Genre: Chick Lit
Published: May 2, 2017
Pages: 320
Synopsis
From the creator of The Honest Toddler comes a fiction debut sure to be a must-read for moms everywhere
There are good moms and bad momsand then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably.
When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the "Motherhood Better" bootcamp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.
There are good moms and bad momsand then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably.
When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the "Motherhood Better" bootcamp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.
Review
I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would leave an honest review.
This book pissed me off because it nails everything that is wrong with the way the average parent uses social media. And I get it, people don't want to air their dirty laundry for their friends to see, but most people's use of social media gives the impression that their lives are picture perfect all the time, and that's just possible. This story has the added element of self-reporting in an attempt to win a contest for being the most improved mother, which is obviously going to lead to a lot of alternative facts via creative truth-telling. At no point in Ashley's reports on her progress did she directly lie, but every single report was far from the actual truth, too.
I largely related to Ashley, because I myself am a hot-mess mom. Sure, you can regularly eat off my floors, of course the menu changes from day to day, and some of the items may be a bit past their prime, but the option is there. Unfortunately my kids are 6 and 8 now and past the putting-everything-in-their-mouth stage, so food on the floor stays there way longer than it used to. My entry for a housework challenge would read something like, "Well, I'm exhausted now, but after today, you could eat off my floors!" because that implies that they are clean and sterile as they should be, and it's not an outright lie because you could absolutely snack on some floor-Cheetos at this very moment.
And I feel like this review is more about me than the book, but that's because the book made me think so much about myself as a mom, and just motherhood in general now. It superbly highlighted the pressure that mother's today face to be perfect in every way; from throwing the best Pinterest worthy birthday parties to feeding your family organic, non-GMO meals. And we're supposed to do all of that while also keeping an eye on our children 24/7 now. When I was my son's age, I ran all over town by myself all summer long. I even went to the local pool by myself basically every single day (we always got a family season pass and my slightly older brother was usually there too). Now I don't even feel like I can let my son go to the playground by himself, and it's literally right across the street from our house. I agonize over leaving the kids home alone to make a thirty minute trip to the store for a few groceries. The only reason I even feel comfortable doing it is because I remind myself that German kids the same age as my kids are expected to get themselves to and from school on public transportation, and we currently live in Germany. If we lived in the states, I would worry that a nosy neighbor would call CPS on me for leaving my kids home alone for 30-40 minutes to run to the store.
Even though this book absolutely pissed me off, it also made me feel better about the job I'm doing as a mother. Because even though Ashley is a hot-mess, she's also still a great mother. This story helped to remind me that it's okay if sometimes your kitchen sink is full of dishes for three days in a row, and you end up ordering out almost as often as you cook. You can still be a great mom even if your craft projects would land you in a Pinterest Fails book. What matters is that you care and do your best. And maybe take the things you see other parents posting with a grain of salt, because they're likely hiding their warts.
Overall I give Confessions of a Domestic Failure 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie
This book pissed me off because it nails everything that is wrong with the way the average parent uses social media. And I get it, people don't want to air their dirty laundry for their friends to see, but most people's use of social media gives the impression that their lives are picture perfect all the time, and that's just possible. This story has the added element of self-reporting in an attempt to win a contest for being the most improved mother, which is obviously going to lead to a lot of alternative facts via creative truth-telling. At no point in Ashley's reports on her progress did she directly lie, but every single report was far from the actual truth, too.
I largely related to Ashley, because I myself am a hot-mess mom. Sure, you can regularly eat off my floors, of course the menu changes from day to day, and some of the items may be a bit past their prime, but the option is there. Unfortunately my kids are 6 and 8 now and past the putting-everything-in-their-mouth stage, so food on the floor stays there way longer than it used to. My entry for a housework challenge would read something like, "Well, I'm exhausted now, but after today, you could eat off my floors!" because that implies that they are clean and sterile as they should be, and it's not an outright lie because you could absolutely snack on some floor-Cheetos at this very moment.
And I feel like this review is more about me than the book, but that's because the book made me think so much about myself as a mom, and just motherhood in general now. It superbly highlighted the pressure that mother's today face to be perfect in every way; from throwing the best Pinterest worthy birthday parties to feeding your family organic, non-GMO meals. And we're supposed to do all of that while also keeping an eye on our children 24/7 now. When I was my son's age, I ran all over town by myself all summer long. I even went to the local pool by myself basically every single day (we always got a family season pass and my slightly older brother was usually there too). Now I don't even feel like I can let my son go to the playground by himself, and it's literally right across the street from our house. I agonize over leaving the kids home alone to make a thirty minute trip to the store for a few groceries. The only reason I even feel comfortable doing it is because I remind myself that German kids the same age as my kids are expected to get themselves to and from school on public transportation, and we currently live in Germany. If we lived in the states, I would worry that a nosy neighbor would call CPS on me for leaving my kids home alone for 30-40 minutes to run to the store.
Even though this book absolutely pissed me off, it also made me feel better about the job I'm doing as a mother. Because even though Ashley is a hot-mess, she's also still a great mother. This story helped to remind me that it's okay if sometimes your kitchen sink is full of dishes for three days in a row, and you end up ordering out almost as often as you cook. You can still be a great mom even if your craft projects would land you in a Pinterest Fails book. What matters is that you care and do your best. And maybe take the things you see other parents posting with a grain of salt, because they're likely hiding their warts.
Overall I give Confessions of a Domestic Failure 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Buy the Book
About the Author
Bunmi Laditan is a regular contributor to Parenting.com, Mothering.com, iVillage.com, and the Huffington Post, and she has appeared on Good Morning America and CBS Sunday Morning. She lives with her family outside of Montreal.
I loved your review. I love when I can relate to a character on a personal level, and your review did a great job of explaining why this book is worth all five stars.
ReplyDeleteThanks! - Katie
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