The summer holidays are approaching and Ellen is determined to have the best summer ever with her friend Hannah and their children. Not everything goes according to plan, however, when a falling out with Hannah leads her towards the ‘yummy mummies’, desperate to find someone to share her summer adventures with. New friendships are made but Ellen yearns for the company of Hannah but she does not seem keen to reciprocate. The ‘best summer ever’ looks like being a bit of a damp squib…

This is the sixth book in the ‘Why Mummy…’ series and I found this one a lot more melancholy than the others. There is still humour aplenty – I loved seeing Ellen trying, in her own chaotic way, to fit in with Fiona Montague and Perfect Lucy Atkinson’s Perfect Mummy and a certain scene involving Ellen’s mum will be imprinted on my mind for a while!

This is ultimately a book about friendship and female empowerment. Ellen, despite her constant joking, is lonely, her estrangement from Hannah highlighting just how much she needs her. Although she found others to spend time with, none of them matched up to her friend and I had real sympathy for her.

The ending of the book is powerful and we get to see a very different side to some of the regular characters. If there are any further books, it will be interesting to see how this has affected the relationships between the mums.

With thanks to Harper Collins UK and Net Galley for my copy.