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| I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman, pictured by Dream Pop! an IPA collaboration between Breakside Brewery (Portland, OR) and Pinthouse Pizza (a brewpub in Austin, TX). |
Title: I Was Told It Would Get Easier
Author: Abbi Waxman
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, paperback
Format: ARC, paperback
Published: June 16, 2020
Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is Waxman's more well known book - I've had it on my TBR for a while. It seems to have good ratings and so I went into this with pretty positive expectations.
I got this ARC from Berkley Publishing (via goodreads) for an honest review - thank you!
I got this ARC from Berkley Publishing (via goodreads) for an honest review - thank you!
Being a mother to an 11 year old going on 16 year old and a 1 year old, I get both sides of the raising kids experience Jessica talks about in the book. I can only imagine it'll get harder when she's actually 16 and then again when the younger one is 16. Fun, can't wait. :)
This story alternates between the POVs of Jessica, a lawyer who's going through some things at work, and her daughter, Emily, who's going through some things at school. We get Jessica's issue upfront, but it takes some time to get to Emily's. It was really interesting to see how they both reacted, sometimes very differently, to the same things or how one perceived the others reaction differently than how they intended it. Isn't that always how communicating with teenagers is? Tons of miscommunications, haha - I did really enjoy that aspect of it. It was cool to see and brought a lot of the situations together well.
So, we're following Jessica, who's just threatened to quit her job, and Emily, who's very concerned about something that has happened at school, as they go on a curated college tour trip. I've never heard of something like that, but google tells me it's an actual thing! I felt like it was probably just a rich kid thing, as the book suggests, but looks like kids could go with their school and it can be cheap? I have no idea if that's something I'll do with my kiddo OR if she's even interested in college, but who knows what the future holds.
In fact, that's one of the biggest things Jessica and Emily have arguments about throughout the book is that Emily isn't sure what she'll do at college or if she even wants to go. I totally get that though. It's tough knowing what you want to do (I mean, I'm 30 and still only sort of know) and asking a teenager to decide a thing for the rest of their life is pretty daunting. I think it's handled well here and the end result of that on-going conversation was really refreshing!
There's a small romantic subplot with Emily and one of the boys that's also on the tour, but nothing for Jessica, which was relieving. This was very much a story about a mother and daughter reconnecting and about making your own choices about your future. It was a lovely and quick read that I'd recommend if you're looking for something pretty light during these heavy times.
Support local and indie booksellers by pre-ordering (or purchasing if you're reading this tomorrow) on Bookshop here! (this is an affiliate link!)
This story alternates between the POVs of Jessica, a lawyer who's going through some things at work, and her daughter, Emily, who's going through some things at school. We get Jessica's issue upfront, but it takes some time to get to Emily's. It was really interesting to see how they both reacted, sometimes very differently, to the same things or how one perceived the others reaction differently than how they intended it. Isn't that always how communicating with teenagers is? Tons of miscommunications, haha - I did really enjoy that aspect of it. It was cool to see and brought a lot of the situations together well.
So, we're following Jessica, who's just threatened to quit her job, and Emily, who's very concerned about something that has happened at school, as they go on a curated college tour trip. I've never heard of something like that, but google tells me it's an actual thing! I felt like it was probably just a rich kid thing, as the book suggests, but looks like kids could go with their school and it can be cheap? I have no idea if that's something I'll do with my kiddo OR if she's even interested in college, but who knows what the future holds.
In fact, that's one of the biggest things Jessica and Emily have arguments about throughout the book is that Emily isn't sure what she'll do at college or if she even wants to go. I totally get that though. It's tough knowing what you want to do (I mean, I'm 30 and still only sort of know) and asking a teenager to decide a thing for the rest of their life is pretty daunting. I think it's handled well here and the end result of that on-going conversation was really refreshing!
There's a small romantic subplot with Emily and one of the boys that's also on the tour, but nothing for Jessica, which was relieving. This was very much a story about a mother and daughter reconnecting and about making your own choices about your future. It was a lovely and quick read that I'd recommend if you're looking for something pretty light during these heavy times.
Support local and indie booksellers by pre-ordering (or purchasing if you're reading this tomorrow) on Bookshop here! (this is an affiliate link!)
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