Diary of a Hapless Househusband by Sam Holden

Synopsis from back cover: When father-of-two Sam loses his job, he reluctantly agrees to stay at home while his wife returns to work. Secretly thinking this whole parenthood thing a breeze of leisurely jaunts to the park and occasionally attending a civilised play date or two, Sam quickly realises just what exactly it means to be a stay-at-home parent.

Inevitably, domestic mayhem ensues. Just trying to get out of the house without going to A&E is a feat, as is managing the children’s complicated play date schedule while fending off the unwelcome advances of Jodhpur Mum at the playground. And Sam’s foolproof 72-step Childcare Programme doesn’t seem remotely up to the task.

Desperate to get his life back on track, Sam seizes upon a variety of mad schemes, but just as things look like they’re beginning to fall into place, he makes a surprising discovery…

My thoughts: This book is hilarious! It is written in the form of Sam’s personal diary, and the crazy things that his kids get up to had me in stitches. I was laughing at things that really should not be funny, like the baby getting her hand stuck in the video player.

Towards the end I found that things started to take a weird turn. The ending was not unexpected, but I’m not sure I liked it.