In Good Eggs, by Rebecca Hardiman, Millie Gogarty is an irrepressible old woman with a bit of a shoplifting habit. It's no big deal, she thinks. How could anyone get angry with a sweet, little old lady? Except that they do and her son Kevin is especially exasperated with her. He is ready to have her committed to a home, but settles for a home companion for a bit instead. Kevin's family life isn't exactly going well, either. His teen daughter, Aideen, is emotional and destructive and beyond their help so he sends her to her own home away from home- boarding school. This doesn't not make Aideen happy at all. To make matters worse for Kevin, he is feeling frustrated with his joblessness and his wife's neglect. We all know the solution to those two problems: an affair. Disasters ensue and two of these three main characters go missing, somewhere far abroad.

This book was cute, Millie was a doll and I felt sympathy for the the teenaged angst Aideen experiences, but Kevin was kind of pathetic. The other side characters had almost no development and weighed the story down. The pacing was a little slow and I often fell asleep after only a few pages at night, causing me to take much longer to complete this book than usual. I was extremely frustrated with the ending. It felt like it showed up out of no where and provided very few answers. I'm sad that I didn't like this book more because sweet, old Millie deserved better.

Good Eggs is the story of an Irish family who need some personal growth experiences. The story revolves around three generations of the Gogarty family; Millie, the grandmother, Kevin, the son, and Aideen, the teenager. Millie steals from the local market in order to get attention. Kevin has lost his journalism job and can't find another since he is not up on current celebrities. Aideen is a teenager whose twin tortures her but she gets in trouble. Things start to change though when Sylvia is hired to work as an aide for Millie.

Good Eggs was an okay book but it was nothing special. One of the things that bugged me and does in any book where it occurs is the age caps of the characters. You have Millie in her eighties, Kevin at fifty, and Aideen at fifteen. Those are extremely large gaps compared to the average especially when you think these are the oldest children of each generation.

I struggled a bit with the pacing of the story. It picked up about mid-way through. I did love the characters, especially Millie.

Sorry, not for me. Text unable to generate interest in the characters and I regretfully set this one aside. Instead of caring for them, I found them overly contrived (Millie) or exceedingly dull (Kevin) and could not buy their "reality. Tolstoy had something else in mind when he wrote his first sentence to "Anna Karenina." So did I.

This was a pretty quick DNF for me. I understand what the author was trying to portray when it came to Millie, a tackless old grandma who says blunt and rude things but it honestly came off a bit tone deaf. I have been trying to do better reading books that might be walking that line too closely and this one rubbed me the wrong way.

I was happy to see a generation story with 4 kids because I have 4 kids myself but I quickly realized that keeping track of 4 kids in real life is just as hard as keeping track of 4 fictional characters. I understand now why authors only have 2-3 kids in their stories. haha

I just couldn’t get past one of the story lines 😬 of cheating on his wife. Also the stealing the gran did was too much for me.

This one wasn’t for me - but if you like multiple family storylines from the perspective of a young adult, midlife man, and an elderly woman. This one is for you.

I loved the premise of this one but found it hard to get into and want to pick up. I think it's more of a "me" thing than anything else though.

Good Eggs is a story about ordinary people, second chances, and family.

The Gogarty family has its problems. Kevin is unemployed and the carer of his children. His wife, Grace, is the breadwinner and, for the most part, an absentee mother. Meanwhile, Millie, Kevin’s 83-year-old mother is out of control – shoplifting incidents and minor car accidents, while also becoming increasingly lonely and confused. Kevin tries to do the best he can. He hires a part-time caregiver to keep an eye on his mother so that he can deal with escalating problems at home.

At times it was hard to like some members of this family. Kevin, in particular, is often insensitive and a bit self-centered. But, he is also human and dealing with issues that are difficult. All in all, with just a couple of exceptions, the characters are all “good eggs”. I enjoyed the writing, the story line, and the characters. Rebecca Hardiman has crafted a debut novel that is enjoyable and satisfying. Her references to eggs throughout the story is a quirky touch that made the book even more of a delight to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

A flawed and boisterous Irish family finds their routine upset when an American home aide moves in to take care of their matriarch. Lots of Irish humor and it took me a few tries to get into it and ultimately I couldn't connect. I did give a copy to my mom to read and she enjoyed it a lot. I do think could be fun on audio!

Good Eggs was my first read by author Rebecca Hardiman. There were several aspects of this book - writing style was engaging and easy to follow. The character of the grandma, Millie with her grumpy attitude and flair for theatrics with a little side hobby of stealing small items was what kept me reading this story! The granddaughter Aideen was sulky and temperamental and overall, the person in the family that treated Millie the kindest. When life events for all members of the family spiral out of control - these two are there to help each other. I truly wanted to love this book, but in the end felt the characters were just a little too cliched and the storyline unlikely enough that it fell short. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I was not able to connect with the characters so I wasn't able to finish and will not be leaving a full review.

I did not enjoy this. There was nothing at all likable about any of the Gogarty family members. Nothing.

To make matters worse the author was pretty offensive in some statements such as implying young girls only stand around thinking of their periods, I mean really who does this.

Then stating that “when it comes to girls choosing friends, looks matter more than anything” really? I don’t think so. I’m female and never once growing up did I base friendship on someone’s looks.

And finally being offensive to everyone suffering from rosacea when describing a character “her ragged face riddled with rosacea- an alkie for sure”. Please spare me. Plenty of folks have rosacea caused by many things and it does not signify alcoholism. What idiocy.

The plot was full of holes, the characters made no sense, and the whole thing did not work. To compare this to works like Where’d You Go Bernadette or Evvie Drake Starts Over is am insult to those works.

Good Eggs reminds us that every family is crazy in its own way! The book is a funny look at extended Irish family whose life has gone off the rails for each of its three generations. The youngest, Aideen, is a surly, misunderstood teen whose family is about to ship her off to boarding school. Kevin, her father, has lost his job, and is a stay-at-home dad while trying to find a new job. Kevin’s mother, Millie, is living on her own, but losing her grip on her fiercely prized independence.

I found it hard to engage with Kevin and his wife, but the older and younger generations were very relatable. I would have pitied Millie is she wasn’t so entertainingly un-self-pitying.

Good Eggs ends with a crazy gran and wild teen road trip that is surprisingly fresh.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I started this book, made it a few chapters in, and can tell that this probably isn't going to be a book for me.

The writing style isn't something that I typically find enjoyable.

I may try to pick it up again later, but right now it's looking like a DNF

This debut novel revolves around three generations of an Irish family living in a small town where everyone knows each other. Kevin is a stay at home dad trying to keep track of his rebellious 16 year old daughter and his mother who keeps getting arrested for shoplifting.
When Kevin sends his daughter to boarding school and hires an Aide to help his mother, he thinks his problems are over. The humor in the book missed the mark with me and I found myself frustrated as I followed this family on an emotional rollercoaster. Thank you NetGalley for my copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

Three generations of the same family go through many problems that become intertwined throughout the course of the book. Millie is a spit fire grandma who is constantly keeping her son Kevin on his toes. Kevin has his own problems, the least of which is his teenage daughter Aideen. Although I found the first third of the book difficult to get into, the story quickly picked up and it was just so fun to read.

With the self-deprecating UK humor of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine , the multigenerational view of Little Fires Everywhere , and the sheer ridiculousness of Nothing to See Here , Good Eggs has all the makings of a wildly entertaining story.

"Before she can so much as excuse herself, the man is upon her, registering with amazement what he clearly perceives to be a mental patient farting in a potted plant."

Kevin is an unemployed father of four, who has lost much of his passion for life. His job prospects are bleak; his 20-year marriage is growing stale; and certain members of his family aren't exactly making life easier.

"Look at his mediocre, not even real, problems, these tiny bourgeois anguishes."

Kevin's elderly mother, Millie, is widowed, lives alone, and her neediness grows exponentially along with her age. She's a chronic kleptomaniac who is perpetually crashing her car, setting accidental fires, and getting lost. Kevin thinks a nursing home might be best for Millie, but she's got other plans.

"Kevin feels bad. His mother seems to him more fragile now, more vulnerable, and, he knows, lonely. On the other hand, she’s a thief (an arsonist?), a misanthropic malcontent, an exaggerator of mammoth proportions, a driver of sane sons to vivid fantasies of matricide."

Meanwhile, Kevin's teenage daughter, Aideen, is troubled and rebellious. Aideen isn't deliberately bad; she's just not sure where she really belongs. Even being sent to boarding school isn't enough to put a stop to her antics (like accidentally poisoning a teacher with formaldehyde-laced fish eyeballs).

"She remembers wondering who's the unlucky bastard at the factory with the job of removing these eyes from their sockets..."

I wasn't sure I'd fall in love with Good Eggs, as it's heavily character-driven and I generally prefer more action/intensity in the way of plot, but my goodness, fall I did. On more than one occasion, I found myself laughing to the point of tears, and even reading passages aloud to my husband (who also had to fight off fits of laughter!) because this book was just so dang entertaining.

"I don't like to speak ill of the dead, I don't, but the truth is Mrs. Jameson was a right pain in the hole."

At the same time, Millie and Aideen manage to be so incredibly sweet and endearing that you can't help rooting for each of them, despite their ridiculous antics and behaviors. Rebecca Hardiman has done a stellar job in creating flawed-yet-lovable characters who remain engaging from beginning to end. A 5-star read for me!

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A huge thank-you to Rebecca Hardiman, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Good Eggs is a debut novel that falls into what I think of as a light-hearted fiction category. Other books that come to mind are A Man Called Ove and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. These are all stories about everyday people going about their lives and while they may encounter some conflict, there isn't a lot of trauma occurring on the pages.

Good Eggs is set in Dublin, Ireland and follows 3 generations of one family. Millie is an elderly woman living on her own who finally gets talked to by the police for her shoplifting habit. Her son Kevin recently lost his job writing for an entertainment magazine. Kevin's teenage daughter Aideen is not having a fun time with life. She is unhappy and acting out. Kevin decides to send his daughter to an area boarding school and to hire a woman to aid Millie in her home several times a week and to help keep an eye on her.

The chapters alternate between Millie, Kevin, and Aideen's stories. We watch as each stumbles their way through life, making poor decisions and yearning for something better. The story is heart-felt and lightly humorous. Millie is a character and the sort of rascally senior that many may aspire to be when they are older. I just wanted to hug Aideen and tell her to hang in there and that things will get better once she is through the rough teen years. I didn't connect as much with Kevin as a character. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and would recommend to anyone looking for a light-hearted, heart felt read about family.

What to listen to while reading...
Over the Hill and Far Away by Led Zeppelin
Danny Boy by Johnny Cash
Golden Gal by Animal Collective
I'd Really Love to See You Tonight by England Dan & John Ford Coley
The Ocean by Led Zeppelin
Pepper by Butthole Surfers
I Wanna be Sedated by The Ramones
The Way I Walk by The Cramps

A funny, heartfelt and very enjoyable book that will be enjoyed by many readers and all ages. Ilaughed out loud

What's marketed as a hilarious and heartfelt debut novel following three generations of a boisterous Irish family, was actually sad and depressing for me.

The son, Kevin is not a like-able character. His wife is non-exist and I think was only included so there was a wife. His mother Millie, is caught shoplifting yet again, and he sees it more of an inconvenience instead of thinking something is majorly wrong with her. And his daughter, Aideen, is no more like-able than him.

It's possible that if I went into this book thinking it was a tale of senior aging and how it effects a family, I may have appreciated it more. But I was expecting a light hearted, fun, cute read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy but this just wasn't my cup of tea.