Title: Are We There Yet?

Author: Kathleen West

Release Date: March 16th 2021

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Among fake Instagram pages, long-buried family secrets, and the horrors of middle school, one suburban mom searches to find herself in a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel from the author of Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes.

Alice Sullivan feels like she’s finally found her groove in middle age, but it only takes one moment for her perfectly curated life to unravel. On the same day she learns her daughter is struggling in second grade, a call from her son’s school accusing him of bullying throws Alice into a tailspin.

When it comes to light that the incident is part of a new behavior pattern for her son, one complete with fake social media profiles with a lot of questionable content, Alice’s social standing is quickly eroded to one of “those moms” who can’t control her kids. Soon she’s facing the very judgement she was all too happy to dole out when she thought no one was looking (or when she thought her house wasn’t made of glass).

Then her mother unloads a family secret she’s kept for more than thirty years, and Alice’s entire perception of herself is shattered.

As her son’s new reputation polarizes her friendships and her family buzzes with the ramification of her mother’s choices, Alice realizes that she’s been too focused on measuring her success and happiness by everyone else’s standards. Now, with all her shortcomings laid bare, she’ll have to figure out to whom to turn for help and decide who she really wants to be.

This story was like a train wreck. I couldn’t stop reading and in some parts it kept getting worse. I kept going because I wanted to see where this wreck would crash. It felt like a TV show of some sort. Most of the characters were not very likable. I’m sure that’s the point. Too many adults acting like children and being way too selfish, while others felt they were better than everyone else. The teens and children acted like how I expected they would and in social situations. In our age of technology and apps, where do you draw the line on trust and monitoring your child? Some part were entertaining. 

As a whole, this is an ok read. I wanted to like. I truly did but I couldn’t get past my issues. While I could relate to most of the situations, I couldn’t get past the behaviors of the adults. The writing is good and the cover is cool. This book wasn’t for me but I’m sure others would enjoy it. I invite you to check it out for yourself. I give 3 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*