Good Eggs

A Novel

By: Rebecca Hardiman

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, Gary Furlong, Siobhan Waring

Named a Best Feel-Good Book by The Washington Post

When a home aide arrives to assist a rambunctious family at a crossroads, simmering tensions boil over in this “witty, exuberant debut” (People) that is an “absolute delight from start to finish” (Sarah Haywood, New York Times best-selling author) perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

When Kevin Gogarty’s 83-year-old mother is caught shoplifting yet again, he has no choice but to hire a caretaker to keep an eye on her. Kevin, recently unemployed, is already at his wits’ end tending to a full house while his wife travels to exotic locales for work, leaving him solo with his sulky, misbehaved teenaged daughter. Into the Gogarty fray steps Sylvia, the upbeat home aide, who appears at first to be their saving grace - until she catapults the Gogarty clan into their greatest crisis yet.

“Bracing, hilarious, warm” (Judy Blundell, New York Times best-selling author), Good Eggs is an irresistibly charming study in self-determination, the notion that it’s never too late to start living, and the unique redemption that family, despite its maddening flaws, can offer.

©2021 Rebecca Hardiman. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Alana Kerr Collins, Gary Furlong, and Siobhan Waring each bring a unique range that enhances the heartfelt ties and comedic repartee of the Gogarty family. Kevin cares for a full house while his wife travels for work, so he's looking for some help. A new school for Kevin's angsty teen daughter, Aideen, and a home aide for his mother, Millie, seem like solutions but, instead, spark hilarious misadventures. Collins expresses Aideen's wrath at her family in harsh tones. Furlong is as great at portraying an exasperated father as he is at capturing sniveling children. Portraying Millie, Waring delivers a raspy timbre; when Millie attempts to fake senility, Waring switches to a girlish pitch." (AudioFile Magazine)

Entertaining

I enjoyed the vocabulary immensely. The description of the characters is spot on and very relatable. I frequently laughed out loud. Such a good release on a COVID-19 stress day.
Enjoy your family.

Thanks. I needed that.

What a delightful, sweet, fun book—a perfect read in these times of stress! Loved the characters, which are brought to live by these performers.

Eh.

Surprised by all the 5 star ratings. I found it just okay. It was cute and funny in some spots, silly in others. Many predictable cliches. I never got invested in the characters and it took me a long time to finish it. After pushing through, it. just. ended. Which was really annoying. I wouldn't recommend using a credit for it.

Funny story

The Irish accents took me awhile to get used to! Laughed out loud a few times…clever and funny!

Fun Listen

I enjoyed this a lot! Very funny. The characters are likable. Good story. Narration ok.

characters arhat make you smile from start To finish

This was a fantastic story. Enjoyed the wide range of characters and twist, and turns of the story.

Great characters and story.

I Enjoyed the journey with a family that has its warts buts its live, too.

Ut wasn't as live reaffirming as A Man Called Ove

it was a nice story but not life changing or one that I'd put on must trad list. I'd read more from this author.

Almost good.

Previous reviews compared this book to A Man Called Ove, a book I truly enjoyed. So I purchased Good Eggs and gave it a listen. I can’t claim to have hated the experience, because I did manage to hang on till the end. But no way does Good Eggs equal A Man Called Ove. Good Eggs offered some humor, pathos and character development. Unfortunately the family of main characters, for the most part, weren’t charming so much as dysfunctional to the point of being irritating. They weren’t very bright and continually suffered from the results of their own bad decisions. The worst characterization was the grandmother, who initially seemed well on her way to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, yet by the end became remarkably sharp and up to the challenge of a new relationship. I hung in there to find out what happened to the various characters only to be left disappointed. Some loose plot threads were either left dangling or were given unsatisfying, cursory conclusions. I did enjoy the Irish accents of the various narrators. Well done to them.

Highly recommend!

I loved each and every character and the narrators. Would love to see this as a movie.