Review: Moms' Night Out by Tricia Goyer

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Moms' Night Out is a novelization of the hilarious family comedy that celebrates real family life—where everything can go wrong and still turn out all right.

All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms’ night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours—what could go wrong?

Chronicling one night out gone awry, three harried moms, their husbands, a sister-in-law with a misplaced baby, a tattoo parlor owner, a motorcycle gang, and a bewildered cabbie all learn to embrace the beautiful mess called parenting. This book spotlights the unfulfilled expectations and serial self-doubts many moms feel . . . then reassures us that the key is raising kids in a loving home. Mom’s Night Out is an endearing, true-to-life comedy.

The MOMS’ NIGHT OUT film features Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Sean Astin (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle), Alex Kendrick (COURAGEOUS), Robert Amaya (COURAGEOUS), Andrea Logan White (REVELATION ROAD), Kevin Downes (COURAGEOUS), and platinum-selling country recording artist Trace Adkins (THE LINCOLN LAWYER).

MY TAKE:
Being a mom is harder than it looks.

In Moms' Night Out, three friends decide to have a girls' night out and leave their kids to their husbands. However, nothing goes according to plan and the night turns into one action-packed adventure they'll never forget.

If you're a mother who does most of the childcare by yourself, you'll definitely be able to relate to the women in this book. Allyson, the first character introduced, is somewhat neurotic and might possibly have a touch of OCD. She has three young children who she takes care of mostly by herself because her husband is always away on business. Izzy is Allyson's best friend. She has twins and a husband who doesn't believe he can take care of the kids on his own. Lastly, there's Sondra. She's the pastor's wife and the mother of a teenager.

Of the three girls, I guess my personality is somewhere in between Allyson's and Sondra's. I worry a lot but I'm more laidback than she is.

I don't know how realistic their adventure could possibly be, but the emotions, reactions and observations are something that I think most mothers will be able to identify with.

There was emphasis on God and the characters' relationships with Him, which didn't really bother me, but if you're the type who likes their chicklit religion-free, you might dislike some bits in this book.

For the most part, I didn't find the book particularly funny. Around page 110, though, I started to get curious about how the characters look, and since it helps me to imagine how they look like and remember them at all, I decided to watch the Moms' Night Out trailer online.

Having actors recite the lines made all the difference. The dialogue was pretty much exactly the same in the novel, but the actors' and actresses' inflections and expressions made it seem so much funnier. One thing's for sure. After reading the book, I'm certainly very interested in seeing the movie.

Thanks to NetGalley and B&H Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. It makes you appreciate being a mother.
2. The women are flawed and relatable.
3. The men are good husbands and role models.

THE BAD:

1. Some parts feel like they'd be funnier in the movie version. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

If there was only one reason to believe that evolution wasn't true, it was that moms only had two hands. 

READ IT IF:

1. You're a mother.
2. You feel overwhelmed.
3. You think being a mother is easy as pie. 

RATING:


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