THE YUMMY MUMMY

PR executive muddles her way through maternity leave.

Amy Crane used to be a take-charge kind of woman. She managed coveted accounts from her desk at a swank British public-relations agency and had steamy sex with her boyfriend, Joe. One wild night sans birth control changes everything. Now Amy’s got a new boss: her infant daughter Evie. And Evie is a demanding mistress. In an all-too-familiar plot development, poor sleep-deprived Amy can’t seem to get the hang of motherhood. She is sinking into the abyss of maternity leave, and her sex life is nonexistent. Joe’s mysterious behavior serves to exacerbate Amy’s delusions of inadequacy. She’s convinced that Joe’s getting action elsewhere, and she longs to get a grip on her out-of-control life. Amy’s crew of mom-friends from her childbirth class can’t provide any help—they’ve all resigned themselves to wearing matronly clothes and devoting their lives to their offspring. Amy can’t accept this lifestyle, and soon she connects with Alice, a yummy mummy. Alice has lost all her baby weight, has perfectly groomed eyebrows and gets plenty of sexual attention from men. Always one for a shopping spree and makeover project, Alice takes on “Project Amy” and sets about transforming her from a wallflower into a Victoria Beckham–style mom. Once Project Amy is underway, Joe becomes distraught, claiming he wants his familiar girlfriend back. As Amy experiences a sexual reawakening, jealousy rears its head. If Joe and Amy can’t stop bickering and start communicating, their family could disintegrate. Williams, a journalist living in London, takes on many conventional themes in her first stab at fiction. Though there are some clever and endearing moments between mother and child, the bulk of the book is as appealing as reheated leftovers.

Others have handled the “new mommy” story more capably.