Series: Mom Walks Book #1
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Mom Walks: Starting in 5th by Rebecca Prenevost
Can a mother-daughter relationship survive fifth-grade mean girl drama? Yes, if the mom’s best friends have anything to say about it.
When Dawn learns her oldest daughter, Kayli, is put in the same class as a manipulative and cunning queen bee, she knows she must step up her mom game and fast. Feeling ill-equipped to handle the situation, Dawn turns to her two best mom friends for advice during their weekly morning walks. At first, Dawn’s grateful for their suggestions. They have similar-aged kids and a much better pulse on what’s going on at school. But when their well-intentioned guidance only exacerbates the situation, Dawn’s desperation and frustration grow as her relationship with Kayli deteriorates. Facing irreparable damage to their mother-daughter relationship, Dawn must decide if she’ll continue to follow her friends’ advice or begin to trust her own gut in how to best parent Kayli.
Mom Walks: Starting in 5th is the first book in a women’s fiction series that follows a mom and her two best mom friends as they navigate the chaotic trenches of parenting tweens. If you enjoy light, heart-warming stories about mother-daughter relationships and friendship, this book is for you.
Chick Lit Café book review:
Mom Walks: Starting in 5th by Rebecca Prenevost is a must-read for any parent. It openly deals with real issues that many pre-teens and teenagers face and how their parents try to support and guide them. Although a troubling time for children, Mom Walks: Starting in 5th, takes us on a journey of struggles, inner reflection and conflict for the parent of two children.
Dawn has two girls, each of which are dealing with their own troubles. Growing up is tough and any parent knows that the most important thing in their child’s life is friendship. They will also know how dangerous the wrong friendships are and how destructive negative relationships can be.
The story begins in the fall when school resumes and details some of the issues children face at this time of year; dealing with new teachers, being committed to their studies and, of course, making new friends. It is what every child goes through making this book relevant to today’s readers.
Dawn has two friends, Meg and Naomi. The three of them meet once a week and walk and talk out their problems. They are great at listening and giving each other advice. Dawn soon finds, however, that her friends’ ideas might not be suitable for her specific situation. She is conflicted between honoring their advice and doing what she thinks is best for her children.
Much of the action in this book occurs while Dawn is walking with her friends and the time she spends with her children before and after school. The author gives a very precise account of how her protagonist interacts with her children and her friends. Her ability to define the characters, their moods, hopes and dreams, is a credit to her.
As well, Prenevost is a master of dialogue. The reader will genuinely feel that they are sitting only a seat away from real people discussing their lives. Her use of dialogue is not only accurate but allows the reader to hear the characters own version of what is happening thus giving the reader a deeper insight into their minds, hopes and dreams.
Although written as a narrative, this book also works as a self-help book as readers will see their own issues and struggles reflected back to them on every page. The advice, however, is not didactic or moralizing. We learn as Dawn learns and we struggle with her struggles as we are taken on an insightful but informative journey.
Mom Walks: Starting in 5th is a great book for all parents and even grandparents. It offers a realistic portrayal of those few bumpy months when school begins. A book worth sharing with your mom friends and family.
Mom Walks: Starting in 5th by Rebecca Prenevost is a remarkable read and comes highly recommended by Chick Lit Café. Book reviewed by S. Day for Chick Lit Café Book Reviews.
