I had been waiting to read Mike Elliott's The Pi**ed-Off Parents Club since I heard of its release, and was excited to finally get my hands on it! Okay, so I'm not a parent, but that doesn't mean I'm not partial to funny tales of parenthood (such as The Motherhood Walk of Fame, Mumy Said the F Word.) And Mink Elliott's fab new novel was no exception.First-time mum Roxy has moved from busy London to the countryside village of Riverside with her partner Jack and baby daughter Joey (who's continuously mistaken for a baby boy). Unimpressed with country life, Roxy feels even more alone and depressed when her attempts at making friends with the local mothers prove a failure. Desperately missing her London life and feeling the need to make some new friends to rant about life with, Roxy tries joining some local clubs.
However, church doesn't go particularly well, and she doesn't even seem to fit in at the village's Weight Watchers meetings. Pissed off and lonely, Roxy doesn't know what to do next, besides becoming a Stepford mum just to fit in with the other locals...
....Until it suddenly hits her. Roxy comes up with the perfect idea - to start her own club. After all, she can't be the ONLY parent in the village with with a cynical outlook and a need to rant...can she?
Roxy advertises the first ever meeting of the Pissed-Off Parents Club, which is held at the local pub. And to her surprise, to the group, although small, swiftly becomes a success, with first members June and single mum Olivia. The POP club meetings at the Swan soon become a weekly occurrence the mums can't miss, as they discuss their kids and personal lives, quickly becoming friends. Meanwhile, Roxy's own life with Jack is sexless, making her question their relationship. And with new pissed-off parents joining the club, the POP meetings seem to be the only way that they can cope with parenthood, or so it seems...
The Pi**ed-Off Parents Club, although not as funny as I had expected it to be, is still a fantastic read. The book flows nicely, Roxy is instantly likable, and I couldn't put the book down. It's a brilliant tale of realistic life as a mother which even non-parents will enjoy. I look forward to what Mink Elliott has in store next!
Rating: 4/5
