Review: "Mum on the Run" by Fiona Gibson

Laura Swan is horrified when she realizes that she has promised her daughter that she would participate in the dreaded mum's run at her school. She's even more horrified when she falls flat on her face during said run in front of her husband, Jed, and his beautiful new coworker, Celeste. Determined not to let something similar happen again, Laura joins a local diet group and begins running in the park. She also keeps a close eye on her husband and his budding friendship with Celeste, all the while confused over her own feelings for her cute new running buddy, Danny. Will rediscovering her pre-motherhood self give her more than she bargained for?

Right from the first word I felt a certain kinship with Laura. Laura enjoys being a mum to her children, and she adores her husband, but she can't help but feel that she's been putting the needs of her family above her own for too long and as a result has been letting herself go. I think that every mother at some time has battled with similar feelings- where does the mum end and the woman begin? How much time for ourselves is too much time? Are we being selfish by taking time to take care of ourselves? Laura was a thoroughly lovable heroine. I cheered her, and her efforts to lose weight and feel better about herself, the entire way through.

While Laura's efforts to lose weight was one of the themes in Mum on the Run, it was not the only one. Fiona Gibson also examines marriage, motherhood, and the constant competition among other mothers in a light and humorous way. I had a lot of fun reading about Laura's advenutures, and at the same time I could relate to much of what she was going through. Throw in a whimsical cover and a fabulous ending and you have a book that you won't want to put down. I certainly didn't!

My thanks to HarperCollins UK for sending a review copy of this book.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Challenges: 2011 100+ Reading Challenge