I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman

* * * * *

Squashed among a bus full of strangers, mother-daughter duo Jessica and Emily Burnstein watch their carefully mapped-out college tour devolve into a series of off-roading misadventures, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

Jessica and Emily Burnstein have very different ideas of how this college tour should go.

For Emily, it’s a preview of freedom, exploring the possibility of her new and more exciting future. Not that she’s sure she even wants to go to college, but let’s ignore that for now. And maybe the other kids on the tour will like her more than the ones at school. . . . They have to, right?

For Jessica, it’s a chance to bond with the daughter she seems to have lost. They used to be so close, but then Goldfish crackers and Play-Doh were no longer enough of a draw. She isn’t even sure if Emily likes her anymore. To be honest, Jessica isn’t sure she likes herself.

Together with a dozen strangers–and two familiar enemies–Jessica and Emily travel the East Coast, meeting up with family and old friends along the way. Surprises and secrets threaten their relationship and, in the end, change it forever.

Source: advance copy in exchange for an honest review

If there ever was a book that I needed to speak to me this summer it's this one! While it's not a revolutionary topic - that of mother-daughter relationships - it's brilliant and witty in displaying the harrowing minefields that come with said relationship. The story itself made me feel as if the author had shadowed me taking notes on all the ups and downs of my day. 

As a high-powered attorney Jessica's worked hard to make a good life for her and Emily. She's thrived in her career and enjoys mentoring other women to be as successful as she has been. However, as she's achieved so much professionally she's also lost touch with her daughter. Emily knows her mother loves her but feels she has to compete with her career to get her attention. She's also feeling a little lost at the moment not knowing exactly where she fits in especially with all this stress of choosing a college.

While Jessica and Emily had their occasional issues connecting, I found empathy for both of them. I felt solidarity with Jessica for all that she was trying to bridge that divide with Emily. Waxman is amazing at spacing and timing the dialogue. She'll have the mother-daughter duo either mirroring each other's thoughts or going in opposite directions with their way off assumptions about the other. It's comedic gold as it shows how much they in fact do have in common and think alike even if they're awkward in each other's company. They're essentially blundering their way through this trip, hashing out their quarrels while also dealing with new complications at work and school. This will make for a memorable trip indeed!

It's a special thing when a book strikes a chord with you and helps to make sense of those tumultuary moments. In my case it's been cathartic. Laughing along with Jessica and Emily, and also at myself while showing me things in a new light, I felt reassured that someone else gets it. Gaining new awareness was an unexpected and welcome benefit of reading this novel. There were a few times when I wished I could jump through the pages (or my Kindle, in this instance) and yell, "Me too, sister!" because wow, Waxman totally nailed all the jumbled up emotions, questions and insecurities that arise throughout the ever-changing dynamics between mothers and daughters. With clever dialogue and humour, IWTIWGE is entertaining summer reading, for sure!

~ Bel

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

* * * *

One single mom. One chaotic family. One quirky stranger. One irresistible love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You.

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your maths whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Maths Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages... maybe ever.

One Plus One is told from four POVs – Jess, Ed, Tanzie and Nicky. Entrepreneur Ed is in legal hell due to allegations of insider trading. Jess is a single mom, trying to make ends meet for her daughter and stepson by cleaning houses. Tanzie is a very gifted student and an incredible mathematician who has the opportunity to go to a swanky private school that would nurture her brain if only she can scrounge up the money for it. Nicky is her older half-brother who would love to see her escape their neighbourhood and public school where he’s often picked on and beaten up by the neighbourhood bully. The only connection that Jess has to Ed is that she cleans his house.  One day, as he’s driving he sees Jess and her family by the roadside talking to the police. Jess was pulled over (see she’s not supposed to be driving and that car she was driving was a bit of a disaster.) Ed jumps in to offer them a ride to Edinburgh so that Tanzie can make the maths competition. Jess accepts out of sheer desperation and lack of a better option. Ed does it for no other reason than to just do something good in his already messed up life.

It's hard not to love this story that’s paced so well allowing the characters to develop and open up. Everyone starts out with an idea about themselves, what they’ve done with their lives so far and how they fit into the scheme of things. Throughout the course of the book, each character’s perspective is altered. Previous preconceptions are slowly stripped away as they learn about what the other’s reality is. Being with Jess’ family gives Ed a glimpse of what life’s like for a family on a very limited income. One particularly enlightening conversation takes place when Tanzie recounts a list of what a certain amount of money can buy them at the store. Ed is by no means a millionaire but he lives comfortably. The point of that conversation being that he doesn’t have to worry about money every day whereas Jess has to account for every bit of it daily, and choose between which bill takes precedence over the other. Same goes for Jess when she learns of the legal troubles he’s facing. Just goes to show you that you can’t make assumptions about people. Tanzie and Nicky are quieter, offering introspective but illuminating views of the world through their inner monologue.

This is a motley crew of awkward people who come together through fate or coincidence – whatever you’d like to call it. It’s a big risk for these strangers to trust one another and along the journey, they discover more about themselves as they do about each other. There are laughs, tears, ridiculous scenarios and also triumphant moments that’ll warm your heart. One Plus One made a fan out of me, so much so that I immediately bought Moyes’ other book, Me Before You as soon as I was done with it. I really enjoy her writing and how she allows her characters to tell their stories without feeling rushed. If you’re looking for an entertaining summer read that leaves you feeling very content, then add One Plus One to your list.

 ~ Bel

The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never #1) by J.A. Redmerski

* * * *

Recommended for ages 17 years+

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

I had one single thought as I began reading The Edge of Never, “why haven’t I read this sooner?”. I had bought the book almost a year ago. It sounded so appealing at the time but somehow life managed to get busy as usual and I got distracted by other shiny objects and this had to wait. There has to be something said for things coming about at the right time or place because this time around, there were no excuses to set this aside.

I think what I liked most about Camryn is that she spoke for those of us who have this sense of wanderlust. How many of us wish that we could just chuck aside adult responsibility a bit? I relished living vicariously through her as she decided one day to screw work and her mundane routine to head out on a bus to that mecca of awesomeness – Idaho.  I didn't see her as pessimistic or whiney. She needed to make drastic changes in her life because she knew she was restricted by her current circumstance.  Going away for a while allowed her that distance to think freely and just breath. Then Andrew gets on the bus at one of the stops and the contemplative, quiet bus ride becomes interesting.

One word to describe Camryn and Andrew together: electric. They’re sort of opposites-attract who are in similar places in their lives looking for freedom. After being in Camryn’s head for a few chapters, I was happy (and surprised because I wasn't expecting it) to read Andrew’s narrative because his take on her is so spot on. The fact that she finds him rather obnoxious in the beginning doesn't hurt their chemistry. In fact, there were a few times where I laughed out loud because they reminded me of me and my hubby – he likes to rile me up, tease me and mess with me just the way Andrew does with Camryn.  It’s no surprise that she eventually goes from sour to light-hearted when they eventually go off on their road trip.  As for Andrew, he’s just a dream. Looks aside, the guy is good-hearted and even looked out for Camryn (unbeknownst to her) before they got to know each other. He's a stud who carries no pretense or insecurities. He snaps her out of her funk. He wakes her up to new possibilities, encouraging her to let loose and throw caution to the wind every once in a while. He's not perfect and he's secretive about his problems so Camyrn gives him the space he needs. She's there for him as much as he is for her.  

In this day and age where everyone is skeptical and overtly cautious, I was happy to read about a couple taking a gigantic leap of faith. Traveling around the country with a stranger is not exactly the brightest thing to do but once again, being there at the right time and place, there was a reason these two were drawn together. The longer they're together chipping away at their exteriors, the deeper their affection grows. And that chemistry I mentioned earlier? WOW! Their intensity makes sense after their time together and how they've grown to feel about each other. That's not to say there weren't a few details that bothered me as their relationship intensified but still they're amazing together.

I say if you’re a romantic and love adventure, this is your book. Even with the few minor issues I had, the greatest joy I had was reading how Camryn and Andrew, through their own personal pain transform each other into better people. Oh and Redmerski provides us with a pretty stellar soundtrack for this road trip. I really liked it and I hope you do too!

~ Bel

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

* * * 1/2

From Simon & Schuster:

Emma and Peter are alike in a lot of ways. They are both lonely in a way that they really only mind once in a while. They both come from families that they don't quite understand. And they both feel like something big is missing from their lives. So this summer they are off to find something. For Emma, it is a grave, a grave that may be her only connection to her family. For Peter it is harder to define, but perhaps easier to navigate. It is a freedom, a sense of something more than what he has now. So off they go, searching for what we all search for; something to make sense of who they are where they come from.

 

If you are looking to read something at a relaxed pace then this is the book for you.

Emma Healey comes from a family of intellectuals that leaves her feeling so completely ordinary.  One day she accidentally discovers a birth certificate for her twin brother followed by a death certificate dated 2 days later.  In an instant, it all makes sense to her why she’s felt like the odd man out.  Now she’s determined to visit her brother’s grave to feel a connection to something, to someone. 

Peter Finnegan is the neighbor who has always wanted to be a part of Emma’s family.  Her parents have always welcomed him as one of their own which is in stark contrast to his relationship with his widower father.  Peter’s penchant for maps of all kinds and his aversion to anything sports-related only widens the distance between them.  Feeling stifled and misunderstood he dreams of leaving town and exploring the world with his maps in tow.

The opportunity comes when Emma calls him out of the blue to rescue her after her car breaks down on her way to North Carolina to visit her brother’s grave.  She invites Peter to join her and he seizes the chance to tag along.  The two sit comfortably in silence, lost in their own thoughts.  Peter never questions why Emma's motivation for going to North Carolina and Emma indulges Peter’s fascination with visiting all the old battlefields during their journey. 

Once they begin to open up, each one offers the other a perspective they haven’t considered in regards to their own circumstances.  Peter who feels his father has never understood him wishes that his dad would share memories of his mother with him.  Instead his father finds fault with his need to escape from their life and go to college elsewhere.  Emma tries to convince him that his dad loves him in his own way, “The thing about parents is that you always just assume they’re supposed to be good at their jobs, because they’re parents.  But they’re usually not.”  Being a parent myself, that sentiment resonated with me. 

Meanwhile, Emma feels betrayed that no one has ever told her about her dead twin brother.  She has felt that there was a missing piece all this time and blames her family for it.  Peter calls her on this pointing out that there have been plenty of times where she has enjoyed the advantages of being “different" from her siblings and parents.  As the journey moves forward, Emma learns more about her family and the impact her brother's death had on them.  There's a very moving scene with Emma and her older sister, Annie that narrows the gap between them.  

I really enjoyed reading about Emma and Peter - Peter especially.  He's so uniquely introspective that it's hard to imagine what Emma would have been like making the road trip on her own.  He helps draw her out of her shell.  Both of them come to some self-realization about their own flaws and mature into wise young individuals.  They gain a new understanding of the people they love most and know that despite what they had believed before, they are certainly not alone.  

- Bel