Poppy and her friend Annalise are sick and tired of the special treatment some of the women at her job get, just because they have children.Why should they constantly get to leave work early, and have more flexible hours, simply because they chose to have kids? And what’s the deal with the local Facebook group MOP (Mums Online in Parramatta) that only allowed mothers to join? Why wasn’t there a local group that only allowed women who chose not to have kids as members? They couldn’t do anything about the former, but they could do something about the latter—and that’s how NOP (Non-Mums Online in Parramatta) came to be. It was a great place to vent amongst like-minded women, and everyone loved it—well, almost everyone. There’s a spy in there midst, and it isn’t long before their private rants are being shared with their rival group. As it turns out, the spy isn’t the only member of NOP who’s hiding something.
Social media is great for connecting like-minded people who are interested in a particular topic, hobby, or lifestyle choice. If you’ve been online for a while and take part in such things, you’ve likely run into message boards or Facebook groups that has an issue/issues with a rival group, whether you participate in the drama or not. I’ve seen it many times, myself, so the enmity between MOP and NOP in Those Other Women absolutely rang true.
Told in alternating parts mainly featuring the perspectives of Poppy (the group founder) and Annalise (her close friend and fellow group member), readers see the rivalry mostly from NOP’s side. What starts out as a group of non-mother’s venting to each other about the “special treatment” mothers receive spirals out of control with real life consequences.
The drama within the drama of the realization that there is a mole in NOP, and the distrust amongst members as they tried to pinpoint who betrayed them, was also realistically portrayed. Naturally, I tried to figure out who the mole was and (as usual) suspected the wrong person, but the true identity of the mole—and the reasoning behind it—was MUCH better than what I imagined it was going to be.
I can’t say anything about the ending, other than to say that I thought it fit perfectly and it left me with a smile on my face.
If you haven’t read this book yet, do give it a chance.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of William Morrow via Edelweiss.
Author: Nicola Moriarty
Title: Those Other Women
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Published: June 26, 2018 by William Morrow
Rating: 4 stars
About the Book
The author of The Fifth Letter takes a laser look at the uneasy relationships between women and the real-world ramifications of online conflicts and social media hostilities in this stunning domestic drama. A story of privilege, unspoken rivalries, and small acts of vengeance with huge repercussions sure to please fans of Sarah Jio and Ruth Ware.
Overwhelmed at the office and reeling from betrayals involving the people she loves, Poppy feels as if her world has tipped sideways. Maybe her colleague, Annalise, is right—Poppy needs to let loose and blow off some steam. What better way to vent than social media?
With Annalise, she creates an invitation-only Facebook group that quickly takes off. Suddenly, Poppy feels like she’s back in control—until someone begins leaking the group’s private posts and stirring up a nasty backlash, shattering her confidence.
Feeling judged by disapproving female colleagues and her own disappointed children, Frankie, too, is careening towards the breaking point. She also knows something shocking about her boss—sensitive knowledge that is tearing her apart.
As things begin to slide disastrously, dangerously out of control, carefully concealed secrets and lies are exposed with devastating consequences—forcing these women to face painful truths about their lives and the things they do to survive.
About the Author
NICOLA MORIARTY lives in Sydney’s northwest with her husband and two small (but remarkably strong-willed) daughters. She is the younger sister of bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Jaclyn Moriarty. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can’t seem to stop.
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