Reviews

I did not want this book to end! I literally just finished listening and I’m hungry for more! I’m sad, I’m actually sad it ended! It is so hard to find a book that shares a story of very close female friendship that doesn’t have some stupid dollop of unnecessary drama or one character doing something so out of character just for drama. Lauren is put together and a single mom 24/7 to her adorable daughter Addy. She is also kind of a doormat who never sticks up for herself. Thankfully she has Jude who is always there to back her up, stick up for her, give her necessary pep talks, and unwavering love to both Lauren and Addy. Jude is also a HOT mess! Her father passed away and her mother had gone off the deep end as a washed up Real Housewife. She is toxic and emotionally abusive to Jude. While Jude tries (unsuccessfully) to hide her excessive drinking to deal with her mother’s antics Lauren is trying to cope with her ex swooping in and deciding her wants full custody of her child they share. The child has hasn’t had much to do with until his new wife (a true gem of this story!) comes into his life. Lauren fears losing her daughter and Jude fears being vulnerable with Lauren. This all comes to a head at a prominent play date where Jude is watching Addy while Lauren goes to a dream panel about their podcast. This book is believable. The custody story is frightfully believable. The very close friendship is believable. I have friends who are kind of a mess but would go to the end of the world for me and my kids and be my “sister wife” roommate if I needed it. Jude’s alcoholism and toxic relationships feel so real! The downfall of their relationship felt real and how it was managed afterwards felt real. Nothing felt gratuitous or overly done. It was so nice to have a book about friends that’s positive and ends positively. It also touches on racial struggles of a Black woman and how a White woman should listen to what her friend says about racial inequality. I really just love this book and I almost want to demand more!!

Content Warnings

lifewithmisskate's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

thepagelady's review

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4.0

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.

Thank you Berkley Books and netgalley for giving me the chance to read beautiful, heartwarming book!

This was such a beautiful story! It touches on so many things that myself and I'm sure a lot of you can relate too! It's touching story about motherhood, friendship, abuse, custody battle, alcoholism and so much more! Jude and Lauren find themselves in hard times, so they decide to move in together. But its not going to be like they thought it would be when they were teenagers. They each bring their own baggage. This is very different from the other books I have read by Alexa Martin but she did an absolutely amazing job with this book! I couldn't help liking this book! I look forward to read more books like this from Alexa Martin! Such a perfect book, beautifully written and much, much more!

vickie_lintz's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shandawarren's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

smalltownbookmom's review against another edition

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4.0

A highly entertaining and relatable story about two childhood best friends, single motherhood, female friendship, social media influencers and the power of finding and pursuing your dreams. Jude and Lauren have been best friends forever. Moving in together seems like a natural step for these super supportive friends who are always there for one another, especially when Lauren has to fight for custody of her five year old daughter. When the two start a podcast Lauren finds a passion she didn't know she was missing and a confidence she had lost being focused only on her daughter.

I loved the emphasis on women supporting women and the power of female friendship that transcended race. Highly recommended for fans of the Class mom series, or mom podcasters like Cat & Nat and the #imomsohard ladies. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced review copy!

CW: alcoholism, toxic mother-daughter relationships, mental health

shanay_reads's review

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5.0

Friendships, pop culture references, hilarious kids, and lots of drama. I absolutely loved everything about this book!
I love how it touched on the hardships of black woman, strong empowering woman and how being a mom is not easy but doesn't mean we love our kids any less. With a sprinkle of romance this was a perfect read!

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