The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me

ORIGINAL TITLE: Det bästa som har hänt mig

NUMBER OF PAGES: 225

ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: Bokförlaget Forum

GENRE: Fiction

For real estate agent Ermina, social media influencer Freddie and high-school teacher Sigrid, the roads leading up the happy ’plus’ sign on the pregnancy test have been very different. But now, here they are. Each one with a screaming baby, aching all over and a fumbling partner. Asking themselves the same question: Is it supposed to feel like this? Is this it?

Their mother’s support groups can’t seem to deliver anything other than smug tips about full-night sleeping patterns, how grateful they should all be and cute baby outfits, so when Ermina quite by accident runs into Freddie and Sigrid outside of the group, she sees her chance, and decides to form her own support group for the more likeminded mums.

Despite, or maybe because of, their differences, they soon become best friends, and help each other through post-natal depression, the harrowing fight against the lingering pregnancy weight, and equality fixated, yet strangely absent partners.

Together they realize that nothing ever is what is seems, and that even newly created mothers sometimes need to switch their espresso boosts for a glass of bubbly, and their baggy clothes for a glitzy dress.

Reviews

OPEN

"Schreiber dives right into the initial chaos that comes with forming a family, with an in many ways credible approach. Present is the entire spectrum of emotions, from indescribable happiness and laughter to darkness and forbidden feelings – just like in real life. The insight into the world of the blogger is particularly striking; a boring dinner can always be turned into a stylish image and a birth loaded with anxiety can one day become a beautiful story. A feel-good novel, but also a telling tale of our time."

Maria Näslund, Göteborgs-Posten

"Johanna Schreiber writes of all that is impossible, all that cannot be laughed at in recognition."

Lotta Olsson, Dagens Nyheter

"With this warm and true-to-life debut, Johanna Schreiber fills a gap in contemporary fiction."

Celia Svedhem, Nerikes Allehanda, VLT, Dalarnas Tidningar

"An engaging page-turner about modern parenthood, friendship and daring to let go of your Instagram facade."

Aftonbladet

"A really good feel-good read is a rare thing, but this book about becoming a mother is just that. The fact that it also comes with a proper dose of feel-bad doesn’t make it any worse."

Karin Skagerberg, Modern Psykologi

"Funny and sharp, warm and heartfelt. Scenes from a Marriage meets Younger, and it’s a match made in heaven. I hope we get to watch it as a film or TV series soon."

ELLE

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