Title: Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Among fake Instagram pages, long-buried family secrets, and the horrors of middle school, one suburban mom searches to find herself in a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel from the author of Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes.
Alice Sullivan feels like she’s finally found her groove in middle age, but it only takes one moment for her perfectly curated life to unravel. On the same day she learns her daughter is struggling in second grade, a call from her son’s school accusing him of bullying throws Alice into a tailspin.
When it comes to light that the incident is part of a new behavior pattern for her son, one complete with fake social media profiles with a lot of questionable content, Alice’s social standing is quickly eroded to one of “those moms” who can’t control her kids. Soon she’s facing the very judgement she was all too happy to dole out when she thought no one was looking (or when she thought her house wasn’t made of glass).
Then her mother unloads a family secret she’s kept for more than thirty years, and Alice’s entire perception of herself is shattered.
As her son’s new reputation polarizes her friendships and her family buzzes with the ramification of her mother’s choices, Alice realizes that she’s been too focused on measuring her success and happiness by everyone else’s standards. Now, with all her shortcomings laid bare, she’ll have to figure out to whom to turn for help and decide who she really wants to be.
Review:
Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West is an engrossing novel with a topical storyline.
Alice Sullivan’s hectic but happy life implodes on the same day. Just as her husband, Patrick, begins going out of town for business, she learns troubling information about both of their children, seven-year-old Adrian and twelve-year-old Teddy. Adrian’s problem has time to fix as long as Alice makes her daughter’s daily reading a priority. But she finds Teddy’s troubles worrisome, shocking and unfathomable. He has just begun seventh grade and he is bullying fellow student Tane Lagerhead. Alice is an interior designer who is about to take on a huge project at work but her boss is less than understanding about her issues at home. Then her mother, Evelyn Brown, reveals stunning information that also affects Alice. How will Alice find the time and energy to deal with all of these stressful problems?
Entangled in Teddy’s troubles is long time friend Sadie Yoshida. Sadie’s mom Meredith is friends with Alice. Initially, Meredith has no idea what that her daughter is breaking their rules about social media. Sadie has a crush on Tane and this just adds to Teddy’s jealousy toward the other boy. The situation quickly escalates which causes conflict between Alice and Meredith. How will Sadie recover from her daughter’s mistake? And how will Meredith cope with the ensuing fallout?
Alice and Meredith are also friends with Nadia Reddy. Her son Donovan has long been experiencing problems both at home and at school. Nadia is more easygoing than Alice and Meredith but as Alice turns to her for advice about Teddy, she has a difficult time keeping her unspoken resentment to herself. Neither Alice nor Meredith have been overly sympathetic or understanding about Donovan. Will Nadia allow her feelings to interfere with helping Alice? And will the three women’s friendships survive the tension arising from their children’s missteps?
Are We There Yet? is a gripping novel that deals with socially relevant issues. Alice is genuinely bewildered at Teddy’s misdeeds and her difficulty handling his behavior rings true. Meredith is shocked at her daughter’s actions but she is prone to placing blame on others for Sadie’s mistakes. Nadia is a caring, compassionate woman whose help and friendship are greatly appreciated during times of crisis. Kathleen West brings this thought-provoking novel to an uplifting conclusion. I completely enjoyed and highly recommend this wonderful novel.
