When globe-trotting coffee buyer, Amy O’Hara, assures her husband–who stays at home to watch the kids–that it is He Who Has it Harder… she doesn’t really believe it. That is, until the day she gets laid off, her husband locks himself in the garage to write the Great American Screenplay and she discovers she’s actually the world’s most incompetent mother.Overnight Amy’s world is no longer one … longer one of farmer negations and upscale coffee tastings. Instead she’s spending her days attempting to discover where exactly she went wrong with her two resentful iChildren and trying to carve out a place within her local tribe of put-together neighborhood moms. However as their family dynamic begins to change in both fun and frustrating ways, she’s starting to ask herself the big questions: Can her marriage survive this kind of role reversal? How do you clean puke out from in between the seams of a car seat? And what does she really amount to when the job she thought defined her is removed from the equation?
One thing is certain: whatever happens, she’s going to need a lot more caffeine.
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Life After Coffee was a satisfying surprise! When I read the synopsis for this one, it reminded me of other novels with the same premise: Working mom loses fulfilling job and must become a stay-at-home parent. But this one had me laughing and nodding and shaking my head too. The characters are real, with quirks and flaws, and they make mistakes. Big mistakes. Once I got to the half-way point, I couldn’t put this one down. I’ll be excited to see what Virginia Franken does next!
I won this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Ok. So I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Having been a working mother, I figured I would be able to relate to Amy and her struggles. And at first, I did. The first half of the book, I got her. I liked her. I understood some of the things she went through. Being a mother is hard and Amy is just finding that out even though her kids are 3 and 5. I understood her frustrations with her children, other mothers, school, you name it. Somewhere around the middle of the book though, the story lost me. I partially blame that on her husband Peter. Him being home and taking care of the kids while she had to travel for her high paying job made sense to me. Once she lost her job though and their financial livelihood was being threatened, I didn’t understand his reluctance to getting a job. He didn’t seem to care that they were on the verge of losing everything. Even though it was blatantly clear at that point that he was not going to be the next big Hollywood thing, he refused to give up and assist his family through their financial crisis. I didn’t really care for him. This opinion was further cemented when he insisted on Amy contacting her ex-boyfriend….
You can read the rest of my review on my blog at https://charleeraeblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/28/life-after-coffee-by-virginia-franken/
This was a love/hate book for me!
I am a prude. Some of this stuff really grated on my last nerve. But, some of it was Really Good! You have to read it to see what I mean!
The age old battle of working moms versus stay at home moms heat up as Amy loses her job. The job as a coffee broker meant weeks on the road in remote locations…so no hair product, shaved legs or glorious clothes. But a wonderfully adventurous life as her husband Peter raised the kids. Violet and Billy are super close to their Dad as he has been both mom and dad for years now. He still had high hopes of making it big in Hollywood as a writer. If only he had time to write!
Be careful what you wish for as Amy struggles to remembet Billy’s allergies to foods and deal with Violet and her sceaming dramas. And Peter, he got his wish, out in the garage or a cafe just typing away as Amy’s savings shrink on mortgage, food, school and etc.
Amy might as well be in the jungle, she is trying to manuver as a full time mom and deal with the quicksand all around her….other mothers! As if school didn’t judge her bringing Billy late and in wrong clothes , she barely survives book time at the library. I’m surprised she didn’t take up drinking full time!
It had great humor, realistic meltdowns that brought back memories, ugh, hubby versus old boyfriend and the question is, can everybody play nice?
The ending was totally unique and fitting. For a minute, I was afraid the author would back down and end it as most novels do. So thankyou!! Thankyou for debating the issue of who works and why, friendship that can accept different lifestyles, and choices.
This piece of writing is 4 and 1/2 stars……I just couldn’t like Peter as much as I should. His attitude grated on me at times bit that is more on me than the writer.
Enjoy this book and expect to laugh at loud