Four very different women fight to have their children admitted into exclusive LA private middle schools with mixed results in the humorous, intense Moms Like Us. Milly is insecure, over volunteered and looking for validation from PTA mothers. This is definitely the wrong place to look. Heather had Dawn’s husband fired from their law firm causing him and his family to flee to Canada. Now they are back and looking for revenge. And Jennifer, Jennifer is looking for a guarantee that her daughter will be accepted by any school.

Moms Like Us is classified as Humor and Satire, Women’s Fiction. Two of the three are right. I’m not sure about satire. It verges on cruelty here and is off-putting. Without spoilers, a joke is made about the death of a baby, a woman makes (or intensifies) a false report to HR that has a life changing result, murder is planned and a man dies a horrible death. However, there are some really funny moments and I loved the required attendance fund raising plans. I will read what Jordan Roter writes next because she’s a talented writer. I hope for subtle humor. 4 stars, rounded up from 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little A and Jordan Roter for this ARC.

This was a great book! It was funny and entertaining with some serious themes but it was written in a light way, where it felt light and entertaining. I liked it!! I would read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is my first Jordan Roter book and I absolutely devoured it. Moms Like us follows a group of moms from a private elementary school in Los Angeles. The moms face infidelity, blackmail, being cancelled, and even death. Chaotic and hilarious- an easy 4 stars. Bonus points for being under 300 pages and getting right to the meat of the story.

Warning: wow, I really disliked this book.

Moms Like Us follows four mothers whose children attend The Palms, an LA elementary school. I went into this book knowing it was meant to be satire and tried to read it as such—but even then, it was a struggle.

Humor is subjective, but for me, this book wasn’t just unfunny; at times, it was outright vile. One moment, in particular, summarizes my biggest issue: early on, there's a "joke" about a baby dying because he disliked his mother (this happens in the very first pages, so it’s not a spoiler). Trying to be edgy with such a cruel remark—especially in a book about motherhood written by a mother—felt deeply wrong. That should have been my cue to DNF, but I held out hope it would redeem itself. It didn’t.

Then there’s the issue of the characters. Yes, they’re unlikable, which I could have overlooked if they had any depth. Unfortunately, they don’t. They all blend together to the point where I struggled to tell them apart. Not only are they devoid of depth and redeeming qualities, but they also lack any real uniqueness. The book leans on the idea of how far mothers will go to protect their children, but instead of exploring this in a compelling way, it focus on lying, manipulation, and even murder—while the idea of simply being a decent human being never seems to cross their minds.

Then there’s the storyline. I was intrigued by the murder element—I thought that might be interesting. Again: no. The attempt at humour falls flat here as well, and the llama stampede just before? Disappointing, to say the least.

Finally, the similarities to Big Little Lies were so pronounced that it barely felt like an original story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little A, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded me of a movie! The moms are a bit over the top, and the way they interact with each other had me laughing throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed it.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a novel that is as entertaining as it is easy to dive into. Following a group of mothers with children in an exclusive private school in Los Angeles, the book is told from multiple points of view, offering a fresh and dynamic narrative style that keeps things lively and engaging. It is a story filled with drama, secrets and twisting turns and is ideal for those moments when you need an enjoyable escape. 

What makes this book stand out is the author's humour. It is filled with over-the-top moments that simultaneously feel extreme and relatable. The characters, each with their drama more absurd than the next, still have a likeable charm somehow. 

This book does not take itself too seriously, which is part of its magic. It is the literary equivalent of a feel-good movie that is not afraid to bring you down to some deep, dark places: the kind of story you can breeze through between more demanding reads or when you want to unwind. I think this book would be perfect for all of the Desperate Housewives fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and LittleA for the opportunity to read and review this ahead of time!
Rating: 3.5

Thanks NetGalley for an arc. This was a tough book to get through. The characters are so unlikable it was difficult to root for any of them. I can’t recommend this book. I typically like this genre, moms at PTA meetings, etc but there are better books out there.

3.5 stars. “moms like us” is a comedic cautionary tale centered around four mothers whose children attend a posh, 'progressive' private school. the story unfolds through multiple points of view and email exchanges between the characters. it's messy and humorous and dramatic and intriguing as you come to learn of all that these mothers do (and have done) to protect their children -and their own secrets- no matter how outrageous the situation becomes.

i highly recommend this book if you’re looking to get back into reading or if you’re experiencing a reading slump! jordan roter’s writing is very accessible and completely draws you in. it’s the perfect choice for anyone searching for a light-hearted escape. if what you seek is a fun, fast-paced summer read, this is the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the fair and honest review.

This was my first Jordan Roter novel. I look forward to reading additional novels by her. This was a really quick read and I enjoyed the different characters and their stories.

I would definitely recommend this book and this author to others.

I really enjoyed this book. I am not a big fan of spicy books, but this didn’t go too much in to detail and it didn’t bother me. I appreciated that there was a POV for each of the moms. I was able to keep up with each of them without getting confused. I loved the end on how it tied everything together and then continued on to tell us what ended up happening with each character!

Moms Like Us was a fun, light beach read. I loved the characters and their interesting backstories, as well as the shenanigans they get up to. I found the plot to be engaging and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I think anyone who liked Big Little Lies will like this book.

A nice beach read if you like rich people problems; I found this amusing and actually laughed out loud at times. Don’t expect a mystery book though!

I love books about moms and their offspring and the stress of getting into schools. These moms were pretty bad and had a lot of secrets. There is a murder too which amps up the story. I did like that it was about four different women and told from all their point of views. There were laugh out loud moments scattered throughout the book too. If you like rich people problems, mom problems, murder, kids and laughing you will like this book. I give it a 3.5.

I had high hopes for this book. It opens with a murder but it’s unclear who is dead and who is/are the murderer/s. The story then goes back in time to follow four moms of students at a progressive private school outside of LA. I liked the multiple POV format. I also appreciated the stresses associated with trying to move into selective middle schools. My major problem was that none of the characters were likable. All but one of them had secrets that centered around their promiscuity. I cannot recommend this one but I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.