Your rating:
"A breezy yet affecting read filled with struggle and hope."—PeopleA Good Day LA PickAmong fake Instagram pages, long-buried family secrets, and the horrors of middle school, one suburban mom searches to find herself. Alice Sullivan feels like she’s finally found her groove in middle age, but it only takes one moment for her perfectly curated life to unravel. On the same day she learns her daughter is struggling in second grade, a call from her son’s school accusing him of bullying throws Alice into a tailspin. When it comes to light that the incident is part of a new behavior pattern for her son, one complete with fake social media profiles with a lot of questionable content, Alice’s social standing is quickly eroded to one of “those moms” who can’t control her kids. Soon she’s facing the very judgement she was all too happy to dole out when she thought no one was looking (or when she thought her house wasn’t made of glass). Then her mother unloads a family secret she’s kept for more than thirty years, and Alice’s entire perception of herself is shattered. As her son’s new reputation polarizes her friendships and her family buzzes with the ramification of her mother’s choices, Alice realizes that she’s been too focused on measuring her success and happiness by everyone else's standards. Now, with all her shortcomings laid bare, she’ll have to figure out to whom to turn for help and decide who she really wants to be.
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
Looking for your next great read? Check out all my book reviews on MomAdvice and join our Patreon community for loads of bookish fun.
West's second novel will appeal to parents navigating the tween and teen years in the thick of the dumpster fire of social media.
This novel is told from alternate perspectives as the drama unfolds in a middle school.
Alice Sullivan thought she had hit her pace with her career and family. That's why it is so devastating to find out that her son has been bullying another boy at school.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, though, as she uncovers his fake Instagram account and his mean commentary to other students.
Her son's behavior isn't just destroying him and his classmates, though, because these difficulties begin to have a ripple effect on her own career and relationships.
Then, to top it off, her mom unleashes a bomb that changes Alice's life forever.
West does an excellent job sharing the trials and tribulations of parenting teens, especially the challenges of constant monitoring and the exhaustion that comes with protecting your children online.
I can honestly say that I loved this one just as much as her debut novel.