I Was Told It Would Get Easier

April 15, 2020
Jessica Burnstein, 45 and "full of optimism," accompanies her daughter, Emily, "stressed beyond belief," on a weeklong bus tour of top-notch colleges. Jessica, a lawyer and single mother, wants the best for Emily, which includes getting her into a top college. She purchased a pricy package deal to tour big-name colleges up the East Coast from Georgetown to Columbia--hotels and trips to famous sites are all included in the price, as is the inevitable discord. Emily doesn't know what she wants; her mother does! Let the clash begin! Emily does the teenage thing, pushing her mother away; Jessica does the parent thing, managing her emotions without drowning in them. The college tour is the river the story meanders on, complete with a peppy tour guide, hectic schedule, anxious parents, annoyed kids, and a visit from the FBI. Then there's the undercurrent of Jessica's job issues and Emily's troubles back at school in Los Angeles, neither of which mother or daughter has shared with the other. So there will be a reveal, but the meandering pace dissipates much of the tension by the time that happens. The story culminates in a slow whirlpool when the FBI interrupts the tour group, bringing Emily's hidden secrets to the fore. The river eventually flows into the ocean, an understated ending for a tale that promises more than it delivers. Waxman fans may find that this isn't her best, but her witty, ironic voice makes it worth the read.

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April 27, 2020
Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) expertly navigates the fraught shoals of college admissions in this spot-on tale of an ambitious mother and daughter. A hard-driving Los Angeles lawyer and single mother, Jessica Burnstein determines to get her delightfully acerbic teenage daughter, Emily, into a prestigious college and signs on for a guided tour of top schools with Excelsior Educational Excursions, a consulting firm relied upon by those in Jessica’s peer group who seem to “enjoy ostentatiously subcontracting their parenting” by “E3ing the whole thing.” As Jessica, Emily, and a group of seriously smart kids and their intense parents tour prestigious East Coast campuses, a cheating scandal erupts, with Emily, who all along hints at something that would kill her admission chances, at its epicenter. By the end, the FBI investigates, the culprits are charged, and the innocent are vindicated. Waxman’s alternating first-person narration from Jessica and Emily rings true, while a memorable supporting cast—ultra-driven students; mean-girl moms; a way-too-perky counselor, Cassidy, from E3—provide excellent support, especially when Cassidy’s unintentionally hilarious but deeply resonating final scene is played out. This sweet treat doesn’t require a college-bound child to enjoy, though anyone who has helped their offspring weather the admissions process will definitely appreciate this sharp send-up.

April 15, 2020
The author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (2019) is back with another novel full of heart and giggles. Single parent and busy lawyer Jessica Burnstein hopes a bus tour of colleges with her daughter, Emily, will bring them closer. She misses the years when Emily talked to her about everything. Sixteen-year-old Emily now has enough on her mind without constantly being asked where she wants to go to school and what she'll study. The pair set off, surrounded by an overly cheerful tour guide, a Momzilla willing to do anything to get her daughter into the best school, and a hot dad with an equally hot son. Jessica and Emily find they may not have grown so far apart, after all. Narration alternates between Jessica and Emily, garnering sympathy on both sides and illustrating the classic adage, two sides to every story. Waxman shines at creating characters that feel like best friends, inspiring compassion, laughs, and cheers, and fans of Katherine Center and Linda Holmes' Evvie Drake Starts Over (2019) will adore this.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 5, 2020

Fortysomething lawyer and single mom Jessica Burnstein and her teenage daughter, Emily, take breaks from work and school to go on a hosted tour of top-notch East Coast colleges. The trip is ill-timed, though, as they depart on the heels of a major personnel issue at Jessica's job and a brewing scandal at Emily's high school. Somewhat predictably, they clash over Emily's future on the excursion. While Jessica has worked hard over the years to prepare financially for Emily's college education, Emily doesn't know if she even wants to go to college, making for some frustrating but reflective moments between them. Best-selling author Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) uses the still-popular storytelling method of alternating between the two main characters' points of view. It works well here; each account is enjoyable reading. While intriguing, Jessica's work situation and Emily's school scandal are resolved too easily and neatly. This book's strengths are the exploration of the mother-teen daughter dynamics and relationship and the author's remarkable gift for realistic, witty dialog. VERDICT Recommended for fans of mother-daughter fiction with both lighthearted and serious moments.--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

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