There’s so much I loved about this novel: the structure, the independent yet flawed female characters, the exploration of each character’s relationship with their own and each other’s mothers and the gorgeous depiction of theatre rehearsals and performances that made me long to be an actor all over again.

Presumably her friendship with Dea, the aforementioned fellow mum, helps her to pull through, but it's a bit jarring when Cate rocks up in the epilogue with a SECOND child in tow. I’m sorry, but I don’t understand… Do women have any other purpose in life for Anna Hope besides being a mother ?The story of women not being able to have it all is one that has been told before but I found this to be more compelling than that. Ultimately, the novel’s message is a simple one: life is tough and we will often make mistakes and compromises, but we just do the best we can and try to be there for each other. At the beginning of the story, we find her preparing to try IVF for the third time and promising her husband Nathan that, whatever happens, this will be their final attempt.

The author doesn't show herself in even the tiniest way and so it was as though I wasn't reading at, but walking along the London streets with these women, lying in the park in the dusk, smoking in their flat with them. Mostly, I enjoyed reading it – the focus on female friendships was great, the story lines were all interesting and felt realistic. In London, Hannah and her academic husband Nathan have been trying to have a baby via IVF for years and are considering giving up, though Hannah is still desperate to become a mother.Rivals for the top place in their English Literature set, they became firm friends and remained so despite Cate winning a place at Oxford while Hannah found herself at Manchester.