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Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash? by Kristen Bailey
Genre: Rom-Com | My Review Rating: ♥♥♥
308 Pages | Published: January 11, 2021 by Bookouture
Book Jacket Synopsis
It’s normal to wish that your baby came with a snooze button, right?
When I got pregnant, Will and I didn’t have a clue what we were signing up for. It turns out that there’s loads we weren’t warned about:
1) In the middle of the night you’ll be begging Siri for advice on getting your baby to sleep. (In case you’re wondering, whale music doesn’t work.)
2) If you make the mistake of going to a nightclub you’ll nod off, drool, and be woken up by an angry bouncer.
3) You’ll spend more time spooning your child’s cuddly donkey than your own boyfriend.
4) Communication with your other half will be via post-it notes on the fridge, mainly telling him to buy more milk.
5) Sex is something that happened in another dimension.
But even if I feel like I’m waiting for my motherhood powers to come in the post, at least I’ve got Will. Our old life – festivals, sambuca shots, an actual sex life – might be a distant memory, but we can get through anything together, can’t we?
At least that’s what I thought until, one day, Will walked out on us… If I’m on my own (apart from Siri, obviously) can I do this whole parenting thing? Or I am destined to lose my sanity one sleepless night at a time?
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Apple | Kobo | Google
Favorite Quotes
- ‘What I mean is I haven’t got the hang of this parenthood thing either… I’ve got a new body, a new role in life, a new human. I want to love it all so much, but nothing is immediate, nothing is perfect. The flaws, the things we get wrong, the mistakes we make… they’re all part of the process – and Joe needs to see that.’
Review & Thoughts
Initial Thoughts: I realized this is the third book in a series but was happy to learn it can be read as a stand-alone if you haven’t read the first two books.
Themes, Elements & Review Notes: Themes of navigating through new parenthood and new experiences. Major theme of the importance of communication in relationships. Theme of the importance of family and support.
Format warning to alleviate confusion: I found the format of the chapter titles a little confusing at the beginning because I thought the year was referring to the time in the story rather than the year of the song title itself.
Review Note: The story was slower-paced than I was expecting for a rom-com, however it had some really fun situations and thoughtful perspective on parenthood and relationships.
In a Nutshell: Leisurely-paced rom-com about navigating parenthood and relationship woes. Tip: start with book one (Can I Give My Husband Back?) to enjoy the full Callaghan gang from the beginning!
Book Format & Source: Digital ARC via NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Any ARC editing errors noticed are assumed corrected prior to the final published copy release.
About Kristen Bailey
From Amazon Author Profile:
Mother-of-four, rum-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She used to write short fiction before her first two novels were published in 2016.
In 2019, she was long listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. HAS ANYONE SEEN MY SEX LIFE?, CAN I GIVE MY HUSBAND BACK? and DID MY LOVE LIFE SHRINK IN THE WASH? follow the Callaghan sisters and are a fresh take on modern life, love and family. Apparently, they’re funny but her husband likes to tell her different.
She lives in Hampshire, UK. She also is a whizz at world capitals and thinks pineapple belongs on pizza. Don’t fight her on this.
Find out more at:
Website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com
Twitter: @mrsbaileywrites
Facebook and Instagram: @kristenbaileywrites
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