Class Mom by Laurie Gelman: Book Review

Class Mom is the first book in the Class Mom series by writer Laurie Gelman. Gelman’s debut novel, Class Mom, was published in 2017 by Henry Holt & Company.

Class Mom is a contemporary novel set in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. It introduces us to Jen Dixon, a 45-year-old mother of three who is about to start the class mom/PTA thing again, even though she swore it off when her girls were younger.

Synopsis

Jen Dixon has been the class mom before and has sworn she would never do it again! She is too old for the demands of the job. Yet as her son, Max, starts kindergarten, she finds herself doing the dreaded job again. She finds herself face to face with a man from her past, a hypersensitive mom, a teacher that is too sexy for the job, and a Real Housewives wannabe. What could go wrong?

Positives

This is a super quick and fun read. I read it in two days, even though it is over 300 pages long. I also found myself laughing at a few situations Jen found herself in, especially the bathtub incident.

Jen is a relatable character, at least for me, as I have been part of the PTA at my kids’ school and refused to deal with the drama again when we changed schools. Many of the other parents she encounters in Max’s class are ones that I have also seen while raising my kids.

Negatives

My biggest issue with the book was the number of typos that I came across. At one point in the book, one of the moms wants to set up a party and gives Jen the date of Dec 1. Yet when you get to the date of the party, it is actually Dec 17. There was also one instance where they misspelled a character’s name. So I guess this negative is aimed at the publisher and their editing team. PLEASE make sure you check these things before sending the book to print. It can really throw off a reader’s experience, especially with the character’s name; I thought a new character was suddenly added to the book.

One character I took issue with was the teacher, Miss Ward. While Jen introduced herself as Jen and constantly signed her emails as Jen, Miss Ward kept calling her Jenny. And Jen did nothing about this. Why? You have told someone your name and sign all communication with them using your preferred name, yet they insist on calling you by a different name; you should correct them.

My Opinions

Jen Dixon is the mom I so wanted to be when I was on the PTA. She is funny and allows her sarcasm to show. She doesn’t care what most people think, at least not those who she doesn’t know. Jen is someone I think I would enjoy drinking with and gossiping about the other parents around us.

I found this book offered just what I needed at the moment. I was looking for something light and funny. And I found it with Class Mom. Is it a perfect book that will last forever in the history of literature? No, but it is a book I found entertaining and just what I needed.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, You’ve Been Volunteered, which skips ahead to Max in third grade.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.