Welcome to Litsy!

Once again, Julia Whelan is the reason I gave this 4 stars. I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I had read the physical book. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't exactly my type of book.

What an interesting book. "Rumours and power plays rule this school and that's just the parents." This novel focuses over involved parents, the pushback from their children and the impact it has on teaching. This one kept me turning pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In my opinion, it‘s more like drama with a capital D.

After eagerly anticipating this book for a while and finding it at my library, I‘m bailing after 20 pages. I work at a school and am SO stressed for the start of this school year with the pandemic that I just can‘t read anything in a school setting right now. I didn‘t realize I would feel that way, but maybe I can borrow the book again some time when it doesn‘t trigger anxiety for me. I bet it‘s really good!

The drama! The bullying! This book centers on two women, one an excellent teacher, trying to make her very entitled students become socially aware, and a snowplow mother at the same school, who becomes publicly humiliated by a viral video. The book is told from multiple points of view, which can be hard to keep straight because of all the “white bread” names. (Probably intentional.) I often found myself thinking, “what is wrong with these people?”

This one was pretty good, although one of the main characters was pretty unlikeable. I did 95% of this on audio and the narrator was pretty good. Told from multiple perspectives, it‘s a story about what happens when a helicopter mom takes things too far and a teacher thinks too far outside the box.

Cheers to litten recommendations and challenges. These I *think are courtesy of reviews by the fabulous @Cinfhen @MicheleinPhilly and #Booked2020. Happy Friday guys 😘

With multi layers, entertaining characters, insightful social commentary and sharp-witted dialogue this was a really SOLID satisfying read. The narration was perfect, Julia Whelan is always on point!! If you‘re looking for a “smart”ish escape, this one is such FUN!!!!

This book is much deeper than the blurb would suggest. I‘ve been listening all day! If you liked Big Little Lies I think you‘d really enjoy this book. Plus all #TeachersOfLitsy would probably relate to the inaneness of snowplow parents!!!!

Just swapped out Theft By Finding for this audiobook🎧🤓David Sedaris was wayyyy too dark ( I don‘t mind the words P*ssy, ejaculation, bosoms or crotch but it honestly became too much. Not to mention all of his inappropriate comments/jokes. I was only an hour in and it was 1983) Sorry, David #ItsNotYouItsMe

Wow! That was funny and stressful . . . because it rings true! We've probably all encountered some horrible, entitled, helicopter parents (and other adults behaving badly).

I feel there is not enough fiction written with a backdrop in education. I say this as an educator. There are many issues to explore beneath the surface. This book addresses overzealous parents, idealistic teachers, and teacher burnout- and that‘s just in the first few chapters. Casting a wider net, it tackles how powerful social media can be, especially in educational trends. It‘s food for thought, but still a light enough meal to easily digest.

Juicy as the apple on the cover, this adult book set at an upper middle class MN high school definitely has a lot of drama!

It starts with a mother in a viral video, which ends up infecting both the English and Drama departments and exposing a secret websites where parents gossip and defame the school faculty.

A well-paced novel full of interesting characters, I really enjoyed this one!

I remember @LeahBergen ‘s exquisitely specific likes about book genres. Well, here‘s mine: I like adult books set on high school and college campuses. Multiple perspectives are a plus!

This book hits on it all! 20% in and loving the drama. Squee! 😁🤩💖😍

A friend through my book club knows the author of this book and wanted it to be our next month‘s read. To show my support, this is the first physical book I‘ve gotten out of the library in awhile. Hope it‘s a good one!

Happy Pub Day to Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong, #5 in the Rockton series, and Kathleen West‘s debut contemporary fiction novel Minor Dramas And Other Catastrophes. Are either of these on your TBR? What other new releases are you celebrating today?

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Minotaur Books for my copies.

First of all, I have to say that I find the color contrast on this cover to be quite visually appealing. Secondly, I‘m excited to read Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West!

Do you have this one on your TBR? Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes is due out in 2/4/20 but you can preorder now!