The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood

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PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Saturday_Night_Sauvignon_Sisterhood_-_Gill_Sims.pdf, The_Saturday_Night_Sauvignon_Sisterhood_-_Gill_Sims.epub From the outside, Claire’s life is practically perfect, married, with a great job and 2 children, what more could she ask for? Unfortunately, life isn’t that perfect, her marriage is rather stale and then she discovers that her husband and best friend have had an affair! What hurts more the loss of a husband or the loss of a life-long best friend? Where does Claire go now? What does she do? Are you having wine, Mum? You know you’re not supposed to have wine every night. We did about alcohol units at school. That’s quite a big glass of wine, how many units do you think are in it?’

Then Claire’s life goes into meltdown when she accidentally discovers that Andrew is having an affair with her best friend, Emily. They separate and she realises that she needs to find a new circle of friends given most of the couples she used to socialise with are uncomfortable with her single status. When fate intervenes and Claire realises she's stopped being a person in her own right, she is then in the predicament of how do adults make friends. This leads to some funny situations and some extremely strange characters. I appreciated the fact that the author didn't tie everything up at the end with a nice tidy bow, life doesn't always have a perfect happy ending.Claire’s family has gone nuclear. Her precious moppets keep calling Childline when she feeds them broccoli, she’s utterly Ottolenghied out at weekends, and her darling husband is having an affair with her best friend. Having previously read the Why Mummy Drinks series, I was really looking forward to a relaxing, fun and relatable read that would take me away from the real world, and once again Gill Sims delivered. Enter the Sauvignon Sisterhood, a new set of friends brought together by a shared love of liquid therapy. Together they might just be able to convince Claire that, like a good bottle of red, life really can get better with age. Or at least there’s more to it than the joy of an M&S non-iron school uniform. I own, and have read, all of the ‘Why Mummy…’ books by Gill Sims, enjoying some more than others. I originally made the mistake of thinking this was a part of the series, but it is a stand-alone story, although this was an easy mistake to make due to the glaring similarities. The author uses near-identical storylines - marriage break up, woman navigating her way through life after suddenly becoming a single mother, LOTS of alcohol being consumed… also the same language is used throughout, e.g. calling children ‘moppets’.

I am pleased to say that Gill Sims did not disappoint! The tears of laughter were falling by then end of the first chapter and there were many more moments after. The way Gill Sims captures not just the parenting moments but life as a female and the tangled friendships is pure perfection. The delivery was sublime and by the end I felt like one of the Saturday night Sauvignon sisterhood.The characters within this book are primarily relatable, and there is someone for everyone. (They did remember me of a few in my social circle - but they will remain anonymous to protect the guilty!) Overall, I totally loved it this effervescent celebration of friendship between women. The language is a bit earthy though that’s very much Sims’ style. Are you having wine, Mum? You know you're not supposed to have wine every night. We did about alcohol units at school. That's quite a big glass of wine, how many units do you think are in it?' Firstly I must admit that I don't have children so can only imagine what bringing young children up is like. The scenes involving the children are actually the funniest parts of the book and I was laughing out loud from the first chapter. Having been a teacher for 35 years I've heard the refrain that "it's against my human rights" a number of times so for Claire to have this thrown at her repeatedly from her own children was hilarious. The Gill Sim's series of Why Mummy.... books have been on my radar for a while but I've never quite gotten around to reading them, therefore when I got the opportunity to read The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood I leapt at the chance.

I am a massive fan of Gill Sims, so I was over the moon when I was allowed to review 'The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood'. Admittingly, despite my enthusiasm, I was a little worried that this new book and many characters wouldn't be as entertaining as the 'Why Mummy' series...but oh my, was I wrong!I give it 4/5 as I felt that we spent a long time in the book before the Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood is formed and I'd liked to have discovered more about the other women, as well as Claire's new man. An enjoyable read though, but be prepared for a few potential triggers relating to cheating partners and unexpected death. Through a series of days out and trying new things these women provide us with much hilarity but there were also moments of emotion where you saw the bond that they had all formed. It was also refreshing to see many different forms of motherhood, relationship status and stages of life. This wasn’t a book about divorced women coming together to hate all men, this was female solidarity at its best and showed what it meant to be a part of a true sisterhood. I’ve read all of the Why Mummy Drinks series, and been in the audience for one of Gill Sims’s shows, so I was really excited to be granted my wish for a copy of this latest offering, courtesy of NetGalley and Harper Collins.

Overall, I found the book an easy, pleasurable read, however it may have been more enjoyable if the author had made a more obvious attempt to distance this from her other books, seeing as it was supposed to be a stand-alone. Although, contrary to this, I did enjoy the crossover with Louisa, from the ‘Why Mummy…’ books, even if it was a tad too vulgar for my liking! Enter the Sauvignon Sisterhood, a new set of friends brought together by a shared love of liquid therapy. Together they might just be able to convince Claire that, like a good bottle of red, life really can get better with age. Or at least there's more to it than the joy of an M&S non-iron school uniform. I’d recommend this book to all exhausted mums and dads and for everyone who wants a light hearted read to make you giggle.As a big fan of Gill Sims "Why Mummy..." series, I was eager to read this one and although its still got the same elements of humour that I suspect only a mum in the UK will completely understand, it is a deviation from the series. There were plenty of laughs and satirical digs at modern life, along with heart warming moments and yes, a few of the heartbreaking kind as well. As expected the story is full of laugh out loud moments though there is also a degree of drama given that Claire has to not only confront a double betrayal but also establish a new life for herself and her children. The author had dealt with sooo many emotions in her book, there was betrayal, grief, disappointment, so some of them really heavy, but the overwhelming humour and wit and the way she can cynically laugh over almost everything made the reading experience almost perfect. I actually loved the whole book, but I am still not sure about the thing she has done with Emily. Really not sure. It somehow did spoil the book for me as I'm not sure if it was necessary, to be honest.