Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
I love finding new authors, and when I saw the cover and read the blurb of Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West I knew I would be adding this one to my tbr. I received the ebook from the publisher, but decided to wait for the audiobook from the library instead, since I was going through a book slump. As always, Julia Whelan did an amazing job narrating this book.
Synopsis:
Isobel Johnson knows helicopter parents like Julia Abbott–a stage mom whose world revolves around interfering in her children’s lives–come with the territory. Julia resents teachers like Isobel, who effortlessly bond with students, including Julia’s own teenagers, who have started pulling further away from her.
Isobel has spent her teaching career in Liston Heights side-stepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of Anti-Americanism and a “blatant liberal agenda,” she realizes she’s squarely in the fray. Rather than cowering, Isobel doubles down on her social-justice ideals. Meanwhile, Julia, obsessed with the casting of the high school’s winter musical, inadvertently shoves the female student lead after sneaking onto the school campus. The damning video footage goes viral and has far-reaching consequences for Julia and her entire family.
With nothing to unite them beyond the sting of humiliation from public meltdowns, Isobel and Julia will find common ground where they least expect it, confronting a secret Facebook gossip site that’s stirring up more trouble for this tumultuous, fractured school community.
My thoughts
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
The story was slow going at the beginning. Until it got to a point when I couldn’t put it down anymore. I spent my Sunday finding excuses to listen to the audiobook. And thanks to the captivating story, I finished the biggest part of the audiobook in just a few days.
When it came to the two main characters, Julia was the one who was the least likable at the beginning. She made me roll my eyes so hard. That woman just couldn’t stop interfering in her kids’ school life. She was the epitome of every helicopter mom. And she definitely had a hard time recognizing that she constantly overstepped. But I think what made her so believable in the end was that I’ve met parents like her before. The overzealous super mom. But on the other hand she actually was relatable too. Because which mother wouldn’t want the BEST for her children.
Where Julia was a super mom, Isobel was a super teacher. Her zeal for helping her students to become kind and caring adults was admirable. But she was also someone who always pushed the limits. If I had been her principal she would have driven me nuts with her demands. On the other hand, her passion for teaching was palpable and heart-warming. She was definitely one of my favorite characters.
The social media fallout, which was part of the storyline, was like a train wreck – impossible to stop, but also fascinating to watch. Moreover it turned this novel into a timely and relevant story.
Most of all I really enjoyed that the POVs weren’t just limited to the two main characters Julia and Isobel, but also included the husbands, the principal, and the kids. It was fascinating to hear their thoughts on what happened, and the way they tried to make sense of it all. Even though there were many different POV’s, they were easy to follow, and all added to the overall enjoyment of the story.
Moreover, the book was an easy and fast read. There was rarely a boring minute, especially in the last half of the book, and for a debut novel it was an EXCELLENT read!!!
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I received a copy of this book from Berkley for free. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
Great review – I’m sure this is something I would enjoy.
The audiobook was very well done, I had a great time listening, and the story itself was quite unique, at least for me 😀
This sounds really good. I remember having that experience with Beartown, where it starts super slow and then becomes one that I couldn’t put down. I might need to read this one!
Ever since reading Big Little Lies I have a weakness for school/parent dramas. This one worked great for me. Although, nobody gets killed, the school mother dramatics was right up my alley.
I just love it when I see debut novels end up like this especially in being such a easy to get into read.
Great review
I have been on a debut/ new author discovery this year. And I read some great authors in 2019, that I’m really looking forward to reading some more this year. I love adding new writers to my tbr. It makes it more interesting that way. 😀