Following in the hilarious footsteps of Jean Kerr, Erma Bombeck and Jill Conner Browne, Sarah Turner is this generation's scathingly funny and wickedly frank parenting prophet. In 2013, Turner (a freelance writer from Exeter, England) started a blog that struck a chord with millions of readers who were relieved to discover they weren't the only parents cutting corners and feeling guilty about not treasuring every moment of raising kids. The Unmumsy Mum is a sassy, sidesplitting and loving parenting manual for those who live in the real world, not in the world found online. "Social media is a selective snapshot and is never the full story," writes Turner. "It's not the most helpful place to look when you are having a sh*tty day."
Turner is screamingly funny, whether she's sniffing diapers to identify her baby, fighting for alone time ("If sleep were a drug, I would be the first to lock myself in the bathroom and snort it."), charting the five psychological stages of night-feeding (Hope, Denial, the Standoff, Rage and Guilt) or marveling at the impact on her body after giving birth ("I'm left with something that loosely resembles the original, if you get my drift."). She is also a constantly reassuring sage: "Somebody's children have to be the worst behaved in the park. They just do. The law of averages suggests that, sometimes, those kids will belong to you."
Turner's raunchy, loving and wise The Unmumsy Mum will have parents laughing with recognition and sighing with relief that they're no longer alone. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant