Those Other Women - Nicola Moriarty

Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty

First Paragraph(s):

'Mum!  MUM!'  The two children screamed at her as she stole five minutes to creep into the bathroom and lock the door.  Her kids had been arguing all morning and this was the one place she could demand privacy.  Although she knew some mothers couldn't even find peace in there.  Recently she'd seen a photo on Facebook of a toddler's fingers wriggling under the bathroom door, vying for its mother's attention.
     But she'd laid down the law from day one with her kids.  You don't need to watch me poop.  I don't care how lonely you are.  I don't care if you want a Vegemite sandwich right this second.  I don't care if you're desperate for me to see the exact scene of The Trolls movie that's on at the moment--one I've seen fifteen times before.  Right now, in here, it's Mummy's time.

My Thoughts:

I read another book by Nicola Moriarty (sister of two other writers, Liane Moriarty and Jaclyn Moriarty) last year, The Fifth Letter, and liked it well enough.  This one was a contemporary look at women of all kinds and social media.  A Facebook group for women with no children (who don't want children) and a group for mothers - these groups get into a bit of conflict as there are 'mean' girls on each side and each is exasperated with other women.  No big giant secrets here, but some smaller ones.  The final epiphany was that women feel pressure and stress no matter what stage of life they are at and what their particular role is.  In the end, why can't we just all get along and focus more attention on women who need support because they are in genuinely rough conditions?  I enjoyed this one too and agreed with the 'let's just get along' idea. 

Blurb:

Overwhelmed at the office and reeling from betrayals involving the people she loves, Poppy feels as if her world has tipped sideways. Maybe her colleague, Annalise, is right—Poppy needs to let loose and blow off some steam. What better way to vent than social media?

With Annalise, she creates an invitation-only Facebook group that quickly takes off. Suddenly, Poppy feels like she’s back in control—until someone begins leaking the group’s private posts and stirring up a nasty backlash, shattering her confidence.

Feeling judged by disapproving female colleagues and her own disappointed children, Frankie, too, is careening towards the breaking point. She also knows something shocking about her boss—sensitive knowledge that is tearing her apart.

As things begin to slide disastrously, dangerously out of control, carefully concealed secrets and lies are exposed with devastating consequences—forcing these women to face painful truths about their lives and the things they do to survive.