Harare Review of Books

401 pp. July 15, 2025, Random House. Fiction.

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Here’s your book of the Northern Hemisphere summer! Bex and Lizzie were besties in college, but something happened that drove them apart. Now, fourteen years later, Bex, who’s become a momfluencer, reaches out to Lizzie (where else but on Instagram) seemingly just to connect, and also to invite Lizzie, now a reporter, to MomBomb, a momfluencer conference. But when Bex’s husband is killed on their farm on the first night of MomBomb, suspicion is cast on Bex, and it’s up to Lizzie to work through her own doubts about Bex and find out if her former best friend is capable of such a heinous crime.

I’m always up for a good read, and this one was unexpectedly great. Jo Piazza writes so engagingly about these characters; she will make you care very much what happens to them. Also, although this is something of a thriller with quite brutal themes, it’s also frequently funny—not least because Piazza is writing about momfluencers, a very internet thing that would be hard to explain to anyone who isn’t terminally online (of which, who isn’t these days?).

I did enjoy how even while poking fun at the whole phenomenon (including that rather distressing subsection of it, tradwives), Piazza was respectful of what it means in this cultural moment for SAHMs (and one SAHD) to be building multimillion dollar businesses while navigating both the patriarchy and, often, society’s contempt. She does a great job showing just how much work and business savvy goes into it all, and I came away a fan of both momfluencers and the author herself.

Read at the beach, on the train, or while your baby’s sleeping. You may or may not work out who the murderer is fairly early on, but Piazza is so skilled that you’ll probably second-guess yourself anyway; no matter, as there are lots of other mysteries to keep you occupied. Even if you would normally (or think you would) be put off by the very idea of momfluencers (or even just the word/portmanteau), don’t worry! Piazza will convert you. Highly entertaining, and highly recommended: this one was great fun.

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