I’ve heard this book described as a cross between Almost Famous and Daisy Six, and while I’ve never read Daisy Six, I could see elements of Almost Famous while reading Mary Jane but this sweet coming-of-age story stands out on its own. The timeline is short, over one summer, but the world building and character development is so well done that I felt like I time-traveled back to the time of avocado-colored appliances, shag carpet, and groovy music! I highly recommend this story if you’re looking for a “found family” type of story with the perfect balance of laughs and tender moments.

I combo read this book with the audio version and the narrator, Caitlin Kinnunen, was absolutely perfect! There were instances of singing throughout the novel and Caitlin nailed it with her smooth, smoky-sounding voice, definite Stevie Nicks vibes.

I loved this book! A coming of age story told by a teenage girl.
MaryJane is hired by the Cone family to take care of 5- year old Izzy for the summer. MaryJane quickly learns that not every family lives a life like hers. While learning many things her parents have either tried to shelter from and realizing her parents beliefs are not the only ones, she uses the things she has learned from her mom to help Izzy find some consistency.
During the summer MaryJane meets a rock star and a n actress; 2 people her parents would not approve of. They expand her musical interest,reinforce her goodness and love her like a sibling.
#WilliamMorrow

One of the most joyful, nostalgic, tender and original coming-of-age stories I've ever read. Mary Jane is a perfect and delightful summer read, full of surprising depth of emotion and great writing.

Yesss!! Loved this book so much. It is perfect for summer. It's coming of age but not at all cheesy, and I really grew attached to all of these characters. It was so fun to watch Mary Jane really come into her own, and I loved the time period. Highly recommend!

Wonderful story by Jessica Anya Blau! I was hooked from the first page! This was incredibly easy yo read and I was mesmerized with Mary Jane, Izzy Jimmy, Sheba, Richard and Bonnie. Mary Jane learns a lesson we all need, life is sometimes not perfect and tidy. So many things in life get messy or look messy from the outside in. What matters is the people that become your family and your acceptance of them..

I just saw the paperback edition of this book on display in the front of my local B&N and realized I never left a review of the ARC, but suffice it to say I love Jessica Anya Blau's novels and this one was a favorite of last summer! I would adore seeing this story adapted for film or TV.

Brought me back to my childhood!
I loved this book!!

Description
"The best book of the summer." -- InStyle

"I LOVED this novel....If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45 rpm." —Nick Hornby

Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones & The Six in this "delightful" (New York Times Book Review) novel about a fourteen-year-old girl’s coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for—who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.

In 1970s Baltimore, fourteen-year-old Mary Jane loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family’s subscription to the Broadway Showtunes of the Month record club. Shy, quiet, and bookish, she’s glad when she lands a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. A respectable job, Mary Jane’s mother says. In a respectable house.

The house may look respectable on the outside, but inside it’s a literal and figurative mess: clutter on every surface, Impeachment: Now More Than Ever bumper stickers on the doors, cereal and takeout for dinner. And even more troublesome (were Mary Jane’s mother to know, which she does not): the doctor is a psychiatrist who has cleared his summer for one important job—helping a famous rock star dry out. A week after Mary Jane starts, the rock star and his movie star wife move in.

Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention group therapy). Caught between the lifestyle she’s always known and the future she’s only just realized is possible, Mary Jane will arrive at September with a new idea about what she wants out of life, and what kind of person she’s going to be.

Such a heartwarming book about a girl finding her true self while working as a nanny for a quirky family and some crazy celebrities. Very enjoyable read!

This book is so good! I finished it in two days by ignoring all of my responsibilities. It was a very unique story and I love how it all came together. Mary Jane was a very well rounded character and a delight to get to know.

I absolutely loved this book! What a great story about these people's lives and the way they lived. That was a lifestyle that was always written about - a rocker's lifestyle.
This book is an easy, interesting must read book! ENJOY!!!

Probably my favorite book of the summer of 2021. This was such a cute, funny, adorable story. Set in 1975 Baltimore, MJ is 14 and hired as a summer mother’s helper by a psychiatrist and his wife for their 5-year-old daughter Izzy. About a week after she starts her job, a famous rock star and his equally famous actress wife move in to the psychiatrist’s house so the rock star can recover from drugs and sex addiction. Then the story gets good! I have been recommending this book all summer. And if you listen on Audible, you get a sweet surprise at the end. Loved everything about this book!

Mary Jane has taken a summer job as a nanny. Her mother is very pleased. It is a respectable job with a respectable doctor and his family. However, this does not turn out to be exactly what her mother expects.

Mary Jane is only 14 and has been raised, as I like to say, in a bubble. Her parents have put a bubble around her and their lives and all their experiences are completely contained. So, when Mary Jane is introduced to the Cone family, let’s just say, it opens up a whole new world.

There is so much I want to say about this novel. I love Mary Jane! I loved seeing her grow and form her own opinions. Plus, I fell in love with the whole Dr. Cone world. Add in Sheba and Jimmy and this book exceeded all expectations.

I have loved every single one of Jessica Anya Blau’s books. And this one is my favorite…and that is saying something because I never thought anything would top Drinking Closer to Home. This author can take any character and turn them into someone you know, want to know or must know!

The narrator, Caitlin Kinnunen, did an outstanding job. All the voices were amazing, including Izzy, Dr. Cone’s daughter. Some narrators can make a kid sound fake. Caitlin nailed it!

Now, I received and ebook copy from the publisher. Well..I am behind, as usual, so I got it on audible. So, that is why I reviewed the audible book. (I also purchased a signed copy…so I have 3 copies of this book…but who is counting!)

Need an all around good book which will make you smile and cringe all in the same chapter…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

In the summer of 1975, things are about to change for the title character, Mary Jane. At fourteen-years-old, Mary Jane has led a sheltered existence in her upper middle class neighborhood in Baltimore. Mary Jane is an only child, and her mother and father are devout church-goers. Mary Jane takes a job as a nanny at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Cone, and as Mary Jane finds out, the Cones are nothing like most people in their Baltimore neighborhood. Dr. Cone, a psychiatrist, takes on a high-profile patient, a rockstar named Jimmy, struggling with a heroin addiction. Along with Jimmy, his equally famous wife, Sheba, comes to stay in the Cone household for the summer. Mary Jane's world is expanded in this sweet coming-of-age tale.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. My book club LOVED this book!! I was a little nervous at first glance because of the time period the story was set in and the age of the main character, but Mary Jane turned out to be a delightful little barely rebellious teen coming of age in the summer with all the questions. I loved how deeply she cared for the health and well-being of her young charge and genuinely wanted to do well at her job, easy as it was. A few of the ladies in my book club also listened to the audiobook and gave tons of positive feedback about the narrator and pacing. As a whole, we would highly recommend this one!

Mary Jane is a coming of age story set in 1975. Mary Jane is a 14 year old girl coming from a strict household that is church-going and proper. She is asked to nanny for a little girl who comes from a house that is messy. Her parents are verging on hippies and they take in a rock star who is trying to get clean from drugs and his celebrity wife for the summer.

Mary Jane is introduced to drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll and it is earth-shattering for her. She doesn't delve into anything that would be illegal (no drugs or sex for her) but she witnesses enough that her worldview is forever changed. What will happen when the summer is over? What will her parents think when they realize that she has lied (by omission and directly)?

This is a slice of life book. There isn't a lot that happens, rather Mary Jane just experiences life from a different perspective. Once you get used to the fact that the narrator is 14 years old, this is really an enjoyable read.

I just loved this book! It was engaging and thoughtful and very real. The characters were all well developed and interesting. I haven't read Jessica Anya Blau before but I will definitely check out her other books.

Words cannot describe how much I adore Mary Jane. Summer in Baltimore arrives and Mary Jane has been hired as a nanny for the Cone family. Dr. Cone and his wife Bonnie make up part of the eclectic bunch of people who Mary Jane takes care of for the summer. It is a summer full of finding herself, learning a lot about life and taking care of Izzy Cone.

This book brought me back to being a young teen with a little responsibility and a lot to still learn. I listened to it on audio and loved listening to Caitlin Kinnunen bring Mary Jane to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Custom House/William Morrow as well as Book Club Girls for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

With immersive storytelling and a searing coming-of-age narrative, Jessica Anya Blau’s MARY JANE is a tender, humorous and invigorating novel about growing up and learning that your parents might not always be right.

Fourteen-year-old Mary Jane Dillard is a well-behaved but unassuming girl. She enjoys helping her mother prepare meals for her father, singing in her church’s choir and collecting records full of Broadway showtunes. In the summer of 1975, however, she takes on a babysitting gig for the Cones, a new family in her Roland Park neighborhood, deemed the “finest neighborhood in Baltimore” by her mother. When Mary Jane arrives there, she is shocked by the state of the house: clutter has accumulated on the stairs, Mrs. Cone is barely dressed, and her charge, Izzy, is like no one she has ever met before. Despite her conservative upbringing, she is fascinated by this family and agrees to babysit Izzy for the summer.

Mary Jane’s introduction to the Cone way of life is a hilarious adventure. She has never met a Jewish man like Dr. Cone before, she has never eaten cereal for dinner, and she certainly has never been around a family who shuts, hugs and kisses so much. She knows that her mother would be horrified by what she is being exposed to, but she finds the clutter, rambunctiousness and spontaneity refreshing. And then the real highlight of the summer comes: Dr. Cone, a psychiatrist, will be spending the next few months treating a rock star for addiction, and the beleaguered rocker will be living with them, along with his movie star wife. Because of their celebrity, Mary Jane is instructed that she must never reveal the Cones’ secret guests or their reasons for staying there. Already head-over-heels for Izzy, she agrees, despite knowing that this will be the biggest “lie” she has ever told her mother.

Mary Jane, who is more familiar with Broadway and church choir, cannot even begin to imagine who the rocker will be. But when the couple arrives, she recognizes his wife instantly: Sheba, the one-named star of “Family First!” a variety show beloved by even Mary Jane’s uptight mother. Her husband, Jimmy, is jaw-droppingly sexy, and his one-on-one sessions with Dr. Cone begin immediately, leaving Mrs. Cone, Izzy, Mary Jane and Sheba to form a sort of girl gang for the summer. Mrs. Cone and Sheba pair off frequently to don wigs and go shopping, drink wine or smoke weed. Mary Jane soon finds herself at the center of the household, cooking nutritious meals for the bohemian family, teaching Izzy the alphabet and starting the gargantuan task of tidying the house.

Remarkably, Mary Jane does not feel abused or overdrawn by the arrangement. Having been taught how to run a household by her mother, she relishes the opportunity to take charge and do something on her own for once. And despite their laidback ways, the Cones, Jimmy and Sheba truly respect, admire and treasure her. In a few short weeks, Mary Jane has assembled her own family, one that, unlike her parents, does not second-guess or limit her. They help her come into her own as a young woman without ever pressuring her or forcing her into anything beyond her comfort.

As Mary Jane and Izzy take center stage of the Cone-Jimmy-Sheba family, Mary Jane starts to realize that she has been missing the exact brand of zaniness that her new friends bring to the table. In scenes at home, Blau reveals that while the Dillard family is not abusive or cruel, they are removed and cold; Mary Jane is almost never hugged or encouraged, and her mother thrives on delivering WASP-like “constructive” criticism as cutting as it is helpful. But aside from learning that her family is more uptight and backwards than she ever knew, she now acknowledges that their worldview is incredibly racist and bigoted: Jewish people are crooks, Black men and women should “know their place,” addicts are just criminals and junkies.

When the Cones invite Mary Jane to a week away, she jumps at the chance, lying to her mother about an illness in the family that necessitates her supervision of Izzy. When she comes back, she is greeted face-to-face by her adolescence.

MARY JANE is a gorgeous coming-of-age novel, made all the more endearing by its colorful cast of characters. The premise of a teenage girl living in secret with a rock star and movie actress was compelling to me at first, but where I expected a lot of shocks and sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, Blau instead delivered tender moments of eye-opening realizations. Mary Jane is exposed to all of the hard-hitting topics I mentioned above, but she is never put in harm’s way. The Cones, Jimmy and Sheba come to truly love both her and Izzy, making the theme of found family all the more heartrending.

Comparing her intensely compartmentalized family to the Cones, Mary Jane explains, “In the Cone family, there was no such thing as containment. Feelings were splattered around the household…. To feel something was to feel alive. And to feel alive was starting to feel like love.” On Jimmy’s addiction she says, “Until I met Jimmy, I hadn’t understood that people you loved could do things you didn’t love. And, still, you could keep loving them.” It is this distinction that highlights for Mary Jane so clearly that her family’s love is distributed more like a meritocracy, whereas she is learning that it can arise naturally, organically and unstoppably. And with all the courage of a Jane Austen heroine, the pipes of a pop star and Izzy holding her hand, Mary Jane is ready to open up to the world and receive all the love it has to give.

With its deeply immersive setting --- the 1970s are brought vividly to life in music, fashion and more --- and a main character you can’t help but love, MARY JANE is an utterly charming novel full of oddities, joys and wit.

I listened to this novel on audiobook, and it was a fun, relatively mindless read for consuming on my commute (which takes place far earlier in the day than I am reading to manage a series audiobook).

I received an advanced reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book speaks to your young, immature self who is struggling to find their way from childhood into adulthood. I actually found myself so entertained that I was giggling at some parts. Trying to make sense of all these adult conversations, actions and behaviors is a daunting task especially when the adults around you are not at all tuned into the process you’re undergoing.

I really loved the opposing lifestyles that Mary Jane gets to exposure to when she spends the summer at home being a nanny for a 5yr old instead of traveling to sleep away camp with her friends. She learns that having fun, exploring and trying new things is liberating in more ways than she could’ve ever imagined.