I thought this book was good. It definitely had some funny parts, and parts I could relate too. Some of it was a little too much and unbelievable. The plot was strong, but I feel like there could have been more. Fast read for between books.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me an eARC for Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of seemingly perfect PTA moms in the seemingly perfect neighborhood called Village of Primm reminded me of the TV show, American Housewife and the movie, Bad Moms. This is the story of Holly Banks, who is struggling to fit into her new hometown - this aspect of the storyline depicts the challenges of moving to a new city. She has the baggage of being raised by a not-so-perfect mother, who still reaches out to her for monetary help as she can’t seem to get her act together. She is striving to be a good mom and her sole focus has become her daughter, Ella. She gave up on pursuing a career even though she has a film degree to focus on her family. But once Ella starts going to school, she feels kind of lost and disoriented. The pressure of living up to the standards of being the perfect Primm mom is causing her undue stress. This is the story of how she rediscovers her passion for film making and finding her own identity outside of motherhood, while mending her strained relationship with her own mom and dealing with the bullying, control freak fellow Primm mom, Mary-Margaret, who was the one of the most dislikable characters I have ever read.

There is also an insurance fraud and tax evasion plot line that her husband is involved in that I found interesting. However, I wish the husband’s character had been more well-developed and the dynamic of their marital relationship had been explored more. The first half was mostly spent on the friction between Holly and her arch nemesis, Mary-Margaret and that’s why I liked the second half of the book better when the other plot lines started unfolding.

Overall, I think moms will find this book relatable especially those who are trying to rediscover themselves and finding their own voice in the world outside of motherhood.

Laugh out loud funny and a great debut! I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

While the book had funny parts to it, it was just missing something for me. This one just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure there are people that enjoyed it though.

As many other readers have said in their reviews, this book can be a little bit stressful. I felt this early on but stuck with it as I was enjoying the story. If you want a believable story, this is not it!
But like the film making background of protagonist Holly, entertainment doesn't have to be believable to be enjoyable. Take this book as you would a fantasy film and suspend your disbelief and you will enjoy the ride!
Rather than stressful I would say this novel is frenetic. The action spans the first week of Holly and her family's move to the village of Primm, a Stepford Wives-esque town of desirable houses and people who don't seem to put a foot wrong.
Holly sees her world imagining it as a film set, with a cast of crazy chracters inhabiting it. I was disappointed that the film references were not used to better effect, as the film analogies came and went sporadically, alongside other inconsistencies in the plot like her relationships and feelings to other characters chopped and changed like mad. Some characters - Penelope, Bethanny - were introduced and seemed to disappear in the second half.
The emails to Psychic Betty were hilarious but again few and far between! All these things could be explained/rectified by the fact of this novel being part of a series, so we could be in for more fun in the Village of Primm sequels.
I have to say that even though I have been critical in this review, I finished this book in a matter of days, often reaching for my kindle and reading 'just one more chapter' late into the night on a couple of occasions. On the whole I really enjoyed it and think this talented author is one to watch for comedy fans.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This was an o.k. book, nothing special, but just o.k. Most of the characters were annoying and some just not likable. It reminded me of a reality TV show and that part of it I enjoyed. The characters could have been much better developed and maybe they would have been likable. I liked the snarky attitude but that wasn't enough to hold my interest in the book.

I struggled to get through this book. The way the adults acted was a bit too much for me. My four children are all adults so it could be that I just could not relate.

Holly Banks moves into the elite neighborhood of Primm Village with her husband and daughter. Everything there is expected to be perfect which results in family drama and neighborhood drama. I found myself thinking of "Desperate Housewives" which I loved when it was on TV. This seemed to be more of a G rated neighborhood. Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book and ultimately sadly disappointed! Was hoping for Stepford Wives but this just doesn’t quite get there. Unfortunately, I found the main character to be slightly “annoying” which often times makes it hard to appreciate the book. The premise behind the book of the perfect town of Primm is solid, the plot, just not as intriguing as I had anticipated. I appreciate the opportunity for an advance copy and wish future success to the author.

Title and cover drew me in. A light read. But I couldn’t connect with the characters. Maybe because I’m not a mom?

Rating- 3.5 stars
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If you liked Desperate Housewives, you are more likely to pick this book up. No there aren't a lot of wives, just one, Holly Banks. She shifts to this new area called Primm Village, where everything is prim and proper with her husband and her daughter Ella.
She has a lot of difficulty settling in this new elite neighbourhood, where she is expected to be perfect in every sense. Lots of family drama, lots of social drama, as the title suggests lots of angst, and well our main character Holly surviving amidst it all.

It is one book that a lot of people didn't rave about because they couldn't connect with the characters and it was very typical and predictable. But I kind of like stories like this and since these don't have that large an audience, I find these kind of plots with difficulty. So for me, and my liking this book was a really great one. Talked about family struggles, and how relationships can be tiresome, how motherhood can be tiresome, how gender roles can be daunting, etc.

I would like to thank the author and the publisher for making it available as a reviewer's copy and my review is completely honest.

This book was cute in concept but was so over the top and weird it missed its mark with me. It is great for a light read to make you laugh. However, The dialogue was meant to be witty and humorous but I found it to be childish and unrealistic. The characters was one-dimensional and simple. It felt like I was reading a g-rated version of desperate housewives. The dialogue seemed like it was from a children’s show.

I enjoyed this and the main characters life is very relatable and I thought it was really funny like I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in years so I plan on reading more by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a Arc of this book

While this one had promise, I think it's time for me to take a break from the mommy fiction. I am unable to relate and this makes it hard for me to get into the books.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for the next one. It’s true, I am a sucker for a series but this one was so awesome! I finished this book from cover to cover in an afternoon. It was just that good.

I love how real the writing felt. I know I constantly feel like things are happening to me and I am just “unlucky.” But my bad luck has nothing on Mrs. Holly Banks! The characters in this book are just so well written and I connected so organically with them.

The story line was also just wonderful. It had such a good pace and was just over all well written. This book had me physically laughing out loud to the point of tears in my eyes. This was just a fantastic book that will completely tickle your funny bone.

Thank you kindly to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

I received a free E-Arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are completely my own. First, I will start this review by saying this book was awesome and I can;t wait for the next book in this series.
This book is about a mom named Holly Banks, who has recently moved into an affluent community, the Village of Primm with her husband and little girl. While trying to make a great first impression, Holly is late dropping her daughter off for her first day of school and ends up hitting a school bus, sitting in the front office wearing pajamas, and getting into a cookie spitting fight with the PTA president. Needless to say, Holly has really made a name for herself as the newest member of the community. As Holly spends more time around the other "perfect mothers," Holly begins to realize they might just be crazier than she is, which leads her to ask the question "Is there any such thing as a perfect family?"
I read this book in one sitting because this book was sooo good. I enjoyed the different characters especially Holly's encounters with the PTA president were gold! The story line had a great pace as well as a good use of language. The dialogue was witty and cleaver as well as I found myself in several parts laughing out loud at these women and their craziness. I thought the plot line with her husband was a little weird, but as the story details were given, it became clearer. I did not like Holly's mom and thought she was an unnecessary character, at times, but I did enjoy the self reflection Holly was able to do because of her mother's visit. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wanted to live in the Suburbs or liked the TV series "Desperate Housewives." I will be looking forward to reading more book by this author!

God I wanted to love this book....

I love snark and Holly is full of it. I love mocking Stepford Wives.. I love remembering what it was like when my child was just starting school and having to navigate those PTA Moms as a working mom and the crap that went with it.

I was expecting a Laurie Gelman type book but it was just....... too much. The book was trying too hard and it broke my heart...

BOOK REVIEW⠀
BOOK: Holly Banks Full of Angst
AUTHOR: Julie Valerie
@julievalerieauthor

Zainey Peeps - let’s stop for a minute. You know I don’t lie to you or play up reviews. So I am gonna give you some real talk about this book. When I first started it, I struggled. I was so frustrated about one of the characters I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. I almost didn’t finish this book. BUT…. I am glad I did. There is a mystery element to it and the angst really does pay off in the end! If you pick this up, stick with it, believe me. Other than that, the story is funny and heart warming.

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Holly Banks could not have made a worse first impression on the seemingly perfect moms in her new affluent community, the Village of Primm. Turns out wearing pink piggy pajama bottoms while dropping off her kindergartener late to the first day of school wasn’t her best look.

Not to mention Holly’s worried her husband may be having an affair, she can’t get her daughter to stop sucking her thumb, her hard-won film degree is collecting dust, and to top it all off, the power-hungry PTA president clearly has it in for her…

To make matters even worse, Holly’s natural eye for drama lands her smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood mystery—right as her own crazy mother shows up in Primm “to help.” Through it all, Holly begins to realize her neighbors may be just as flawed as—and even wackier than—she is, leaving her to wonder: Is there such a thing as a perfect mom?


I received this book for review purposes from NetGalley. ⠀

Holly Banks Full of Angst is the debut novel by author Julie Valerie. In it, we are introduced to the Village of Primm! Primm is a place where families are happy, houses are Pinterest perfect, and a Peacock named Plume is the village mascot. Sound like an idyllic place to live? Holly Banks sure doesn’t think so. After moving from the comforts of their old life, Holly, her husband Jack, Labrador Struggle, and their kinder aged Daughter Ella left everything dear to them behind to begin this new chapter. This was the most eventful week of Holly’s life.

That’s right. The entire book spans one week's time and covers a lot of ground. It started off a little slow, and I felt overloaded with information. At times I wondered how and if the author would tie everything together. Recently, Julie announced that a second book in the Village of Primm series will be released in November 2020.

Since this is the introduction, I can see that she used this to set the stage for future novels. I would also like to see more character depth in the sequel. This story had a good premise, but it was slightly off the mark. The relationship that Holly had with the PTA president was overplayed. The character was over the top and from her first sentence annoying as all get out. It was VERY hard to continue reading her brash and often rude tirades. The dialog was fun, but I couldn’t connect to the story like I wanted to. There were parts that seemed to drag on for too long (Holly waiting to speak to the Principal in her pajamas) and took away from my fully enjoying the story.


Holly Banks Full of Angst was a quick read and a good effort by a debut novelist!

Thank you, Julie Valerie, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley, for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had trouble connecting with the format of this book. I was excited to read it based on the blurb, but the flip between screen print and novel really made it difficult to get into.