Elizabeth Topp

I did this one as an audiobook and I think that was both a great way to enjoy it but also a slightly confusing one.

First, there are a lot of POV. The audiobook has different voices for each one, so that was helpful but it got really confusing, at times, to remember and figure out which POV I was with. Plus, the moms had some little things that made them unique but WOW, they had a lot that made them hard to distinguish.

It was also really awful to listen to each mom judge the one mom who is show more gone. It was hard - and just heartbreaking. Listening to Kara gape at the family from the building across the street, the others judge the mom when they themselves were struggle.

And I know this was the point of the story - the way they make their lives seems so put together, so perfect - when each of them had struggles and hard times, just like the mom who was gone. But, ugh, that did not make it easier to listen to it.

It was an okay story but I'm pretty glad I'm done.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

3.5 stars (rating shown may vary depending on whether site allows half star ratings)

This was one of my 2 Amazon First Reads picks for October 2020.

Anna (the main character) works part time as a personal assistant for the wealthy Von Bismarcks, where her job is to anticipate, fulfill every whim, and keep on top of quite a few things. Anna is also an aspiring artist and in a relationship with Adrian.

Given the sheer volume of work discussed in this book, I'm not quite sure how Anna does it show more only part-time. She and Julie must be really in sync to be able to both handle the same job with little overlap in their time together (which I believe is supposed to be one day a week but seems like more during the course of this novel).

Anna creates art with personal meaning to her--apparently doing a multimedia art. I forget how many years it's been since she finished her degree, but apparently she's not ever hooked up with a gallery to have a showing of her work. I'm not sure if that's for lack of trying or if she's just totally hooked on having Miranda Chung as her gallery and won't try elsewhere.

I'm not sure Anna and Adrian have what it takes to have a real relationship. It seems they both started out as idealists. Adrian was supposed to create apps that changed the world while Anna created art that did the same. When Adrian's discouraged that his app that was supposed to help those in need connect with food sources gets used by those who aren't needy and is ready for a change, he doesn't seem to discuss this change with Anna before he makes it. He just goes and interviews for the job and announces it to her. For her part, Anna doesn't seem to take too kindly to the change. His point that she hasn't asked him about his new job (apart from asking him if his coworkers would come to her private showing) is valid. Yet, he seems to walk out on her. Then, she walks out on him. It doesn't inspire confidence in me that they will make it through the hard times of a marriage. show less

#FirstLine - Park Avenue cooperatives announced their inverse relationship to reality first with the lobby's temperature.

I love this this book. It was a delight to be taken inside the world of the rich and enjoyed the human aspect of the book. We are all longing for the same things...friendship, love, connection, happiness; all of the things! It was just a really easy, fun quick read!

Sweet and fun. A darling beach read.