Today dear reader I am on the blog tour for M is for Mummy (Published 5 May 2022) By Katy Cox. A big thank you to the publishers Corvus for sending me a copy to read and review, always appreciated. Also to the lovely Anne for the invite to take part in the tour, you are a joy to work with and make being a part of this community wonderful.
M is for Mummy
Your family doesn't fit the mould. So what?
Lucy had it all: an exciting career, a rock-star husband, great friends, a size ten waist, and pelvic floor muscles that could crack a walnut. And then, she had kids.
Since giving birth to her second child, Lucy's life is totally unrecognisable. A 'flab-alanche' hangs over the top of her jeans, the romance in her marriage is officially dead and so is the career it took her years to build. Instead of playing the cello behind superstars at packed-out arenas, Lucy now spends most days mopping up broccoli vomit whilst listening to her four-year-old recite tedious facts about the gall bladder.
M is for Mummy is a frank and funny story about a unique family who don't quite fit in to any mould in society, and about a mother doing everything she can to help her extraordinary son find his place in an ordinary world.
About The Author
Katy Cox is a classically trained cellist who has performed with some of the music industry's biggest names including Michael Bublé, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, and Take That. After having her first child, her touring life was put on hold, and she started blogging as an alternative creative outlet. Her illustrated comedy blog Carry on Katy was born and was shortlisted for the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging award for two consecutive years. Katy is a mother of two autistic sons and lives in Wales with her husband. M is for Mummy is her first book.
My Review
The pressure to be the perfect mum and have it all is exhausting. You can't escape it, the endless feeds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram of 'perfect' mums having their sh*t together is overwhelming. Endless photos of clean houses with not a toy in sight, glamorous hair and make up on the school run with a Starbucks in hand and well-dressed children that behave and are well mannered. LIES! Oh the lies. As any real mum knows, that is all fake. Our houses are never tidy for long as they constantly look like a tornado has passed through. The school run is always a mad dash of messy hair accompanied by the latest set of panda eyes we earned from lack of sleep. And our children? Getting them out the door fully dressed with their shoes on the right feet is a big success, one that should always be celebrated. This is the real face of motherhood dear reader, this book tells it like it is. I LOVED every second!
There was a time when Lucy used to be playing the cello behind superstars at packed out arenas. A time where her and her husband Ed still had a sex life and she had a social life. But since she has had children, everything has changed. Now her days are filled with cleaning up puke from baby Jack and listening to facts about the gall bladder from her four year old Stanley. Life has become stale and she feels it is time she takes back control of her marriage, her career and to help Stanley find his place in this world as he is an extraordinary child.
From the moment I started reading I was laughing out loud, seriously. Cox doesn't hold back and writes with a glorious, refreshing sense of humour when it comes to parenting. From an amusing 'sexy' scene with a dishwasher and dirty pan to Lucy being gaffa taped into a size 6 corset while having her whole body sprayed in glitter, I couldn't stop laughing. I loved how real and honest this book is. Lucy doesn't shy away from the truth with how much her life has changed since she has had children. She calls her vagina The Predator and her gut a flabalanche. Nothing is the same after childbirth, nothing!
The struggles that Lucy faces with having a baby and a four year old who is autistic are extremely relatable to any parent who is going through the same experience. She has a lot of patience for Stanley and knows his triggers. He will say "Excuse me" instead of calling her "Mummy" and is very intelligent for his age. He can recite the alphabet backwards and tells her facts about the human body. There are many heart warming scenes where the bond between Lucy and Stanley brings a tear to your eye. She is a remarkable mother, a woman who goes above and beyond for her children. Lucy makes you feel less alone in any parenting struggles and inspires you to keep going as she often focuses on the good days over the bad. She reminds the reader that they are always worth it.
Lucy often feels guilty for wishing to focus on her career and misses her cello playing days. Her husband Ed is often off touring and playing his guitar behind the likes of Josh Groban on TV while she is at home making sure she serves Stanley his dinner correctly, otherwise all hell will break loose. I admired how Lucy doesn't pretend that everything is ok, she faces the tantrums, the meltdowns head on and deals with them. She gets on with it as her main and only focus is always her children. She is an inspiration to a lot of mothers and she doesn't even know it.
You grow attached to Lucy and by the end of the book see her as one of your friends. You cheer her on as she starts to get bookings again either solo or with her two friends Charlie and Jen, the Vixen Trio. She is more than ready to get back out there and remind her fingers that they are still highly skilled in playing some Mozart and not smearing Sudocrem on tiny bums. But her mind still wanders back to her family, her boys and it's touching to read. Away from the glitz and the glamour of working on fashion shows she comes home to a beautiful scene of her family, calm and peaceful and shows the reader that beauty is everywhere. Her family are everything to her. I melted at moments like this, it makes you realise what is important in life and pulls at your heartstrings. You can't help it as it is endearing to read.
Lucy also struggles with her body image since having children as all mothers do. Anyone who disagrees is in complete denial. Our bodies go through a lot, pregnancy, birth and then recovery. Of course they are going to change, it's only human, but it doesn't mean we have to like it. Lucy doesn't feel sexy or desired as she feels she has piled the weight on and looks more like a hippo then a sultry fox next to her vixen friends. With a little encouragement from her friends they all go bra shopping in hopes she will relight the fire with her husband. This results in a hilarious scene where her boobs are transported to her back. My stomach ached from my laughing as I can highly relate to such a mishap. Just another example of the side-splitting scenes that are featured in this book. Amazing!
I give M is for Mummy By Katy Cox a Five out of Five paw rating
My face still hurts from laughing. There are so many hilarious and might I add very detailed scenes in this book that will have you in hysterics. But there are also a lot of heartwarming moments that will have you in tears at the beauty of Lucy's relationships with her little family.
Cox shows how life isn't always perfect. Children will not tick every box or reach every milestone within a set time limit, they are kids. And each and every one will learn and do things to their own time. Not by a set of rules and list by a health visitor. That's not life. Life is messy and unpredictable. You learn to adapt and adjust and Cox shows the reader that, hey it's ok. You will figure it out in your own time, your own way. You have got this. Every parent needs this book in their life.
Don't forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below, enjoy!
Links
Buy a copy 
@MisforMummy
@CorvusBooks
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