Guest post from Talli Roland, along with review and giveaway of "The No-Kids Club"

Talli Roland has been a regular visitor at CLC since she first came onto the chick lit scene. Her books are charming and humorous. Since she practically needs no introduction these days, Melissa A. will be sharing her thoughts on The No-Kids Club and then Talli will be sharing how she came up with the idea, as well as giving away TWO print copies to some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

Review by Melissa Amster

At almost forty, Clare Donoghue is living child-free and loving it.

Then her boyfriend says he wants kids, breaking off their promising relationship. And it's not just boyfriends: one by one, her formerly carefree friends are swallowed up in a nonstop cycle of play dates and baby groups. So Clare decides it's time for people who don't have children to band together. And so the No-Kids Club is born.

As the group comes together--Anna, who's seeking something to jumpstart a stale marriage, and Poppy, desperate for a family but unable to conceive--Clare's hoping to make the most of the childless life with her new friends.

Will the No-Kids Club be Clare's route to happiness, or will the single life lose its sparkle? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Like all of Talli's novels, The No-Kids Club was cute and entertaining throughout. There were some warm and fuzzy moments, as well as humor. Talli created three characters who were relatable and sympathetic in different ways. I wasn't sure, however, if Anna's decision to not have kids was passive in order to go along with her husband's wishes or if she truly didn't want them either. I'd love to read a sequel focused mainly on her, while also following up with Clare and Poppy. Although the ending wrapped up too neatly and seemed cliché, Talli still makes her readers think twice before judging someone who doesn't have kids.

Of course, I cast the movie in my head...
Clare: Kate Beckinsale
Anna: Amy Nuttall
Poppy: Jenny Wade

Thanks to Amazon UK for the book in exchange for an honest review.

My Inspiration for The No-Kids Club

When I first had the idea for The No-Kids Club – about a group of women who form a club for people with a child-free life – I was firmly a member of the club myself. Approaching my late thirties, I was oblivious to any ticking clock or aging eggs, and the most maternal instinct I ever experienced was relief when a baby next to me stopped crying. Happily married with a great husband, I was busy enjoying life in one of the world’s greatest cities, along with building a career as a novelist. As I watched my friends morph into mothers, I could sense the unasked question: when would I become a mother, too?

My answer back then would have been ‘never’. I wasn’t against children per se, although I’d never been one to coo over babies. It was what they represented: continuous responsibility and constant demands. Basically, a life sentence of worry. Gradually, my formerly carefree friends’ Facebook pages changed from showing boozy nights out to early Sunday mornings with the little ones, and it became harder and harder to organize any kind of meet-up. Our lives were on two different paths, separated by the great divide: offspring.

I have to admit, I did once wonder what parents did all day. Why couldn’t my friends meet me for lunch? Surely their toddlers could be jammed into a highchair for an hour without crying! And for goodness sake, couldn’t that baby wait an hour for its nap? The world wouldn’t end if it didn’t sleep on time, would it?

Now that I’m on the other side – a member of the Kids Club, with an eighteen-month-old in tow – I cringe at my former attitude. But the truth is, until you have children, you can’t comprehend what a huge life adjustment it really is. Yes, it’s hard, often tedious, and anxiety-inducing, but nothing prepares you for how much you love this little human being.

Having been on both sides of the chasm, I do wish there was more understanding between the two camps. Often, women who have kids are seen as succumbing to societal pressure, while those that don’t are labeled selfish...vastly unfair and hurtful if someone can’t have children. The differing and often judgmental attitudes between these two groups inspired me to write The No-Kids Club. While my infant son napped, I detailed the journeys of three women, each of whom didn’t have kids for their own reasons. While the novel is obviously about children, it’s also about acceptance and making the choice that is right for you and your relationship.

I’m not a member of The No-Kids Club anymore, but I respect those who are...and I hope my honorary membership is still valid!

Special thanks to Talli for visiting with us and sharing her latest novel with our readers!

Talli Roland was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. By age 13, she’d finished her first novel and received very encouraging rejections from publishers. Talli put writing on hold to focus on athletics, achieving provincial records and becoming a Canadian university champion in the 4 × 400 meter relay. After getting her BA, she turned to writing again, earning a Masters in Journalism. A few years later, she left Canada behind and settled in London, where she now lives with her husband and their young son.

Talli writes bittersweet and witty contemporary women’s fiction.

Her debut novel, THE HATING GAME (reviewed here), was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, and her second, WATCHING WILLOW WATTS (reviewed here), was selected as an Amazon Customer Favourite. 

Talli can be found at her website, blog, Facebook and Twitter.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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Open worldwide. Giveaway ends June 30th at midnight EST.