Clara Batten, aka hilarious TikTok sensation @rabatts, is every middle-class mother trying to entertain her kids and navigate the never-ending stream of school emails without neglecting the professional ambitions that make her tick.
In Gin and Phonics, Clara talks candidly about the ups, downs and sh*t-stained reality of trying to parent two small people and fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming an actress without losing her bl**dy mind. This is not a 'mum book', rather a sequence of comedic anecdotes and relatable vignettes from her increasingly bonkers life. Among other things, Clara wonders: WTF happened to teaching our kids to read using the actual alphabet? How do you carve a new career in your forties? Is a box of semi-permanent rose gold hair dye the best purchase you'll ever make? And is there a way of getting through a kid's birthday party without a triple-shot G&T? (Spoiler alert: no).
Funny and warm, Gin and Phonics is the antidote to Instagram-perfect motherhood we all need. Clara's self-deprecation and side-splitting musings remind us that we're not as dissimilar as we might think. Because we've all jumped into the wrong car after school drop-off. Wait, is that just me?