Lanie Coates’s life is spinning out of control. She’s piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast. She’s left behind family, friends, and a comfortable life–all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too. These days, Lanie always seems to rank herself dead last–and when another mom accidentally criticizes her appearance, it’s the final straw. Fifteen years, three babies, and more pounds than she’s willing to count since the day she said “I do,” Lanie longs desperately to feel like her old self again. Lanie sets change in motion–joining a gym, signing up for photography classes, and finding a new best friend. But she also creates waves that come to threaten her whole life. In the end, Lanie must figure out once and for all how to find herself without losing everything else in the process.
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"This book falls into the genre "mommy lit" which I didn't know existed until now. Its a cute story and easy read about a woman who moves from Houston, TX to Cambridge, MA with her grad student husband and their three little boys. It follows her journey to regain herself, as someone other than "mom"."
— Lauren (4 out of 5 stars)
" light and fluffy. good story and worth the read just for the last page and her thoughts about women and beauty! "
— A., 2/16/2014" If you're a mom and you wonder sometimes to what happened to your body, life and dreams. It's a very beautiful book, easy to read and uplifting. Read it in one evening "
— Imene, 2/12/2014" This book reminded me that we all lose ourselves in one way or another. "
— Marie, 2/11/2014" Finally, a book with a protagonist that I could really relate to--a mother of small children. Great humor and interesting story. "
— Jody, 2/7/2014" "I devoured Katherine Center's first book, The Bright Side of Disaster, but for some reason I just couldn't get into this book at all. I actually never finished it. Maybe its because I don't have kids and found it hard to relate to the main character. Her children's behavior was outrageous. I don't know that I would recommend this book to anyone which is sad because I recommended Center's first book to several friends. Save yourself the money and frustration. Skip this book." "
— Colleen, 2/2/2014" Simple easy fun read. I really liked the main character in this book. She was funny and I could totally relate to the parenthood ups and downs she had. She was very down-to-earth. "
— Andrea, 1/25/2014" Good for the motherhood "reality," but it was way to predictable and ended up too neat and tidy. A quick, fun read, but if I were to pick a good mommy lit book, I'd take "I Don't Know How She Does It." However, I'm looking forward to making some cupcakes! "
— Kristin, 1/23/2014" Terrific. Realistic. Moving. "
— Jennifer, 1/20/2014" I loved this book. Very sweet, romantic and relatable coming from a mom of 2, working full time and married for 9 years! "
— Desiree, 1/20/2014" This book is about motherhood, finding oneself and is really "real". "
— Amy, 11/10/2013" I read this cover to cover during a 2 hour bath last night. it made me laugh out loud, it made me cry and the ending made me go find my hubster & hold on tight. This was beautifully written. "
— Heather, 10/26/2013Katherine Center is the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, which have made many “best of” lists, including Real Simple, Amazon, and many more. The movie adaptation of her novel The Lost Husband hit #1 on Netflix.
Kirsten Potter has won several awards, including more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a three-time finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. Her work has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and by AudioFile magazine, among many others. She graduated with highest honors from Boston University and has performed on stage and in film and television, including roles on Medium, Bones, and Judging Amy.