The UK’s premier Instamum Isabella M Smugge has never met a hashtag she doesn’t like. And with her mother’s wedding to organise, blended families to negotiate and her long-awaited house renovation – all while potty training a toddler – there are plenty to choose from. What could possibly go wrong?

Our heroine is also beginning to wonder if something – or maybe even someone – could be missing from her single parent life. But what would the new and slightly improved Issy Smugge be looking for in a man?

As she navigates playground politics, freestyle praying and deepening friendships, Issy’s learning about life in a whole new way. But just as everything begins to look #perfect, her dastardly ex-husband arrives with a shocking idea…

‘The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge’ is the fourth book in the series from British-based author, Ruth Leigh. We join Issy for another year in her adopted village as her brand remains on-message. As with the previous books, the chapters are divided into months, with each one devoted to a mixture of minutiae and major life events.

Issy remain the country’s premier ‘mumfluencer’ with her practical parenting and lifestyle advice being eagerly gobbled up by the masses. She is still viewing the world through a materialistic prism, however, as she matures, Issy is starting to question her direction. This doesn’t sit well with her agent whose life revolves around social media traffic stats and paid partnerships. Will Issy continue to pander to public demand or will she risk her popularity by prioritising her children’s privacy?

This is another tongue-in-cheek outing for Issy Smugge. The character list can be divided into family, friends, tolerable frenemies and outright enemies with her estranged husband getting a category all of his own. I won’t pretend that I was able to keep up with the ever-growing cast list but the flow of the story isn’t dependent on identifying everyone. I’m sure there won’t be a parent or grandparent who doesn’t relate to some of the incidents Issy experiences with her toddler, Milo. The hierarchical dynamics amongst the parents on the school playground at pick-up times will also resonate.

There are deeper undertones as Issy continues her faith journey, along with a realignment of her priorities and unexpected allegiances. The last chapter gives a hint that there could be more to come. Whilst there is the danger that the formula might become stale, I’m sure a lot of readers will welcome the thought of another dip into the life of Isabella M Smugge.

Ruth Leigh is a skilled writer and I congratulate her on finding sufficient material to produce another engaging book which drips with humour and sarcasm but equally, delivers thoughtful insights into the everyday struggles of life. Objectively, I’m happy to award five stars.

Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer who lives in beautiful East Suffolk along with three children, one husband, a kitten, two budgies, six chickens and two quail.

She’s been writing content and blogs for charities and small Suffolk businesses for the last thirteen years and loves adding value with words. She published her first novel, The Diary of Isabella M Smugge, in February 2021.

Ruth learned to read aged four and hasn’t stopped since. Her first piece of fiction was produced on sugar paper and written with crayons back in Class Three at primary school. She was surprised and pleased to be given a gold star for it and has hoped for more of the same ever since.

Ruth’s freelance clients include several Christian charities, a radio station, a florist, an estate agent and a trainer. There’s nothing she likes better than taking some raw data and turning it into a polished piece of prose. Her favourite ever compliment from a client is this. “You can throw Ruth a few bones and she’ll produce a delicious bowl of soup.”