My Daughter's Wedding

by Gretel Killeen

Nora Fawn's daughter, Hope, disappeared four years ago. Nora has never known why. Refusing to answer her mother's calls, emails or texts, Hope maintained contact only with her big sister, Joy. Having once considered her mothering to be the greatest achievement of her life, Nora's spent these Hope-less years searching, aching, mother-guilting, working for a famous yet talentless artist and avoiding her own emotionally repressed mother,Daphne. But ... last night Hope rang out of the blue to say, 'I'm coming home, I'm getting married, the wedding is in three weeks and it's your job to organise it.' Desperate to prove her worth as a mother and regain her daughter's love, Nora commits to the task - assisted by her own increasingly dementia'd mother and her two best friends, Soula (anamateur bikini-line waxer) and Thilma (whom they found in a cab in the 1980s). My Daughter's Wedding is both hilarious and profound as it explores the confounding complexity, wild terrain, mountains, valleys and quicksand found in three generations of mother-daughter love.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2021

About the author

Gretel is a well-known Australian stand-up comedian, former long-time host of Big Brother Australia and writer of humorous young adult fiction.

Reviews

[Caitlin Alexander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin with this absolute mess of a book. I will start with the outright offensive aspects and then move on to the mess of a plot line and absurd decision to write this in an epistolary style.
In 2021 you can't use terms like 'tr*nny' anymore and for her to write it and the publisher to okay it is downright wrong. Additionally the character and shop of 'Vietnamese Gloria' and reassuring the reader that it isn't racist because that's the name of the (made up) boutique in this white person's novel was so wrong. I mean, come on. Do better. Be better. Have a person of colour read your book before you print it. What an embarrassment.
This blurb said this book was about a mother planning her daughters wedding but this seemed to get in the way of derailed excursions to the hospital and constant complaining about having daughters. Trying to create narrative tension in an epistolary style novel where there are constant references to 'this is happening as I write this!' seems strained at best. Then the diary gets handed around to 3 other characters at the end. What a shit show. So glad I read it so I will have a reference point for the worst literature ever published for the rest of my life.

[R Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
In fact only started this cos it was free

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com

Light hearted, spirited, zany and witty, My Daughter’s Wedding is the latest contemporary fiction title from award winning comedy writer Gretel Killen. My Daughter’s Wedding offers an insightful look into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships across three generations.

The principal narrator of My Daughter’s Wedding is fifty-something Nora Fawn. We learn that Nora’s daughter Hope vanished with no explanation nearly five years ago. Refusing any form of communication with her mother, but remaining on good terms with her older sister Joy, Hope has distanced herself from her mother. With her commitment to motherhood, Nora despairs over her lost relationship with her daughter. But Nora also has problems with her own mother. Nora has been unable to connect with her mother on an emotional level. As a result, Nora fills her days with work in an attempt to forget her family issues. However, things take an interesting turn when Hope reconnects with Nora, by announcing that she is planning a shotgun wedding. Nora has just three weeks up to her sleeve to prove to her daughter that she can support Hope in her time of need. With a motley crew of family and friends on hand to assist Nora with the wedding preparations, can Nora win back her daughter’s love?

With an impressive list of books to her name in children’s fiction and women’s contemporary fiction, Gretel Killeen is quite the household name here in Australia. Gretel Killeen’s television engagements on shows such as Big Brother and The Project spring to my mind when her name is mentioned. Until now I haven’t managed to pick up any of her books to read. The inviting cover and intriguing title of this latest release from Killeen appealed to me. I do like a good wedding book so I was eager to get to this one. While I did appreciate some elements of My Daughter’s Wedding, I will say it wasn’t for me.

My Daughter’s Wedding is a contemporary fiction novel, but I would easily classify it as a classic chick lit story. I think this was my first roadblock with Killeen’s novel. In recent years I have struggled to connect to chick lit novels and it seemed like this was completely the case with My Daughter’s Wedding. I did have high hopes that as Killeen’s book is narrated from the perspective of a fifty-year-old woman I would be able to connect to this mature voice. Nora’s story is relayed in a very honest diary format. We are privy to Nora’s innermost, thoughts, feeling and concerns. I appreciated this standpoint. However, Nora’s voice in these diary entries seemed quite immature for a woman of her age and this didn’t sit that well with me.

What Killeen does do well is this novel is comprehensively explore the intricacies of female relationships. We are presented with a complicated and strained mother-daughter relationship in two different forms, across two different generation dynamics. We also view a sister-based relationship, along with a number of other female friendships. Killeen maintains an insightful, thoughtful, considered and unrestrained look at these contrasted relationships. There is an extended cast of characters that fill the pages of My Daughter’s Wedding, who introduce some comedic interludes and often ridiculous situations to the mix. Some may find these areas of the novel utterly hilarious, but for me it fell flat.

My Daughter’s Wedding offers an ear to the ground style perspective of a mother and family unit in turmoil. Gretel Killeen’s latest is a quick read, best enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere.

*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.

My Daughter’s Wedding is book #34 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
The writing was juvenile at best. The plot was ridiculous and as for it being funny, I would have to say that there were only a few spots in the book that were funny.
I feel like returning this book to the book shop for a refund as it was so bad. The sad thing is that I had high hopes for it and actually bought a copy as a gift for a friend...
I think that one star is giving it one too many.
I can't believe I actually finished reading it, but I kept thinking it would get better. I can't believe that Hachette actually published this rubbish, maybe the work experience student read it and said it would be a great book. Who really knows!!! Irt is definitely not hilarious or profound.

[Renee Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book hilarious. It had me laughing out loud many times which I rarely do when reading. Here is one line "He has a mustache that looks like a ferret is trying to burrow sideways up his nostrils"
I actually didn't know Gretel Killeen wrote books but I am so glad I got to enjoy this one of hers. I didn't want it to finish.
This book follows Nora and her relationship with her two daughters as well as her mother. Her daughter disappears from her life for 4 years then calls to say Nora must arrange her entire wedding in a week. Chaos, arrests and drama follow.
Great funny read I would recommend.

Thanks to Better Reading for this preview book to enjoy and review.

[Linda Balogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wonderfully wicked humour the fabulous Gretel Killeen exudes suggested her new novel, My Daughter’s Wedding would be a riotous, rollicking adventure - and wow, it sure does pack a serious punch of side-splitting hilarity.

The story centres around Nora Fawn and her daughters, Joy and Hope. After not hearing from Hope for four years, a relieved Nora finally gets the long-awaited call she’s been pining for. Armed with her increasingly dementia’d mother and best friends, Thilma and Soula, Nora sets about planning Hope’s wedding in an attempt to regain her daughter’s good graces.

The eccentric but loveable characters are deliciously drawn, including many smaller ones making up Nora’s extended family. These characters are no wallflowers, but rather unruly, outspoken and just plain naughty. The snowballing crises they must navigate makes this race-against-time story incredibly entertaining. And just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, the future In-Laws arrive...

I didn’t expect the huge heart this story would have, nor how much it would resonate with me personally. The plot may be delightfully far-fetched, but the exploration of the complex mother-daughter relationship is genuinely heartfelt, familiar, and often left me wiping away a tear.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope vanished four years ago. Her mother, Nora, never knew why. Hope refused to answer her mother’s calls, emails or texts. While she maintained contact with her sister, Joy, her mother heard nothing. Until she suddenly reappears, calling her mother - ‘I’m coming home, I’m getting married’.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but I also simultaneously hated almost all of the characters. Hope and (occasionally) Joy are absolute jerks to their mother, Nora. While they are 20-something year old’s, the way they treated her and acted, reminded me of children or teenage bullies. She’s a woman that has spent her life caring and loving for her daughters (maybe paying a little bit too much attention to Hope than Joy), but they treat her like she’s an idiot. Nora mother is hilarious thought...

It’s a bit silly, a bit crazy and kinda fun and I really did enjoy it!

[Jessica Maree · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://jessjustreads.com

Contemporary women’s fiction about three generations of mother-daughter love, Gretel Killeen’s My Daughter’s Wedding is a fast-paced exploration into the complex family dynamics between women, and how broken relationships can always be mended.

I liked the structure of the novel, and the premise. My Daughter’s Wedding is formatted as a diary entry, which feels instantly accessible. You’re placed right in the centre of the action, and you’re involved in the journey the entire way. The concept of the estranged daughter allows Nora to reflect on her past mistakes, and we also witness a lot of similarities between Nora and her own mother.

The book is filled with a large cast of eccentric characters, all with interesting backstories and tiny quirks that make them memorable. This definitely feels similar to Gretel’s other fictional works — all quite out-of-this-world, wacky tales.

“Yes, it was after all that, when I was looking for Hope’s birth certificate in preparation for registering her wedding, that I found you, Dear Diary. And it was then that I decided to quietly start writing in you over the forthcoming wedding week as evidence of how perfectly I’ve behaved should anything untoward come to pass and anyone/everyone try to blame me.”

Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to its potential. Yes, it’s a unique, funky story. No doubt about it. But I felt that the characterisation and the growth that’s required in a novel — even a comedic one — just wasn’t present in this. I think Gretel was going for a mad cap adventure, but the main character is in her 50s and the readership are adults and I’m just not sure that it works. No spoilers, but the entire storyline/premise about Aspen was too over-the-top to be enjoyable.

“I didn’t know what to say. Mum has always been great at winning arguments with me but appalling at confronting what we’re actually arguing about. I can’t blame her, I’m guilty of this too. I obfuscate and pussyfoot and hedge around the subject, for fear in fact of exactly what happened just now, an argument that leaves Mum feeling victorious and me feeling violated.”

Admittedly, I just didn’t find this book as humorous as the blurb suggested. There were a few chuckles, but mainly, I found the voice to be quite impenetrable. Nora is supposed to be in her 50s but she reads like an adolescent — stream of consciousness, scatty, unfocused, and just a little too silly to be believable as a character.

Additionally, the plot gets more absurd as the book goes on. There are commendable moments of depth, and character development, but the absurdity of the storyline seemingly dilutes these profound, notable aspects in the book. And the pacing is so quick, there isn’t really enough time to get to the know the characters, and so you don’t really find yourself warming to them.

“It’s been said that a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child. I know this to be true. When a woman becomes a mother she loses all emotional independence. And this can never be changed. The umbilical cord is never cut. The scissors just make it invisible.”

A very light read. Recommended as a beach read, or an airport purchase.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Megs · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a HUGE disappointment. I feel like returning the book and asking for my money back. I love watching and hearing Gretel on TV for her quick-witted, informed opinions that are often so funny. This book was none of those things, unfortunately. It came across like a child wrote it and I just couldn't get past the first 100 pages or so. I've always wanted to read Gretel but am left so disappointed that I wasted my money on this.

[Nellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a tad challenging to read. While there were definitely funny moments, it was just too ‘full on’. I found most diary entries frantic and as such, reading left me feeling edgy. In contrast, I’ve started reading another ‘entry’ book - ‘From where I fell’ by Susan Johnson and have found the depth of writing much more suited to a connected read.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gretel is trying too hard to be funny. That style is Ok for a short story but not 275 pages. No substance, no character development.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Hachette for sending us a copy to read and review.
A refreshing, naturally funny story of the complicated mother daughter relationship that’s witty with lots of laugh out loud moments and did I mention it’s very funny ?
Out of the blue Nora gets a phone call from her estranged daughter.
They haven’t spoken in awhile and Nora still to the day doesn’t really know why.
But Hope needs her mothers help, she is getting married in three weeks.
What follows is family mishaps, wacky best friends, funny situations, messy moments, amusing circumstances and one big hilarious extravaganza.
It’s cleverly crafted told from the perspective of Nora in diary format that’s intelligently comical and profoundly deep.
Lots of lively supporting cast that get into amusing blunders, setbacks and misfortunes all add additional laughter and joy to the plot.
A fun read with the occasional serious moments and with lots of humour.
It’s only a small quick read but it does pack a hilarious punch.
And to sum up this read, I’ll use a apt proverb, “great things come in small packages”.

[Hannah Ware · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read some really trash books lately but this one takes the cake. Written by a mother who has an estranged daughter for apparently no reason. The mother is writing in a diary every 2-3 minutes which makes absolutely no sense. Then the estranged daughter suddenly shows up and demands the mother organise and pay for her wedding. Then somehow the whole family ends up arrested and in a police station (but the mother is still writing 5 minutely entries in their diary???).
This is where I claimed my life back and stopped reading this pile of garbage. Could not like or understand the characters or the plot. How anyone let this book be published is beyond me! Would rate negative stars if it was possible

[Belinda Samson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book and I just didn't. The characters were just so unlikeable.
It just tried too hard to be funny and it just wasn't.

[Cazbookmagnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started well very funny went a little off the rails towards the end but overall fun light read and fairly accurate re relationships between many mothers, daughters and sisters.

[Priscilla Mansour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me such a giggle at times what a cute light heart read, full of smiles and little one lines that got me laughing a few times out loud on the train, countless times throughout the book I could relate to Nora being a young mum I could picture the drama she faces being a mum and at times I could relate to Hope the daughter that couldn't stay cos mum was too much!! The ending was sweet I like how Gretel chose to get each character that we were introduced to throughout the whole book to write their own diary entry in, that was so sweet the mums dementia throughout the book was funny and a real clever part was at the end we read to find out Noras mum wrote an entry but then we find out that Nora goes back to the diary to only find a picture of a stick figure donky so her mothers entry in the end is only for the readers to get down into the teal heart of Noras mum! Very clever the whole story put in a number of daily dairy entries is very cute and fun to read all the characters and their funny diary entries is something with the times the world is facing now something that we all need to read so we can laugh and and relate to the fun times of family and getting old!! Not to forget the strength of unity in a family!!
Read it you will love it it's light, fun and qwerky 👌😉💖

[Eliza Hickey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is it possible to give a minus star review?
This book, boy oh boy. I purchased this as a "quick and witty" read as I was wanting something to make me laugh... Can I have a refund, please? Wow.
My Daughter's Wedding is so disjointed, it's not funny. At all. So much is left undeveloped and unexplained; and the characters are described with certain traits but act the complete opposite.
I feel like this book was only published because Gretel Killeen wrote it.
Terrible. Boo. Would not recommend.

[Janette · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this is in your TBR pile, move it to the recycling pile.
I could not finish this book. First DNF in memory. So I unbelievable, which is ironic considering I just finished a Stephen King book that I rated a 5. I couldn’t even tell you what the storyline is but every character was unlikeable, and the author seemed to be trying so hard to make the characters ‘unique’, it was just a mess. No idea how this got published.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skipped as much of this book as I read. No

[Shelby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absurd. Nonsensical. In the WORST way. Every character is awful and highly unlikeable. The writing style is possibly the most annoying thing about the novel. Do not waste your time.

[Xanthe Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf. Too absurdist for me - sorry @Dom Pozzi :(

[Renae Missikos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Gretel Killeen books when I was in high school. I used to read them at the school library and find them hilarious. That is why, I was excited to pick up this book as an adult.

Pros:
- the novel is fast paced- with one dysfunction after an other
- I really enjoyed Daphne as a character! Hilarious and captured the “stoicness” and “practical” nature of her generation. I also found her relationship to Nora and her granddaughters very realistic. My favourite chapter in this book was her one.
- the book also has some great quotes about love, life, motherhood, daughterhood which i could really identify with. My particular favourite is when Joy says “Hopes love to you is more valuable to you because it’s fleeting unreliable nature makes it more rare and precious’
- Killeens humour shines through


I read this book fast so may have missed things. But I struggled with the following aspects of the novel:

- I never fully understood why Hope stopped talking to her mother for four years. There was chapter from Hope’s perspective that I thought would tell us details but it still remained unclear. Nora was “overbearing” - no significant event apart from Hope talking about being artist triggered her radio silence. I feel lit needed more
- Joy- the older sister is 29 year old public servant who lives on her own and is the selfless “perfect” child. However, there isn’t many examples in the book of her being a perfect daughter. Along with Hope, she is rude to Nora and takes ‘duck face selfies’ in very inappropriate times. As a 28 public servant I felt the selfie’s during family crises didn’t add up. The only examples we are given of her selflessness is anecdotes of when she was a child and would help look after Hope.
- because of its diary entry form I found it difficult to decipher whether some of the dialogue actually happened as written or whether it’s how Nora interpreted it. For example, the rude nurses and doctor.
- Nora’s relationship with Jack the policeman. When we’re first introduced him Nora “can’t remember” whether they’ve dated. Daphne says Jack is Nora’s father whose supposed to have died. I thought this was cliffhanger but nothing came from it. It turns out Jack and Nora dated long ago and broke each other’s hearts. Given the diary format, I don’t understand why Nora would lie to her own diary about whether she remembered him.
- lastly Daphne makes a great entry in the diary but according to Nora, she drew a picture of a unicorn? This confused me. We had an insight into Daphne’s thoughts (who is a great character) but don’t know if it actually got written down.
- socioeconomic status of the family unclear. I think middle class because Noras good job but not sure

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will freely admit I’m not a huge fan of Gretel Killeen but when advertising and reviews of her latest book My Daughter’s Wedding started circulating on social media earlier in the year I have to admit my interest was piqued. And when I saw it marked down to half price at KMart last Friday I decided to buy it. Best literary decision EVER. I was laughing out loud from page one and had I had the time I would have devoured it in one sitting. (Although it may have taken a little longer as I literally had to keep putting the book down to let my helpless giggles subside.)
Written in diary format, My Daughter’s Wedding is told from the point of view of Nora - a mother of two daughters whose youngest left without a word four years earlier refusing all contact until one day she rings to announce she is getting married in a week and expects her mother to organise and pay for the big day.
Nora is also struggling to cope with her mother Daphne who is exhibiting signs of dementia and frequently absconds from her nursing home and balancing her friendships with her two best friends, Soula (an amateur bikini-line waxer) and Thilma (who calls herself a psychologist after doing one free trial session of an online course) and their not-always-helpful advice and support.
Yes this is a comedy but it touches on some very real issues of mother-daughter love and the complexities of human relationships in all their forms. If you are looking for something entertaining and oftentimes downright hilarious this is the book for you.

[gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Nora Fawn’s daughter, Hope, disappeared four years ago. Nora has never known why. Refusing to answer her mother’s calls, emails or texts, Hope maintained contact only with her big sister, Joy. Having once considered her mothering to be the greatest achievement of her life, Nora’s spent these Hope-less years searching, aching, mother-guilting, working for a famous yet talentless artist and avoiding her own emotionally repressed mother, Daphne.
But … last night Hope rang out of the blue to say, ‘I’m coming home, I’m getting married, the wedding is in three weeks and it’s your job to organise it.’ Desperate to prove her worth as a mother and regain her daughter’s love, Nora commits to the task – assisted by her own increasingly dementia’d mother and her two best friends, Soula (an amateur bikini-line waxer) and Thilma (whom they found in a cab in the 1980s).’
I didn’t love this book.
I liked the idea of this book and I really enjoyed the layout; having the story told through real time diary entries was both fun and creative. While I had some genuine laugh out loud moments while reading this book, overall it left me underwhelmed.
I don’t know if it is because of my age, or the fact that I don’t have children, but something about this book just didn’t click with me. As this was such a fast paced story, I felt like I didn’t have any time to get to know that characters and that really made it difficult for me to care about them.
I really enjoyed the writing in this book though. It was fast paced, smart and easy to read. I even had moments reading this book when I felt quite emotional. Given that this book is mainly a comedy, I was impressed by the emotional depth of it.
I can easily see that this is going to be a popular book that will bring joy to many readers; unfortunately, I just don’t think I am the right audience for this story.
My Daughter’s Wedding by Gretel Killeen is out now.

Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com

[kindleandkettle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Daughter’s Wedding is the perfect light hearted read, full of humour & a cast of crazy characters.

The story is focused on Nora, her daughters, Joy & Hope and her mother Daphne. Four years ago, Hope vanished without and explanation and refused to acknowledge any contact from Nora. She was in contact with her sister Joy. Flash forward to today & Hope rings out of the blue telling Nora she is getting married and that she will be planning the wedding (of course, without any input from Nora because she always makes things about herself…so basically Nora is expected to foot the bill).

The book is primarily written from the perspective of Nora, in her diary as a record of the events in the lead up to the wedding. What follows is a crazy, constant, recollection of events. Nora takes every opportunity to record things in her diary, sometimes too consistently. The diary format allows Nora to lay everything out there, her innermost thoughts and worries.

At times, I thought the characters were as mad as hatters. But given the light hearted nature of the story, it made me enjoy it even further. While it is a comedy, it does truly represent the family dynamic and how mothers can feel. It also does a wonderful job of representing mothers from different generations.

If you are looking for a fun read, I definitely recommend this. Overall, I rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal @hachetteaus & @gretalkilleen for my gifted copy of My Daughter’s Wedding.

[Carly Findlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading Gretel Killeen’s books as a kid - so I was excited to buy and listen to her narrate her book now. Gretel Killeen is whip smart and hilarious.

My Daughter’s Wedding is a story about how hard (and great) the relationship between mothers and daughters is.

It is about Nora, a 50 something year old woman who has spent most of her adult life being a mother two her two daughters, Hope and Joy, and doesn’t have a huge work history. She’s also taking care of her elderly mother. She’s in the sandwich generation.

The book takes part in a small period of time - her youngest daughter Hope returns from a three year disappearance, announcing her wedding (in five days) ; and her mother is placed in a nursing home after a stroke..

It is a chaotic and amusing and silly time. The book moves quite fast.

It’s written in a diary entry style. It’s very stream of consciousness, with many sub thoughts and unrelated observations and analogies. While incredibly funny (I laughed out loud a lot throughout), the many jokes per page detracted from the deeper issues and plot. At times I felt there were a few jokes at the expense of a character’s appearance or race or accent.

If you’re looking for a light and funny read, I do recommend this!

Gretel is such a great narrater of this book.

[Kate thebooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning don’t pick this book up if you are intending on only reading chapter or two before going to bed and hopefully having a good night’s sleep, so you wake refreshed ready to start the working week… As you will like me fight the urge to read more and find yourself laying awake wondering what was happening in the book…

I woke from a pretty restless sleep, struggled my way through a long day’s work, it was a Monday, and they are bad enough at the best of times…

Then racing through my tea and then all the night-time chores I settled into bed early to finish this amazingly funny, well written book.

Told in a series of diary entries commencing around the return of her daughter Hope who has been absent from Nora’s life for the last 4 years.

She now home and is wanting her mother to help her plan her wedding, the kicker is she is getting married in a week!

This is a cleverly crafted naturally funny story and as I read I was often going oh I like that, ha ha that’s quite funny, or yes that bit I was good. The situations they find themselves in and the diary entries describing them is brilliantly done, there is heart in this story and you will be left with a warm fuzzy feeling by the end.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the start, I enjoyed this one immensely - I always wanted to keep reading and despite starting the readalong later than everyone else, I caught up quickly. This book was fun and fantastical and hilarious. I often found myself smiling and laughing out loud.

There were times when the plot and characters felt a little bizarre, but I just reminded myself that the nature of this book is light-hearted comedy. As discussed with the readalong group, I didn’t feel particularly connected to any of the characters and felt like Nora’s daughters were (excuse the language) ungrateful bitches. They did redeem themselves a little at the end, but barely.

I appreciated the insight and commentary into the relationship between mother’s and their daughters. It was also interesting to see how those relationships differ to those between mother’s and their sons. Given the story was told almost entirely through Nora’s diary entries, I can appreciate that it was slightly bias; however, I finished this book very quickly and really liked it.

When to Read - If you want something silly and lighthearted.

[Janet Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently received a copy of My daughter's wedding, by Gretel Killeen thanks to Better Reading #BRReview ARC copy. This book is hilarious at times, heartbreaking at others, it touches on the subjects of dysfunctional families coming together in times of crisis even if they're a mishmash not necessarily of blood relations to help each other get through trauma and come out the other side stronger and closer, with a better understanding of what makes each other tick. Nora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight of arranging daughter Hope's wedding after having been estranged for years, Nora not knowing what she has done to disappoint Hope so much. It broaches the fears of all parents and their children of not being good enough and trying too hard to compensate for their shortcomings.
I really enjoyed this book immensely as I've seen these issues in many families and found it very relatable. Thanks for the opportunity to review this great book.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for Book Club. This is promoted as a 'heart-aching comedy' but I didn't find it very funny, in fact, 'deranged' is a word that immediately comes to mind when describing this book. It was saved a little by a couple of descriptions of motherhood that resonated.

"Ah, motherhood. Why didn't anyone tell me it's an extreme sport? It's an Olympic event played by absolute beginners; it's synchronised swimming meets weightlifting, meets marathon running. It's a little bit of whatever that sport is where you run through obstacles and shoot at a target. Except the target is yourself".

“It’s been said that a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child. I know this to be true. When a woman becomes a mother she loses all emotional independence. And this can never be changed. The umbilical cord is never cut. The scissors just make it invisible.”