Natural Disaster

Hardback Published on: 25/06/2026
Price: £16.99
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Synopsis

*As featured on BBC Radio 4 Front Row*
'Perfectly observed comedy ... almost every line is a zinger' DAILY MAIL, 27 best page turners for the summer 'A joy' STYLIST, BOOK OF THE MONTH
'Deeply relatable comedy' GUARDIAN, 70 brilliant books for the summer
'I really loved this book' Viv Groskop, BBC Radio 4 Front Row
'Hilarious, brilliant, utterly exhilarating' MONICA ALI
'Like Mrs Dalloway with Calpol . . . very, very funny' THE TIMES

For weeks, she has been saying it will be their special day. One last, perfect day with her children before she returns to work after maternity leave. What's the worst that can happen?

Unfolding across 24 hours, Natural Disaster is a novel about the absurd, frustrating, hilarious, precarious, bittersweet, sometimes astonishing challenge - literal, existential - of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a person for one single, entire day.

'An extremely funny book that's both perceptive and propulsive' ADAM KAY
'Funny, sad, tender'IRISH TIMES
'Fantastic' JESSIE BURTON
'Funny, moving . . . A powerful addition to the literature of surviving procreation' DIANA EVANS, GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE DAY
'Funny and relatable, it captures the overwhelming, absurd and quietly extraordinary reality of motherhood' WOMAN & HOME
'Funny, sharp unputdownable' NINA STIBBE
'Hilarious . . . brilliantly sharp' RED MAGAZINE
'I did not give Lisa Owens permission to look inside my very soul but she seems to have done it anyway. Smart, wise and real' CLAIRE LYNCH
'Captures the absurdity, tenderness and frazzle of modern motherhood with acute, painfully recognisable humour' iPaper, Best Books for June
'I absolutely loved it' LUCY DIAMOND
'Spiky wit and unsentimental pathos . . . I laughed out loud' DAILY MAIL
'Compulsive, agonising, and hilarious' CHRIS POWER
'Anyone who has raised children will feel deeply seen by this fully realised portrait of family life, identity and survival' WOMAN'S OWN
'The funniest novel I've read in years' CLAIRE POWELL
'Brilliant, hilarious, gut-punchingly truth-telling' EMILY ITAMI
'Thunderously good' NATHAN FILER
'A genuinely dazzling novel' DAVID WHITEHOUSE
'This is the book I've been waiting for ever since I had children. So propulsive I read it in a single sitting' MARIANNE LEVY
'Destined to become a classic' JESSICA STANLEY
'What a perfect depiction of early motherhood, womanhood, and love' OLIVIA POTTS
'I absolutely adored it.' EMMA HUGHES
'Generous, funny, heartbreaking and clever' LIZZY STEWART

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
  • ISBN: 9780349020235
  • Number of pages: 208
  • Dimensions: 218 x 132 x 22 mm
  • Weight: 330g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Natural Disaster
All too real
My children are all grown up now, so grown up that they don't live at home even and yet this narration of a single day juggling small children with disastr... READ MORE
Katy Wheatley
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Brilliant, witty and spot on
Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I loved this book! I read it in one sitting. Its about a mum on her last day of maternity leave and the “special day”... READ MORE
sarah johnson
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
The coal face of motherhood described
This is a difficult review for me to write as I felt I am too old to read about the coal face of motherhood, and times have changed so much since my time t... READ MORE
Elizabeth Cooper
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Four stars!
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens is a sharp, funny, and painfully relatable snapshot of one chaotic day in motherhood. Following a mother and her two sons... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review
Natural Disaster
When fantasy meets reality
A trip down memory lane for all mothers who spent nine months planning, shopping, and dreaming of forming that perfect mother–child bond. Reality hits when... READ MORE
Paula Sterling-stead
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A quick but fun read.
Natural Disaster occurs in one day following a mother as she tries to have a perfect day with her children before she goes back to work after her maternity... READ MORE
MISS C J Knowles
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A day to remember - the dilemmas of motherhood on the last day of maternity leave !
The last day of maternity leave was going to be special- a day of special memories with two young children...but things don't go to plan Set over a sing... READ MORE
Stephen - The Bookworm
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Very highly recommended!
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens A young mum is determined that the last day of her maternity leave will be perfect. Instead of preparing for her return t... READ MORE
Donna
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A day in the life of a young mother!
Brilliant depiction of the day in the life of a young mother, few can write about the ups and downs with quite so much empathy. It can be hilariously funny... READ MORE
tess lock
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
a very human story
A very human story of the joys and pitfalls of being a mother of 2 small children, and how impossible it is to achieve a perfect day with them however much... READ MORE
jean
Natural Disaster
How (not) to be a good mother
A young mum determines to spend the last day of her maternity leave having a wonderful time with her two young boys, rather than, as her friends suggest, t... READ MORE
Jackie Murrell
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A relatable, endearing read
Natural Disaster follows a mum’s last day of maternity leave. Not a great deal happens plot wise, which in my opinion is exactly why it works. Instead, it ... READ MORE
Caitlin
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Brutally honest tale of motherhood
I’m not a mother but then I’m also not an astronaut, a soldier or a spy and I can still appreciate stories about people who are. This one seems like a very... READ MORE
JosieG
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Flashes of recognition on every page
A young mum determines to spend the last day of her maternity leave having a wonderful time with her two young boys, rather than, as her friends suggest, t... READ MORE
Jackie Murrell
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Great for parents who understand the madness of under 6s!
Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I loved this book! I read it in one sitting. Its about a mum on her last day of maternity leave and the “special day” s... READ MORE
sarah johnson
Natural Disaster
Four stars!
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens is a sharp, funny, and painfully relatable snapshot of one chaotic day in motherhood. Following a mother and her two sons... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review
Natural Disaster
Very highly recommended
Natural Disaster by Lisa Owens A young mum is determined that the last day of her maternity leave will be perfect. Instead of preparing for her return t... READ MORE
Donna
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
The coal face of motherhood
is a difficult review for me to write as I felt I am too old to read about the coal face of motherhood, and times have changed so much since my time that I... READ MORE
Elizabeth Cooper
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A laugh out loud book
This book is totally relatable and I read it pretty much in one sitting. I have found myself thinking "at least I'm not wearing a frog onesie" several time... READ MORE
Mel Pretorius
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Interesting and funny
This is about a woman who is about to go back to work. She spends a lot of time over thinking things and lacked confidence in her own ability as a mother. ... READ MORE
Marcia Cyr
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Shockingly compelling, I could not look away.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I don't think I am the intended reader for this book but I found it compelling a... READ MORE
am/am/am
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Very funny story
This is a very funny story of a mother's last day looking after her 2 young children before returning to full time work. Billed as their special day, ... READ MORE
Ciaran McLarnon
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
A relatable read for new mums!
Natural Disaster follows a mum’s last day of maternity leave. Not a great deal happens plot wise, which in my opinion is exactly why it works. Instead, it... READ MORE
Caitlin
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
True to life story of motherhood, and it’s disasters
This book describes a Mum’s last day before she goes back to work with her two children and her attempts to make it memorable. She manages to fit a lot int... READ MORE
Caroline Pember
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Natural Disaster
Harrowing and hilarious, sometimes in the same sentence - a day in the life of a working mother
Thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for ARC. Warning - do not read this within a fortnight of abdominal surgery or possibly other surgery - my sides ... READ MORE
Pauline McGough
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.