Stevie‘s review of I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman
Women’s Humorous Fiction published by Berkley 16 Jun 20

Although University and College Open Days for prospective students and their parents are a pretty big thing in the UK – at least in more normal times – I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a company organising a tour to take in as many of them as possible for a large group of prospects. Obviously, colleges in the US are more widely spaced out, so it seems logical that this type of experience would be more common over there. Successful West Coast lawyer and single mother Jessica Burnstein has booked to go on one such tour – of East Coast colleges – with her daughter Emily, hoping to meet up with various old friends and family members along the way. Emily is less than thrilled with the idea, feeling unsure of whether she wants to go to college and also convinced that her mother pays more attention to her job and the younger women in her firm than she ever does to Emily. On the other hand, Emily does need to get away from her school for a couple of weeks, due to a scandal that’s about to break.


We don’t find out the nature of the scandal for a long time, although many hints are dropped about it involving Emily and a number of her classmates, and that it may cause major rifts in a number of her friendships. There are new friends to be made on the tour, however, as well as old enemies to face. The most notable of the former are the owner of a construction company and his son, while the latter take the form of a past classmate of Emily, along with her mother. The tour is led by another notable character, an overly perky guide, who tries hard to organise social events for her charges with varying degrees of success.

While Emily worries about the situation at school, Jessica is equally concerned about matters at work, where she has handed in her notice in protest at her two mentees not receiving the advancement they deserve, while less accomplished men are being promoted ahead of them. Fortunately for Jessica – and much to the displeasure of Emily, who was looking forward to spending time with her undistracted mother – there are career opportunities to be found at various stops on the tour.

As the tour continues, nerves and tempers get frayed by the various secrets people are keeping, but everyone eventually develops a deeper understanding of each other and of their own future directions in life. While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the author’s previous novel, the character interactions were highly engaging, and it was interesting to see a different snapshot of US life.

Grade: B

Abbi just always brings the laughs and the heartwarming stories. This one is no different. If you're in the mood for something enjoyable and lighter, read this book! A great read for 2020!

WHY DID I LISTEN TO I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER BY ABBI WAXMAN?
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman was right up my alley. There’s a trip touring colleges. There’s mother-daughter relationships. I opted for the audiobook version as I previously enjoyed listening to Waxman’s The Garden Of Small Beginnings. Might as well continue listening to Waxman’s book. This is such a good life choice, especially if you enjoy women’s fiction as much as I do.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
This book follows Jessica and Emily Burnstein who are on a trip exploring colleges for Emily to apply to. Jessica is a high power lawyer who finds herself wondering just what happened to the little girl Emily who seemed to love her so much. Meanwhile, Emily is excited for a chance at freedom and seeing what college might be like. Even though, as it turns out college might not be her thing. Unfortunately, there is a frenemy who is on the trip too with Jessica and Emily, which definitely will lead to some issues. Oh and there’s something that Emily might be hiding.

WHAT DID I THINK OF I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER?
Overall, I enjoyed I Was Told It Would Get Easier. This is my second book by Waxman but certainly not the last. I liked the development of the relationship between Jessica and Emily. It felt realistic to a parent-teen relationship. Emily tests her boundaries and it comes off as perfectly normal. As it turns out, Emily is a pretty good kid. I liked that she didn’t know if she wanted to go to college or not. Also, I liked Jessica’s subplot revolving around her job and helping to pull another woman up the ladder with her, so to speak. It really appealed to my inner feminist.

When it comes to romance, there is not much within this book. Both Jessica and Emily have flirtations. But it is not the driving factor of the book. I was satisfied though with how the story plays out and with what we got.


HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Bailey Carr and Lisa Flanagan. Bailey Carr narrates the chapters that are Emily’s perspective. Lisa Flanagan narrates the chapters that are Jessica’s perspective. It felt like both narrators were appropriately chosen. Plus they seemed to have good synergy, yeah the narration was different but it blended well, if that makes sense? The audiobook is 8 hours and 46 minutes long and quite the compelling listen. It’s enjoyable and interesting in both narration and content.

Do you like The Gilmore Girls? Then this is for you! Jessica and her daughter Emily are off on a college visit. But things don't exactly go as expected. The back and forth points of view will entertain you and have you thinking about your own family relationships.

This story centres around the members of a prenatal club who continue to meet up after their babies are born. Alisha was worried at first about her husband, Jason, but he is now embracing his new fatherhood role. Lucy also has her concerns about partner Oscar because he had always been forthright about not wanting any more kids.
Alisha and Lucy hit it off and become confidants but there’s something that Lucy’s not sharing.
It felt like the author kept hitting us over the head with hints about Lucy’s secret and I would have preferred a much subtler approach. However, the interactions between the new parents and the witty writing made up for it.

Abi Waxman's I Was Told It Would Get Easier attempts to capture the mother-daughter relationship like the television show Gilmore Girls but does not quite succeed. The book's plot is pretty simple: Jessica Burnstein accompanies her daughter, Emily on a week-long bus tour of top-notch colleges. The two women have a strained relationship and do not meet eye to eye on a lot of things. Jessica, a successful lawyer and single mother, wants the best for Emily, which includes getting her into a top college. Jessica purchased a pricey package deal to tour big-name colleges up the East Coast from Georgetown to Columbia with all the bells and whistles including the inevitable tension and arguments.
Emily is unsure if she wants to go to college and is constantly aware that she is an utter disappointment to her ambitious and workaholic mother. Emily's dialogue tries too hard to be hip, but shes does act like a teenager, pushing her mother away; Jessica does the parent act, managing her emotions without drowning in them. The college tour is not really exciting and features the typical peppy tour guide, hectic schedule, anxious parents, and annoyed kids. Waxman does try to make her story timely with subplots such as a #MeToo sexual harassment incident at Jessica's job and a nod to the college admission scandal at Emily's school in Los Angeles; of course neither of which mother or daughter has shared with the other. There is nothing that wowed me with this book and I did get a few chuckles here and there. Overall an easy read, but it will not leave a lasting impression once you have finished it. If you wanted to pick up a book by Waxman, skip this one and read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill instead.

Abbi Waxman's books always have a way of warming your heart. I loved the relationship between the mother and daughter and how it grew in this book.

I'm glad that I gave this author abother try. I read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill last year and gave it a 3-star rating. I loved and enjoyed the humour and banter in this one. One of my favorites was the mother-daughter relationship because I can totally relate to it. I also liked the "college tour" which I didn't know is a huge thing. I both admire the characters' principles. That they have a lot of things in common but they just don't know it. I also personally liked how the author writes even though the dual POV was a little confusing at first. The writing is very simple and direct which makes this book a fast and light read.

I love Waxman's books and the premise of this story greatly appealed to me. I did not find this one as entertaining as Other People's Houses and Nina Hill, I felt it was a quick, average read.

I Was Told it Would Get Easier is a light, fast read that I quickly finished in 2 days.

It's the story of a mom and her teenage daughter who embark on a college tour trip across the east coast. I was really intrigued as thats where I live! (Princeton University is just 10 minutes from me - one of their stops)

I loved Nina Hill, and Waxman's writing style in that book, so I was looking forward to this one. But unfortunately, it just didn't really hold my attention and I found myself wishing for the humor and lighthearted quips that I found in Nina. It was pretty light and uneventful, but easy breezy to read - so it wasn't hard to get through or anything - just kept waiting for something to happen.

It's a cute mom and daughter story - sorta Gilmore Girls-esque, but with a bit less wit and humor? The communication and generation gap steer the plot of the story and I think a mom would relate more than myself, as there is a bit of a growth journey that both characters go on while on the trip.

I just felt it was a bit dry and not very compelling and I was craving a bit more excitement. Not a bad book, but I just had a hard time getting really invested in the characters.

4/5 🌟 Many thanks to the publisher for the.e-ARC.

I think it's very rare.to find books which feature a mother-daughter relationship so well, and I Was Told It Would Get Easier totally hit the right spot in that case. I loved seeing Emily and Jessica's relationship develop on the college tour. There were many bumps along the way, but it was fascinating to see how everything worked out for the mother-daughter duo. It was a very refreshing read, and I enjoyed the story immensely.

Highly recommend! 💗

This was a great follow-up to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill! The dynamic between the mother and daughter was relatable and they were both written well.

I loved this very much! The characters, the actions and even the plot itself! Very inspiring for my own book too!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I couldn't connect with the characters and was not able to finish the story.

I Was Told It Would Get It Easier is one of those books that I only wanted to read because I liked the author's prior book, even though the plot of this one didn't super sound like my thing. I'm glad I ended up doing the audiobook, because I suspect this would have been a DNF in print, but I liked the audio.

This book is about the relationships between parents and teens, and the way they tend to fall into negative patterns, even if they love each other. It leans into certain stereotypes for sure, but they're definitely the true kind of stereotypes (like teens rolling their eyes or parents interrogating teens about their future plans). The emotional journey is expected, but there were some odd plot points along the way to keep the interest up. There's a lot about the pressure to go to college and how much more difficult that is now than in the 90s. It might be a good read for parents of teens to convince them to calm down, pressure their kid a bit less, and remember that a non-college option might be better for some teens, even if they're super privileged.

The voices of Jessica and Emily were on point. I like that Jessica's a badass lawyer and pretty unsentimental but also enjoys being a mom, because I feel like that's not the typical characterization. I also like how much she doesn't apologize for making atypical choices. Emily, too, ends up being a pretty unstereotypical character, though it takes time for her to open to her mom and, consequently, to the reader.

Flanagan and Carr do a great job narrating, and I was particularly impressed with their impressions of the other character, because they even sounded like the other narrator! I'm not sure if that was a happy accident or something PRH planned, but it was great.

Overall, I liked listening to this one, but it definitely wasn't my usual sort of read. I hoped there would be a romance component, and there are hints of that, but it doesn't really go anywhere. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy books about parenting, family dynamics, and/or the stress of getting a kid into college.

3 stars

Lately, I’ve been having a hard time reading. It seems the subjects of books are either too heavy for this covid-19 atmosphere, or too much about normal life. This book was just what I needed to get me out of my pandemic reading rut. It was a simple read, with a topic that was relatable regardless of the state of the world because it was about the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship.

Like me, if you loved Regretting You by Colleen Hoover, you should definitely pick this one up. It has a similar switching between points of view, illustrating the contrast between the mother’s thought process and the daughter’s.

In today’s world, where young people are constantly trying to find the perfect career and education that will accommodate the changing climate and fulfill our personal interests, this book delves into that trying journey with Abbi Waxman’s signature wit and charm.

This book was relatable to me as a mother who feels ever unappreciated for all that I do to support my children; but, ironically, it was also relatable to me as a daughter who often wants to make life choices independent of my mother’s influence and therefore fails to recognize her selfless support. At times it was funny to see both sides and be able to appreciate them.

I recommend this as an uplifting, humorous, escape from the current pandemic.

I absolutely adored this story of a mother and daughter trying to reconnect over a trip to look for colleges. The mother-daughter dynamic was my favorite part by far, but I also enjoyed the supporting characters and life challenges each was facing. I'll definitely purchase a copy of this for my school's library.

I feel like this book isn’t getting the love it deserves. I truly enjoyed every minute of it. This author is one to watch and I will continue to read everything she writes in the future.

Ah, college visits...when parents and children really come together as one...NOT! This book is a fun look at the life of a mother and daughter touring schools, preparing to apply to college and changing everybody's lives. Abbi Waxman has another fun book to add to her titles!

This book took its time to grow on me but I ended up really enjoying it. The mother daughter relationship, a single mother trying to do everything for her daughter to make her life perfect, the stress of applying to universities and the entire process of admissions.

Having watched my brother go through that about 3 years back, it all came back to me, the feelings, anxiety, feeling of hopelessness and the fear of rejection.

I love how Abbi captures the relationships with such ease. When your child is a teenager, they are in this beautiful phase of life where they are in the process of becoming an adult. But the pressure of perfecting your future, hampers this process and instead of finding themselves they try to find the easiest way to become number 1 in the race of life.
Abbi, you are easily becoming my "must-buy" author!