A terrible heatwave. A very tense baby shower. It will all end in tears...
Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions - but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited.
Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise - and by the end of the evening, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house - and everyone's a suspect... Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far worse than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway?
So Thrilled For You is a smart, absorbing, and eye-opening depiction of motherhood. I couldn't put this book down and I can definitely foresee this release becoming wildly popular.
Bourne sets up a captivating 'whodunit' plot by introducing news reports of a devastating fire and sharing snippets of police interviews with suspects throughout the novel. Specifically, four women are suspects for arson and the police are trying to figure out who started the fire — and with what purpose or motive. These fragments set up a wonderful atmosphere of suspense. They are also often quite comical and grant the readers an interesting perspective into the lives of our main characters.
However, the majority of the novel is told through four first-person perspectives. Nikki, Lauren, Charlotte, and Steffi form a close-knit group of university friends that call themselves the 'Little Women.' However, now that they are in their 30s, their group is falling apart. Lauren is a mother with no time or energy to see her friends, Nikki is pregnant, Charlotte is struggling to conceive, and Steffi is a career woman scorns the ides of kids.
My one complaint is that I found Nikki's character irredeemable. I don't want to spoil anything, but she makes many self-absorbed choices and she is an awful friend, especially to Steffi. I loved the other three women though, even with their quirks. My heart broke for them and soared for them in different moments. There is also a wonderful emphasis on the importance of female friendship (as well as its difficulties).
The novel intensely scrutinises societal pressure placed on mothers and the judgement endured by women regarding their reproductive choices. So many passages delve into ugly truths about motherhood, jealousy, and loneliness. Bourne expertly crafts a novel that champions the sleep deprived, lonely mothers who are struggling postpartum.
All in all, So Thrilled For You is an amazing read that I won't stop thinking about for a long time. I can even imagine this making a wonderful movie or tv series.
*I received an e-ARC for free in exchange for an honest review*
Publication Date: January 16th, 2025
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