Loved this one so much I bought a physical copy through Book of the Month club! This book hook s you right in from the very beginning and is a scandalous and hilarious look at what it's like to be the underpaid musician/nanny for the rich mommy club.

Claire left a band before it really hit big and she doesn't know what her future looks like now. She wants to stay in the business of music, but doesn't know what to do next. She returns to a job she had prior to the band where she is playing for kids group. A playgroup invites her to be their musician where they meet out of someone's apartment in NYC and she gets integrated into the group very fast.

With women of all sorts of different personalities and creeds, the playgroup was greatly diverse and I loved getting to know all the women and their reactions to new motherhood. All the women were first time moms except one and Gwen was glad to be the mom expert of the group. Even though I am not a mom, I have a love for mommy drama books. This seems weird to say but I enjoy reading about mom guilt and I think this is because even though I don't have kids we can all feel a little bit of guilt about where you spend time and if you are using and spending your time to the best of your ability and in the places that matter to you most.

I went into this book a little blind and was happily surprised by some of the things that happen, so I will be a bit vague because I would love for each of you to experience the book just like I did. I will say that there were some great and satisfying twists and turns and the plot and the characters kept me reading where I read this one in one satisfying sitting!

This was my first Laura Hankin read and I was excited to see that there is one book in her backlist, so I hope to read it very soon!

When a failed rocker starts singing kiddie songs for a mommy and me playgroup full of wannabe Instagram influencers, she's not expecting to find Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll - but that's exactly what she gets. In this darkly funny look behind the curtain at influencer culture, we learn that the perfect life rarely exists off camera, and that maintaining perfection can really wear a person out... unless they're using speed.

While it takes a minute to figure out the different chapter perspectives and get into the root of the story, it evolves into a very interesting and engaging read. The chapters are quite lengthy, however, it reads quickly due to the engaging storytelling that you just want to kee find out what happens next. In the book, the twist at the end in regards to one of the characters is wow, just unexpected, like, huh she's truly an evil genius with chutzpah. Doing all of the *this* for her babies and her families. The book keeps getting juicier with every secret out, which there is plenty, and I couldn't stop reading until it was way past midnight and I finished the book.

An almost-famous musician (Clare) starts singing for a mommy group of wealthy Manhattanite moms. I didn’t even know this was a thing, but boy do you get the seriousness with which these moms approach their full-time baby-enhancing.
It’s all handled so well - the financial desperation of Clare and the frustration and overwhelm of the moms - all the characters feel real and their actions felt understandable. The book doesn’t laugh at the moms for their choices, but it does a good job of sharing the pressures and struggles of their privileged lives.

Well, except one of the moms, I felt like she was just a rich, polished shell...and then you learn that’s what she wants you (& everyone else) to believe... she is hiding SECRETS.
The twist was interesting and the fallout was fun.

I think I was expecting a kind of domestic thriller, which this is not. It is, however, a fun and gossipy and compassionate book about how the wellness industry prays on the exhausting struggle to “have it all”.

Quick, fun, light entertainment. Reminded me a lot of a Liane Moriarty novel. Nice sometimes to just lose yourself in other people’s crazy dysfunctional lives. Ending a bit much but along the lines of what I’d expected. 4 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think when I requested this book, I didn't know it was fiction. I thought it would be a self help book on realizing how to make yourself happy. I tend to read those a lot. BUT when I started it, I was immediately drawn to the characters. Claire is a struggling musician who got kicked out of a band just as they were hitting it big...she is now forced to take side jobs just to make ends meet. Which is where the rest of the characters come in. She becomes a singer for babies for a Rich Mommy Playgroup. You know the type...the people you see on Instagram who seem to have it all. Money, cute husbands, adorable babies and thousands of followers. Whitney is the Queen of that group...companies are basically throwing themselves at her so she will help promote them on Instagram. Amara is the opposite...her baby is the ONLY one who doesn't seem to be perfect and her life does not involve nearly as much money as the rest. In fact, she can't really afford to keep up with them at all since she quit her job. Gwen is the most stable one with the perfect child and the perfect husband. So perfect, ONE of these women can't stay away from him. There are three other ladies in the group but they just don't stand out as much. Claire befriends all of them and together, they take an adventure down a dark but oddly hilarious adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes juicy gossip. Because this was just like having a girls' night and telling each other's (and everybody else's) dirty secrets.

Happy and You Know it is a smart, funny novel about a playgroup of very rich young mothers and their babies who try to do and have it all. It is glamour and shine at first, then author Laura Hankin delves deeper through the eyes of Claire, the play group musician. Claire is a young woman searching for a new life after being dumped by her band - just before they make it big. Her best friend Thea forwards an ad for a musician for a playgroup looking to add some MORE culture to their infants' lives. Claire is caught up in the beauty of these women and their lifestyles, and of course the babies are adorable. What surprises her is that the mommies are very nice and friendly too, and begin to include her in outings, photo shoots, etc. As she gets to know the women and spends some one-on-one time with them, she learns that the ladies aren't as glossy and glamorous as they seem and the price for having it all is taking its toll on every one of them. Secrets are exposed, marriages implode, and Claire is in danger of losing everything.

Happy and You Know it was described as the Nanny Diaries meets Sex in the City - an apt description. Hankin treats the women with humor but allows them their dignity and handles the real problems of early motherhood with respect, all while writing snappy, funny dialog and laugh-out-loud scenarios. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! it does include some pretty spicy sex scenes so I won't be passing it on to my middle-schoolers - but my girlfriends will adore this! Lots of points of discussion for book clubs or girl's night. Hankin's writing style makes this a book for anyone who likes a good , funny, fun read, not just women. This book will make an excellent Mother's Day present for moms of any age, but especially new ones. Enjoy and thank you for the ARC!!

This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed looking in on the craziness of an elite Mommy playgroup in the inner city and how even the wealthy deal with the same issues as other first time moms. The dialogue is fun to read and the characters are likable and relatable.

I would consider this book to be chick lit because the primary topics that are dealt with revolve around women, but the writing is well-done and the plot is nicely paced. My interest was piqued throughout the story and there was no lag in the plot. I was eager to find out what the secrets were, and they did not disappoint.

I found this book to be an unexpected, engaging novel. Having experienced the transition from career to stay-at-home mom, I found the characters to be realistic and honest. I would recommend this book especially to those stay at home moms. They will find lots with which to identify.

I want to start by informing you that this book made me literally LOL and is exactly what I needed right now. It was silly, but also had an element of depth that I appreciate in a novel while it addresses issues of anxiety toward motherhood and fears of failure, infidelity, and maintaining appearances. I loved the cast of characters ranging from a cute little baby playgroup, a bunch of wealthy stay-at-home MILFs, and a down and out musician.

If you like shows like Dead to Me or Big Little Lies then you will enjoy the dark humor and scandal of this novel. The book was just so perfectly snarky and real and I loved it. Even those who aren’t Moms will find this to be a fun and entertaining read.

One thing I loved about this story is that it shined a light on the fact that life is unpredictable, people can be unruly and brutal, but sometimes fate intervenes during hard times and brings you where you need to be. It all comes down to the choices you make along the way as life throws you for loop after loop.
I give it 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

This was the perfect book to help me escape from the world during the Covid19 Shutdown. When the news got to be too much, I just opened this book and entered a world unlike anything I have ever been a part of. This book is very funny and has a surprising twist in it that I really enjoyed.

I was super excited to read Happy and you Know It, and thought the premise sounded so unique and interesting. I just could not connect with the characters, though, and found myself reaching for other titles instead. I ended up not finishing this title. and will not be writing a formal review as a result.

This book was entertaining & fun! I enjoyed the story and I liked and could relate to some of the characters, especially Amara. Recommend for a quick witty read that will keep you engaged until the very end.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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

I liked this so much more than I had anticipated. The first few pages might throw you off a little, but I promise keep reading, this book will grab you and pull you in and wont let you go!

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Real Mothers of Manhattan, No Filter
Writer/performer Laura Hankin’s sophomore novel, Happy & You Know It is freaking fantastic. This timely tale of a Insta-worthy Mommy and Me group of stylish, rich, thin, and hot MILF’s and the mess of a thirty-something unemployed musician with a drinking problem and a chip on her black-tee’d shoulder that they hire as the musical infotainment contains insight into the pressures of motherhood in the age of comparison via the phone constantly in your hand and the strength of sisterhood. Don’t pass it by on the way to the next cute/clever cover.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Helped that there is a twist.

Claire, a down on her luck musician, becomes a playgroup musician for wealthy wives. She, and the readers, get to the know the mothers and how hard they have to work to keep up the pretense of being a perfect stay at home mother. Things take a turn when Claire tries one of their overpriced 'multivitamins'.

This was a funny read. When the book reveals the ingredient to the multivitamin, I laughed. The main characters are fleshed out. I really liked the twist. Some of the moms weren't really developed and I had trouble remembering which one was which.

Review based on a ARC from Netgalley I received to make an honest review.

The beginning few pages may seem off-putting, but just keep reading: it is such fun! A modern tale of parenting norms in the 21st c , complete with a great murder mystery with a killer surprise. Perfect escape read, Laura Hankin’s Happy & You Know It left me hankering for more Hankin... 5 stars for offbeat genre.

Claire’s band members forced her out, and now they are flying up the charts. She has to have a way to make a living, so as a part-time job, she becomes a playgroup musician.
I don’t know if this is really a thing or not, but in any case, Claire attends the playgroup for these infants from wealthy families and soon finds herself forming a tight relationship with some of the moms.
These mothers are quite different, and they are all hiding some secrets that Claire begins to uncover. Lots of twists and turns in this story. I loved it!

Happy & You Know It is truly an entertaining. Fantastic characters, great humor, and an enjoyable plot. The varied characters that make up this rich mommy playgroup is so entertaining. The writing is witty and fun. The ending twist caught me off guard and it was brilliant!