This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is a collection of short stories on family, motherhood, love, and COVID. I'm not a huge fan of time specific stories like using COVID to place the time of the story wasn't really a hit for me. There were some that were really compelling and Wood's writing is compelling with well thought out characters.

Glib and quick little stories that feel very of-the-moment, but that I don't think will age particularly well.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC.

These were well-written short stories. However, I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

This collection of short stories exploring topics of femininity, love, and family was an a joy to read. Each story was distinct but fit together nicely. The writing is fantastic and compelling. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the themes of these stories and appreciate how candidly she wrote about motherhood. The writing was sharp and I never felt disconnected from the stories, I'm very excited to have found a new author I enjoy this much!

i thought the first half of this one was definitely the strongest portion. the story about the women in the new moms group at the tech company was really great and poignant.

Couldn’t connect to the stories. They all seemed to be quite similar considering they were all about motherhood.

I hadn't realized this was a story collection right away and was confused for a moment. Whoops. I did just have my 3rd daughter 4 months ago though so sleep is sparse and mom brain is real, so this book had plenty of relatable content. I thought the first story was great and it hooked me right in. I would have loved a full novel with those characters. I enjoyed the various domestic dramas and feelings of motherhood.

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood is a great collection of short stories.
Every story in this collection reflects an element of my experience as a woman. The stories are so well-written and it was really enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A solid meh. I must admit, I didn’t realize this was a short story collection while requesting, or I probably wouldn’t have. As happens for me so often with story collections, some were good, some not so good, others mid.

This short story collection was just so-so for me. I love reading short stories, so I was very interested in reading this. The main reason I didn't love it was the humor. Some stories were meant to be satirical, but I didn't find them funny or edgy. The humor was very dry and lacking. A lot of the stories were underwhelming, and some the endings left me wanting more. Decent collection, but I've read so many better short story collections than this one.

I am obsessed with the BBC National Short Story award. I love discovering new British talent, or seeing fresh material from established masters (hello, two-time winner Sarah Hall). Writer Naomi Wood took home the award in 2023, and her debut short story collection is incredibly impressive.

Opening story, Lesley, In Therapy is brilliant. A mother returns to her job in the gaming industry after her second pregnancy, and has a minor meltdown during group therapy. This story totally captures the struggles of being a working mother who wants (and deserves) to be taken seriously.

To be honest, I wasn’t too impressed with Comorbidities the first time I read it, just before it won the 2023 National Short Story Award. But this time around I really enjoyed it. I think probably because I’m at the point in my life where juggling being a mother and a wife can seem impossible, and this story reflects this perfectly.

Dracula at the Movies is a really interesting story, about a pregnant woman directing a movie with a star who has a reputation for being “difficult”. There’s a really interesting quandary about whether it is worse to inflict horror upon someone, or have horror inflicted upon one’s self.

I’m not a big fan of covid fiction, but Peek-a-Book was really memorable. Pregnant twins go to Italy to convince their dad to leave a timeshare he's not supposed to be occupying. Covid is also addressed in Flatten the Curve, where a woman with two young children fantasizes about her neighbor. I like how this story conveyed just how monotonous covid lockdown was.

The most visceral story in this collection is Wedding Day, where a woman insists her ex brings their young daughter home in time for bed on his wedding day. There are some absolutely brutal scenes in this story. So powerful.

Every story in this collection reflects an element of my experience as a woman, wife, mother, friend, human. Wood writes with such clarity, and her characters are very well-formed. Highly recommended.

4 ⭐️. This set of short stories explored complex themes around motherhood, existing in this world as a mother, a wife and navigating through a world that is facing climate change, pandemics and consumerism. I could have read a full book of many of these characters. What a lovely time.

Thank you to NetGalley & Mariner Books for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I ate this short story collection up. As a mother, I liked that a lot of these stories were about motherhood. I also liked that the author really covered a lot of different topics and situations. Some of the stories were a little out there, but I think that was fun and I genuinely enjoyed all of the stories. I look forward to reading more from this author.

3.5 stars

This collection of short stories is filled with unlikeable female main characters (my fav). Each one was struggling with different obstacles but all in relation to motherhood; career, pandemic, sex life, family, fame, breakups, infidelity, and more. I found some of them relatable especially when it came to how women are treated (generally and in the work place/by men) but had a hard time relating a lot of the time bc I am not a mother and have never experienced motherhood. I did love how the author included the dark inner thoughts of the fmcs throughout the stories and when they made bad decisions you could understand maybe why they would do it. It takes a special talent to make an unlikeable character relatable and to make the reader feel empathetic towards them. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I could’ve related more but that’s nothing against the author I’m just not a mother. Overall I did enjoy this collection and it was a quick and easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc of this book!!

A short story collection about motherhood, children, finding yourself in the chaos of abdominal kicks and working as a tired and depleted woman.
A father who won’t leave a timeshare even for his pregnant twin daughters, lusting over the shirtless neighbor during Covid, a single mother living on a Dino ranch, a cat who soaks everything with its leaky eyes… all of these stories had their own unique tone and feel, even though the underlying message of motherhood was the focus.
Fast paced, full of feminine rage and unbridled sex appeal; this is a solid collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

As most short story collections net out, some of these were hits and some of these were duds. I felt like the blurb and the art drew me in (mid 20’s single woman) and the target audience should be higher like mid 30s married woman. With that being said the writing was great, and the story telling was great.

I enjoyed reading this short story collection! In every story the main character was a mother, or expecting, and they talked about the struggles of parenthood or work/life balance. This book made me think, there are so many struggles with motherhood and the book doesn't really glaze over them.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC!

(3.5/5, rounded up)
The very last story saved this from just being 'meh' (bumped it from 3 to 3.5), made my jaw drop and brought my hand to my forehead. I'm a sucker for a solid full circle moment and Naomi Wood is clearly full of them - she nails it, but not in cheesy, obvious ways. & That's rarely done anymore, IMO.

The insights on motherhood are refreshing and raw, sometimes unconventionally so (which I liked even better).
I wish I could have read this before becoming a mom so that I'd be able to revisit it again after having my son; I'm so curious what I'd have identified with even before sharing a role with the characters.

My one major complaint is that I have 0 clue what almost all of the French words/sentences/phrases meant, and for once I felt like it really did make me miss out on fairly important pieces (can't be sure though, for obvious reasons).

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Naomi Wood and publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is a solid collection of short stories primarily about motherhood, but also about failed relationships, rage, desire, jealousy, and managing with life in general.

I thought all the stories meshed well together and none of them were completely boring or felt out of place. Although motherhood is a common thread through all of them, I didn't think that it was necessarily the focus or point of each story. The weakest stories were "Dracula At the Movies" about a film director who wishes to use the real life story of an actor's dead sibling and "Dino Moms" which, while I appreciate the absurd, I was extremely confused about what was happening.

"Flatten the Curve" was an excellent look at what life during COVID felt like (although granted, this takes place in the UK so as an American I can't entirely relate to the strict guidelines). I also enjoyed "Peek-A-Boo" which while motherhood was in there as an aspect, the story is really about coping with a stubborn, irrational, aging parent. "A/A/A/A" also stood out with how much I could sense the betrayal and disappointment of the protagonist. I felt similarly while reading "Wedding Day"

I was unclear if motherhood was supposed to be an overarching theme somehow because in some of these stories the characters are pregnant I guess just to get "being a mom" in there even though it's not the main focus. It didn't take away though from the writing, it just seemed interesting because while motherhood is a large aspect of womanhood, quite obviously it is not the only aspect and I think we all know by now that being pregnant or a mom is not needed to make a woman compelling or have a story worth sharing.

I love a good cohesive collection of short stories and this definitely fits the bill. I'd absolutely read a full length novel by this author.

Many thanks to Mariner Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.