Julie's Review: Are We There Yet?

Author: Kathleen West
Series: None
Publication Date:  March 16, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Parenting in the social media age
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Summary: 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. ~amazon.com 

Review: I think we all can remember our Junior High days and agree while we all came out of them alive but not unscathed. In her Sophomore novel, Kathleen West examines what it's like to navigate Junior High as a parent and in the age of Social Media. Bascially, it's not easy. How much privacy do you give them? Do you install spying software on their phone? 

Alice is one of those characters that is proud of everything she can handle. She likes being someone to everyone. She loves thinking that she can do it all, until she really can't. Until it all comes down on her. When did her son turn into an asshole? When did he start acting out at school? Had she missed the signs? Also, how did she miss that her daughter was behind in her reading? It's like everything comes at her at the same time. Little does she know the biggest shock of all is coming from her mother. 

I don't want to give away the whole plot because I think you should read it yourself. It's an eye opening novel about Social Media, Peer Pressure both for kids and adults and dealing with friendships that have changed over the course of years. I loved that Alice's husband was there to support her and he really was her rock throughout the turmoil. It was up to Alice to decide how to navigate the waters and figure out what she wants to do and whom she wants to be. 

This book hasn't left my mind and has my kids looking at me weird when I ask them about their social media accounts and fake accounts. Even if you don't have kids, I think everyone can relate to some aspects of this novel. 

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Julie's Review: Minor Drama & Other Catastrophes

Author: Kathleen West
Series: None
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 384
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Helicopter parents with social media consequences make for a great novel
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Summary: When a devoted teacher comes under pressure for her progressive curriculum and a helicopter mom goes viral on social media, two women at odds with each other find themselves in similar predicaments, having to battle back from certain social ruin. Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of Anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family. Brought together by the sting of public humiliation, Isobel and Julia learn firsthand how entitlement and competition can go too far, thanks to a secret Facebook page created as an outlet for parent grievances. The Liston Heights High student body will need more than a strong sense of school spirit to move past these campus dramas in an engrossing debut novel that addresses parents behaving badly and teenagers speaking up, even against their own families. ~amazon.com

Review: You know Sports parents get a bad rap, but this book highlights that maybe just maybe Fine Arts parents are no better, they are just not filmed acting horribly.  What Ms. West does in this novel is show the reader how one moment can be exacerbated and get its wings via social media. It also highlights the dark versions of social media and how it really can destroy reputations and harm lives. 

Julia Abbott's life revolves her two kids, Tracy and Andrew much to their chagrin. She'll do anything to make sure that they are in position to take on the social circles of high school. She doesn't worry too much about Tracy but focuses more on Andrew and his theatre career. She's convinced that everything they've done during the summer will guarantee Andrew a plum role in the play. But Julia's not really good with things being out of her control and so she goes to the school to see the cast list before her son. What happens next is a situation that gets caught on film and it doesn't show Julia in the best light. It will also have far reaching after effects on each one of her family members. 

You then have Isobel Johnson who is a teacher of Literature that wants her students to think outside of the box but not all parents are happy about her methods. This has some major fallout for her as she fights for her job and fights for the way she wants to do her job. 

There are so many layers to this novel that I can't even begin to go into most of what makes me love this because I'll give key plot points away. Minor Drama & Other Catastrophes is so nuanced and covers a variety of different social issues without being preachy. The character development in this books is fantastic as is the way it is told from many different POV which all intersect is superb.

I highly anticipate the next novel from Ms. West. 

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