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A review by jenthelibrarian
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
4.0
Taking place in the 1970's, Mary Jane goes to be a nanny for a "respectable family" in her straight-laced mother's eyes. Little does her mother know what lies behind the walls of the Cone house. Whereas Mary Jane's mother and father are very strict, prim, and proper, Dr. Cone and his wife are free-loving, pot smoking, hippies who buck the status-quo at every turn. Their house is messy, chaotic, loud, and energetic. Mary Jane has never experienced a house like this before. Ideas like this before. Dr. Cone turns out not to be a medical doctor but a psychiatrist instead, and when he begins to treat a famous rock star for addiction, Mary Jane's world is rocked (literally) even more. It's a summer of change, coming of age, and revolution.
I absolutely loved the world and the character in this book. From the first chapter, I found myself falling in love with Mary Jane, Izzy, the Cones, and everyone. The writing is excellent, and even though there are chapters where not a lot happens, I still enjoyed it immensely because the writing is captivating and the characters are compelling.
The ending did have some flaws (deus ex machina), but it didn't take away from my thorough enjoyment of the story as a whole. As a side note, the audiobook was excellent, and without giving too much away, there is a fun surprise at the end of the audiobook to close out the story that you won't experience if you physically read it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Custom House Publishers, and Libro.fm for an advanced reader copy and an advanced listener copy of this fantastic book. Release date is May 11th, 2021. Make sure to mark your calendar for this one.
I absolutely loved the world and the character in this book. From the first chapter, I found myself falling in love with Mary Jane, Izzy, the Cones, and everyone. The writing is excellent, and even though there are chapters where not a lot happens, I still enjoyed it immensely because the writing is captivating and the characters are compelling.
The ending did have some flaws (deus ex machina), but it didn't take away from my thorough enjoyment of the story as a whole. As a side note, the audiobook was excellent, and without giving too much away, there is a fun surprise at the end of the audiobook to close out the story that you won't experience if you physically read it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Custom House Publishers, and Libro.fm for an advanced reader copy and an advanced listener copy of this fantastic book. Release date is May 11th, 2021. Make sure to mark your calendar for this one.