Single mom Sandy discovers that her baby daddy has a child with another woman. The two mothers create their own family, which ends up expanding because baby daddy Justin can't keep his dick in his pants.

I didn't like Sandy for most of the book because she's such a doormat and puts up with bad behavior. But she experiences some character growth later on. Despite at least four children with four different women, I bet Justin will be planting his seed until kingdom come. The author provides a good glimpse into what it's like to raise a child with and without support.

Equally humorous and sobering, this novel follows Sandy as she finds a supportive community during her transition into motherhood. The guidance of new friend Steph (and later, Kaya) eventually becomes a symbiotic home scenario: three mothers, four children, all taking care of one another.

Sandy's vapid set of "squad" friends in the beginning of the book are recognizably cringey and reflect her desire for a deeper connection, which she finds later on in the story. Some of the characters' choices are somewhat hard to believe, and other characters are a bit flat-evil for my taste. Overall, I would think that parents would find parts of this relatable, and at the very least, a good laugh.

I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. The first part felt like it dragged on too long - Sandy’s former relationships were important to the story, I guess, but I didn’t need as much detail as was given. And although I liked some of the characters, a few plot lines felt very forced. It was also hard to tell how much time had passed.

What an interesting story of motherhood and the bonds we forge deep in the trenches of caring for children. This book makes "it takes a village" all too real, and a laughable set of circumstances when all three women have the same baby daddy.

I liked reading this one. It was heartfelt, funny, very much a feel-good book (even when it didn't feel like it) and easy to read. Where the story lacks depth it is made up for in charm and caring mains, and although some parts left me really wanting more I feel like this is a good stand-alone novel.

Such a great premise, but the author unfortunately lost me with the main character’s unironic and persistent use of the term “squad” and her simultaneous involvement in a serious book club — the contradiction just wasn’t believable and the characters didn’t feel real. I’m sorry to have not liked it.

Thank you to Random House, Net Galley and the author for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

These ladies really did try my patience. The first part was a bit slow. But in the end it worked itself out.

A story about finding your own version of family. How we look at things changes over time, with some perspective we rarely have early on.

Women supporting women is something we don’t see enough of in literature. But it’s important and we need more of it.


NetGalley/ Random House May 06, 2025

very satisfying and interesting book about gender diversity, finding your identity and community, and overcoming challenges. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this review, as I was reading the book. The writing is engaging. The storyline is both creative and sad all at once. The plot is interesting and novel but also an unfortunate commentary on women, who do not hold themselves with higher regard, than to hook up with a man of diminished worth and compromised morals. Having said that, these women are also strong and are survivors. They did not have an easy life but plowed through in solidarity and friendship and motherhood. They are raising their children to be thoughtful, non judge-mental adults, as a result of their lives. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House. #AllTheMothers, #RandomHousePublishing, #Goodreads.

"All the Mothers" is the story of three women who just get no breaks, except one – the bond of their friendship. And that is all they need to achieve their hard-fought goal - to build a loving and safe home for themselves and their children. It is a beautiful story of the strength of sisterhood.

The three women appear to have nothing in common except that they became pregnant by the same man and are struggling as single parents. But each has her own personality and story and we come to know Steph, Sandy, and Kaya for the brave, smart, loving mothers they are.

While this book explores the fierceness of the love of the three mothers of the title, it is also a testament to the true meaning of family - wherever and however you find it.

If you are a mom, particularly a single mom, and having trouble getting by, you would really enjoy this book, so good! Sandy lives in a one bedroom, very tiny apartment in New York, she has a young daughter and just manages to scrape by on what she earns working for a magazine and funds she received when her mom passed, though it's not easy. The father of the baby, Justin, is afraid of commitment, he talks about eventually moving in, but always backs out, he lives with his mom and doesn't have to do anything, why would he give that up. Sandy ends up stalking Justin on social media and finds the other woman she suspects he's been seeing, and with whom he also has a child. She accidently hits follow and the other woman, Stefanie, messages her and says we should get together. They do and become friends, both have had similar issues with Justin, afraid to commit, ghosts them, sees other woman and denies it. After a rent hike, Sandy and Stephanie decide to find a place and move in together, something that should save them lots of money, there are of course issues with who's going to do what but all is resolved and things proceed mostly smoothly. They then are contacted by Kaya, another woman that Justin had dated, gotten pregnant and ghosted, they all soon decide that they should live together. Then Justin does something unexpected and the three band together to overcome it. Overall a really good book, so well written the pages just flew by. I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Random House for the ARC.

This was an easy read about the strength of three women who all get pregnant by the same man who does not stick around. the background on Justin (the sperm donor) was interesting but the bond of the three women really made the story come together. It is different from my normal reads but sometimes you need a change in genre.

This is a fun, delightful--sometimes tragic book! Justin is.a man who believes he is God's gift to women and will sleep with any of them once, get them pregnant and go on to his next conquest. Two of them--Sandy and Steph--meet, bond over their kids, and learn Justin is getting married! What follows is hilarious,--often cringe-worthy--as we see the power of women bonding over their friendships and love as they navigate motherhood.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a wonderful book. It demonstrates that a village can raise children and that a family can take many forms. In this lovely book three women who all have children fathered by the same scoundrel come together to create a loving environment for their children. At times I laughed out loud and at times I was moved to tears by the beauty of this story. The characters are so real I felt that I could reach into the pages and touch them.

This book is a real winner. Highly recommended.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

All the Mothers by Domenica Ruta is a single-moms-who-have-the-same-baby-daddy romp. Sandy meets Justin who is in a metal band (not a popular one) and finds herself pregnant after months of dating. The downside? Justin is into himself and his mom hung the moon. He doesn’t hold much interest in Sandy other than the sex. After giving birth, a few clues are dropped that this isn’t Justin’s first baby, so Sandy starts stalking his social media to find the “crazy and witchy” other mother. Enter Steph. Steph got pregnant with her now 8 year old daughter fresh out of high school. The two decide to meet to introduce the sister and a different sisterhood emerges in their friendship and support for each other. Eventually, they connect with Kaya who got into Justin’s phone and contacted them that she too was another mother (to be) of Justin’s kids.

Positives: Women empowering women! This is an easy to read story with strong female characters who recognize they don’t always make the right decisions, but have no problem acknowledging what they do. This book also exhibits the “it takes a village” concept in child rearing. There isn’t the jealousy and drama of women living together raising their family. They step in and hold the others together when life is handing them lemons. I would love a follow up book with these characters, maybe moving Ash into the main character role as she becomes a teenager.

Struggles: Justin gives ick factor. He doesn’t really financially support his children and is inconsistent in visitation because he’s all about pushing his music career. (Then use birth control, man!) Sandy’s friends end up being a bit of a disappointment when she announces her pregnancy due to their own issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on May 5, 2025. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #RandomHousePublishing #AlltheMothers #DomenicaRuta

I really enjoyed All The Mothers by Domenica Ruta. It was well written and well paced. I loved the stories of all the women. The characters were nicely developed. The introduction of Ash as nonbinary and the relationship between two of the mothers was realistic. It was not thrown in just because.
There were a few stories I hoped would have wrapped up a little better. One example was Tara. She was the mother from hell. I also think Justin should have been punished a little more severely. Total jerk.
Grab this novel for a well paced and enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.

The first third of this book is a slog, as it follows Sandy through failed relationships, then getting pregnant by a boyfriend that she's just okay with, and into trying to be a single mother. With a mother lost to cancer, a dad that's completely uninterested in her life and his grandchild and a passel of insincere, shallow sorority sisters serving as her friend network, Sandy doesn't really have any kind of support network. Then she meets Steph, a fellow baby mama of her ex, and while her life doesn't necessarily get easier, it gets better with the friendship of not only another single mother, but one who knows exactly what Sandy is dealing with in her relationship with Justin, who is a man-child who can't keep it in his pants and has commitment issues. Despite being completely different people, the two bond and move in together - and then find out that Justin is channeling his inner Nick Cannon when another women reaches out to them because Justin has knocked her up too, and then bailed on her. Although the women have pretty lousy taste in men, they're pretty awesome women and Kaya becomes a part of their mom club. Between the three of them, they handle changing careers, a baby/toddler, a kid that's figuring out they're nonbinary and learning how to support them, and an extended stay in the NICU. Ruta does a great job of making them women that each have their own flaws, each have their own meltdowns, and each deal with their own insecurities, but all handling their situation with grace and aplomb. She regularly throws them curveballs they have to deal with, all the one that challenges them most of all is when Justin sues Sandy and Steph for custody of the children he's fathered with them, while yes, having knocked yet another woman up. I struggle a little bit with how much evidence the women have that Justin is not a good father that they don't seem to know how to utilize against him in a custody battle, but if that's probably the biggest gripe I have about this book. Ruta shows motherhood as unconventional, overwhelming and rewarding, and how important it is to have a support network that can help you when you need it, sincerely and without strings attached. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All the Mothers was really fun. First, we meet Sandy. Then Steph. And, last, Kaya. All three women have one thing in common: Justin as an ex-boyfriend and baby daddy. Sandy is just a few months postpartum when she realizes what a deadbeat Justin is. And then Justin’s mom, who Sandy just can’t get on her side, lets slip that Justin has another child. Sandy works to get the details and tracks down Steph. Sandy, Steph and Steph’s tweenage daughter all immediately hit it off. One thing leads to another and they all move in together. The house is palpably filled with love, fun, support and laughter. It’s easy to be delighted by the characters.

Some months later (and one complaint I have about this book is that time feels bizarre, the baby Rosie seems to age inordinately fast), they find out Justin’s newest ex-girlfriend, Kaya is pregnant. Sandy and Steph are determined to bring her into their fold… and, sort of hilariously, the three women move in together with their four children (Kaya has one from a previous relationship). Again, the amount of love and support is tremendous. It almost makes one wonder how you’d ever want to raise children without extra mothers around.

Justin does cause some drama for them. You know he can’t possibly win against these powerhouse matriarchs, but the drama is maddening (I especially love the way Justin is described in family court).

One other small criticism: the love story part didn’t ring true for me. I mean, this book isn’t particularly believable, but that pushed my credibility limit. It’s fun anyway.

Overall, this book is a hoot. Loved the characters. Enjoyed the story. Really fun writing. Highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Some favorite quotes:
“‘Well,’ Sandy says, ‘my mom had a saying for whenever I spiraled onto what-if island. Honey, we’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it.’”

“‘Fault? Sandy is the most amazing person I have ever met. She is strong, and loving, and loyal, and beautiful without Botox. You probably waited around for the Prince of Mediocrity to buy you that big fat blood diamond. You’re actually super hot, in a Lululemon cult kind of way, and somewhere in that park is a human potato in Hokas who probably thinks he settled for you. And now you have the audacity to act like you won a prize that Sandy lost?’”

“‘There is no doubt in my mind this Jesus kick is something Justin got into first.’
‘I can’t see Justin getting religious.’
‘Justin has a big Daddy-shaped hole in his heart,’
Steph explains. ‘Who’s better equipped to fill that than the Big Daddy in the sky?’”

“With always and never as their swords, they lock themselves into a fight no one can win.”

“‘Fight or flight is a false binary,’ Steph says. ‘For women, it’s more like fight, flight, or freeze and appease.’”

This novel didn't actually really get into the meat of the story until a good bit of the way through, but I didn't mind it because I felt like all of the background information was important. It really set Sandy's character development up and created a better understanding of who Josh is and how easy it was for these women to get pregnant by him and then end up alone.

I adored the exploration of the female friendship in this book and the idea of chosen family. It was so precious the way these women instantly connected over their similar situations and how even though none of it was 'ideal,' they made the best of what they had on their plates. They went though it together. Every laugh, every tear, every baby milestone - it was now a joint matter. They even argued and got on each other's nerves like a true family.

There were a few bits that I did not particularly enjoy. The formatting of the book, while not super important, wasn't my favorite. The way the paragraphs were laid out made it all feel a bit clunky to me and at first I struggled to read it simply because of that. But I enjoyed the content so I kept going, and it really wasn't a big deal. Just something that my brain struggled with.

And then somewhere in the middle of the book, Ashley (one of the kids) ended up being nonbinary and it was unsettling to me because she was only eight years old (or somewhere around there). I definitely think her dad/grandma forcing her to wear frilly dresses and act like a girly girl was sad but I also think an eight year old choosing their gender is a bit extreme. I know it can sound like a cliche that our brains aren't developed til we are 25, but truly - I think I'm a different person than I was pre-25. So feeling like you know who you are at eight years old and the people you look up to the most confirming, literally no questions asked, it feels like a slippery slope to me.

I did wish that two of the mothers had not fallen in love. I loved the close friendships so much and one turning into a relationship tainted it a bit for me and I felt like the third mother got pushed out. It just kind of changed the story a bit.

Overall, this book is a lovely depiction of the importance of friendship and about turning lemons into lemonade. I really enjoyed the journey of watching the kids grow up and watching the moms learn how to handle their griefs and become not only the best moms but the best versions of themselves. They don't need no man!!

Thank you to Domenica Ruta, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book!

My rating: 17+ - sexual situations, language, explorations of gender
Spice 🌶️ - 2/5

I was invited to read and review this book by the publisher and get an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley.

This is about three unmarried women who have children, fathered by the same man (Justin). Justin is a wannabe musician who lives with his mother. Enough said. He provides next to no financial support for his children.

Despite the difficult situation these women are in, this is not a sad story. Rather, the three women find each other and find strength to cope with the hands they were dealt. The tone of the book is surprisingly lighthearted. Everything about these women is nontraditional, but they support each other, survive and maintain their self-esteem.

A good story, a breezy read.

All The Mothers follows 3 young mothers who in so many ways may not have been friends but end up creating their own sisterhood of mothers. Domenica Ruta perfectly captures the multitude of extremely complicated feelings that come with motherhood and the life cycle of friendship that is intertwined with them.

I felt very seen in this book and appreciated the authenticity of the characters. The ending felt a bit rushed, but otherwise thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley and Domenica Ruta for the chance to read this ARC!