A New Installment of a Fun Series

 

Yoga Pant Nation

By Laurie Gelman

“Class Mom” Book 3

Publisher : Henry Holt and Co. (July 13, 2021)

Hardcover : 256 pages

ISBN-10 : 1250777577

ISBN-13 : 978-1250777577

 Publisher’s Blurb:

The now beloved hero of Laurie Gelman’s Class Mom and You’ve Been Volunteered has a lot on her plate this year in Yoga Pant Nation―from childcare duties for her daughter’s two-year-old to her determined mission to become a spin instructor. When her husband’s ex-wife shows up to her first ever class as a full-fledged teacher―and compliments her performance!―she can’t help but wonder what the catch is.

Throw in a mandate from the PTA president to raise $10,000 for the fifth graders’ new tablets and her granddaughter’s other grandmother (whom no one has ever met) visiting for Christmas, and Jen is going to need more than her regular spin class to get her through the year. But as ever, humor is her best stress relief. Her acerbic emails to the class parents and friendly spars with her daughter over how organic is organic-enough for baby food will have you laughing out loud and texting Jen’s best lines to your friends.

 My Thoughts:

I first discovered the Class Mom series a couple of years ago and have been waiting excitedly for this new installment! I relate to Jen, being the mom of two adult children as well as one still in school. 

Main character Jen's two grown daughters are the result of her wild life as a groupie for a rock band, so when she settles down to a husband and suburban mom life in her old home town, she tries to be more traditional--including being the class mom for her elementary-aged son. Her emails to the parents are irreverent, but she does her best to make things happen for the kids, amid personal and family drama.

In this book, it's her son's fifth-grade--and final--year of elementary school. Jen adds to her class mom duties by throwing a fundraiser with an outrageously large goal. She's also testing the waters as a certified spin instructor, dealing with her parents' strange infirmity, and being grandma to her adorable granddaughter.

The pace of this book feels a little more settled, perhaps because Jen herself is a little more settled. It's not quite as madcap as the previous books, and the energy lacks a little bit in comparison. Nonetheless, I read it in a matter of a couple of days and completely enjoyed it. 

It still features the cast of supporting characters we've come to love, plus a few new ones. (Although I didn't remember anything about her husband's crazy ex-wife. And frankly, the subplot with her was wasted. The climax of that episode was pretty flat after all the buildup.)

Now, Ms. Gelman...what's Jen going to do with a middle-schooler?

Possible Objectionable Material:

Some cursing. Jen refers to sex with her husband, though not graphically. Her granddaughter was born out of wedlock. Irreverence. 

Who Might Like This Book:

Moms can relate! If you like stories about families who love each other despite annoyances and drama, this is a good one. Also for people who like women with supportive friend groups.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Second Verse, Better Than the First

 

The Betrayed

By Kiera Cass

Publisher : HarperTeen (July 6, 2021)

Hardcover : 304 pages

ISBN-10 : 0062291661

ISBN-13 : 978-0062291660

Reading age : 13 years and up

Grade level : 8 - 9

Publisher’s Blurb:

Can you follow your heart when it’s already broken?

After fleeing Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved Silas behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life in Isolte. The Eastoffe family’s affection is a balm on her weary spirit, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distaste for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace she’s found.

While tensions at home ratchet up, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching a fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat a tyrannical king—but only with Hollis’s help.

Can a girl who’s lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?

 My Thoughts:

Let me be honest: I did not like the first book of this duo, The Betrothed. I only gave it two stars, and began to think that I might have finally gotten too old to enjoy YA novels.

 In the first book, I found the protagonist, Hollis, to be a shallow, vapid pushover. I didn’t like her “bosom friend” Delia Grace at all—talk about conniving. And there was a nagging plot hole about a certain set of deaths that really, really bothered me.

 By the end of book 1, I knew pretty certainly who Hollis would end up with. (Narrator voice: Vicky was right.)

 Really, I only requested an ARC of the second book because there were a couple of characters that I did enjoy, and did want to know the fate of.

 Reader, Kiera Cass redeemed herself in this one.

 This book picks up immediately after the first book’s end. So many of the things I disliked about the first book were resolved in the second. Delia Grace was barely present. Hollis matured from a vapid girl into a responsible woman. The plot hole was resolved, in a twist that might have even surprised me. Just a little.

 And there was one heck of a plot twist near the end that, although I realize now that it was heavily foreshadowed, I was not prepared for.

 Is it a perfect book? No. Middle-aged person that I am, I tire of the “instant love” of YA novels, in this case with Hollis and Silas (first book) and to a somewhat lesser degree here. At least, with Hollis’ ultimate pairing, there was a little bit more time for the relationship to blossom. (Let me be clear, I don't protest "insta-love" because I'm old. I protest it because I believe it sets up unrealistic expectations.)

 What I did like, though, was that Hollis learned what she was good at—caring about making people feel comfortable and safe—and she used it for the good of those around her. When she stopped thinking of all her weaknesses, she really bloomed. I loved the lesson about the importance of “found family” as well.

 If you didn’t like the first book—and I didn’t—definitely give this one a chance. It was a great three hours of a lazy Sunday morning.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Lots of murders. A little fighting. Plotting and scheming. Kiera Cass is pretty squeaky clean, so the romance scenes don’t go beyond kissing.

 Who might like this book:

Fans of the author, of romance, of women who learn to stand on their own two feet.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.