Are We There Yet?
Mar 2021 · Penguin
5.0star
1 reviewreport
Ebook
352
Pages
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About this ebook
"A breezy yet affecting read filled with struggle and hope."—People
A Good Day LA Pick
Among 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.
A Good Day LA Pick
Among 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.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
DJ Sakata
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March 18, 2021
I wasn’t sure I was going to appreciate this book after finishing the first chapter, as the characters were not immediately likable, in fact, they were rather obnoxious. But the wryly-witty writing style pulled me in like a duck to water, and my curiosity was well and truly tripped. Ms. West is a divinely clever scribe and laced her tale with deliciously spiky humor, which was keenly insightful and at times cringe-worthily in realistically exposing our shallow tendencies, selfish inner musings, and common family foibles. Her characters were well fleshed out, extremely knowable, and lived and breathed as I read their storylines, which made me greatly appreciate the fact that I am not responsible for a tween or teen in this day and age. I’ll gladly be sticking to fur babies until I take my dirt nap.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Kathleen West is a veteran school teacher. She graduated with a degree in English from Macalester College and holds a master's degree in literacy education from the University of Minnesota. She lives in Minneapolis with her A+ human family and two B- dogs.
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