Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

I feel like I should write the disclaimer that I am not a Mom, so maybe this book wasn't for me. But I am going to review it nonetheless. I imagined that this book would be about funny daily stories about being a mom and the anxiety (and ridiculousness) that comes from having children. The key word here is funny. The title says funny, all of the descriptions I read said funny. To me this book had no humor at all. Honestly, this book felt like one long bitch fest about how hard it is to be a mother and how useless father's are. Now, while this may be (and probably is) true in some or even most cases of parenting, ultimately, the title and the description made me expect something else entirely. I would recommend this book, but only to exhausted, frustrated moms that need someone to relate to.

First of all, I loyally follow Mary Catherine Starr's Momlife_Comics on Instagram. She has a perfect gift for translating my feelings into a comic square. She is able to articulate the societal expectations vs realities of raising children, parenting, and marriage. Things that I find frustrating are described in articulate detail through Mary Catherine Starr.

I will be purchasing this book for every toddler mom in town! Follow her on IG and buy this book!

I have followed Mary Catherine Starr on Instagram for a while, so I was excited to see she was coming out with a comic memoir. She covers much of the same material, but there is a more cohesive timeline that allows us to follow her on the journey that led to where she is now, including her courtship with her now-husband and her pregnancies and births. From the start, she is clear that this is now a how-to or a book that you can expect to walk away from with novel techniques for how to address the mental load of motherhood is cis-het partnerships. I think what makes her comics so accessible is that they are so validating. As she writes, there are women from all over the world who comment on her comics because they feel so seen and understood by this common struggle. Oftentimes, that's just what we need-- to know we're not alone. Then, once we're validated, we can collaborate on solutions!

Mama Needs a Minute is a wonderful read for all moms; whether expecting, new or seasoned. Mary Catharine Starr's comics does a great job depicting the mental and physical workloads of motherhood.

As someone who had a traumatic birth experience, and suffered from ppd and ppa, having someone say " you aren't alone" really helps with mom guilt and isolation.

I plan to purchased this book whenever a friend has a new baby. I wish I could have read this when I was a new mom

Great title! This graphic novel geared to adults, chronicles what actual 'real life' parenting looks like, especially focusing on the mom....in so many homes. She sheds light on the double standards of parenting, the mental load of motherhood, the default parent .... among other issues......using great analogies, like 'the checked out passenger' & 'weaponized incompetence'. The author has a very popular Instagram acct @momlife_comics & her artwork is very good/detailed/effective. I'd think probably every woman/mother, & maybe every man/father too, will find much to relate to in this book. A reader might find themselves saying 'oh yeah, I can see that', 'been there, done that', they might find something to chuckle at, something to nod or shake your head at...... This is a real good book.
I was gifted an e-ARC of the book from Chronicle Books via NetGalley, giving me an opportunity to read it & post my own honest/fair review.

I am not a big reader of graphic novels so the format did take me some time to get used to. However, the story is relatable and in parts funny and in other parts quite sad.

This book looks at the author's journey from dating college student to married with kids. There are struggles along the way as they navigate the changes that come along with the new roles.

Her depiction of her husband was not always flattering.

The author did a good job of capturing the realties of the emotional and physical demands of motherhood and how much harder society is on moms vs dads.

There were also funny parts interspersed with some of the deeper themes.

Overall, I think this memoir is real and relatable and did a good job of exploring the author's journey into parenting. For me, I kinda wish this was a typical memoir rather than a graphic novel. However, if you like graphic novels then this one is a great read that tackles some serious issues.

This comic memoir is full of compassion and encouragement for parents (especially moms) of young kids. Often funny but sometimes raw and sad or angry, it tells the common and relatable story of how an egalitarian marriage slid into an unequal partnership once kids entered the picture. The author includes some strategies for trying to avoid or fix the pitfalls that she and her husband have faced, but also offers tremendous understanding of how hard that can be to do. The book has no perfect answers, but a lot of hope and love.

I loved this. It made me laugh. It was raw and relatable. I just had such a great time with this book.

I have been eagerly awaiting Starr's first book and it did not dissapoint. Pulling from her comics we are emmeshed into the very funny lives of Mary and her family. Starr has always been great at showing readers ideas that they may not have thought of before (the invisible labor of moms, etc) but the fact that she is able to do it so humoursly is a rare gift. Recommended for all.

An honest memoir about what the struggles one mother went through in her marriage while raising a family. Provided insight into being a mother that I won't experience personally, but can now empathize and understand much more with.

As a non-mother and non-child raiser, it was eye-opening on all the visible and invisible struggles that mothers go through. Overall, an enjoyable read, even if more text-heavy and presented differently than I expect from a graphics novel.

I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, some of the comics were cute and rang true, but there were parts where it felt (deservedly) harsh on her husband. I know she's telling her truth and many women's truth, but there were very few positive outlooks on her marriage/husband. That being said, I love how open she is about mental health and the necessity of openess of communication in a partnership.

I went into thinking it would be a light, funny book but it was much heavier and wordier than anticipated.

Based on the cover, I thought this book would be a collection of comics documenting the ups and downs of motherhood. Is it not exactly this. It is actually an illustrated yet wordy recounting of the author’s journey from fresh, single young woman to harried, overworked, overtired, over-everything mom/wife. It’s cute but way more wordy than I was expecting. This is not a bad thing, but it was a surprising thing. Clearly I did not read the description of this book closely enough.

The illustrations are very cute, and what they depict are painfully accurate. I loved the “what I thought it would be” vs “what it really was” comparisons sprinkled out. I think I will make my husband read the parts where she illustrates the dad experience at things vs mom’s.

I highly recommend this for anyone, but it will probably be most meaningful for couples and parents.

(ARC received from NetGalley)

Mary Catherine Starr writes and illustrated such poignant comics about modern motherhood and the mental load that comes with it. She does such a fantastic job of expressing this and giving hope for ways that we can work with our partners to address it.

This was a relatable memoir which I appreciated as sometimes motherhood stories don’t quite show the hard stuff (part of that I’m sure is because everyone has different experiences!). It made me feel validated. I liked the comics and formatting as it made it a quicker read. I think some of it felt like she was really digging into her partner and it left me feeling weird (and don’t get me wrong - some of these experiences with him were relatable to my life!!) but just felt uncomfortable. Overall the book was pretty good!

Top notch. I’d give this book more stars if it were possible. Mary Catherine portrays an honest view of mothers and primary caretakers in our society. It’s raw, and real. Sometimes absolutely hilarious. This book is perfect for your new mom friend about to lose her ish. I cannot say enough good things. I had a great time and loved reading it.

This was a very relatable book! It was nice to hear from another mother who also suffered from the crazy postpartum anxiety and depression that comes after having a child! I loved how the book was laid out, with both passages and comic portions of the book. I did feel there were a few parts that went very slow and I felt it talked a lot about laundry, almost too long about it. But, overall I really enjoyed this book and loved being able to feel seen and heard by a fellow mom who went through the same struggles I go through!

Motherhood is rough. I have long enjoyed Mary Catherine Starr’s comics on Instagram so when this came up on NetGalley I was thrilled. Starr shows her personal journey to motherhood, the double standards we face in society, and the sheer craziness of it all. Love her voice, the style of art and the relatable content. I would love to gift this to friends on their first pregnancy journey.

I couldn’t get into this graphic memoir. I was expecting a lighter, more humorous take on motherhood, but it felt more serious from the start. While some mothers may find it enjoyable and relatable, it wasn’t for me.

This book is everything you'd hope to be and more. It's about being a woman, wife, mother, and how the self disappears in all of that. I didn't really expect to cry and laugh as much as I did reading this. It felt like all my vulnerable thoughts about those moments which I feel guilty for resentment were talked about without shame, and for that, I love this book.

The first moment of sudden realization of "this person knows how I feel, think, and my experiences" was the comic where the dad couldn't find anything during the first few weeks of baby.

The comics are brilliant. I really liked how it felt like a consistent interview throughout the book. The comics are really what takes this book from good to brilliant. So much more to the story is conveyed through the comic strips, like dirty dishes or the messy bun. It's a reflection of me.

This would be perfect for anyone who wants to be a mom, will be a mom after pregnancy or adoption, is a mom, or knows a mom. Really, it's a fantastic book for anyone to get a good idea of being a person who balances it all while society always has expectations about it.

I felt like this book offered a lot of insight into things in my life that I could look at through a different lens. I really enjoyed it, and liked the illustrations as well.