amandalorianxo's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked and throughly enjoyed this way more than I originally thought I would. This novel explores a mother /daughter relationship, through alternating povs (Jessica and Emily’s.) They plan on traveling the east coast through a pre paid college tour - their itinerary laid out in the novel. I liked how self aware both Jessica and Emily are when it comes to their personalities & their relationship with one another. It’s honest, vulnerable and just… real. Jessica isn’t afraid to admit her privilege and knows the path she wound up moving towards is not one we see often for single parents. Emily is a typical teenager but I do think her independent streak (sometimes a little too much) stems from the fact that while Jess was proving, it was mainly Emily responsibility to get her head in the game. We don’t see a lot of raw depiction of working mom’s and only children working through their emotions. I think a couple of plot lines could have been tightened or expanded but minus, it’s got a lot of funny dialogue and just genuine humor sprinkled throughout. P.S - Helen is one of my favorite supporting characters that the Burnstein ladies meet in New York.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
More...