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Natural Disaster
One perfect day. A million catastrophes.
For weeks, she has been saying it will be their special day. One last, perfect day with her children before she returns to work after maternity leave.
What's the worst that can happen?
Unfolding across 24 hours, Natural Disaster is a propulsive, darkly funny and sharply observed novel about the absurd, frustrating, hilarious, precarious, bittersweet, sometimes astonishing challenge - literal, existential - of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a person for one single, entire day.
For weeks, she has been saying it will be their special day. One last, perfect day with her children before she returns to work after maternity leave.
What's the worst that can happen?
Unfolding across 24 hours, Natural Disaster is a propulsive, darkly funny and sharply observed novel about the absurd, frustrating, hilarious, precarious, bittersweet, sometimes astonishing challenge - literal, existential - of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a person for one single, entire day.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published June 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
January 8, 2026
| ARC REVIEW |
For weeks she has counted down to this day — the final day of maternity leave. This is the day that has to be perfect. The day that will be perfect, because she has it all meticulously planned out. And everything in motherhood always goes to plan... right?
Natural Disaster not only accurately portrays motherhood in all its chaotic and overwhelming glory, but also does a fantastic job of normalising the aspects that some parents are often too embarrassed to talk about.
To me, motherhood is the gift that keeps on giving: unconditional love, the overwhelming sense of pride you get when you look at your children, but also the anxiety, the guilt, and the isolation that often ensues. All of which I feel to various degrees throughout the day.
However, this book took me by the shoulders, shook me hard and shouted "it's not you, it's all of us! This is MOTHERHOOD! And you're doing a damn good job!"
I truly felt that this book was holding my hand whilst I read it. The way Lisa Owens was able to write about the messy aspects of being a mother in such a raw, authentic and quite frankly hilarious manner was remarkable! I laughed, I teared up, and I felt seen.
My only criticism (if you can even call it that) is that I really wish this book was longer! I didn't want my lovely, comforting hand hold through motherhood's chaos to end.
Once this book is published, you can bet that I will be recommending it to the women in my "mother and baby" group, as well as anyone else I know who is in the throes of motherhood.
This book was an absolute pleasure to read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Owens and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Virago for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
❀ Tia ❀
For weeks she has counted down to this day — the final day of maternity leave. This is the day that has to be perfect. The day that will be perfect, because she has it all meticulously planned out. And everything in motherhood always goes to plan... right?
Natural Disaster not only accurately portrays motherhood in all its chaotic and overwhelming glory, but also does a fantastic job of normalising the aspects that some parents are often too embarrassed to talk about.
To me, motherhood is the gift that keeps on giving: unconditional love, the overwhelming sense of pride you get when you look at your children, but also the anxiety, the guilt, and the isolation that often ensues. All of which I feel to various degrees throughout the day.
However, this book took me by the shoulders, shook me hard and shouted "it's not you, it's all of us! This is MOTHERHOOD! And you're doing a damn good job!"
I truly felt that this book was holding my hand whilst I read it. The way Lisa Owens was able to write about the messy aspects of being a mother in such a raw, authentic and quite frankly hilarious manner was remarkable! I laughed, I teared up, and I felt seen.
My only criticism (if you can even call it that) is that I really wish this book was longer! I didn't want my lovely, comforting hand hold through motherhood's chaos to end.
Once this book is published, you can bet that I will be recommending it to the women in my "mother and baby" group, as well as anyone else I know who is in the throes of motherhood.
This book was an absolute pleasure to read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Owens and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Virago for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
❀ Tia ❀
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December 19, 2025This is a difficult review for me to write as I felt I am too old to read about the coal face of motherhood, and times have changed so much since my time that I noticed that I couldn’t relate to the narrator. In fact, I found her very annoying, disorganised, overthinking, and too sensitive. Perhaps that’s how mothers are nowadays, with the internet and social media at their fingertips, ready to make them feel so inadequate.
But I did really enjoy the story, even with these reservations, though I sided with her mother re child rearing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC
But I did really enjoy the story, even with these reservations, though I sided with her mother re child rearing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC
July 4, 2026
Looking back after reading the book, it’s hard to realise that everything took place in a day - it’s the last day before her second lot of maternity leave finishes, it’s back to work, back to routine, and two children to settle into nursery the next morning, so she can reclaim her place in the world of the adults. Friends had said to relax, take a spa day, put the kids into childcare a day early - they won’t notice! But no, she’s feeling the pain of upcoming separation, and is determined to make this the best memory day ever! Except so many things happen to not make this happen.
Written so well - and although my three are well into adulthood, I remember the feelings, the constant chasing your tail, the being thwarted by circumstances beyond your control, all in the pursuit of being a Good Mum. The underlying threads of losing your identity (being referred to as ‘Mum’ by a doctor), relationships with your partner, the mental load of the household, and the difference in raising your first, then your second child are all covered warmly, and humorously.
Written so well - and although my three are well into adulthood, I remember the feelings, the constant chasing your tail, the being thwarted by circumstances beyond your control, all in the pursuit of being a Good Mum. The underlying threads of losing your identity (being referred to as ‘Mum’ by a doctor), relationships with your partner, the mental load of the household, and the difference in raising your first, then your second child are all covered warmly, and humorously.
March 10, 2026
Wanting to make the last day of maternity leave special was a good way of exploring the pressures of motherhood.
The first half seemed like an extended critique of gentle parenting that felt frustrating at times, but the second half took a different direction.
The different ways mothers are treated by the public, partners, employers, shopkeepers, other mothers and of course their own children all had their spaces to be examined.
I don’t think this was saying that much that is unexpected and is mainly a way to watch someone have a chaotic day or be glad your life doesn’t give you days like this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Virago for the arc
The first half seemed like an extended critique of gentle parenting that felt frustrating at times, but the second half took a different direction.
The different ways mothers are treated by the public, partners, employers, shopkeepers, other mothers and of course their own children all had their spaces to be examined.
I don’t think this was saying that much that is unexpected and is mainly a way to watch someone have a chaotic day or be glad your life doesn’t give you days like this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Virago for the arc
June 16, 2026
overthinking-maxxing
February 6, 2026
Natural Disaster follows a mum’s last day of maternity leave. Not a great deal happens plot wise, which in my opinion is exactly why it works.
Instead, it offers a sharp, intimate insight into the strange oxymoron of motherhood, and the way everything can feel monumental and mundane at the same time. The novel puts language to emotions and thoughts that are often hard to articulate or even admit. Reading it six months after returning to work, I found it relatable and unexpectedly validating. This is a book I’ll be recommending to mum friends for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley, Lisa Owens, and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.
Instead, it offers a sharp, intimate insight into the strange oxymoron of motherhood, and the way everything can feel monumental and mundane at the same time. The novel puts language to emotions and thoughts that are often hard to articulate or even admit. Reading it six months after returning to work, I found it relatable and unexpectedly validating. This is a book I’ll be recommending to mum friends for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley, Lisa Owens, and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.
July 18, 2026
I was excited for this story about a day in the life of an exhausted mother but this felt like a rushed, very dramatic account of a working mother struggling to hold it together. While it was relatable, the audioboo version was read by a narrator who spoke VERY fast and I found it hard to keep up to the protagonist's story. Recommended for fans of movies like One fine day and anyone who is struggling in early motherhood. Many thanks to NetGalley for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 6, 2026
A pretty bleak, pointless story arch on motherhood. It follows the last day of maternity leave of a mom, only to consistently be let down by her own expectations and her kinda terrible kid. No solutions, no big revelations, no point.
July 30, 2026
Irritating. Boring. Repetitive.
July 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I was really interested to read this book after seeing a piece about it in the Guardian. Being a mum of a toddler and a baby myself, I felt the subject matter would be right up my street. And so it was! The book is all about our narrator’s last day on maternity leave with her two kids. It’s written as a stream of consciousness, interspersed with the day’s happenings, so feels very much like someone is talking to you, which I liked. The trials and tribulations that the narrator goes through on the day felt familiar and relatable (toddler tantrums over snacks, anyone?). There are several good points made (mum guilt, career impacts, unfair parenting burden, etc) but it did feel relentless and I had to stop reading at times just to get a break from how bleak it made parenting. I did also feel slightly disappointed that the narrator is written as constantly overthinking and frazzled - so much so that it felt like her husband comes and saves the day at the end.
Overall, a pretty good read (I’ve been recommending it to all my mum friends!) - 3.5 stars.
Overall, a pretty good read (I’ve been recommending it to all my mum friends!) - 3.5 stars.
July 10, 2026
I loved the timeline of the book and how it covered motherhood in such a relatable, hilarious, chaotic, emotional way.
May 23, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!
The idea of Natural Disaster sounded like such a fun and relatable book. A woman decides to make her last day of maternity leave a “very special day” with her kids but it turns into a “what can go wrong will go wrong” day. Fun right, maybe a relatable and humorous look at motherhood?! incorrect.
I could not relate to this mother at all. This woman is so worried about achieving perfection in motherhood that she can’t cope with anything’s in the day to day. She has little to no confidence in herself as a mother, and she allows herself to be walked over by her children on nearly every page. She is permissive and accommodating to the enth degree in a way that was exhausting. She second guesses everything she does and her inner monologue wore me out. I am someone who has a lot of anxious thoughts and compared to this, I’m the calmest smooth brained woman on the planet.
Her relationship with her husband seems to be the age old issue of letting the role of “parent” usurp the role of husband and wife instead of keeping a relationship ship strong ao you can support each other while being parents.
Wife first then mother. Husband first then father. Their lack of communication and the wife’s “perceived” meanings taken from every normal comment her husband makes was tiresome and frustrating. She read into everything in a way that seemed unfair and unloving. Call em old fashioned but communication and respect go a long way in your literal MARRIAGE.
While I did feel some companionship with our main character at some points in her postpartum journey, I veered off of our similar track when she refused to ask for help or express her needs. What’s the point of a husband if you can’t express needs to each other?
This woman is overthinking to the point that she worries forcing needed medicine into her toddler could be viewed as abuse??? Or forcing shoes on a child to flee an emergency would be mean?!?!?! Get a grip.
I think this book was written as a funny look at the daily struggles of being a mother, but the main character was ultimately unlikable, ridiculous, and absolutely un-relatable to me as a wife, mother, and woman.
The idea of Natural Disaster sounded like such a fun and relatable book. A woman decides to make her last day of maternity leave a “very special day” with her kids but it turns into a “what can go wrong will go wrong” day. Fun right, maybe a relatable and humorous look at motherhood?! incorrect.
I could not relate to this mother at all. This woman is so worried about achieving perfection in motherhood that she can’t cope with anything’s in the day to day. She has little to no confidence in herself as a mother, and she allows herself to be walked over by her children on nearly every page. She is permissive and accommodating to the enth degree in a way that was exhausting. She second guesses everything she does and her inner monologue wore me out. I am someone who has a lot of anxious thoughts and compared to this, I’m the calmest smooth brained woman on the planet.
Her relationship with her husband seems to be the age old issue of letting the role of “parent” usurp the role of husband and wife instead of keeping a relationship ship strong ao you can support each other while being parents.
Wife first then mother. Husband first then father. Their lack of communication and the wife’s “perceived” meanings taken from every normal comment her husband makes was tiresome and frustrating. She read into everything in a way that seemed unfair and unloving. Call em old fashioned but communication and respect go a long way in your literal MARRIAGE.
While I did feel some companionship with our main character at some points in her postpartum journey, I veered off of our similar track when she refused to ask for help or express her needs. What’s the point of a husband if you can’t express needs to each other?
This woman is overthinking to the point that she worries forcing needed medicine into her toddler could be viewed as abuse??? Or forcing shoes on a child to flee an emergency would be mean?!?!?! Get a grip.
I think this book was written as a funny look at the daily struggles of being a mother, but the main character was ultimately unlikable, ridiculous, and absolutely un-relatable to me as a wife, mother, and woman.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I think all of us know the feeling that we’re running the Red Queen’s Race everyday. This book perfectly captures that feeling-you can try your best, but daily life and tiny events can all still conspire against you, one little thing at a time, till even your relaxation needs to be perfectly planned, but can still falter with the execution, in the most banal yet unexpected way. A mother with 2 young children, on her last day of maternity leave, decides to spend a day with them, giving them ‘quality time’, letting the day unfurl while she makes the most of being able to give them undivided attention. What could possibly go wrong? As mice know and men seem to forget, things don’t turn out in quite the halcyon way she expects, and the writing is both poignant and hilarious, in turns, in its interrogation of women trying to have it all. While the book is set over that one day, you get flashbacks to her meet-cute with her husband, her career, her first pregnancy and how it went, her relationship with her parents-all sprinkled throughout, in an unobtrusive way, the way the mind and memory work. You still get a full, rich picture of all these characters though, without them even actually getting many pages for each, and I wonder how many times the author wrote and rewrote these to make it seem so effortless. I also absolutely loved her relationship with her husband-like the protagonist, I tend to harbour resentment and think of myself as carrying the burden of housework but as multiple arguments have proved to me, that’s not really the entire picture because I’ve also refused offers of help multiple times!
It’s really well-etched and easy to relate to, even for someone like me who doesn’t have children and normally isn’t at all interested in narratives like this, because they’re always so badly written-I usually don’t have much patience for narratives about privileged white women whingeing about their lack of time and all their various troubles after choosing to have multiple children , while being aware of all the responsibility that brings. The absolute worst offenders in this genre to me, are ‘Consider yourself kissed’ by Jessica Stanley, and ‘ Sorrow and bliss’ by Meg Mason, astoundingly solipsistic and self-important books that somehow got great reviews. I started this book fully expecting it to be as awful as the others but this isn’t like the others at all. The writing is much more incisive, and the writer doesn’t set up what seem like terrible problems only for them to be resolved very easily( ‘Sorrow and bliss’, for instance, is all about the protagonist’s supposedly devastating mental health issues, which are breezily resolved with one diagnosis, that we are conveniently not told about, when that’s not how diagnoses for mental health conditions work, not ones described the way the book does-it’s not a stomach ulcer! In CYK, the protagonist does not want to live with her partner anymore, and conveniently has a rich friend whose house she can live in, while continuing to complain about how oppressed she is.) I have adopted an attitude of superciliousness because of these silly books where the women never seem to lack for great childcare options when that's the Holy Grail for mothers, and dismissed these characters as choosing these problems. This book however, with its very real problems ( like never finding a thermometer when you need one!), made me rethink my lack of empathy-should women choose not to have children because the logistics are difficult for them, instead of their partners also chipping in to plan out their circumstances? Is it silly of women to want both financial independence and motherhood? Surely not, particularly in circumstances that should be easier than for many other far less fortunate people, and this still doesn't invalidate their difficulties.
I loved this book so much that it’s gone on my ‘books I will risk a migraine for’-I get terrible, day-ruining migraines if I sleep even 10 minutes beyond my usual bedtime, so if a book makes me stay up to finish it, it deserves a special place! Read this, if you’re a woman, a mother, a person in this world.
It’s really well-etched and easy to relate to, even for someone like me who doesn’t have children and normally isn’t at all interested in narratives like this, because they’re always so badly written-I usually don’t have much patience for narratives about privileged white women whingeing about their lack of time and all their various troubles after choosing to have multiple children , while being aware of all the responsibility that brings. The absolute worst offenders in this genre to me, are ‘Consider yourself kissed’ by Jessica Stanley, and ‘ Sorrow and bliss’ by Meg Mason, astoundingly solipsistic and self-important books that somehow got great reviews. I started this book fully expecting it to be as awful as the others but this isn’t like the others at all. The writing is much more incisive, and the writer doesn’t set up what seem like terrible problems only for them to be resolved very easily( ‘Sorrow and bliss’, for instance, is all about the protagonist’s supposedly devastating mental health issues, which are breezily resolved with one diagnosis, that we are conveniently not told about, when that’s not how diagnoses for mental health conditions work, not ones described the way the book does-it’s not a stomach ulcer! In CYK, the protagonist does not want to live with her partner anymore, and conveniently has a rich friend whose house she can live in, while continuing to complain about how oppressed she is.) I have adopted an attitude of superciliousness because of these silly books where the women never seem to lack for great childcare options when that's the Holy Grail for mothers, and dismissed these characters as choosing these problems. This book however, with its very real problems ( like never finding a thermometer when you need one!), made me rethink my lack of empathy-should women choose not to have children because the logistics are difficult for them, instead of their partners also chipping in to plan out their circumstances? Is it silly of women to want both financial independence and motherhood? Surely not, particularly in circumstances that should be easier than for many other far less fortunate people, and this still doesn't invalidate their difficulties.
I loved this book so much that it’s gone on my ‘books I will risk a migraine for’-I get terrible, day-ruining migraines if I sleep even 10 minutes beyond my usual bedtime, so if a book makes me stay up to finish it, it deserves a special place! Read this, if you’re a woman, a mother, a person in this world.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Arc provided by NetGalley
The last day of maternity, two children and a plan to celebrate the day, nothing could go wrong- right? Natural Disaster follows one mum and her boys across 24 hours as her plans for celebration and cherishing her last maternity experience end up in tears, chocolate chips and A&E.
An endearing, chaotic and funny take on the emotions and ambitions of early motherhood, the trials of babies and balancing parenting with society. This book talks about a lot of the struggles that come with motherhood including the bittersweet return to work and the pressures of parenting out in the public eye.
This is a medium pace book with dry humor and sarcasm served with teary truths. Whilst I dont have experience first hand with the themes I didn’t feel alienated and it didn’t affect my position as a reader. Owens strikes a good balance between sharing the experiences of motherhood and opinions on certain things that arise without any airs of judgement or ‘holier-than-thou’ attitudes. Here we are, a fly on the wall of one mum’s experience and her feelings on the matter.
We are taken along as our main character decides that her last day of maternity will be a celebration of her time, a marker of a new chapter. She discusses that this will probably be the last one for her and that she wants to make it a moment of happy memories and fun.
This doesn’t go exactly to plan.
With her husband away in Barcelona on a work trip she is left to juggle the demands of Felix and Ruddy alone and the chaos ensues almost instantly. Chocolate chips are grabbed and fistfulls eaten before even making it to the pancake mix. Oats are stuffed into coat pockets and spill into the hallway…Owens does a great job of making these stressful moments build up right from the beginning so that the tension boils and boils and as the hours tick away we get a real solid sense of how mum is feeling. It was an immersive experience. These dramatic flashes are sandwiched between mum trying to keep calm and think of other ideas and trying to keep both boys supervised. There is a moment of strife where she is offering healthy snacks and tells us about how she is trying to get them on a clean and healthy snack schedule but due to the constant crying and the boiling tempers she makes the call to give in to their temptations. All this is taking place as her mind is buzzing with thoughts about the tampon found in her husband’s old luggage.
Another part of the book I thought was really strongly integrated was the flashbacks. They all took place as a result of something happening and felt very seamless and didn’t feel clunky or misplaced within the main narrative. These flashbacks felt natural and was a great way to build on the character’s and their background to make them feel more fleshed out without being obvious. I love a book that has the constraints of time and this was a way to flesh out the story and provide more ‘action’ in a realistic way.
There were also some really good nuggets to think about in the text related to the story. The main characters' musings comment on some key social aspects such as how strangers feel comfortable to comment and judge mums and the societal pressures that come with raising children too. These moments of honesty and reflection I think will be appreciated a lot especially for readers with similar experiences.
Very funny, great pacing and a unique exploration of maternity, life changes and the stress of parenting for mums. Captures both love and tension in a realistic and entertaining way!
The last day of maternity, two children and a plan to celebrate the day, nothing could go wrong- right? Natural Disaster follows one mum and her boys across 24 hours as her plans for celebration and cherishing her last maternity experience end up in tears, chocolate chips and A&E.
An endearing, chaotic and funny take on the emotions and ambitions of early motherhood, the trials of babies and balancing parenting with society. This book talks about a lot of the struggles that come with motherhood including the bittersweet return to work and the pressures of parenting out in the public eye.
This is a medium pace book with dry humor and sarcasm served with teary truths. Whilst I dont have experience first hand with the themes I didn’t feel alienated and it didn’t affect my position as a reader. Owens strikes a good balance between sharing the experiences of motherhood and opinions on certain things that arise without any airs of judgement or ‘holier-than-thou’ attitudes. Here we are, a fly on the wall of one mum’s experience and her feelings on the matter.
We are taken along as our main character decides that her last day of maternity will be a celebration of her time, a marker of a new chapter. She discusses that this will probably be the last one for her and that she wants to make it a moment of happy memories and fun.
This doesn’t go exactly to plan.
With her husband away in Barcelona on a work trip she is left to juggle the demands of Felix and Ruddy alone and the chaos ensues almost instantly. Chocolate chips are grabbed and fistfulls eaten before even making it to the pancake mix. Oats are stuffed into coat pockets and spill into the hallway…Owens does a great job of making these stressful moments build up right from the beginning so that the tension boils and boils and as the hours tick away we get a real solid sense of how mum is feeling. It was an immersive experience. These dramatic flashes are sandwiched between mum trying to keep calm and think of other ideas and trying to keep both boys supervised. There is a moment of strife where she is offering healthy snacks and tells us about how she is trying to get them on a clean and healthy snack schedule but due to the constant crying and the boiling tempers she makes the call to give in to their temptations. All this is taking place as her mind is buzzing with thoughts about the tampon found in her husband’s old luggage.
Another part of the book I thought was really strongly integrated was the flashbacks. They all took place as a result of something happening and felt very seamless and didn’t feel clunky or misplaced within the main narrative. These flashbacks felt natural and was a great way to build on the character’s and their background to make them feel more fleshed out without being obvious. I love a book that has the constraints of time and this was a way to flesh out the story and provide more ‘action’ in a realistic way.
There were also some really good nuggets to think about in the text related to the story. The main characters' musings comment on some key social aspects such as how strangers feel comfortable to comment and judge mums and the societal pressures that come with raising children too. These moments of honesty and reflection I think will be appreciated a lot especially for readers with similar experiences.
Very funny, great pacing and a unique exploration of maternity, life changes and the stress of parenting for mums. Captures both love and tension in a realistic and entertaining way!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
THIS IS AN ADVANCED READING COPY FROM NETGALLEY :
Mum to Felix who is 4 and Rudy who is still just under a year is preparing to return to her job and the day before she’s decided to spend a special day out with the boys making it an extra special demarcation of her foray back into the work force and her little one Rudy’s first time at nursery.
The week before she heads back into work, her husband who is in the middle of a start up and getting it up and running has been working late and weekends and now he’s got a conference achedule for his entire company to attend the whole week and won’t be home the weekend until Sunday the night before she heads back.
She’s a very high strung Mum internally but is continually patient and using her super mum power reserves on the power struggles that 4 year olds love to push and her Rudy is an attached lap baby who often doesn’t want to part with her.
Their special day turns into a day of unfortunate events and some of the fiascos the boys and she get themselves into are LOK hilarious. She is swinging on the pendulum of guilt for wanting to go back to work and guilt for leaving the boys to nursery care because financially she doesn’t have to go back but her own self preservative and esteem she feels it will best for them all. Having done it with her eldest, the beginning was brutal he cried so hard she swore she could hear him at the train but eventually they both calmed down.
She and her husband aren’t connecting they continuously keep getting into snarky fight that really aren’t over anything other than she is an overwhelmed exhausted homemaker and mum of two very young boys one of who is still nursing and he is naturally very stressed out at a critical juncture with his own company.
This book is perfect for mums who will delight in the comical conversations she has with her boys especially Felix and you just want to give her the boggiest longest hug and tell her she might not feel it but she’s doing an incredible job and if every mum was as invested and concerned about the mental repercussions of her losing her patience or judge her for feeding her kids prepackaged snacks she should ignore them and know she’s doing best and that’s all that’s needed.
Thank you for this opportunity to receive and give my honest feedback of the book #NaturalDisaster written by #LisaOwens and a huge thank you to #Netgalley and to #LittleBrownandCompany
Mum to Felix who is 4 and Rudy who is still just under a year is preparing to return to her job and the day before she’s decided to spend a special day out with the boys making it an extra special demarcation of her foray back into the work force and her little one Rudy’s first time at nursery.
The week before she heads back into work, her husband who is in the middle of a start up and getting it up and running has been working late and weekends and now he’s got a conference achedule for his entire company to attend the whole week and won’t be home the weekend until Sunday the night before she heads back.
She’s a very high strung Mum internally but is continually patient and using her super mum power reserves on the power struggles that 4 year olds love to push and her Rudy is an attached lap baby who often doesn’t want to part with her.
Their special day turns into a day of unfortunate events and some of the fiascos the boys and she get themselves into are LOK hilarious. She is swinging on the pendulum of guilt for wanting to go back to work and guilt for leaving the boys to nursery care because financially she doesn’t have to go back but her own self preservative and esteem she feels it will best for them all. Having done it with her eldest, the beginning was brutal he cried so hard she swore she could hear him at the train but eventually they both calmed down.
She and her husband aren’t connecting they continuously keep getting into snarky fight that really aren’t over anything other than she is an overwhelmed exhausted homemaker and mum of two very young boys one of who is still nursing and he is naturally very stressed out at a critical juncture with his own company.
This book is perfect for mums who will delight in the comical conversations she has with her boys especially Felix and you just want to give her the boggiest longest hug and tell her she might not feel it but she’s doing an incredible job and if every mum was as invested and concerned about the mental repercussions of her losing her patience or judge her for feeding her kids prepackaged snacks she should ignore them and know she’s doing best and that’s all that’s needed.
Thank you for this opportunity to receive and give my honest feedback of the book #NaturalDisaster written by #LisaOwens and a huge thank you to #Netgalley and to #LittleBrownandCompany
July 4, 2026
I did enjoy this book, it was very easy to get into and propel through, and it really won me over at the end so I finished with a much warmer feeling than my sometimes frustrated sentiments.
Some considerations:
The proof copy cover I have with a woman entangled with a snake, surrounded by flames, along with the title and the references to it being 'absurd' in the reviews, and I guess my unintentionally literal interpretation of the tagline "One perfect day. A million catastrophes." meant I had somehow convinced myself this was an absurdist take on motherhood and taking care of children through literal natural disasters and large-scale catastrophes such as said snakes, fires, maybe earthquakes or swarms of insects or increasingly ridiculous and improbable scenarios which I currently can't conjure.
This is in fact not what the book is about.
I understand now, and it did take me longer into the book than I'd like to admit, to realise the snakes I was expecting to attack were not going to materialise. The million catastrophes are those daily mishaps, just catastrophised in the mind of our narrator. Which is a compelling narrative, I just came in from completely the wrong angle. I thought it was going to be funnier and more surrealist, rather than a focused-in look at those daily realities and problems and uncertainties of motherhood. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more throughout if I had started reading with the right mindset.
The other consideration is that I don't have children, and am not currently in a position where I intend to have children super imminently. That is definitely not a limiting factor to the book - it can and should be read by anyone and can be enjoyed by anyone. My caveat to this, is that it did make the narrator more frustating to me at times, because whilst I can be immersed in her experiences, I fundamentally cannot fully relate to it. And it felt that the boys really were spoilt children (again, saying this as someone who does not have children and therefore perhaps an unearned judgement).
The latter half of the book really gives some more weight and meat to the book, and so the front half does its job in setting this up; it is not a long book by any means, so this definitely works structurally in my opinion.
Whilst it was not the book I thought I was going into, I liked it and it left me with a different experience than I was expecting.
I would love to read the book I had pictured as well, though.
Some considerations:
The proof copy cover I have with a woman entangled with a snake, surrounded by flames, along with the title and the references to it being 'absurd' in the reviews, and I guess my unintentionally literal interpretation of the tagline "One perfect day. A million catastrophes." meant I had somehow convinced myself this was an absurdist take on motherhood and taking care of children through literal natural disasters and large-scale catastrophes such as said snakes, fires, maybe earthquakes or swarms of insects or increasingly ridiculous and improbable scenarios which I currently can't conjure.
This is in fact not what the book is about.
I understand now, and it did take me longer into the book than I'd like to admit, to realise the snakes I was expecting to attack were not going to materialise. The million catastrophes are those daily mishaps, just catastrophised in the mind of our narrator. Which is a compelling narrative, I just came in from completely the wrong angle. I thought it was going to be funnier and more surrealist, rather than a focused-in look at those daily realities and problems and uncertainties of motherhood. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more throughout if I had started reading with the right mindset.
The other consideration is that I don't have children, and am not currently in a position where I intend to have children super imminently. That is definitely not a limiting factor to the book - it can and should be read by anyone and can be enjoyed by anyone. My caveat to this, is that it did make the narrator more frustating to me at times, because whilst I can be immersed in her experiences, I fundamentally cannot fully relate to it. And it felt that the boys really were spoilt children (again, saying this as someone who does not have children and therefore perhaps an unearned judgement).
The latter half of the book really gives some more weight and meat to the book, and so the front half does its job in setting this up; it is not a long book by any means, so this definitely works structurally in my opinion.
Whilst it was not the book I thought I was going into, I liked it and it left me with a different experience than I was expecting.
I would love to read the book I had pictured as well, though.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"What if there's a middle ground? ...she lives on the middle ground, a perilously high and narrow path winding between the abysses of opposing extremes: too much/not enough, smothering/negligent, pushover/cold block of stone. The middle ground is the reason she's so tired."
As her maternity leave comes to an end, our unnamed narrator plans a final perfect day with her two boys before they begin childcare and she says goodbye to full-time parenting.
We follow mum, Felix (4), and Rudy (1) through this one day which, with Dad absent overseas, gets off to an early, fractious start.
As all her best intentions collide with reality, we share her frustrations and anxieties even as we chuckle with recognition.
Every other mother, working or otherwise, seems to have everything under control, while our narrator is awash with doubts. What should they eat? When should they eat? How much sex is the "right" amount for parents of young children? Should the boys watch television at all?
Sources of anxiety proliferate: online forums, WhatsApp parents' groups, advice that either never works or works perfectly until, suddenly, it doesn't. Family members, meanwhile, undermine her efforts with the best of intentions, offering unsolicited wisdom at precisely the moment she needs nothing more than silent agreement.
Amid all this pressure and worry is the unconditional love she feels for her two boys, and the joy of watching them discover both the world and themselves—so much of which she fears she'll miss when she returns to work.
Her relationship with her husband has become transactional, fraught with tiny misreadings of language and tone that can send any conversation spiralling into irritation. Because he works outside the home, despite his best endeavours he cannot fully appreciate the juggling and self-subsumation required by the "round-the-clock immersive theatre that is parenthood."
It turns out that the middle ground isn't a place of balance at all, but one of constant effort—and this funny, tender, quietly angry novel captures that perfectly.
As her maternity leave comes to an end, our unnamed narrator plans a final perfect day with her two boys before they begin childcare and she says goodbye to full-time parenting.
We follow mum, Felix (4), and Rudy (1) through this one day which, with Dad absent overseas, gets off to an early, fractious start.
As all her best intentions collide with reality, we share her frustrations and anxieties even as we chuckle with recognition.
Every other mother, working or otherwise, seems to have everything under control, while our narrator is awash with doubts. What should they eat? When should they eat? How much sex is the "right" amount for parents of young children? Should the boys watch television at all?
Sources of anxiety proliferate: online forums, WhatsApp parents' groups, advice that either never works or works perfectly until, suddenly, it doesn't. Family members, meanwhile, undermine her efforts with the best of intentions, offering unsolicited wisdom at precisely the moment she needs nothing more than silent agreement.
Amid all this pressure and worry is the unconditional love she feels for her two boys, and the joy of watching them discover both the world and themselves—so much of which she fears she'll miss when she returns to work.
Her relationship with her husband has become transactional, fraught with tiny misreadings of language and tone that can send any conversation spiralling into irritation. Because he works outside the home, despite his best endeavours he cannot fully appreciate the juggling and self-subsumation required by the "round-the-clock immersive theatre that is parenthood."
It turns out that the middle ground isn't a place of balance at all, but one of constant effort—and this funny, tender, quietly angry novel captures that perfectly.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Firstly, and really I should have guessed this from the book description, I am the wrong target audience for this book. My eldest grandchild is 16 so it is quite some time since I had sole charge of two young children (grandchildren excepted, but at the end of the day we give them back), but even so I could certainly sympathise at times with the main character - Mum, sorry I can't remember her actual name. Perhaps that says something about how becoming a parent causes you to lose your sense of self, in that the reader hasn't remembered her name, does anyone ever even say it in the book?
My daughter being mum to 4 children from 5 years up to 16 could most definitely identify with the MC. I think she has probably faced every minor trauma in this book and much more besides. It did have its funny moments and I enjoyed the humour in the book, but I felt it read a bit like a blog on mumsnet. There isn't a plot as such, though to be fair it is only set over 1 day but apart from her two children, there is little dialogue with anyone else until you get towards the end, so seems a little one dimensional. And at times she does over analyse, ruminating over every minutia of the day. It did have me laughing out loud at some of the situations she found herself in so it did keep me entertained.
I think maybe social media and the internet as a whole perhaps has a hand in denting the confidence of new mums today compared with 40 years ago when I had my children. She does tend to be led by the latest trends in child rearing rather than going off her gut instinct and it highlights how hard it can be for new parents now, always feeling judged and compared, and at times I felt she was probably making a rod for her own back.
I'm sure this book would appeal hugely to younger readers with young children, but perhaps grandparents too could have a read, just to see what their children are up against when they're raising their own families.
My daughter being mum to 4 children from 5 years up to 16 could most definitely identify with the MC. I think she has probably faced every minor trauma in this book and much more besides. It did have its funny moments and I enjoyed the humour in the book, but I felt it read a bit like a blog on mumsnet. There isn't a plot as such, though to be fair it is only set over 1 day but apart from her two children, there is little dialogue with anyone else until you get towards the end, so seems a little one dimensional. And at times she does over analyse, ruminating over every minutia of the day. It did have me laughing out loud at some of the situations she found herself in so it did keep me entertained.
I think maybe social media and the internet as a whole perhaps has a hand in denting the confidence of new mums today compared with 40 years ago when I had my children. She does tend to be led by the latest trends in child rearing rather than going off her gut instinct and it highlights how hard it can be for new parents now, always feeling judged and compared, and at times I felt she was probably making a rod for her own back.
I'm sure this book would appeal hugely to younger readers with young children, but perhaps grandparents too could have a read, just to see what their children are up against when they're raising their own families.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Ok Im obviously not the demographic this book is aimed at so I will try to be measured with my opinions.
A book based on the final day of a mother’s maternity leave after having a second child, she wants to have a special last day with her children and do lots of stuff they love to mark the day. Of course things dont go according to plan as she struggles with the everyday problems of motherhood and this is apparently observed and told in a humorous and insightful way.
Sounds ok so far but… the story (if you can call it that) is wafer thin with not a lot happening apart from them going out of the house a couple of times and then to the hospital. I mean there is barely a short story here never mind a novel.
Also the characters were just irritating and totally lacking any real substance. The mother was an incredibly weak and immature character who annoyed the hell out of me throughout and is married to a vain shallow man. As for the children well at least the baby wasnt annoying as he had little to say (well nothing really, hes a baby) but the toddler was next level annoying. Spoiled and indulged by his mother who didnt want to upset him etc etc.
Its a whole lot of nothing where nothing happens and we get a rinse and repeat of the mothers inane and uninteresting musings.
I started off this review trying to be mindful that I probably am not the demographic for this book and so wanted to go gently on it but as I type this review I just become more and more aware of how much the book irritated me and I didnt enjoy any of it.
There are much more positive reviews out there so hopefully Im an outlier but for me this was poor. Really really poor.
Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
A book based on the final day of a mother’s maternity leave after having a second child, she wants to have a special last day with her children and do lots of stuff they love to mark the day. Of course things dont go according to plan as she struggles with the everyday problems of motherhood and this is apparently observed and told in a humorous and insightful way.
Sounds ok so far but… the story (if you can call it that) is wafer thin with not a lot happening apart from them going out of the house a couple of times and then to the hospital. I mean there is barely a short story here never mind a novel.
Also the characters were just irritating and totally lacking any real substance. The mother was an incredibly weak and immature character who annoyed the hell out of me throughout and is married to a vain shallow man. As for the children well at least the baby wasnt annoying as he had little to say (well nothing really, hes a baby) but the toddler was next level annoying. Spoiled and indulged by his mother who didnt want to upset him etc etc.
Its a whole lot of nothing where nothing happens and we get a rinse and repeat of the mothers inane and uninteresting musings.
I started off this review trying to be mindful that I probably am not the demographic for this book and so wanted to go gently on it but as I type this review I just become more and more aware of how much the book irritated me and I didnt enjoy any of it.
There are much more positive reviews out there so hopefully Im an outlier but for me this was poor. Really really poor.
Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
July 7, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company, and Lisa Owens for providing me with this ARC..
Natural Disaster is a nicely written and deeply observant novel that takes an honest look at the overwhelming reality of motherhood. Lisa Owens captures the constant mental checklist, emotional demands, and pressure that can come with caring for others while trying to hold onto a sense of yourself. Her writing is thoughtful, witty, and incredibly effective at portraying the chaos of everyday life.
While I appreciated the authenticity of this story, I struggled with how emotionally heavy the reading experience felt. The entire novel moves at a significantly slower pace as compared to the main character’s day. I found myself becoming more drained as the story continued. The endless cycle of challenges and frustrations made it difficult for me to fully connect with the experience.
As a mother, there were certainly moments that felt familiar, especially the feeling of being pulled in a hundred different directions at once. However, instead of leaving me feeling seen or encouraged, the story often left me feeling exhausted. I found myself hoping for a shift in tone or a moment that would provide some emotional balance.
I think this book will especially appeal to readers who enjoy realistic, character-driven stories that explore the complexities of family life and identity. For me, though, the constant intensity made it a difficult book to fully enjoy.
Even with my personal struggles with the story, I can recognize the strength of Lisa Owens’ writing and her ability to bring such a specific experience to life with humor and honesty. This is a thoughtful exploration of motherhood and the many roles women carry, even if it wasn’t the reading experience I was looking for.
Natural Disaster is a nicely written and deeply observant novel that takes an honest look at the overwhelming reality of motherhood. Lisa Owens captures the constant mental checklist, emotional demands, and pressure that can come with caring for others while trying to hold onto a sense of yourself. Her writing is thoughtful, witty, and incredibly effective at portraying the chaos of everyday life.
While I appreciated the authenticity of this story, I struggled with how emotionally heavy the reading experience felt. The entire novel moves at a significantly slower pace as compared to the main character’s day. I found myself becoming more drained as the story continued. The endless cycle of challenges and frustrations made it difficult for me to fully connect with the experience.
As a mother, there were certainly moments that felt familiar, especially the feeling of being pulled in a hundred different directions at once. However, instead of leaving me feeling seen or encouraged, the story often left me feeling exhausted. I found myself hoping for a shift in tone or a moment that would provide some emotional balance.
I think this book will especially appeal to readers who enjoy realistic, character-driven stories that explore the complexities of family life and identity. For me, though, the constant intensity made it a difficult book to fully enjoy.
Even with my personal struggles with the story, I can recognize the strength of Lisa Owens’ writing and her ability to bring such a specific experience to life with humor and honesty. This is a thoughtful exploration of motherhood and the many roles women carry, even if it wasn’t the reading experience I was looking for.
July 11, 2026
I wasn’t sure what to make of this book. I didn’t read the reviews and just received it because I thought it was a thriller. What it is, is a mystery! A mystery as to how us women manage to raise two children under four years old, with a husband away at work all the time, and keep a reasonably level head! The book caused me to have flashbacks as to when my son was born, because it centres mainly around her eldest son Felix, the four-year-old, and Rudy, the one-year-old, who is too young to really know anything much, and he is also just starting to do things for himself, like pull himself up and starting to babble a few words.
It caused me to have bouts of anxiety though because those early childcare times were really hard, and I just had the one child! But it is a good insight into life as a mother and what you should and shouldn’t do in some precarious situations. There were times when I thought that she was just being a little bit too soft on these children, even though the way that the book was written, the children were relatively well-behaved in relation to some other children I’ve known and come across in my life.
It is a very well-written book that is a good read. When I started reading, I just wanted to sit down and be absorbed by it. It does contain a lot of humorous sections to it, and the mother, whose name isn’t really mentioned (this is life when you’re apparent, you are now known as mum, and your name no longer matters), is very self-deprecating at times. But I think that’s due to her stress levels more than anything else. Anyway, the book ends with Felix being admitted into hospital because he has become very sick. It is worth a read if you want to recall some memories around having children, or have an insight into what it’s like.
It caused me to have bouts of anxiety though because those early childcare times were really hard, and I just had the one child! But it is a good insight into life as a mother and what you should and shouldn’t do in some precarious situations. There were times when I thought that she was just being a little bit too soft on these children, even though the way that the book was written, the children were relatively well-behaved in relation to some other children I’ve known and come across in my life.
It is a very well-written book that is a good read. When I started reading, I just wanted to sit down and be absorbed by it. It does contain a lot of humorous sections to it, and the mother, whose name isn’t really mentioned (this is life when you’re apparent, you are now known as mum, and your name no longer matters), is very self-deprecating at times. But I think that’s due to her stress levels more than anything else. Anyway, the book ends with Felix being admitted into hospital because he has become very sick. It is worth a read if you want to recall some memories around having children, or have an insight into what it’s like.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK | Virago and NetGalley for this ARC.
The premise of this book, 24 hours of mother's life before going to her corporate life after maternity leave, is absolutely my alley.
I was supper excited for this one....and what a disappointed it was.
in my opinion this should have been a novella. I think it could have worked as a shorted book and if the main character had a backbone. She wants to create a perfect day for her and 2 sons but she should have known that having a toddler means nothing will go according to plan. The issue is that her toddler is annoying and disrespectful towards his mom while she does nothing to correct or encourage respect. It looks like he can do whatever he wants with no consequences. She is irritating and annoying as a main character. Plus really nothing happens thru the story.
It could have been a great exploration of handling marriage and the changing of its dynamics while having two kids and work, The husband seems to be quite detached and self centered. I believe if the book would use humour, like a comedy of errors it would have been more enjoyable.
As someone who had 2 kids under 2 years of age I could easily relate to her struggles but what really annoyed me is her passiveness and striving for perfection, knowing full well that making a mess in the kitchen would be much better perfect day for her and her kids than her own version of a perfect day she was trying to achieve. I felt sorry for her that she doesn't understand that.
I really wanted to like it but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
The premise of this book, 24 hours of mother's life before going to her corporate life after maternity leave, is absolutely my alley.
I was supper excited for this one....and what a disappointed it was.
in my opinion this should have been a novella. I think it could have worked as a shorted book and if the main character had a backbone. She wants to create a perfect day for her and 2 sons but she should have known that having a toddler means nothing will go according to plan. The issue is that her toddler is annoying and disrespectful towards his mom while she does nothing to correct or encourage respect. It looks like he can do whatever he wants with no consequences. She is irritating and annoying as a main character. Plus really nothing happens thru the story.
It could have been a great exploration of handling marriage and the changing of its dynamics while having two kids and work, The husband seems to be quite detached and self centered. I believe if the book would use humour, like a comedy of errors it would have been more enjoyable.
As someone who had 2 kids under 2 years of age I could easily relate to her struggles but what really annoyed me is her passiveness and striving for perfection, knowing full well that making a mess in the kitchen would be much better perfect day for her and her kids than her own version of a perfect day she was trying to achieve. I felt sorry for her that she doesn't understand that.
I really wanted to like it but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
July 16, 2026
Empathy alert! Warning! Mum blood pressure will rise when reading!
I'm not kidding, this hit me so hard in the memories I thought I'd suppressed. With older kids now (15 and 9), toddler and newborn days looooooong behind me, it didn't take many pages to have me back in the lists, routines, packing, jobs, needs of small children and the daily grind of getting through the hours to naptimes and dad-coming-home times.
Wow, the author knows exactly what this is like.
This is one day in a mum's life. A mum at home, for her last day before returning to work. With youngest now a year old and older child not yet nursery-ready, this is a mum determined to give them a last 'perfect day' with her before she returns to her office, her emails... her sanity. With husband away, the buggy and snacks ready, what can go wrong?
This is a bit of a trauma read, I must say. From weather to tantrums to even more dramatic and awful calamities, you feel for the protagonist, even if she's often trying to be a martyr.
But with the added 'why does my husband have a tampon that's not my size in his bag?' question going through her mind all day, the book examines not just the resentment of the stay-at-home mum but the state of marriage in the early days of parenting as well. It all felt very real.
A chaotic, traumatic and blood-pressure-raising plot that doesn't say much positive about contemporary parenting, even if you can wade through to see the love and payoffs in the midst of the heartache and anxieties.
I think this is best read by those who've passed this stage! Any earlier and you may not make it...
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
I'm not kidding, this hit me so hard in the memories I thought I'd suppressed. With older kids now (15 and 9), toddler and newborn days looooooong behind me, it didn't take many pages to have me back in the lists, routines, packing, jobs, needs of small children and the daily grind of getting through the hours to naptimes and dad-coming-home times.
Wow, the author knows exactly what this is like.
This is one day in a mum's life. A mum at home, for her last day before returning to work. With youngest now a year old and older child not yet nursery-ready, this is a mum determined to give them a last 'perfect day' with her before she returns to her office, her emails... her sanity. With husband away, the buggy and snacks ready, what can go wrong?
This is a bit of a trauma read, I must say. From weather to tantrums to even more dramatic and awful calamities, you feel for the protagonist, even if she's often trying to be a martyr.
But with the added 'why does my husband have a tampon that's not my size in his bag?' question going through her mind all day, the book examines not just the resentment of the stay-at-home mum but the state of marriage in the early days of parenting as well. It all felt very real.
A chaotic, traumatic and blood-pressure-raising plot that doesn't say much positive about contemporary parenting, even if you can wade through to see the love and payoffs in the midst of the heartache and anxieties.
I think this is best read by those who've passed this stage! Any earlier and you may not make it...
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
July 20, 2026
This is a book that the blurb says is hilarious but I didn’t find it so. I found it was full of dark humour that revealed the truth that all mothers know and all mothers try to hide for fear of being judged. The story spans one day, a day that our narrator wants to be special because it is her last day of maternity leave. In the morning she will deposit 4 year old Felix and 1 year old Rudi at the nursery and return to work. She wants this day to be a day for them. Her husband is ona business trip and so she is alone. This book shows motherhood as chaotic and glorious. The author shows us the attempt to make pancakes while little hands grab the chocolate chips. She shows us the shopping trip where little hands stuff oats into pockets, the attempts to provide healthy snacks that are thwarted. This is all so relatable and real. And underlying all of this is the guilt that she is not a good mum, that by wanting it all - a career and a family - you are failing. There is also the way that as a mum she has lost your identity - she is just Felix’s mum. She endures the looks from perfect strangers who judge her because her child is crying. Even her own mother has opinions. This is motherhood as reality - the way it is sometimes impossible to plan for all eventualities and without giving anything away, I perfectly understand the frog suit - I spent a whole day once in hospital in wellingtons! The author doesn’t judge, she tells it how it sometimes is. She tells us things that some mums are just too embarrassed to talk about because they fear that yet again they will be judged. I think a lot of mums will appreciate this novel’s honesty.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Natural Disaster is a quick book to read if you're in a mood for a story following a VERY messy day in the life of a mother of two. You'll follow this mother and her two sons for a chaotic period of 24 hours. It's this mother last day before she gets back to work. Her husband is temporarily away, in another country, working. She starts the day with the premise of a lovely last day alone with her sons. But everything goes wrong from morning to evening.
Some people are saying this is a funny book. That there are funny moments. It's only my opinion, but I didn't find it funny at all.
The mess and chaos that happens during that day with that mother? I thought it was sad and uncomfortable to witness. Pitiful, even.
And very realistic. I guess that's the purpose of this book: to show how chaotic motherhood is. Especially if you're handling it alone.
I, personally, was mesmerised by it. The writing is engaging; every single moment/situation in this book is very realistic, so it gets very easy to empathise with the mother and understand or feel her pain and struggles. And because it happens in one single day - and a lot happens during that day -it makes the story fast-paced.
If you enjoy reading a 'slice of life' story with messy characters and chaotic situations involving small kids, consider picking up this book. And if you're a mother (or a soon-to-be) I believe this story will resonate better with you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with an advanced and free ebook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Some people are saying this is a funny book. That there are funny moments. It's only my opinion, but I didn't find it funny at all.
The mess and chaos that happens during that day with that mother? I thought it was sad and uncomfortable to witness. Pitiful, even.
And very realistic. I guess that's the purpose of this book: to show how chaotic motherhood is. Especially if you're handling it alone.
I, personally, was mesmerised by it. The writing is engaging; every single moment/situation in this book is very realistic, so it gets very easy to empathise with the mother and understand or feel her pain and struggles. And because it happens in one single day - and a lot happens during that day -it makes the story fast-paced.
If you enjoy reading a 'slice of life' story with messy characters and chaotic situations involving small kids, consider picking up this book. And if you're a mother (or a soon-to-be) I believe this story will resonate better with you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with an advanced and free ebook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A trip down memory lane for all mothers who spent nine months planning, shopping, and dreaming of forming that perfect mother–child bond. Reality hits when you realize you’ve birthed independent, clingy, whining little humans—and that once-clean house, with its freshly laundered, sweet-smelling sheets, has been overtaken by stained, foul-smelling clothes that never seem to come clean again.
This is a little story that reminds you what it’s really like, as the narrator decides to spend a meaningful last day with her two young sons before returning to her office post–maternity leave. Despite all her internal assurances that it will be eventful and happy, it turns out to be just as chaotic and distressing as any day involving toddlers. That dreadful stroller—always in the way and too cumbersome to fully function—makes an appearance. Oh, the painful memories it holds.
The saying “you’ll laugh about it one day” rings true, and that’s why I enjoyed this so much. There were so many elements I remember doing, right down to bribing with anything for just a few moments of peace, or the excitement of adult company—even if it meant returning to work a little earlier. The writing and pacing are spot on, as every detail of childhood illness is dissected and investigated to within an inch of its life. The watchful, sleepless nights as the world continues around you. The quick, easy morsel of food you forget to chew—all in the name of motherhood.
A great read that young mothers will enjoy too.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication
This is a little story that reminds you what it’s really like, as the narrator decides to spend a meaningful last day with her two young sons before returning to her office post–maternity leave. Despite all her internal assurances that it will be eventful and happy, it turns out to be just as chaotic and distressing as any day involving toddlers. That dreadful stroller—always in the way and too cumbersome to fully function—makes an appearance. Oh, the painful memories it holds.
The saying “you’ll laugh about it one day” rings true, and that’s why I enjoyed this so much. There were so many elements I remember doing, right down to bribing with anything for just a few moments of peace, or the excitement of adult company—even if it meant returning to work a little earlier. The writing and pacing are spot on, as every detail of childhood illness is dissected and investigated to within an inch of its life. The watchful, sleepless nights as the world continues around you. The quick, easy morsel of food you forget to chew—all in the name of motherhood.
A great read that young mothers will enjoy too.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love when a book makes me laugh out loud, and Natural Disaster had me cackling repeatedly. This author understands the comedy of watching someone's carefully laid plans implode in real time.
A woman has promised her children one perfect day before she returns to work. That's the setup. And then everything falls apart in ways that are simultaneously ridiculous and completely plausible. The catastrophes accumulate with relentless precision, each one funnier and more frustrating than the last, spiraling in ways you don't see coming.
What makes this book so funny is the specificity of the chaos. It's not generic or contrived. The disasters feel like actual things that would happen, which is what makes them hilarious rather than just annoying.
The pacing is masterful. Just when you think things have hit rock bottom, another wrench gets thrown in. There's a momentum to the humor that keeps building, and the character's increasingly frantic attempts to salvage the day fuel the comedy beautifully.
Underneath the chaos is real character work. You understand who this person is, what matters to her, why this day matters so much. That investment is what makes the humor land harder.
This is smart, observant comedy about the precarious challenge of trying to control anything in a world determined to derail you. It's funny, it's sharp, and it's absolutely memorable.
Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
A woman has promised her children one perfect day before she returns to work. That's the setup. And then everything falls apart in ways that are simultaneously ridiculous and completely plausible. The catastrophes accumulate with relentless precision, each one funnier and more frustrating than the last, spiraling in ways you don't see coming.
What makes this book so funny is the specificity of the chaos. It's not generic or contrived. The disasters feel like actual things that would happen, which is what makes them hilarious rather than just annoying.
The pacing is masterful. Just when you think things have hit rock bottom, another wrench gets thrown in. There's a momentum to the humor that keeps building, and the character's increasingly frantic attempts to salvage the day fuel the comedy beautifully.
Underneath the chaos is real character work. You understand who this person is, what matters to her, why this day matters so much. That investment is what makes the humor land harder.
This is smart, observant comedy about the precarious challenge of trying to control anything in a world determined to derail you. It's funny, it's sharp, and it's absolutely memorable.
Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This one broke me just a little bit. As both a mother and an incredibly anxious person, I felt this book deeply. This book showcases misogyny, ableism, and the overall lacking of understanding society has of motherhood in the most self aware way.
Natural Disaster depicts life in one single day for this mom (who doesn't even have a name... how comically fitting) of two. Her maternity leave has ended and she is going back to work, but she has one more day with her boys and she wants to make it a great day. Things do not go as planned, and as bad as it gets, this could just be any day for any mother. For me, it wasn't so much the plot, but what the environment around the plot was like that compelled me so much.
I know what it is like to move so incredibly anxious through the world, constantly masking and always on alert, while it seems that everyone else can just move at their own pace, unbothered and unaware of the thunderous thoughts happening inside your head. So many things are happening at once and time moves simultaneously fast and slow in front of your eyes. That is what this book felt like.
Motherhood is such a polarizing thing. The standard mothers are held to in society is infinitely higher than fathers. The expectations are crushing because everyone has an opinion. You are tasked with keeping this little person alive; to advocate for them, to feed, clothe, care for and nurture them, judged all the while even though we live in a society that is only surface level accommodating to mothers and children.
I enjoyed this one immensely!
Natural Disaster depicts life in one single day for this mom (who doesn't even have a name... how comically fitting) of two. Her maternity leave has ended and she is going back to work, but she has one more day with her boys and she wants to make it a great day. Things do not go as planned, and as bad as it gets, this could just be any day for any mother. For me, it wasn't so much the plot, but what the environment around the plot was like that compelled me so much.
I know what it is like to move so incredibly anxious through the world, constantly masking and always on alert, while it seems that everyone else can just move at their own pace, unbothered and unaware of the thunderous thoughts happening inside your head. So many things are happening at once and time moves simultaneously fast and slow in front of your eyes. That is what this book felt like.
Motherhood is such a polarizing thing. The standard mothers are held to in society is infinitely higher than fathers. The expectations are crushing because everyone has an opinion. You are tasked with keeping this little person alive; to advocate for them, to feed, clothe, care for and nurture them, judged all the while even though we live in a society that is only surface level accommodating to mothers and children.
I enjoyed this one immensely!
July 21, 2026
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the review copy of *Natural Disaster* by [Author].
I became a mother in the middle of the pandemic, with my husband and me figuring out how to become parents without much of the support or community we had imagined. A year or two ago, someone who had become a second- or third-time parent around the same time said something to me that I have never forgotten: “It really wasn't supposed to be this hard.”
And yet, so much of early parenthood felt exactly like that. Pulled in every direction. Rushed. Overwhelmed. Trying to keep track of everything while also trying to be present for the people who need you most.
This is not a book about a perfect day or a perfect mother. It is about the exhaustion, expectations, guilt, career pressures, and unequal burdens that still shape motherhood. It captures the way an ordinary day can feel like too much, even when nothing particularly extraordinary is happening.
I don't need every book about motherhood to be comforting or easy. Sometimes I want a book that recognizes the feeling of being pulled and pushed and rushed through the day, trying to keep everything moving while wondering how everyone else seems to be managing better than you are.
*Natural Disaster* captures that feeling.
It is a very specific story about one mother on one day, but it also felt familiar in a way that I think many parents will recognize. Sometimes the most powerful thing a book can do is say: yes, this is hard. It was not supposed to be this hard.
I became a mother in the middle of the pandemic, with my husband and me figuring out how to become parents without much of the support or community we had imagined. A year or two ago, someone who had become a second- or third-time parent around the same time said something to me that I have never forgotten: “It really wasn't supposed to be this hard.”
And yet, so much of early parenthood felt exactly like that. Pulled in every direction. Rushed. Overwhelmed. Trying to keep track of everything while also trying to be present for the people who need you most.
This is not a book about a perfect day or a perfect mother. It is about the exhaustion, expectations, guilt, career pressures, and unequal burdens that still shape motherhood. It captures the way an ordinary day can feel like too much, even when nothing particularly extraordinary is happening.
I don't need every book about motherhood to be comforting or easy. Sometimes I want a book that recognizes the feeling of being pulled and pushed and rushed through the day, trying to keep everything moving while wondering how everyone else seems to be managing better than you are.
*Natural Disaster* captures that feeling.
It is a very specific story about one mother on one day, but it also felt familiar in a way that I think many parents will recognize. Sometimes the most powerful thing a book can do is say: yes, this is hard. It was not supposed to be this hard.
December 5, 2025
This book describes a Mum’s last day before she goes back to work with her two children and her attempts to make it memorable. She manages to fit a lot into one day. I had a sinking feeling as I read it, thinking I did not like the protagonist, then I thought actually I recognise some of this. I’m in my menopause now and am angry, assertive and maintain my boundaries. As I read the book it reminded me of the hazy feeling when my son was young, sleep deprived and desperately trying to be a good Mum. I never went as far as trying to make memories, probably because I only had 5 months off and I guess there was some envy of the characters wealth which impacted my enjoyment.
I am not scoring it a 5 because I would not read it again and yet the book is well written and feels like a detailed character study of a specific time in a woman’s life. It reminded me of Motherland, a Uk tv show. I didn’t find it as laugh out loud, although I did laugh at times, but again I wonder if it’s just not my time of life.
I would recommend to friends who have just had babies or have little ones.
There was a few points that I did cry so I do think the author has written a story that is meaningful with characters that feel very real with an emotional connection to the reader.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion
I am not scoring it a 5 because I would not read it again and yet the book is well written and feels like a detailed character study of a specific time in a woman’s life. It reminded me of Motherland, a Uk tv show. I didn’t find it as laugh out loud, although I did laugh at times, but again I wonder if it’s just not my time of life.
I would recommend to friends who have just had babies or have little ones.
There was a few points that I did cry so I do think the author has written a story that is meaningful with characters that feel very real with an emotional connection to the reader.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion
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