked this book! An indepth look into the life of Penny Baker, wife and mother of three, who becomes a member of the “sandwich” generation caring for her family and taking on the caretaker role of her parents. Her strength and commitment come through in meeting the challenges before her. To me this book reveals how one can certainly lose sense of self when meeting and taking care of the needs of loved ones. A good enlightening read.
Okay, so, this is one of those books that it is going to be very difficult for me to do justice to in mere words. Even the blurb, which was written by far more eloquent and creative people than I, doesn’t adequately communicate what this book is really about. What I really want to say to you is, just read the book, you need to do so to appreciate it and you won’t regret it, I promise. However, I realise that everyone, including the author and the publisher, are expecting a little more from me by way of review for a blog tour than that, so I’ll give it a go.
This book is that brilliant but elusive blend of comedy and pathos that is writing gold when struck perfectly but is almost impossible to achieve in ideal balance. I am not sure whether it is natural talent or consummate skill that has allowed the author here to hit that sweet spot, but manage it she has, and in a way that feels effortless. This book has had me by turn laughing out loud and on the verge of tears, which is exactly what you want when you are exploring the subject matter that is covered in this book, because it is one of those topics when you meet them in real life make people say, ‘well, you have to laugh or you’d cry.’
Penny is all of us who have ever felt that we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders and managing it all by ourselves. My tribe of ‘middle aged’ (don’t you hate that label) women – wives and mothers and daughters and sisters and friends and carers and career women – who feel that they just have to do everything and be perfect at it all so that we aren’t disappointing everyone else in our lives who believe we are superwomen and should be able to manage whilst they just get on with whatever it is they are doing, and all the while we feel inadequate, overwhelmed and, let’s face it, lonely. Wow, have I just revealed a lot of personal information about myself? Well, never mind because it’s true and I know I am not alone or even unusual and it is about time we started saying it. So bravo to the author and the publisher for being brave enough to publish a book about women who don’t have it all and admit that it isn’t even possible to do so in most cases. Reality, that is what you will find between these pages.
However, if that sounds a bit depressing, here comes the real genius of this book. It isn’t. Because this book is funny and uplifting and full of hope and compassion and it acknowledges that these are also factors of real life. In amongst all the struggle and difficulty of life for the generation that is trying to juggle caring for children and parents and their own lives and relationships at the same time, is the truth that there are many moments of happiness and fun and love and gratitude and the knowledge that we do all of this for the love of the people we are caring for and that in the end mostly it is all actually worth it. We just need to stop and acknowledge that from time to time. At the same time we need to remind ourselves that we are not superhuman, we are just people with limitations and our own needs and dreams and that we are allowed to make room for those too in amongst all the demands of everyone else that we care about.
I really, really loved this book. It is such an honest portrayal of what it means to be a women of the ‘sandwich generation’ who are juggling parenting and parents and jobs and relationships and just life and that many of us find it hard. It reflects reality in a way that is relatable but full of humour and optimism and left me feeling uplifted and hopeful and, above all, SEEN. Being at an age where we can start to feel invisible to everyone unless they need something from us, this is no small thing and was probably the most rewarding thing that I took from this book. I am not alone, I am not unusual, life can be hard but we are in it together and it is okay to acknowledge that and ask for help. In fact, it is the only way to avoid collapsing under the strain. We need more books like this and I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
Penelope (Penny), 42, has received a call from her father saying he tripped on the stairs and is now in A&E with a broken hip. Quickly, she arranges for someone to help with her three children while she heads to the hospital. There, she finds her father stoically handling his pain with the lovely stuff call morphine and awaiting surgery. Her mother has dementia and she has to take her home with her.
Penelope has three children: Maisie, 4, and going through a total monster stage. Her son, Tom, 10, is busy with football and picking on his sister, Grace, a sullen teen. Her husband, Sam, has a busy job and hates that he will have to help looking after the children while her father in the hospital. In addition to all of the chores and ill-behaved children, she is trying to care for her mother and keep an eye on her.
This book wants us to know how busy a mother of three can be especially as she is responsible for her mother with dementia. That last part is a very difficult one for carers. The dedication shown to her mother and others with dementia is well-depicted here. Running a home takes persistence and constantly having a running list of chores going in your head. I think Penny allowed herself to get wrapped up in school activities when she could and should have nixed that in the bud. The thing that I did not like was Penny taking her husband, Sam literally for granted. Sam was the one who went to work every day to earn the money for everything that was spent by the family. He was a good man but Penny forgot to show her appreciation for all of his dedication to his family. This made me growl. Wake up, women of the world. If you want to keep your marriage, you need to work at it.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Wow this book is hilarious, honest, touching and emotive. I laughed so much that I had tears streaming down my face and a pain in the belly. Though it is told with humour it also is about real life and how we sometimes get thrown into the madness of it and need help from friends and family to cope. Penny is a mother, a wife and a daughter and she is just about coping when her father has a accident and is hospitalized she takes her mother to her house to look after her as she has dementia. I think the cover of this book explains exactly how Penny is feeling and I loved that even though Penny has her own family to look after she didn't hesitate to step up and care for her mother. There is not a thing to criticise about this book as I think it is perfect reading. Everyone should read The Mother of all Problems!
I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.
This chaotic, but uplifting book follows Penny Baker, whose life is already busy as she looks after her children and the dog with a little help from her husband.
After discovering her dad has had an accident she suddenly has looking after her mum added to her list, and as her mother has dementia the household becomes even more for Penny to have to deal with.
Determined to not let anything slip, she must find away of coping without losing it herself.
How will Penny cope? What help will she find along the way?
Although having many moments of humour with the chaos of the household, the storyline also shows the heartbreaking decisions people must make when loved ones are diagnosed with dementia.
Penny is such a strong woman, and even if she feels she may not be doing a good job still tries her best and is a relatable character for many mums.
It was hard to read some of what Penny was dealing with and eye opening about how dementia affects not only the person themselves but everyone around them.
Overall, a chaotic but uplifting read which many mums could relate too.
Penny was already a busy mom trying to navigate life when she gets a call that would change her day to day life. When her father fell and was admitted to the hospital, she took over care of her mother who suffers from dementia. She had no idea all that would go into caring for her and keeping her safe, on top of caring for her three busy kids. We watch as Penny protects her mother but really struggles with how to balance throwing her husband to the side and not fully accepting the state that her mother is deteriorating. We watch the progression of how Penny copes and eventually thrives with her new situation. The book really shows what it goes into caring for someone with memory issues and the burden in can play.
Nancy Peach is a completely new author to me. I loved the title and synopsis of the book, and, after having reviewed books with similar plots surrounding juggling motherhood and life, I knew this book would be for me.
I am not a mother, but am a person with severe disabilities and complex needs and I require extensive care in my daily life.
I champion and support any author and book representing the reality of care and complex health issues.
I liked the character's growth through the story, as well as the writing style.
Thanks to Nancy Peach, Rachel's Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
Oh my goodness, what a hectic, chaotic life Penny leads. From the very beginning i was exhausted just hearing about her daily antics. Absolutely hilarious and heartwarming all at the same time. Your heart really does go out to her what with everything she has thrown at her on a daily basis. I am sure that all mothers will completely relate to Penny’s lifestyle bringing up 3 kids and elderly parents. Such a loveable character, always putting others before herself, so admirable and selfless. Thank goodness she had her choir practice and good friends to rely upon. Beautifully written story, will definitely be reading more by this author.
This book was soooo related coming from a family where my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and later turned into Alzheimer’s. I watched as my mother had to take care of her day in and day out and when I read this book and seen how Penny was dealing with different situations and how her mother was starting to slowly get worse with the disease it reminded sooo much of how things actually are. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to no only people who are familiar with people with this disease but to anyone who just wants to be a little more educated on how hard it can be with dealing with it.
Great totally relatable read particularly for women of a certain age who are juggling running a home, child care, aging parents and still trying to be a wife and person in their own right! Dementia is portrayed in a poignant sensitive manner but with snippets of joy, happiness and love that was truly heartwarming to read. A wonderful realistic warts and all take on modern family life for the sandwich generation that I most certainly could relate to! Would highly recommend this read Thank you NetGalley for this early read
have never read a book by Nancy Peach before but I really enjoyed it and was hooked from the first page. The story focuses on Penny and her family while she cares for her mother who has Alzheimer’s. The book has many funny moments but is also heart breaking and bitter sweet and I really felt for Penny. I also related with lots of it having 3 children of the same ages as her and really emphasised with her and some of her struggles. I loved the details about school mums which was definitely true and very funny and I cannot wait for the sequel.
🌟🌟🌟🌟 The Mother of All Problems is my first novel by Nancy Peach and I wasn't sure what to expect. It turns out it's a fictional diary of Penny, a 40 year old mum of 3 who is telling us get lifestory via her diary entries.
Penny unexpectedly ends up looking after her mum who is living with dementia; add this to her role of taxi driver, problem solver, chief cook and bottle washer and dog walker and you've got a very busy, frazzled mum. It is hilarious, moving and down-to-earth in equal measures.
Penny Baker is a stay at home mom, trying to hold it all together with 3 children and a dog, has learned her dad has had a stroke. She now has to take in her mom for what she thinks in just a few days. She quickly realizes it will be longer when her mother starts to show signs of dementia.
While the plot is interesting to and probably more relatable to moms going through the same stages of parenthood, I found it a bit dragged out. Thank you to Hera Publishing, NetGalley and Nancy Peach for the ARC.
3.5*. It took me quite a while to get into this because of the diary writing style with very long sentences and the need to be funny in every single line. However, as the pages went on Penny and her family really grew on me. I think this is largely because Penny reminded me very much of my own mum and our experience with Alzheimer's, but overall it was just a very heartwarming story that had comedy sprinkled in all the right places. Marked down just because I'm not sure I'd have personally enjoyed so much if I couldn't resonate in some way.
A realistic book about juggling responsibilities when in the sandwich generation. Penny has the lion's share of home and childcare at home, as well as keeping up with other mothers at the school gates. When her father has an accident, the responsibilities for her mother with dementia are also added to her workload. Well written, this is well researched and well written. It is written in a sensitive way but there are also moments of laughter . A good read, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resource for my arc copy, here's my honest review from the heart ❤️
This is such a very relatable book as parents and shows some struggles that go on daily. Penny is that character you feel for. I feel free, Penny, when she starts looking after her mother, who is a woman, as I can think how hard this would be. I love how we have so many cute moments within this story that made me smile. I like how partial dementia is done to highlight the good days.
"The Mother of all Problems" is a book about a woman who does it all. She has 3 kids of varies ages, a husband that doesn't appear to do much except work, a mother with dementia and a dog that causes chaos all under one roof! This book made me laugh out loud numerous times but it also made me shed a few silent tears. It hits all the spots in a book, it's captivating, witty, hilarious, emotional, raw and real! One of the best books I've read in the last few months!
I loved this book! I was gripped from the start with the laugh out loud humour and the heart strings that are pulled. As a mum, we all know of being pulled in every direction and this is described perfectly, often through humour! Throwing in her parents and the things they are doing through and you don’t want to put the book down. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend!
Excellent and authentic narrative around a regular family with the maternal grandmother having Alzheimer’s. The author did a wonderful job of not being condescending or judgmental - everything was very natural and real. A few times I caught myself skimming over wordy pages of non-essential description, but I would do it all over again, because this book is so good.
4.5/5 rounded up. This was a very heart warming story about trying to take on everything and be really good at it, all while ignoring yourself and feeling bad when you can’t be everything to everybody. Not to mention the sarcastic humor it was written it. Nancy and I could be friend lol. Very good book
I have Forever thought what would I do? If one or both of my parents were to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s/Dementia……… It is a Frightening thought, although a realistic one as it has presented in both of their families. This book was a Lovely read, one that showed the road is rough, but it can be travelled. Thank You Nancy. ❤️