Grace and her father are doing as well as can be expected after the death of her mother three years ago; they are now Team Gravy (Grace and Davy). Her father is a pastor at a local church, and his parishioners bring up that it's not good for him to be alone and that he should start dating. Grace thinks this is ludicrous, but her father sees some merit in it. Along with her friend Bea, Grace decides to sabotage her father's dating efforts. Bea has her own problems-- after years of being an only child, her parents have adopted a relative's toddler, who is causing havoc in their household. Grace doesn't want her household to experience the same fate. She messes with her father's online dating account, and undermines several of his dates. Eventually, she realizes that her father might like her teacher, Miss O'Connor, and her teacher may feel the same way. Finally understanding that her father is sometimes lonely, Grace tries to encourage the two in all things romantic, but comes up against many obstacles. Grace and her father are very interested in history, so Grace tries to use this as a way to lure Miss O'Connor into activities that might bring her closer to her father. Will she be successful?

Strengths: There are not many middle grade novels with parents who are ministers, and this was rather interesting! I loved that even though the father was a man of the cloth, the book had more of the social aspects of the church than religious ones, which are fine but usually kind of boring! Grace's doubts about her father dating are very realistic, and her journey towards understanding his emotions (and her own) was well done. I loved Miss O'Connor, too! Bea's plight added some humor to the story, and I also enjoyed the details of doing over the attic room and making period costumes in order to portray Teddy Roosevelt and Alice. Very fun!
Weaknesses: While it was funny, it seemed a bit unrealistc that Bea's new toddle brother would be so ill-behaved.
What I really think: This has a fantastic cover, and I will definitely purchase for fans of Elly Swartz's One Smart Cookie, Kyi's Me and Banksy, and Westo

I was fortunate enough to Beta read an early copy of this delightful MG contemporary by Niki Lenz and then again later, in the form of an arc from NetGalley.
The Stepmom Shake-Up is a charming, funny, and wonderfully heartwarming story showcasing the unbeatable relationship of Grace and her pastor-father, Davy. Despite Grace and Davy's strong Team-Gravy partnership, a committee at church decides to intervene and start setting up their pastor with dates. Desperate to keep her life exactly as it is, Grace and her best bud, Bea, launch Operation Stepmom Shake-Up into full effect thus trying to ruin and thwart as many of Pastor Davy's dates as possible. As their covert operation gets a bit out of hand, however, Grace realizes that the perfect woman for her widower father may have been under their noses the entire time.
What stands out to me the most about this MG is its ability to confront grief, questions with faith, and the coming-of-age for a young girl so seamlessly. Add in hilarious dashes of laugh-out-loud humorous scenes and dialogue, and this story is an absolute knock-out of an MG.
The Stepmom Shake-Up will appeal to fans of Judy Blume, Kate Messner, and Karen Rivers.

I found this wholesome book rather too twee for my tastes, but I could imagine the child reader who might very well love it. Every book has its reader, right?

Niki Lenz is reliable for quirky characters put in humorous situations in which they must learn to accept new things and stand up for themselves. Readers saw this is Beatrice Buttman, Model Citizen, and they’ll be delighted to find it again in The Stepmom Shake-Up. Recommended.