Adorable cover and catchy title... and that's all this one had going for it. So over the top and trying too hard to be funny. I quit around the halfway point - I just couldn't force myself to finish.

As a mom in the middle of juggling volunteering and other kid-related things, this book was more relatable in a crazy exaggerated manner. Holly was funny and so human, with a ton of flaws and insecurities. Her vision of her move to Primm was supposed to be perfect, with the perfect house and the perfect school where her daughter would start kindergarten. Life is rarely perfect, and people are not as perfect as they seem. Holly just couldn’t catch a break, and her insecurities compounded it and extend into all parts of her life.
This was not meant to be an accurate depiction, but more of an exaggerated look at what so many may feel as they are navigating parenthood. It kept me laughing and I kept turning pages to see what antics Holly would get into next. It was gratifying to watch her evolution during the week, especially as she started to realize that she and everyone around her are only human.
I enjoyed Julie Valerie’s debut and look forward to seeing what she tackles next.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#HollyBanksFullofAngst #LakeUnionPublishing #JulieValerie

I've been a mom for nearly six years, and in that time, I've experienced an entire spectrum of emotions. From overwhelming, all-consuming love and elation to exhaustion, frustration and the oh-so-familiar mom guilt, raising two little humans has been a wild ride so far, and no one seems to understand that more than Holly Banks.

In Julie Valerie's hilarious and heartwarming new novel, Holly Banks Full of Angst, Holly and her family has just moved to the very proper Village of Primm, which epitomizes perfection. The school is perfect, the houses and lawns are perfect, and most of all, the moms are perfect. Kept in line by the picture-perfect PTA president herself, Mary Margaret St. James, the mothers of Primm are highly involved in their children's education and don't shy away from volunteering (or being pushed into volunteering by Mary Margaret, more accurately). A newcomer with a brand-new kindergartner, Holly is focused on unpacking, organizing her new home, making sure her daughter Ella adjusts to all-day school, and finding her bearings, but when she attends her first PTA meeting and states that she isn't ready to volunteer yet, she is thrust into the PTA politics of Primm where Mary Margaret steers the ship.

I fell in love with this book on such a personal level. It spoke to my soul as a mother, whether I was cackling as Holly feared Ella had channeled The Exorcist on the first day of school, or crying as she realized how fast her daughter was growing up, how much she needed to forgive her own mother for, and how good a mom she truly is. This book is for every and any kind of mother - the working one, the stay-at-home ones; the single ones; the ones who've had to carry their child out of a store, restaurant, school, or car because they did or did not want to do something; the ones who think all the other moms are more capable or adept at momming than they are; the ones who doubt their own abilities; the ones who are doing their very, very best every single day.

There is a little Holly in all of us, and I'm so thankful that Julie Valerie wrote this book because it celebrates mothers and shows us that we're all wonderful, just the way we are. Thank you to Julie Valerie, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for an eARC of this beautiful novel in exchange for an honest review.

Want a light, funny story in between heavier reads? Check out Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie. This is one of those books that’s silly fun but relatable too. If you are a person who is trying to do it all but feel as though you are doing miserably, you will relate to Holly.

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?

This reminds me of the craziness of trying to grocery shop, then driving around to pick up two kids from two different schools and arriving home to open the back of the car and having my groceries spill into the street while my neighbor looked on as he washed his car. This kind of stuff happened to me all the time, Holly is the type of person who would totally understand!

Read it now by going here! Free if you have Kindle Unlimited!

Did author Julie Valerie somehow sneak into my brain and pull out my most embarrassing, angst-filled moments? I'm pretty sure she did and I'd like that power, so if you know how she did it, please contact me!

When I started reading this book I felt like she truly had spied on my memories. Those moments when you try so hard to make a good impression or those times when you just want to fit in, but you really don't.....

There was humor and at times it was a kind of dark humor and other times a laugh at yourself humor. Holly has moved to a new home, but life isn't that simple. It's not just a new home, it's an entire new lifestyle filled with many expectations ~ most of them thrown at her by others. Her new community and some of the members reminded me a bit of The Stepford Wives.

If you're a mom or anyone who has ever had to experience a new place, new expectations or just a group of people you aren't familiar with (read all of us) this is the book for you. Pick it up, pour a glass of wine and maybe a cookie or two and enjoy Holly.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review are my own and happily given. I greatly enjoyed this book.

Oof. Holly Banks Full of Angst hit me right in all the feels. From her relationship with her mother to her fears as a mother to her daughter starting kindergarten. I connected to all of it.

While I’ve never been in the PTA, I felt the anxiety that Mary-Margret St. James created.

I really loved the unique way this was written. It truly reflected the main character and made her more real and unique.

Had a great dynamic! I loved how she made the characters come alive. So much so that I definitely disliked Mary Margret 😂.

I think this would be a great book for mother’s to read as it gives some humor to real life situations.

Overall, it was a quick read and a lot of fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie is a debut novel that I had so much fun reading! Valerie has a very unique writing style and while sometimes it was a little confusing, I loved that it was different from everything I have been reading lately, and it was a nice departure from thrillers!

Holly Banks Full of Angst is book one in the Village of Primm series, and what a great start it was. Holly Banks is such a funny character and even though I don't have kids, I can imagine that a lot of the pressures she was feeling were very real. Honestly I could picture myself as her, taking my kid to the first day of kindergarten in pajamas only to rear end a bus and spend HOURS at the school. I think a lot of women will find this book very relatable, and maybe not everything is believable (see chasing the president of the PTA across school grounds and spewing chewed up cookies at her), but I love the antics of the characters.

Holly Banks Full of Angst touched on career, the difficulty of moving to a new area, kids, and the pressure to conform and be 'Pinterest worthy' among other things, and I was actually pleasantly surprised at the depth I got from the book. It was also super lighthearted though and there are plenty of moments that had me laughing. Plus it was a pretty quick read, and there was a lot going on which was really nice because that meant I didn't want to put it down.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Secrets by Mary Lambert

Final Thought: I have been seeing reviews call Holly Banks Full of Angst satire and I would have to agree. If you have ever felt pressure to be the perfect mom, or even if you aren't a mom and want something to read between heavier books then I highly recommend this one! It was a very well-done debut, and I already can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Enjoyed this charming book about the struggles of motherhood. The characters were interesting and relatable.

This book will have anyone who has thought school volunteering and sign up sheets were a bit intense in stitches as they read, laugh, and sometimes cringe along with Harold Banks as she tries to fit into the perfect suburban neighborhood she’s moved into. Though at times it feels darkly comical about the stress of modern parenting, relationships, gender roles, and school spirit, this is a fast paced story about a woman trying to find her way, carve out space for herself, and prove that she deserves to be there.

Holly Banks Full of Angst is a charmingly hilarious story that highlights the craziness that life becomes when juggling marriage, kids, and over the top PTAs.

Holly Banks and her husband moved to the idyllic and utterly pretentious Village of Primm. If you’ve ever seen Stepford Wives, it’s definitely Stepford. Their five year old daughter Ella is just starting kindergarten, and if being new to town isn’t bad enough, Holly is crumbling under the pressure of being a Primm school mom.

While I may not have kids, I still found this book incredibly relatable and accurate when it comes to societal expectations. Holly is that type of mom that is normal. She is not a world class baker or a DIY phenomenon. She constantly feels inadequate, overworked, and under appreciated. However, she is a fantastic mother that has a great sense of humor and is full of grit. Holly is a reminder that life doesn’t have to be picture perfect; rather, it’s our loved ones that makes it perfect.

Now, I said that this book is like Stepford Wives and that’s because of Mary-Margaret St. James. She’s the head mom and in charge of the PTA. Imagine Regina George of Mean Girls growing up to be a mother and in charge and you’d pretty much have Mary-Margaret. This woman is the ultimate power trip. Her mentality is that if you aren’t making everything from scratch, have the perfect yard, and sewing all of your children’s costumes then you don’t belong in Primm. I don’t know how Holly didn’t kick the woman in her teeth.

Overall, this is a fun, light-hearted read that reminds us that none of us are perfect and we aren’t alone in feeling that way. Life is about enjoying time with your loved ones and Keeping up with the Joneses so to speak…just isn’t worth it.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

It has been a LONG time since I laughed as hard at a book as I did this one! That along was worth giving it 5 stars! I mean seriously...the scene when Ella wouldn’t get out of the car for school literally had me crying I was laughing so hard! The characters were funny, well developed, and relatable and the story line kept me interested the entire book! If you are looking for a funny, feel good story then do yourself a favor and pre-order this one! I can't wait for Julie Valerie to release the follow up!

Holly Banks is not having the best first week in her new home of Primm Village. She is just trying to survive sending her only daughter to her first week of Kindergarten. Then total chaos erupts and throws Holly into a world of perfectly put together Pinterest type moms and some over the top (but sort of loveable) women... Especially PTA president Mary Margaret St. James.

I laughed out loud so many times in the book! I think most will love this. Holly is sure to worm her way into your heart!

Welcome to the Village of Primm! Holly moves her family into the affluent community of Primm, where everything is perfect and Pinterest worthy. Holly’s daughter is starting kindergarten and that day brings so many emotions along with some school drama when Holly has to drop off her daughter at school. Let’s just say, she doesn’t make a good first impression. Throughout the book more things go wrong than right, and it’s often over the top hilarious! As a mom, I definitely related to Holly on some of the situations. I’m not going to go into the whole PTA president situation because some of it was spot on and also because you just have to read it! If you are into comedies or are looking for a light book to read, be sure to pick this one up, I laughed out loud way too many times and it was a fun read after so many heavy books!

I ended up DNF’ing this book a few chapters in as I noticed it wasn’t a right fit for me. Even though I’m not a mom and can’t relate, the humor wasn’t to my taste. With that said, I know I’m in the minority and don’t want to to leave a negative review on other sites. Other people I’ve spoken with loved this novel and wish the author the best of luck with her release.

Thank you to Julie Valerie and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced electronic copy of this amazing debut book that gave me so much joy and happiness the entire time I was reading.

I felt like Julie Valerie entered my brain and knew exactly what all my hidden insecurities were about taking on the most important job in the entire universe, and that is becoming a mother. Holly Banks Full of Angst is a definite must read. You will enjoy the story line, and the many laugh out loud moments that Holly finds herself in. I am certain you will be able to relate. I guarantee it.

Holly is everyone of us trying to navigate our multiple hats every day - a mother, a wife, a daughter, a member of our school community and a neighbor in an upscale community. For Holly, that would be the community of Primm –perfectly lined homes with Pinterest worthy porches, manicured lawns and topiaries, and of course, every family’s dream is the amazing school system where everyone is dying to get their child into. Julie Valerie was able to connect and creatively write all these pressures we put on ourselves in such a glorious and hilarious way.

Julie Valerie wrote such an amazing cast of characters too that surround Holly’s life. There is Mary-Margaret St. James, the PTA president, who is someone you will love to hate. Greta, Holly’s mother, who needs some rescuing from time to time, but the love for her daughter and grand-daughter is some of the sweetest parts of this book. And let us not forget about the psychic reader, and their out of this world email exchanges. There are so many more like the peahen, the apple brigade, the realtor, and others you will enjoy getting to know.

This book was an absolute delight of a read and was truly an escape for me. It was fun and funny, it was light-hearted, and heart-warming too. I loved the pacing – it read very quickly and you will not want to put this book down. The dialogue was so creative including the non-curse words, the dash lines for when you are talking and no one hears you situation for example, and the different scenarios Holly ends up in. How can you not root for Holly who is trying her best to keep it all together?

Pick this book up when it releases Dec. 1st and be ready to have a great time with Holly and her posy. I look forward to the next book in this series.

(3.5) Who hasn't experienced the pressure of trying to be a "perfect mom" and make a good impression with the other school moms? I can certainly relate to those times and found myself wanting to jump into the book and tell Holly Banks to RUN!! Ha! While there were some funny, relatable moments in the book, there were a few that were a bit over the top but it is satire and a comedy so, crazy as it was, it was a fun read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Holly Banks was truly a great read. Personally, I loved how Valerie combined laugh out loud funny moments with serious things we’ve all felt - feeling like an outsider, like we can’t do anything right, that our loved ones might be hiding something. Through hyperbole and satire this book delivers the perfect setting to explore all of these issues.

For fans of the movie Bridesmaids, I was feeling serious Helen-vibes with Mary Margaret St. James. She’s that exact same ridiculous sort of evil but you almost feel bad for her but you still hate her.

Of course, there were some mom-specific things that I probably didn’t fully “get” as much as people who have actually gone through them (aka I have no kids if you didn’t know). BUT even so I still enjoyed the read. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a laugh out loud satire on so-called perfect suburbia.

As a first time mom to a 4-month old, I have quickly learned that being a mommy is HARD! This book helped keep me in good-spirits and had me laughing the entire time.
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Holly Banks and her family have just moved to the pristine Village of Primm which is full of Pinterest-worthy porches and high-energy PTA moms. To say Holly is a fish out of water is an understatement. This satirical story follows Holly as she adjusts to a new home, a new town, her daughters first week of Kindergarten, and a very judgmental and pushy PTA president.
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I LOVED this book! Put it on your TBR now! (It’s an Amazon First Read this month and out everywhere on Dec. 1)

I appreciate the author Julie Valerie, the publisher Amazon Publishing, and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a lot of pressure on women these days—be the perfect mom, wife, friend, career woman—add to that a move to a brand new town which seems perfect in every way, and you have Holly Banks! This book was startling honest and laugh out loud funny! I couldn’t stop turning pages, needing to know if Holly was ever going to get her daughter on the bus, decorate her front porch, hang curtains, all while worried about her husband’s job and her mother’s needs. Cleverly written with colorful, multi-layered characters, Holly Banks Full of Angst will delight readers!