House Moms follows a group of women who find themselves navigating the chaotic world of parenthood, friendships, and unexpected challenges. While the plot has potential with its humorous take on suburban life, I found it a bit predictable and struggled to connect with some of the characters. The story offers light-hearted moments and relatable situations, but it didn’t stand out as much as I had hoped. Overall, it was a fun, easy read but lacked that extra spark.

Thank you Little A for an advance reader copy.

I thought this one sounded like it would be so cute, but I honestly found it to be pretty boring and the characters just did not resonate with me...at all. Probably the main reason is simply that they were all annoying. Maybe it has to do with my age compared to how a young mom might feel/act when trying to change her life which they at least were trying to better themselves.

I typically like 1st person narration which this is...by all the different main characters. In this case for whatever reason, it didn't work for me very well. The transitions from on POV to another were not smooth but seemed disjointed, so that left me confused at times and having to go back and check a few things out even though this was a simple read. I am sure this book is great for some readers, but not for me. I didn't hate it though and I would read this author's work again.

this was hard to get engaged with, but a good book overall

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this work!

Fresh starts and shenanigans on sorority row - I was instantly drawn into this premise! Two women looking for new beginnings find themselves recruited to be house moms for sororities at a university just ahead of recruitment. CeCe is coming from society life and in for a rude awakening when her husband takes off after embezzling funds and the government seizing all of their belongings. Meanwhile, Janelle is placed there in witness protection after seeing a mob hit at the strip club where acted as a house mom to the dancers. Both women meet in a chance encounter as they learn Greek life and the accompanying responsibility may be more than they expected.
This was a funny and endearing novel that I flew through. My only disappointment was that it felt like the ending was quite abrupt and we didn’t get much resolution for the main characters.
Thank you to Little A for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest (and very delayed) review.

This was a decent book. For me, there were too many story lines to keep track of. When I read I want to lose myself in a book, and not feel like I have to take notes on who is who, etc.

Overall, not terrible, but wasn’t my favorite book either.

This is a quick witty fund read. I didn’t exactly enjoy it but I didn’t hate it either. I was sort of stuck in the middle. I did like the main characters but I just felt like it was lacking a lot.

I first discovered Jen Lancaster over ten years ago.
I inhaled her earlier books.
This one was so so. I couldn’t engage with the story nor the characters.
It was a lackluster read for me.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

It’s a good read but not her best. I love her non fiction and this was my first fiction of hers. I could feel her writing style throughout and I did enjoy it but felt like it needed more closure.

I loved Jen Lancaster's memoirs, and I've enjoyed some of her past novels...but this was not it! I read the first 15% or so, and I cannot continue. The plot felt half-baked, and while I liked seeing some of Lancaster's signature zing in this, I couldn't get behind the characters. I hope Jen Lancaster's next project is a little more fleshed out!

I really enjoy the writing style of this author from one of her nonfiction books, so I thought I would give this a shot. I was looking for an escape and nothing serious. I felt that this book was just ok for me. I thought some of the dialogue was witty, however it just did not go anywhere. I think the author left a good opening for a series, however if this was not the intention, there was absolutely no resolution for any of the plot. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I love everything Jen Lancaster writes so House Moms was enjoyable to me. It was a little different from her "domestic dramas", but I think that is why I was looking forward to it and I was not disappointed. Each character was a hot mess in their own way and yet Ms. Lancaster had them work their way out of their dilemmas to the point everything came out ok. Is this book going to change the world or really anyone's idea of Greek life?...probably not, but will give the reader several hours of entertaining reading.

I have been a fan of Lancaster’s writing since her early books, and I still love her non-fiction work. But I can’t recommend this book. While she does a great job developing the 3 main characters, she repeatedly gets great ideas so close to the end zone and then never delivers the punch she could have. She could have cut 25% from the beginning, added it to the end and fleshed out the ideas for which she’d laid the groundwork all along.

I have read all of Jen Lancaster's books. I tend to enjoy her style of writing and the stories she comes up with. This one was no exception. I really liked the characters and the storyline.

I tried really hard to get into this one, but it unfortunately wasn’t for me 🥲 it moved really slow and there was too much unnecessary info

It's a little frustrating that nothing in the marketing for this book adequately communicates that there will be a sequel or series following this, as the book abruptly stops without wrapping up almost any of the main storylines. The overall story is interesting with excellent characters, and is honestly smoother than I expected. However, the ending really does sully the story.

In Housemoms: A Novel by Jen Lancaster, three women find themselves in sorority row. Two of the women are related: CeCe and Hayden. The other woman is Janelle who ends up alongside the other two women when she joins WITSEC.

Not only do challenges loom for the women. As CeCe has to deal with a change in her living situation. On the other hand, Hayden walked away from her parent’s money only to find herself working as a barista and wanting nothing to do with what comes with being a Barclay. Janelle witnessed a crime at her previous place of employment, not having had the best opportunities once joining WITSEC she believes she now has a chance at a better life.

The Drama
Jen Lancaster does a great job of providing backstories for the three women. When I was reading “Housemoms: A Novel” I had no idea how these characters would somehow find themselves meeting. Then we get to Eli Whitney University, Hayden’s alma mater, where she’s employed as a barista near the campus. In a chance meeting, all three women find themselves at that coffee shop.

This was my first time reading a book from the author, Jen Lancaster, and I truly enjoyed it. Housemoms: A Novel is a book that you can enjoy in one sitting because you will want to know what happens to each of the ladies in the story. You might even root for one over the other, but in the end, I think all characters will have a place in your heart. Because they have redeeming qualities and show their growth as the book progresses.

Housemoms was a book I had high hopes for, and while I did enjoy the story, I really was left wanting more. There were some laugh out loud moments which is to be expected from a Jen Lancaster story. Then I felt as though the story got a bit stuck in the middle, where the plot was not necessarily moving forward well enough for my liking, and then the ending seemed to happen so abruptly. I was really invested in the characters and really appreciated the development / story arc of some of them, though as stated above, I was left wanting more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little A publishing for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one was not it for me. I’m giving a generous 2 stars and the second star is only because I did like the author’s humor. Otherwise, I didn’t enjoy this one. The characters’ stories lead absolutely nowhere. The “plot” is all over the place, drags, and then poof - done! Listening to it was easier than reading it with my eyes, so I appreciated the audiobook aspect of it. But I’ll be removing the book from my Kindle library to reclaim space.

I've been having such a hard time writing this review because I LOVE Jen Lancaster - her biting wit is among the best out there. And I've loved her other forays into fiction. Housemoms was no exception at first - I loved the characters (though a family tree might be helpful at the beginning as figuring out who is who can be a bit complex), the plot set-up, the journey, everything about it. But then the book ended, in my opinion, too abruptly. I guess that's a good thing in that I wanted more, but to me it felt almost rushed or unfinished. I'd still recommend this book as I was laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoyed it, but would love it if there were about 30-40 more pages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.