The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

 

Hmmmm ... would I want to be Amy Byler? Her #momspringa sounded amazing, and I have to admit that watching it play out on the page was a bit like vicariously living it - even if I'm far from a big city, out on the town, gimme that night life-type person. I think all of us moms can find something to relate to in Amy's life, whether our personal circumstances exactly mirror hers or not. Raising children is hard, and most of us know what it's like to put ourselves at the bottom of the list of priorities and forget to take care of ourselves as well as we should. Obviously the book isn't advocating that we all abandon our kids and go have happy jolly time with men we meet on vacation. I think the point is that we ladies need to remember to take care of ourselves, while ALSO loving and meeting the needs of our families. Amy Byler takes us through that journey in a way that is mostly light-hearted and humorous, with moments of confusion, bewilderment and sobriety punctuating throughout. It follows a pretty standard rom-com story arc, so those well versed in that type of book or movie should see most of the events of the book coming, though it took nothing away from my enjoyment of it. Ms. Harms actually did surprise me with an unexpected turn of events in one of the final chapters, so kudos to her for that. If you want a book that mixes a thoughtful message with a little escapist fun and humor, this is worth your time to read.

★★★★ 

You can find this and all my other reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/curious-kat