This novel tackles the problems of three generations of an Irish family. We have 83 year old Millie, accused of shoplifting and obviously suffering the first effects of dementia. Her son, Kevin, unemployed and aging out of his chosen career, being a stay at home dad to his teenage kids. When one of the sixteen year old twins becomes too much to handle, she is shipped off to a boarding school. And Aiden, the teenager in question, trying to find friends and then romance. Enter into this mix an American home aide, meant to help Millie. And Kevin, well, Kevin is a tool. As much as I wanted to feel sorry for him, dealing with his mom, he just made me so damn mad. Although I warmed to him as the book progressed.
The book is described as hilarious and heartfelt. No, to the first and yes, to the second. It’s mildly humorous. But my heart definitely went out to Millie. She perfectly captures the pathos of the elderly. Parts of the book swerve into the unbelievable lane and it took away some of my enjoyment.
Spoiler - I struggled with this book. I’ve had an elderly loved one caught up in a scam and this hit way too close to home.
My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

Cute book! I do love stories about Ireland and these types of books are a nice respite in between the heavier books (all the WW II ones and the ones about violence and trauma). This was a treat to come to my Kindle, similar to how Bear Necessities did last year, bc quirky characters done right are very good books indeed.

A sweet story that unfortunately wanders far afield and never really finds its way back. There is much confusion but at its core the story of Millie, a senior citizen who meets many challenges as she ages is touching and relatable.

I loved this book! It was such a charming and hilarious novel, featuring main characters from three generations. Millie was an absolute hoot and totally made me miss my grandparents (although my mother is now closer to her age), her son Kevin had his issues but ultimately won me over, and her granddaughter Aideen was so adorable and such a typical teenager. I adored riding shotgun on their senior, middle-aged, and adolescent adventures in Ireland, Florida, a boarding school, and a nursing home. Fun, fun, fun.

I appreciate Netgalley taking the initiative and offering me a free copy in advance for review! Unfortunately this book wasn't for me.

When it mentioned a bumbling Irish family in the summary, I thought maybe something like the show Derry Girls? Unfortunately family-oriented stuff is often not for me, and I found myself annoyed at the teenaged children, the confused grandmother, and the gossiping patriarch from the start.

The writing is good and it seems like it'd be a charming book if you're into a homey vibe in your reading. I prefer escapism and so, again, probably a lovely read but not for me.

GOOD EGGS is a quirky debut novel from Rebecca Hardiman focusing on a complicated family and their relationships with one another. It focuses primarily on three generations of the Gogarty family: Millie, a eighty-something year old who has just been caught shoplifting at the local store, Kevin, her aggrieved son, frustrated by his mother, his struggles in finding a new job in the changing media landscape, and his adversarial relationship with one of his daughters, Aideen, a shy teenager upstaged by her twin sister who finds solace in her love for a teen pop star. Kevin decides to get a caretaker for Millie, which at first appears to be a good fit, but ends up propelling the plot in the second half of the book when not all is as it seems.

The terms good and bad egg are used multiple times throughout this book to indicate how one character feels about another. But for those highlighted in this book they really could be seen as either or both at times. Several of the characters are quite unlikeable. Kevin seems quite self-centered, and tries to validate his worth by trying to attract the attention of a younger woman. His wife Grace is quite one-dimensional as she is the breadwinner for the family and is removed from much of the family drama. The other three children we do not learn enough about to engage with. The relationships between the three main characters are challenging and ultimately provide insight into how a difficult relationship can also be quite rewarding. Millie is quite funny at times, and reminds me a bit of some of Fredrik Backman's characters in his early books, Overall, I wished there was a bit more of a feel-good angle in the end, and some of the secondary plots/characters could have been diminished, but the complex characters that are displayed I enjoyed my time with. And I very much appreciated the Irish-ness of this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this advance reader copy for honest review.

This book Good Eggs was gifted to me as an ARC. It is the story of a multigenerational family and the hilarious things that can happen to a family. Grandma is quirky, her only child is at wits end with her but dealing with his own wife and kids. It's too much and causes the son Kevin to come to a breaking point. He needs a job, he needs to find a care taker for mom (she isn't having it), one of his twins needs a new school because she is overshadowed by her sister, his wife is consumed by her job. It's all boils over of poor Kevin.

The family works together to overcome their challenges. It was lovely read. You will enjoy it!!!!

good eggs by rebecca hardiman is such a fun read! characters are quirky as the story follows three generations of a family in ireland.

Family drama and dysfunction. I loved it. I loved the realistic characters and the wit throughout. It was a fun book to read.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of this book for a fair review cuz it's a romp!
Oh, Gran! We all wish for and dread having a gran like Millie. This Irish family with the grandmother who can be counted on for all sorts of mischief (legal and otherwise) has all the troubles of any family. We just catch a glimpse into their world for a short time. It is a bit plodding at the beginning, but before long, I (as an American) adapted to the Irish idioms and phrases and plonked myself beside them for the ride.
Think about all the books lately where the Grans and Gramps have shaken themselves out of their own brand of stupor and march out for adventure. They are all good eggs with a story.
3.5 stars rounded up.

Good Eggs was a great palate cleanser for me in the middle of a crazy season. I loved the intergenerational stories and how they twined together throughout the narrative. I wanted to love this, and I ended up liking it. I think a major reason for that one of our three protagonists missed the mark so completely with me. And in a story where the characters are supposed to be flawed yet loveable, this character was a big hurdle for me.

Overall, this story is cute and loveable, and I truly wanted everything to work out for this quirky Irish family.

A really fun story, filled with humor! I really loved Millie, a feisty old lady in her eighties. She speaks her mind and cares not a bit what others make of her. This is a family drama with colourful characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this tale of three families. The whole novel was entirely unexpected, and isn't that the best kind of read to fall upon? I was hooked, and GOOD EGGS maintained my interest with its zany narrative and engaging characters. I'm looking forward to promoting close to pub date.

Good Eggs is a sweet story from author Rebecca Hardiman. Set in an idyllic Irish setting, Good Eggs introduces readers to Kevin’s nuclear family with his successful wife and three children. Early on, Kevin’s elderly mother, Millie finds herself in need of some assistance for daily tasks. Mille’s new caretaker from America, Sylvia finds herself deeply intertwined with the family. This novel packs in a variety of characters and while I found some of them challenging to enjoy, they all had their place and importance in creating an entertaining read. Good Eggs was an opportunity to visit another part of the world and enjoy antics by characters of all ages from teenagers to the elderly as they navigate self-discovery and entertainment. Overall, it was a slower read for me, but endearing.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hilarious novel about coming of age and descending into age.

Good Eggs was entertaining although just a little over the top for my taste, but still enjoyable. I especially loved the setting of Dublin, Ireland!

I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I received an advance readers' copy of Good Eggs through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I feel like this book was a solid 3 1/2 stars. The characters were a little over the top and I felt like each time the story shifted from one main character to another, the author felt the need to reintroduce their quirks and idiosyncrasies all over again, so that was a bit tiresome.

However, the story had heart and once the main events were put into motion, I was curious to know how it would all turn out. The book is set in Dublin, which added some specificity and charm to the dithering main character Millie, her harried son Kevin, and his trouble maker daughter Aideen.

I won't rush out to read future books by Rebecca Hardiman, but I won't avoid them either.

Good Eggs is a debut novel by Rebecca Hardiman. It is a story of three generations of the Gogarty family in Dublin, Ireland., an 83 year old grandmother who has a tendency to shoplift items she doesn't need, her 50 year old son who recently lost his job and his 16 year old daughter who doesn't get along with her very popular twin.

I really enjoyed this novel and the disfunction in the family was lighthearted. Being a grandmother myself I appreciated the relationship between grandmother Millie and her granddaughter Aideen. They definitely get into some trouble together.

Just go into this book wanting to be entertained and you'll enjoy the ride. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Really enjoyed this fun book about an elderly Irish woman who gets into mischief and her son who’s trying to keep a reign on her as well as his wife and kids-his one daughter is at boarding school because of her behavior. Millies son Kevin gets her a home care worker to help him keep an eye on her and though millie objects at first, they soon became friendly and she lets her guard down and of course gets taken advantage of. Millie and her granddaughter go on the hunt to find the con artist all the way in Florida and in the process both fall in love.

“At sixteen or seventeen, a year from now is unfathomable.”

Wow, what a beautiful book about the Gogarty family, an Irish family with all the right kinds of dysfunction and flawed lovability, including the memorable grandmother, Millie, with all of her hilarious, screwball antics and minor problem with kleptomania! She urgently wants to maintain her independence amidst the growing concern she has that her son, Kevin, who creates wishful fantasies in his head about what his life could be as he has lost sight of what he has, gets closer and closer to putting her in a nursing home. I loved every minute of getting to explore these characters, especially teenage Aideen’s character, her growth, troubles, insecurities, mistakes, feelings of mounting alienation towards her family, and her budding romance, which felt ineffably pure, with the adorable Sean, who she shares playlists with, wakes up to share midnight, illicit adventures with, and gets to know through a power and subtlety that I could feel deeply.

“She marvels that one day can be so brimming, others so bereft.”

The Irish dialogue was also very authentic and made these characters feel all the more alive, as they sprung from the pages and took me on an adventure through the whimsical vibrancy of their worlds, emotions, and perceptions. Each character has an inner life that mixes recklessly with the choices and decisions they make in their outer life, leaving each individual to face up to their actions, but also move forward after having learned more about themselves in the process. People and the everydayness and unpredictability of life were organically explored through zany humor, which felt very true to reality as humor can be used as a more pacifying antidote to pain.

“ “Sometimes she doesn’t know who I am, and I’m the closest one to her.” Both statements, Millie realizes, contain truth.”

I think throughout this story, too, the characters learned more about each other and how interpretations of a certain person aren’t always right on the first read, even if you know that person in a way you thought was intimately. There is always more to uncover and experience in someone as we all at different times in our lives have our own feelings of stasis, anxiety, and uncertainty that we have to work through. The world comes with growing pains and the love for one’s family can undergo bumps comparable to a rickety rollercoaster ride, but what is increasingly apparent in this novel is the capacity to be resilient and for love to persevere even when it seems impossible.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!