When I received an email introducing me to Melanie Dale and her new book with an opportunity to read and review it I jumped at the chance.
I mean - look at the cover? It's hilarious.
Even my husband asked me, are those cake pops?
Uhm, yeah. Yeah, they are.
Mommy cake pops.
Intimidating looking mommy cake pops.
And hilarious looking ones, as well.
I do have to admit that I watched the video intro to the book and was a little bit nervous. I'm not exactly someone you'd describe as up-to-speed on my Bible verses ... and sometimes the mention of religion in books can be questionable for me ... but I cast my concerns aside and decided to go for it.
And I'm really glad I did.
Because Women Are Scary is not scary at all.
The book is hilarious.
Dale is really funny. Like, could possibly make you pee your pants funny.
She's open and real, honest and raw.
Her "full-frontal" hugs make you want to open your arms and squish her, even if you're not a hugger.
Her use of baseball terminology to define the stages of "momlationships" while freely expressing her disdain for all things athletic make me love her even more than I expected.
She talks about the awkwardness of approaching a group of moms who seem to already have their clique, their connections, the way one could feel completely left out as they make their way over to do so.
She talks about the mecca of friendships, the fourth date moms. The ones who can come over to your house no matter what it looks like. The ones who meet you out for coffee or dinner when you're *thisclose* to tearing your hair out of your head if you don't get out of the house.
She also talks about breakups. Let's be honest, they do happen.
You or your friend might move away, your kids outgrow one another, your interests wane.
You'll find yourself mourning the break-up, as if it were a romantic relationship, maybe even more so. This woman was your everything. The one you called when you needed an ear. The one who told you NOT to wear that outside of the house. The one who held your hair when you puked.
Any and all of the above. It might not have been the best of times, but post-breakup we surely always remember the good. Dale gives the reader a recipe for mulled wine and tells us to relax. It's okay.
She also does incorporate some aspects of prayer and the importance of religion. I think that those who are interested in this aspect will truly enjoy it. For me, I need to share that I didn't find it off-putting or holier-than-thou in any way.
We all pray in our own ways. Prayer might not be the word you use, want, hope, dream, wish for ... there are so many wants. So many great things we moms can do together. So many ways we can get through the tough times. Melanie Dale has a ton of ideas to get us through it all.
And her sense of humor is pretty freaking awesome.
Honestly, she's hilarious. I might kinda' want her to be one of my new friends.
Kinda - sorta - definitely do.
I'm sure she'll be getting loads of friendship-posals (did I just make up a word!? Go, me!) after her book comes out, so listen, Melanie, if you need an ear, I'm here. I hope you'll look me up if you ever end up in the Triangle area. I'll have the wine ready, AND I'm a hugger.
As for you - dear reader - if you want a copy you can pre-order now, because the book comes out on March 24, 2015. And it's worth it. You're going to be delighted when it either shows up on your Kindle or in your mailbox because you were smart enough to grab a copy today.
OR you can be super extremely lucky and enter with a comment below to win a copy for you or one of your amazing friends. Just let me know the best or worst situation you've ever encountered when meeting someone. Woman. Man. Mom. Dad. Whatever you want. Give me a story. And for an extra entry share and leave a comment with the share URL. And thanks, I hope YOU win!!
* I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links throughout this post and if you use them to buy something I'll make a few pennies, so please and thank you! *
The first time I met a boyfriend's parents I was super nervous and tongue tied. Instead of being gracious, they just sort of stone faced me. Boyfriend was no help, and went off to mess around on his computer. Glad that relationship tanked!!!
ReplyDeleteI have this on my tbr list! Glad it's as good as it looked.
ReplyDeleteI met my best friend in pre-school (3 year old class) and 30 years later, we are still best friends, now with daughters of our own only months apart. As new mommies, it's not always easy to get together, so it sounds great to have a new "book friend"!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read this book!
ReplyDeleteUgh! I find it so hard to get comfortable with other moms. Except when I don't - which is rarely. This sounds like it would be a fun, but close-to-home read.
ReplyDeleteIt was 7th grade and my first day at a new school. We'd just moved to the area and I didn't know a soul. In the middle of one of my classes, the girl next to me sneezed a giant load of snot into her hands. I mean, it was bad. I've never seen that much snot in my life. I raced up to the teacher's desk to get her a tissue, and I guess my kind gesture paid off because that girl and I have been best friends going on 20 years now :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to read. Something about those cake pops on the cover!! ;)
ReplyDeleteAlthough the first time I met my in-laws was great, the week before not only had we watched 'Meet the Parents', but my boyfriend (now husband) informed me that his dad also had spent his entire career in the FBI in counterintelligence/ counterterrorism.
ReplyDeleteI was so relieved when I finally met him and discovered he wasn't like the Robert Deniro character.