Josie Brown (2)

OK, this was amusing in the sense of privileged mamas (and a papa) willing to do ANYTHING to get their spawn into THE MOST EXCLUSIVE playgroup. While they all claim they are doing it for the benefit of the kids, the kids are way too young to know or care.

Yes, getting kids into enclaves of more and more privilege is probably advantageous for them economically. Look at our current government: mostly dimwits, but PRIVILEGED and wealthy and powerful dimwits, who all went to the "right" schools show more and belong to the "right" clubs.

It's nice that some of the mamas can put their competitiveness aside and start to make friends with each other.

The book ended on a cliffhanger, and I expect the others will as well. There are at least 7, and this one was very short.

While amusing, I do not expect to continue reading the series. show less

Lyssa Harper lives in a beautiful community in suburbia. She's a stay at home mom who runs her kids around to their day to day activities and is on the neighborhood board. Her friends on the board are just like her in so many ways. They are the ladies who lunch. They do yoga every day. They have a coffeeshop where they meet daily. And they keep abreast of the gossip in the neighborhood. Oh boy do they keep abreast of the gossip! So when perfect Harry Wilder and his aloof, ice princess wife show more Denise split, these women know it almost before Harry does. Then Lyssa meets Harry at the park where their daughters are playing and Harry breaks down. Because Lyssa is a nice person, she decides to introduce Harry into her group, never guessing what a shallow, predatory group of women they are. Initially all goes well but as Harry faces a nasty, bitter divorce with custody of his kids at stake, the last thing he needs is to worry about the machinations of the neighborhood's ruling cabal. And he manages to offend and alientate all of them except Lyssa, who continues to lend a hand and an ear despite being ostracized herself.

As the tension between Harry and the women grows, Harry's oldest son starts to act out, his daughter regresses and his soon to be ex-wife throws low blow after low blow at him. Meanwhile, Lyssa is examining her own marriage and is troubled by what she sees. Her friendship with Harry growing and taking on an increased importance in her life, her friendship with the other wives waning, she takes stock of what in her childhood made her the way that she is, how that allowed to her marry Ted, what Ted really wants, and how she can find contentment in her life.

The reader guesses the ending of the book long before it comes and while the outcome is perfectly suited for a movie, it is perhaps a twist too far in terms of believability. On the other hand, it offers poetic justice and is a satisfying outcome for this fun and frothy beach read. Brown has drawn a convincing and accurate picture of the malaise that infects certain bits of suburbia from the former exec who runs the neighborhood board with an iron fist to the outrage that erupts when children are hurt (even just in the normal course of growing up). She has balanced the seeming frivolity of the stay at home mom's day with the frenzied activities and the masterful planning that is involved in running a family. Her main characters are sympathetic and likable. The plot clips along. And the subtle (and not so subtle) look at stagnant marriage offers a bit of food for thought throughout as Lyssa and Harry negotiate the minefield that is modern suburbia. I gulped this down in less than a day in between driving my kids hither, thither and yon and enjoyed the experience greatly. It is escapist and light and as satisfying as a cold drink by the pool. And from the way Harry is described, he can be my pool boy whenever he wants! show less

Humor, Suspense, and Sex Make Strange Bedfellows (Pun Intended)

The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook is the story of Donna Stone who is recruited by Acme, a front for the CIA, after her husband Carl is killed. Now the career housewife and mother of three can go after her husband’s killers, a shadowy group of freelance assassins known as the Quorum.

I admit to being intrigued by the subtitle of this book: “Murder. Suspense. Sex. And some handy household tips.” With a tagline like that, you show more can’t expect anything too serious, and it’s not. The story starts well, with a farfetched scene involving Donna on a mission and some decent humor. And it remains fast and light, being a tale you can finish in an afternoon or a couple of evenings.

But with the premise of homemaker turned assassin, I expected a focus on satire and humor, while the author went for suspense and sex. Unfortunately, that’s a difficult task. How do you make a mother who hands out housekeeping tips about killing, poisons, and cleaning up after a hit the protagonist of a suspenseful, romantic yarn? In this case, the task proved a bit too steep, as the humor wanes, the mystery is fairly transparent, and the reader is left wondering what to make of the sex embedded in a satire.

So, overall, for a light and easy, afternoon read with a touch of humor, The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook will fit the bill. Just don’t expect to become too engrossed in the suspense or the romance. show less

The Baby Planner is a wonderful novel for anyone who enjoys a great pregnancy story, or several. Taking the concept of a wedding planning and twisting it for prenatal crowd works well and leads to funny and emotional scenes.

Katie is a wonderfully full character. Longing for a baby, but married to man who refuses to impregnate her, Katie fills the void by helping other women get ready for their own children. Having no real life experience, beyond being an involved aunt, she starts her show more business and quickly finds a niche market that never knew it was waiting for her. Through Katie's work, readers will experience multiple pregnancy situations - all of which lead to surprising ends.

Katie's marriage was something else entirely. She loves her husband, but he refuses to have a child with her. Their relationship and Katie's various pleas and tactics to get what she desires most left me wondering not about her sanity, but about my own. Katie's actions drove me crazy. I was never on the same page as her. I wanted her to "accidentally" get pregnant. She respects her husband and believes she can rationally convince him. I want her to run away from him as fast as she can. She then decides it's a good time to have a condom malfunction. You can tell early on how the story is going to play out, but there are some great twists along the way.

The Baby Planner is unique and thought-provoking at times. Laughter and tears come easily and often. You may not always agree with Katie's decisions, but you'll care about her from the very first pages.The Baby Planner is the perfect next step for chick lit fans leaving singledom and entering babyville. show less