Confessions of a Domestic Failure

By: Bunmi Laditan

Narrated by: Tara Sands

From the creator of The Honest Toddler comes a fiction debut sure to be a must-read for moms everywhere

There are good moms and bad moms and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably.

When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?

With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.

Messy Mommas Unite!

What an awesome book! Seriously, if I ever wrote a book about being a mom, this would be it.

all emotions

best book I've read/heard in a long time! made my road trip go by much quicker.

Chick Lit but laugh out loud funny

This book is chick-lit... but more specifically mom-lit. It is airy and of hardly any substance at all... but I still love it. It's relatable and funny.

My issue with it though, is that there's a certain deus-ex-machina to the ending that weakens the entire book, in my opinion. The main character digs herself a hole so big there's no way she could possibly get out... until she does (I'll spare you the spoilers).

Humor

Such a funny dive into a mother's journey. So easy to read and listen to.

Trite But Mindlessly Entertaining

This novel is trite and predictable involving many cliches about motherhood--not great literature by any stretch of the imagination. However, despite its inanity I could not suppress the occasional giggle as I recognized dilemmas from my own motherhood journey described in the author's snarky, ironic style. The narrator's voice can be grating and if she were standing before me I would frequently feel an irresistible desire to smack her or scream, "Shut up!" While the narrator's style is clearly meant to complement Ashley's character, I think the style and intonation makes Ashley come across as a flakier and dumber than necessary. This book is best read or listened to during moments when one is completely exasperated with motherhood, has temporarily abandoned all real responsibilities and is well into the first of several alcoholic beverages.