Book Review: Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum
I love to read books about rich people behaving badly. I think that’s why I liked The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey so much. But this book is different in that it focuses on a group of rich Moms who bond over the fact that their children all go to the same school. But bonding might be the wrong word to use because although some of them are friends, others are frenemies. Keep reading for my full review of this new novel. Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum is a story that you will not want to miss.
And if you’re looking for more thriller recs, click here.
What is Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum About?
Meet Frost, Morgan, and Belle—a wealthy, gorgeous group of New York City moms, the queen bees of downtown Manhattan. Their children attend Atherton Academy, the top private school in the city, and their social lives revolve around elaborate themed parties. On the first day of school, the arrival of a new mom and mysterious beauty from Miami, Sofia, shakes up their world. When Sofia quickly integrates herself into their clique, inexplicably bad things start to happen to the women. Is someone at school out to get them?
Spanning the course of one eventful school year in New York, Mean Moms is part satire of upper-crust mom-ing and part mystery, interrogating the line between friendship and jealousy, and getting at the question:
What would happen if the woman standing next to you at school pickup was actually a sociopath? (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I’ve never watched Desperate Housewives but as I read this book I couldn’t help but think, is this book similar to Desperate Housewives? As we got to know each of the “mean” moms, we learned all of their deepest and darkest secrets. No one is exactly how they portray themselves. And I kind of feel like that’s what Desperate Housewives is about?
I don’t know. But anyway, that show is definitely on my to-watch list. If you know what streaming service it is on, let me know in the comments.
The characters in this book felt like caricatures, but I think that was purposeful. She purposely created different kinds of moms who met different stereotypes. Like Morgan Chary is super type A and kind. Belle redness is kind of a follower. She’s more timid and yearns for her social media to be as popular as the others. Frost Trevor is more of a socialite type. And then there’s newcomer Sophia Perez, who has no idea what world she just stepped into.
But with that being said, I didn’t really love any of the main characters. And that’s what made the story so great. Emma Rosenblum did a great job of creating a suspenseful story where I was super invested in the characters, even though I didn’t like them at all.
What Did I Like?
The details of this story were so good. The whatsapp chats between the Moms at Atherton were so funny and I loved all of the small details, like Belle’s aspirational fashion line and Morgan’s new sound bath spa. I don’t know where she got her real-life inspiration but this book is such a great social commentary on a clique of wealthy manhattan private school moms.
The story felt weird at first. First there was an attempted mugging at school drop-off. And then there was the electric scooter incident, as well as the robbery at Morgan’s new sound bath spa. It all felt like too much and I was like, what am I reading?
But as the story slowly came together, I was impressed by the character development as well as Rosenblum’s prose. Things began to make more sense. Each of the women had their own story and their own motivation for why they were the way they were.
And Dr. Broker? Don’t get me started on him. I can’t even imagine being that pompous as a school’s headmaster. But he’s a handsome headmaster so I guess that’s why he gets away with it. Even if he is basically waving red flags everywhere he goes.
Did I Solve the Mystery?
Not quite! Lol. But I rarely do. I was so sucked into the story and enjoying the ride that I didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late. And I liked that! It was an enjoyable read for me.
Would I Recommend This Book?
Definitely! It’s a fun book that I think would be perfect for at the beach or by the pool. I listened to the audiobook for the most part and liked the narrators. The writing style worked well for me, so I would be interested in checking out the author’s other books. The next book I have by eye on is Bad Summer People, or Very Bad Company.
In Conclusion
Thank you so much for checking out my Mean Moms book review! This book is wild and I don’t think you’ll be able to relate it to your own life. But that’s good sometimes. Reading should be a fun escape, and that’s exactly what Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum is.
