Mean Moms

The back to school season is always such a whirlwind. We're settling into a fresh routine; I'm figuring out my new routes as chauffeur to my girls. There's excitement, tiredness, meltdowns and fun. All the things. I recently read a book that's quite fitting for this time of year, as it takes place at an elementary school, and spans the school year from Fall to Spring: Mean Moms.

Mean Moms is the third novel by Emma Rosenblum. I had read her first, Bad Summer People. Both novels center on... bad people. Of course in real life there is rarely that black and white distinction, good vs. evil. Most people have shades of grey. But true to its title, some of the characters in Mean Moms are just plain mean. In that respect I found the characters to be a bit flat. I crave dimension, and in that area, this book is lacking. In fact, some of the characters are so over the top, their actions so outrageous, I didn't buy the storyline. I like to get lost in a novel, have it seem so true it couldn't possibly be fiction. That is not the case with Mean Moms. That being said, certain characters are clearly based on actual people: Belle is based on Nell Diamond. Ava is based on Eva Chen. It feels a bit lazy, using these women's backgrounds in the book. The author barely changed their names or professions. Belle designs "The Dress" vs. "The Nap Dress." Ava works at Pinterest instead of Instagram. It downgrades the author's credibility, in my opinion.

Nonetheless, the novel is somewhat of a page turner. And while I had a lackluster reading experience, a couple of my friends recommended the book for a "fun" read. This novel does have its fans! Unfortunately I'm not one of them.

AES