Book Review: The 6pm Frazzled Mums’ Club by Nina Manning

I’m so happy to be welcoming Nina Manning back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The 6pm Frazzled Mums’ Club.

Whatever the question, the answer is wine!

They’ve swapped the dark and lonely baby days for school gate chaos, but Aisha, Sophy and Mel are discovering that there are new parenting pitfalls just waiting for them…

Influencer Sophy, is trying to keep on top of home and work life but is finding it all a bit tough! Everyone thinks she’s living her best life, but the pressure to maintain perfection at the school gates when all she wants to do is cry, is taking its toll on Sophy.

Aisha doesn’t know what to do with all her spare time now her twins are at school. Maybe it’s time to focus on herself and the dreams she’s put on hold? But when her mum suddenly begins to feel unwell, Aisha has to rethink everything.

And when Mel is offered a chance to live her dream, she grabs it with both hands. But there’s a catch – notably, her ex-boyfriend who makes it clear that he wants another chance to prove he the one she should be with.

Can the three mums navigate this new stage of motherhood together and keep their friendship and their sanity? Or could life be about to change for them all over again?

*****

The members of the 3am Shattered Mums’ Club have swopped the sleepless nights with their children for the school gates but that doesn’t mean they still don’t need each other.

Can Sophy, Aisha and Mel navigate all of this and come out the other side?

I was pleased to be invited onto the blog tour for The 6pm Frazzled Mums’ Club as the story sounded interesting and I am a big fan of Nina Manning’s novels.

I was a little worried as I had not read the previous novel in this series, The 3am Shattered Mums’ Club. However, I found that I could quite easily keep up with everything that was going on. Enough back story is given without the current plot being impeded. So, if you, like me, haven’t read book one, don’t worry.

It didn’t take me long to warm to the three main characters. There is someone for everyone if that makes sense.

Sophy, the main woman behind the ‘3am Shattered Mums’ Club’ influencer brand is struggling to keep up with appearances and I think she is someone a lot of people, parents or not, will resonate with. With the world of social media being such a strong presence in our lives, it’s easy to fall into that perfection trap. I wanted to reach in and give Sophy a hug and tell her that everything was going to be OK.

Same with Aisha. Balancing worrying about a parent with wondering what to do now the children are at school, trying to find the bravery to take the next step, whilst wondering if her current life is going to blow up in her face – again, very relatable.

Mel on the other hand has been given the chance to further her dream when she is offered a short contract to sing on a cruise ship, with the added bonus that she gets to take her two best friends with her. Yep, sign me up. Being a fan of cruises myself and having done the route the characters in the book do, it was fun to relive the memories.

There is a great camaraderie amongst these women and I loved their friendship. Nina Manning is also really good at showing the vulnerable side to them – the sadness and the doubts which make them real, well rounded, developed characters that are very believable. I don’t have children but whilst reading, I still felt like a part of their club.

The plot moved well. This story is a glimpse into the lives of these women. There is a strong feeling of support all the way through and some twists too to keep me wanting to turn the page.

I am not sure what else I can say about this novel without giving it away.

Whether you’re a parent or someone who is wanting an uplifting novel full of charm, warmth, friendship and family, this book will be perfect for you. It’s a novel all about having the right people around you and having the courage to take that next step when the time comes.

I loved this book and I hope you will too.

About Nina Manning:

Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family).

She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. Her debut psychological thriller, The Daughter in Law, was a bestseller in the UK, US, Australia and Canada.

She lives in Dorset.

Say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Click here to sign up to Nina’s Newsletter. 

The 6pm Frazzled Mums’ Club was released by Boldwood Books on 26th September 2023. Click to buy on Amazon UK. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.