Mother of the Year

by Karen Ross

[Leah]

When I heard about Mother of the Year by Karen Ross, I wasn’t entirely sure it was my kind of read. I’m not a mother, as I so often mention, and kids are the last thing on my mind. But then I saw the synopsis, and the beautiful blue cover with a cupcake on it, and I found myself very intrigued indeed, so when I received a copy of the book I was rather thrilled and couldn’t wait to dive it. It really is such a pretty looking book, and the cupcake even has a sparkler in it that’s all glittery. It’s a book that will most definitely pop on the shelves once it’s released, and the best part about it is it’s a fantastic read to boot.

When I initially heard the book and saw the synopsis, I thought the novel would focus more on Beth, than her daugther JJ. I thought JJ was (quite possibly) just a whiny teenager looking for affection from her mother, who works a lot, but that’s not true at all. Instead, JJ is a perfectly competent 24-year-old, with a steady job, steady boyfriend, and who just struggles with the concept of what her mother Beth does for a living, and sees it that her mother is always taking the mickey with the things she writes in newspapers, and the things she shows on TV. The first line is killer, “I think my mum would prefer a colonic irrigation to hanging out with me,” and that sets the tone of Beth and JJ’s relationship. I could hardly blame JJ, either, because the last thing in the world I would want is my mother airing my failings and other things that should be kept personal to the nation. I would probably hide in a corner, rocking back and forth, or move to another country entirely.

I thought the novel went at quite a pace. JJ was juggling a lot of stuff – her mother, a topic all of itself; her boyfriend Rob’s sudden desire to start a juice business; the fact her roommate Theodora was kicking her out of her room so she could build a sand sculpture; and vying for promotion at work. There is never a dull moment in JJ Jackson’s life, let me tell you, and I lapped it all up. I especially enjoyed reading about her work, at an advertising agency, I thought it was super interesting, to learn about a job I know very little about and which sounds massively rewarding (especially when you’re as clever as JJ). I was actually super disappointed when I reached the end of the book, I felt like I could have kept reading about JJ and her family and friends for another 420 pages, which is no mean feat; it’s not often I say that about a book, but in this case it was very true. JJ felt like a friend, like she was confiding in me and I thought her voice was really, really great.

Mother of the Year also allows us to see into Beth Jackson’s life, as sometimes near the end of chapters it would diver to a third-person perspective to catch up with Beth, and I enjoyed it. I also thought the addition of the newspaper articles was fantastic, allowing us a glimpse into what JJ had to put up with when she was a child, but it also showed how much Beth had put into being a successful, working mother. I was so absorbed in the novel, and I loved the addition of Asbo, a particularly naughty dog who belongs to Rob’s best friend Danny. Dogs in novels are always a winner as far as I’m concerned and all the bad bits Asbo does just endeared him to me even more. I can’t wait to see what Karen does next, she is a fantastic writer, who really got us into the heart and mind of the Jackson family, and JJ is particular was such a lovely, warm character. I would love to see a sequel, I think there’s loads of mileage left there, and I just loved the Jackson family! The narrative was amazing, it even made me LOL a few times, which is always a bonus (and a VERY difficult thing to do in writing, let’s be honest) and Karen is a bright new voice in Chick Lit, and long may she continue writing because this was a fantastic read.