Review: 'The Curvy Girls Baby Club' by Michele Gorman (2015)

Ellie is fresh back from her honeymoon and can’t wait to share her news with her best friends Katie and Jane. To everyone’s surprise, mother-of-two Jane has news of her own… The women are due a day apart, on December 25th and 26th, and Katie can’t wait to be an honorary aunt to the babies. 
But it’s hard to keep your sense of humor, not to mention your self-esteem, in the face of hemorrhoids and elasticated waistbands. Add a clingy mother-in-law, a career in cardiac arrest and a sex life that makes Mother Theresa look lusty, and soon their lives are as out of control as their bodies. 
As the co-founders of The Curvy Girls Club, where loving yourself is the only rule, will the friends be able to practice what they preach?
As I already mentioned on the blog last week, on the 20th of August Notting Hill Press released author Michele Gorman's latest work, 'The Curvy Girls Baby Club', which is indeed a sequel to Michele's wonderful novel 'The Curvy Girls Club' (click here to read my review). I've had the pleasure of reading several of Michele's books in the past, such as 'Perfect Girl' (click here to read my review) and 'Single in the City' (click here to read my review), and really liked every single one of them. I also thoroughly enjoyed 'The Curvy Girls Club', so definitely looked forward to picking up this novella sequel!
'The Curvy Girls Baby Club' is set not too long after where the 'The Curvy Girls Club' stopped. Ellie, Jane and Katie are still the best of friends who share everything with each other and support one another, through thick and thin. When Ellie comes back from her honeymoon she can't wait to tell her friends that she is pregnant. However, to all of their surprises, Jane has the same news to share with them and the two even share the same due date around Christmas. The Curvy Girls Club's focus suddenly switches to the trials and tribulations of being pregnant while also dealing with pushy mother-in-laws, career stress, and low self-esteem. Will the friends be able to get through it all, still sticking to their belief to always love yourself, no matter what?
'The Curvy Girls Baby Club' is a short novella (roughly 120 pages in print) and a really enjoyable quick read from author Michele Gorman. The story focuses on Ellie, Katie and Jane; 3 friends who helped start up the Curvy Girls Club (which you can read more about in the original novel to which this is the sequel). I loved being back with these characters, reading more about them and seeing what they were up to. The girls turn out to be pregnant at the same time, resulting in them going through the different stages of becoming a mother together. While the plotline is quite far-fetched, it did result in a lovely story so it didn't bother me and I decided to just see it as a big coincidence with a spoonful of luck!
Michele Gorman's writing style is really easy to get into and combined with short chapters this made for a very quick read. I definitely wouldn't have minded if this had been a full-length novel instead of a novella because I really enjoyed it. I do recommend reading the 'The Curvy Girls Club' before picking up this novella, just so you know what the characters have been through and how they got where they are at the start of the story. Overall, another wonderful read by Michele Gorman and an entertaining sequel to 'The Curvy Girls Club' which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.