All the Other Mothers Hate Me

"The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit."

Florence Grimes is a thirty-one-year-old party girl who always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect. Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name, or risk losing Dylan forever.

The only problem? Florence has no useful skills, let alone investigative ones, and all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and Florence has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe…

Hilarious and twisted, propulsive and furious, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is the must-read book of 2025.
One of Brit & Co’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025

"Journalist Harman debuts with a funny, fast-paced blend of domestic thriller and social satire . . . Harman’s winning protagonist, page-turning plot, and delightfully irreverent tone will have readers clamoring for a sequel." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Harman creates a unique main character who experiences significant growth and moral life lessons along the way, which will have readers rooting for her triumph in the end. This thriller debut will add flair to libraries’ crime fiction sections." —Library Journal

"Sarah Harman has created a potent mix of mystery, laugh out loud humor, and one of the most indelibly matchless protagonists ever. I rooted for Florence, this hilarious, unreliable, party girl who will go to any lengths to protect her son. Put this at the top of your to be read list!" —Liv Constantine, New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish

"A sharply insightful page-turner, with an infectiously relatable and utterly human mother at the center of its fast moving plot, Sarah Harman’s All the Other Mothers Hate Me will have you up way past your bedtime puzzling through its brilliant twists and turns, while rooting for her every step of the way." —Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Like Mother, Like Daughter

"A biting, twisty, utter delight of a thriller with a refreshing and clever premise—what happens when the person who goes missing kind of deserved to go missing?" —Jessica Knoll, author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a twisty mystery, a shrewd send up of London's upper crust, and a hilarious, heartfelt story of a woman pushed to extremes to protect her only son. Like its protagonist Florence Grimes, this debut is truly one of a kind." —Caitlin Mullen, author of Please See Us

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a darkly funny, irresistibly suspenseful mystery, featuring a protagonist I loved spending time with. And this novel has voice for days." —Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant

"Florence is my new favorite agent of chaos—I loved her snarky-but-true observations, hilarious misadventures, and fierce love for her son. All The Other Mothers Hate Me is impossible to put down, and you’ll find yourself rooting hard for Florence as she navigates this uniquely twisty case of a missing boy." —Kristen Perrin, nationally bestselling author of How to Solve Your Own Murder

"Hilarious and poignant and absolutely unique—a perfectly crafted mystery with a voice that deserves a standing ovation. It's Bridget Jones meets Daisy JonesAll the Other Mothers Hate Me is​ completely irresistible, massively relatable, and somehow goes from laugh-out-loud clever to utterly heartbreaking while never losing the critical elements of a savvy and fast-paced plot.  Clear your schedules and call your friends—this will be the most buzzed about book of the year.​" —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The Other Woman

"All The Other Mothers Hate Me is all sass in a class of its own. An absolute riot with a razor sharp sense of humor and unyielding suspense, I laughed aloud on nearly every page, all while dying to know how it was going to shake out for my new favorite character.” —Rachel Koller Croft, author of We Love the Nightlife and Stone Cold Fox

"Delicious, wicked, and darkly funny, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a wild ride you wish would never end." —Sash Bischoff, author of Sweet Fury

"Harman’s debut begins with a pace so blistering and a voice so funny that you can’t help but wonder if she'll be able to sustain it throughout the entire novel. Reader: she does! This is the rarest kind of story: one that gets better with every page, that makes you laugh out loud, that keeps you up late at night, and that is full of heart and surprise. I adored All the Other Mothers Hate Me and can’t wait to press it into the hands of everyone I know. An absolute gem." —Katy Hays, author of The Cloisters

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is pure delight in book form. Sarah Harman masterfully blends humor, suspense, and social commentary. With a juicy look into upper class parenting, an exploration of motherhood, and a mystery that grabbed me from the opening pages, this novel stands on its own! Readers everywhere will be rooting for Florence from start to finish." —Saumya Dave, author of The Guilt Pill

"Everything about this book is unique and exciting, most especially the outrageous narrator. . . . Rich in satire, hugely funny, with a running wink-wink to the reader, this novel is pure comedic gold." —firstClue newsletter
© Faye Thomas
Sarah Harman is a recovering journalist living in London. As a broadcaster, she has over a decade of experience reporting on major breaking news stories around the globe, most recently as a foreign correspondent for NBC News, reporting for Today, Nightly News, and MSNBC. Her debut novel, All the Other Mothers Hate Me, won the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction in 2023. View titles by Sarah Harman

About

"The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit."

Florence Grimes is a thirty-one-year-old party girl who always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect. Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name, or risk losing Dylan forever.

The only problem? Florence has no useful skills, let alone investigative ones, and all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and Florence has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe…

Hilarious and twisted, propulsive and furious, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is the must-read book of 2025.

Reviews

One of Brit & Co’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025

"Journalist Harman debuts with a funny, fast-paced blend of domestic thriller and social satire . . . Harman’s winning protagonist, page-turning plot, and delightfully irreverent tone will have readers clamoring for a sequel." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Harman creates a unique main character who experiences significant growth and moral life lessons along the way, which will have readers rooting for her triumph in the end. This thriller debut will add flair to libraries’ crime fiction sections." —Library Journal

"Sarah Harman has created a potent mix of mystery, laugh out loud humor, and one of the most indelibly matchless protagonists ever. I rooted for Florence, this hilarious, unreliable, party girl who will go to any lengths to protect her son. Put this at the top of your to be read list!" —Liv Constantine, New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish

"A sharply insightful page-turner, with an infectiously relatable and utterly human mother at the center of its fast moving plot, Sarah Harman’s All the Other Mothers Hate Me will have you up way past your bedtime puzzling through its brilliant twists and turns, while rooting for her every step of the way." —Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Like Mother, Like Daughter

"A biting, twisty, utter delight of a thriller with a refreshing and clever premise—what happens when the person who goes missing kind of deserved to go missing?" —Jessica Knoll, author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a twisty mystery, a shrewd send up of London's upper crust, and a hilarious, heartfelt story of a woman pushed to extremes to protect her only son. Like its protagonist Florence Grimes, this debut is truly one of a kind." —Caitlin Mullen, author of Please See Us

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a darkly funny, irresistibly suspenseful mystery, featuring a protagonist I loved spending time with. And this novel has voice for days." —Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant

"Florence is my new favorite agent of chaos—I loved her snarky-but-true observations, hilarious misadventures, and fierce love for her son. All The Other Mothers Hate Me is impossible to put down, and you’ll find yourself rooting hard for Florence as she navigates this uniquely twisty case of a missing boy." —Kristen Perrin, nationally bestselling author of How to Solve Your Own Murder

"Hilarious and poignant and absolutely unique—a perfectly crafted mystery with a voice that deserves a standing ovation. It's Bridget Jones meets Daisy JonesAll the Other Mothers Hate Me is​ completely irresistible, massively relatable, and somehow goes from laugh-out-loud clever to utterly heartbreaking while never losing the critical elements of a savvy and fast-paced plot.  Clear your schedules and call your friends—this will be the most buzzed about book of the year.​" —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The Other Woman

"All The Other Mothers Hate Me is all sass in a class of its own. An absolute riot with a razor sharp sense of humor and unyielding suspense, I laughed aloud on nearly every page, all while dying to know how it was going to shake out for my new favorite character.” —Rachel Koller Croft, author of We Love the Nightlife and Stone Cold Fox

"Delicious, wicked, and darkly funny, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a wild ride you wish would never end." —Sash Bischoff, author of Sweet Fury

"Harman’s debut begins with a pace so blistering and a voice so funny that you can’t help but wonder if she'll be able to sustain it throughout the entire novel. Reader: she does! This is the rarest kind of story: one that gets better with every page, that makes you laugh out loud, that keeps you up late at night, and that is full of heart and surprise. I adored All the Other Mothers Hate Me and can’t wait to press it into the hands of everyone I know. An absolute gem." —Katy Hays, author of The Cloisters

"All the Other Mothers Hate Me is pure delight in book form. Sarah Harman masterfully blends humor, suspense, and social commentary. With a juicy look into upper class parenting, an exploration of motherhood, and a mystery that grabbed me from the opening pages, this novel stands on its own! Readers everywhere will be rooting for Florence from start to finish." —Saumya Dave, author of The Guilt Pill

"Everything about this book is unique and exciting, most especially the outrageous narrator. . . . Rich in satire, hugely funny, with a running wink-wink to the reader, this novel is pure comedic gold." —firstClue newsletter

Author

© Faye Thomas
Sarah Harman is a recovering journalist living in London. As a broadcaster, she has over a decade of experience reporting on major breaking news stories around the globe, most recently as a foreign correspondent for NBC News, reporting for Today, Nightly News, and MSNBC. Her debut novel, All the Other Mothers Hate Me, won the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction in 2023. View titles by Sarah Harman