Review 16: Up and In

Thank you Goodread's and Deborah Disney for letting me join the fun on this buddy read!

Up and In. Deborah Disney. 2014. [December] Harper Collins. 320. [Source:Contest through Goodreads copy provided by Netgalley]

First sentence: There is was again. That damned full stop.  How does so much passive aggression fit itself into such a tiny punctuation mark?

Premise/Plot: From Goodreads - A wonderfully wry tale about the pressure women put on themselves and one another to fit in, measure up and look glamorous while doing it. Distinctly middle class parents, Maria and Joe have committed all available income to giving their daughters Kate and Sarah the best education possible, which to them means attending the most exclusive girls school in the state. But when Kate befriends the spoilt and moody Mirabella, Maria finds herself thrust into a high society of champagne-swilling mother-istas she hasn't budgeted for. Saturday morning netball is no longer a fun mother-daughter outing, but a minefield of social politics. While the increasingly neurotic Maria struggles to negotiate the school mum hierarchy, Joe quietly battles a midlife crisis and Kate attempts to grow up as gracefully as possible (without having her life ruined by embarrassing parents). For every woman who has ever felt she may be wearing the wrong shoes, this is a book that will remind you - you're not alone

My thoughts:  First off let me start by saying that I participated in my very first buddy read with a group on Goodreads.com.  I enjoyed this book even though I kept bouncing back and forth between liking the main character Maria and shaking my head in abject disapproval for her handling of situations.  I personally have never been one to obsess about other people’s approval of me or their disapproval.  She is extremely flawed which makes her more believable and relatable I think.  She is so focused on what the other mothers of her social circle think and mean by every text, email, and face to face exchange she can’t see the forest for the trees.  We have her husband Joe supportive even while struggling with his own crises.  Then we have her daughters Kate and Sarah, Kate is the daughter that the drama centers around.  Then we have the wise sister-in-law who dispenses little tidbits of insight just at the right time.  Finally we have the ‘Bea’s’; Bea (the queen), Sonya (OCD control freak), Caitlin (the social brownnoser), Jen (follower), Nic and Lauren ( down to earth non-snobs). Ultimately this is a book from which we can all stand to take away the larger picture you just never know what someone else is going through at any given point so don’t take everything to heart all the time.

Rating 9/10

Recommendation:  Chick lit fans will like this, fans of character growth.

*I received a digital review copy for free from the author through a contest  in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*