Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
“The kind of book that's destined to be passed from friend to friend."—PopSugar
Two best friends say "I do" to living together, for better or worse, in this bold women's fiction novel from Alexa Martin.
Jude Andrews is famous. Well, at least on Instagram. Her brand is clean eating, good vibes, Pilates, and casually looking like a sun-kissed goddess. In real life, however, she’s a total disaster. She has a strained relationship with her fame-hungry mom and her latest bad decision emptied out her entire savings account.
Lauren Turner had a plan: graduate medical school and become the top surgeon in the country. But when she became unexpectedly pregnant, those plans changed. And when her fiancé left her, they changed again. Now navigating the new world of coparenting, mom groups, and dating, she decides to launch a mommy podcast with all the advice she wishes someone had given her.
Jude and Lauren don't have much in common, but maybe that's why they've been best friends since the third grade. Through ups and downs, they've been by each other's sides. But now? They’re broke, single, and do the only thing that makes sense—move in together, just like they talked about when they were teenagers. Except when they were younger, the plan didn't include a five-year-old daughter and more baggage than their new townhouse can hold.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Martin (Snapped) delivers a genuine if sometimes tedious story of female friendship and a child custody battle. Black single mom Lauren Turner and her five-year-old daughter, Adelaide, move in with Lauren's white best friend, feisty influencer Jude Andrews. Lauren tried and failed for years to get Adelaide's father, Ben, to show an interest in their child, and is shocked when Ben serves her with papers demanding full custody. Though she's a doting, loving mom, it becomes clear that Ben will be cutthroat in his pursuit. In order to establish proof of Lauren's stellar parenting skills, she and Jude partner up on a new parenting podcast that becomes a hit. Off the show, both women contend with their difficult mothers: Lauren's mom is judgmental and withering, while Jude's reality TV star mom is a narcissist. Jude, meanwhile, has trouble opening up to Lauren and drinks too much, which becomes a problem for Lauren's custody issues and for the podcast. While there are a few too many cutesy scenes dedicated to Adelaide and her precocious speech, Martin successfully conveys the work required to become an influencer, and deserves praise for smoothly dealing with issues of race, privilege, and alcohol abuse. Overall, Martin offers a fresh perspective on platonic love.
