**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Mama Needs a Minute! by Mary Catherine Starr was unfortunately not the light-hearted and funny comic book about parenting that I was hoping for from the cover. This is definitely more of a serious memoir about one woman's relationship and parenting struggles and came across really negative to me. Nothing wrong with that of course, it just wasn't what I was hoping to read about. I got maybe a third of the way through before I gave up, knowing it wasn't for me. This could be a really healing story for some, but I wouldn't go in looking for laughs.

This is a graphic novel/memoir about Mary Catherine Starr's life from a single woman, to a wife, and now a mother/wife/business owner. I'm glad this book is being published; parents (and soon-to-be parents) everywhere will benefit from hearing this story. Maybe it'll just be validating for you, maybe it'll be informative and helpful either as you prepare to be a parent, or if you have loved ones that are parents. Most of all this story needs to be told because for so long mothers were suffering in silence with the heavy physical and mental burden of managing a household alone without support from their partners, family members, and community. There came a movement where mothers were speaking out about the struggles of parenthood and lack of support instead of just pasting on a smile. This has been very freeing and validating as a mother myself to read about Starr's struggles and the dynamic between her and her husband and how they are working on reversing that narrative that mom has to do it all. However, this book was too wordy to keep my attention. Almost every other page was a full page of text without illustrations, and when there were illustrations, the talk bubbles were packed full of long sentences and rambling thoughts. I can see the reason for these decisions, but I had a difficult time getting through the long blocks of text and ended up skimming certain parts that didn't resonate with me. Overall, I'm very glad I read this book and would recommend it to others!

This was extremely difficult to finished and not pleasant. I didn’t liked the format, the style, the art, and/or how many times she repeated the same thing, over and over. If I had been able to look through this book before reading it, I would have immediately returned it to the shelf. It's not what I expect from a graphic novel. Although all situations are real, I found them too dramatic and not at all funny. All I can see is a control freak person who suffers from anxiety disorder. I wouldn’t recommends it to anyone,

This was honestly perfect. As a mom of 2 under 3 I definitely find myself saying I need space. Or I need a minute multiple time a day. I’m a stay at home mom so this book hit close to home and I absolutely loved and needed it.

A well illustrated book portraying the exact experiences of motherhood.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the gifted copy!

Soy una mujer casada, que no tiene hijos, y no me esperaba para nada lo que estaba en este libro. La autora usa dibujos para contar su historia (aunque gran parte estaba escrita). El libro se lee de manera balanceada, entre dibujos y prosa.

Es un libro que está claramente dirigido para las madres y padres (habla de los dos roles). Yo —que no tengo hijos pero algún día quisiera tener— lo leí de manera informativa. Al principio fue algo lento para mi, pero mientras llegaba al final la historia fue tomando más velocidad.

La autora cuenta su historia de ser novia, esposa y madre; y como todo eso ha hecho que ella cambie para bien o para mal. Cuenta sus buenos momentos y frustraciones. No es un libro de consejos para la maternidad, pero si uno puede tomar algo de ello. Este libro es más bien un medio en el cual ella se expresa para ventilar y que por su experiencia ha ayudado a muchas personas sentirse identificadas. Es algo interesante que leer si estas por comenzar una etapa como madre/padre o si estas dentro de ella. Y, sí, sería bueno que lo lean los padres pues demuestra de manera visual como las mujeres piensan cuando le dicen o les piden algo a sus esposos y como se sienten durante la maternidad y crianza de los niños.

I really loved this! Starr’s cartoons are hilarious, and have a healthy dose of truth. Not only did I enjoy this book, it actually helped me better understand my husband, and the dynamics of our marriage. And I really enjoyed reading about the journey of Starr’s relationship.

Highly recommended for mothers, fathers, and anyone seeking a greater understanding of how certain families function.

WOW! How much I was able to relate to this author. The story of how her and her husband met, fell in love, and began a family, I felt like I was reading about my own life. She dives deep into the struggles of every day marriage and what it's like to be a parent. So many times I would scream "YES! SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS"! Going in I thought this was going to be more humorous but I quickly realized it' deals with more serious issues. I did enjoy the illustrations! They were fun and brought some humor to the story. For all you moms out there, I do recommend picking this up, but prepare for it to bring up lots of emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

ALL. THE. STARS.

As a mom of a three-year old, and pregnant with my second child this was just like reading my life and mind. I laughed, teared up, and just felt seen reading this book. I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone planning to start a family or in the pits of newborn and toddler life.

This graphic memoir was so funny and relatable! I knew I had to read it the moment I saw the cover. As a single mom, I completely understand that desperate need for just one uninterrupted bathroom break—only for everyone to suddenly need you right then and there!

Starr takes readers through her personal journey to motherhood, shedding light on the double standards moms face and the sheer chaos of it all. Her voice is sharp, honest, and hilarious, and the art style perfectly complements the humor and emotions packed into each page. This book is a must-read for parents who need a good laugh and a reminder that they’re not alone.

I would love to gift this to friends expecting their first child—it’s the kind of book that makes you laugh while also making you feel seen. My only complaint? Some of the relationship-focused content felt more about marriage than parenting, which wasn’t as relevant to me as a single mom. But overall, this is a fantastic, heartfelt read that perfectly captures the exhaustion, absurdity, and beauty of motherhood.

This book felt like seeing and hearing narration of my own experience as a new mom. Very raw, but twinkles of hope. Great advice like connecting with other moms and prioritizing time for yourself, while not coming across as an over-prescriptive self-help book.

Mama Needs A Minute! is a comic memoir of motherhood. I wasn’t familiar with Mary Catherine Starr or @momlife_comics before picking this up, but I am a big fan of Paula Kuka @common_wild who wrote a similar book called Mumlife a few years back. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. Most of the illustrations felt repeated with slight changes and the lack of facial details began to bother me as the book went on.

The book is a memoir, so it can be a bit wordy at times, again with very similar comic pictures that didn’t keep me intrigued to the storyline. I guess I mostly found myself bored trying to get through it, versus excited to see what hilarity would ensue. I think many moms may find the shared experience validating, but to me it just felt kind of depressing. I really enjoy art in a comic style, but this just felt too generic for me. I didn’t feel like I gained much from the reading experience, which is how I know I will recommend a book.

There is an overall message of inequality in the workload between mothers and fathers and trying to find balance in parenting. I totally agree with this, but it also felt like a topic that’s been explored many times within parenting spaces. I was definitely hoping for more originality.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and the author and illustrator Mary Catherine Starr for an ARC of Mama Needs A Minute! in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt so true to me that I almost feel that I could have written (at least parts of) it. The situations, feelings and complexities of being in a relationship and being a parent rang so true. I think that this is especially true of the woman/mother’s role as it comes across here.

I think that there is a lot of minimizing what it is like to become a parent; that barrier is broken here. Why do we do this? Would it not be better to acknowledge that, no matter how wanted a child is, the transition can be overwhelming. Not only is there responsibility for a small, helpless being but relationships transition as well…and sometimes there are resentments.

Those who have gone through the stages in life that the author describes will ruefully recognize much in these pages. For those who aren’t there yet, don’t panic but think about what the author says. It might help.

This book has both humor and heart. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This was such a great book! I'm always interested in reading other mothers' perspectives on motherhood. I thought it was refreshing that Starr included not only the fun parts of parenting, but also the not-so-fun parts. The comics touched on topics such as the double standard of parenting and society as a whole, burnout, work/life balance, etc. She included things that worked for her family. This was a great book on modern motherhood.

I really like Starr's graphic book about her experiences as a parent. However, I just couldn't connect to it all and while I understand the communication issues between Starr and her husband, I almost felt like I was seeing too much of their marriage and wish I hadn't known the ins and outs of their fights.

How we all need a minute! This has so many points that are so relatable as a mom to young children. It’s refreshing when you see someone else’s story but it could also so easily be yours. I loved the illustrations and storytelling and how they can relate to people around the world.
There are some points made that are not my own personal beliefs, but I applaud the author and her husband for getting to their point in life and the progress they have made. Moms- if you have trouble telling your husband what it’s like to be a mom, then send this book their way.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

It was so good! Mama Needs a Minute is an unhinged work of art revolving around mother's struggles, the imbalance societal pressure on moms, navigating a marriage life as new parents.

This is gold. Im sure lots of women and mothers feel seen, and understood. The bravery to challenge the status quo, the willingness to make it better. It's all there. Very honest. No sugar coating. Still very much informativeness without being patronising.

Highly recommended for everyone who wants to have a child. Especially If you're a perfectionist and overthinker and easily anxious. This book helps a lot.

Thanks so much publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for honest review 🫶🏾✨

This book is filled with stories about parenthood. I love how honest it is. There are stories that are relatable and watching them navigate good intentions and patriarchy was inspiring.

4 stars

This book was so relatable and easy to consume with the way it was set up! I have never felt more seen by a nonfiction book before. This is something that just isn’t talked about enough in mainstream media- and needs more people to bring up the topic of the housework and childcare balance. I have had my husband on SO many occasions go “well I do a lot more than a lot of other dads” not acknowledging that that is also a problem. I saw myself and my struggles as a mom of two little ones in this in a way I never have before and it was incredibly refreshing!

I like the graphic novel feel to this. It definitely allows busy parents to get an idea of what they are reading even if they dint have time to sit down and read an entire chapter.