Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes tells the story of two lifelong best friends who are just old enough to be disappointed and disillusioned with how their lives are turning out. Lauren’s husband who cheated on her is now living with another woman and making noises about seeking custody of their daughter. Jude’s father’s death has unsettled her Real Housewives mother whose narcissism is driving her to drink. Their friendship, though, is still intact. Will it survive living together?

It seems to be an elegant solution, moving in together. Jude does a podcat allowing her to be a help to Lauren. It helps Jude, too, as her finances are on the ropes despite her success as an influencer. But Jude never talks about her problems and Lauren cannot afford the smallest mistake with her daughter’s custody on the line.

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes is a lemon drop of a book, a lot of flavor in a little bit of candy. The characters are likable and the writing is clear and fast-paced. I might have cared more, though, if the narrative did not share their every thought. The story is so much inside their heads, what they do almost seems beside the point. This is a book that tells and tells and tells and hardly shows at all. There was little suspense as to whether the boat will right itself in the end because the tone was too breezy for any other resolution than smiles all around. How it gets there and what there is, you have to read to find out, but you know within the first chapter that this will be one of those “all’s well that ends well” books. For me, it was too frothy and insubstantial, but on a hot summer day sitting on the beach, it might be perfect.

I received an e-galley of Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes from the publisher through NetGalley.

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes at Berkley | Penguin Random House
Alexa Martin author site

A highly entertaining and relatable story about two childhood best friends, single motherhood, female friendship, social media influencers and the power of finding and pursuing your dreams. Jude and Lauren have been best friends forever. Moving in together seems like a natural step for these super supportive friends who are always there for one another, especially when Lauren has to fight for custody of her five year old daughter. When the two start a podcast Lauren finds a passion she didn't know she was missing and a confidence she had lost being focused only on her daughter.

I loved the emphasis on women supporting women and the power of female friendship that transcended race. Highly recommended for fans of the Class mom series, or mom podcasters like Cat & Nat and the #imomsohard ladies. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced review copy!

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes was not at all what I expected going into it. The book was good, but I feel like the synopsis was a bit misleading.

My favorite part of the story was the way Martin shined a light on how empowering female friendships can be. Main characters Lauren and Jude were definitely #goals, but their relationship wasn't perfect for a few different reasons.

I loved the author's exploration of how our individual personalities, secrets, and expectations all contribute to the way a friendship looks. And that the two people in the relationship might be seeing it differently based on past experiences.

The thing that took me by surprise in this book was how serious it ended up being. The author writes about alcoholism, emotional abuse and manipulation, and the ugly side of custody battles. It got heavy really fast, and my heart hurt and my mind mentally cringed at so many of the scenes and poor choices the characters made.

It took me a long time to get through the middle of the book, mostly because I couldn't wrap my head around the continuing sadness. I was too latched on to the negative storylines instead of the positive. In addition to the issues above, Martin also touches on racism, sexism, the burden of expectations for moms/parents, and the fakeness that permeates social media.

Despite all these very real, relevant, and heavy issues, ultimately there is a lot to be hopeful about in this book, and I love that therapy and setting boundaries plays a role in one of the characters' emotional growth. It's such an important message that we have the power to keep toxic people out of our lives.

This cover is very cute and the title is even cuter. I immediately knew I was going to accept this book for review, especially once I saw it was about two women starting a podcast. I liked the idea that one of them was a mom and the other was not but that they had been friends since third grade. I was also very curious about the dynamic of them living together.

I feel like I simultaneously have a lot of feelings and no feelings about this book which is… odd.

Jude is a fitness influencer with an ex Soap star for a mom, Lauren is a single mother who had to drop out of med school to have her daughter and is dealing with a contentious ex. They decide to move in together so they can support each other and circumstances end up pushing them together to create a podcast about their experiences as a mother and a single woman living together.

Ok so, my biggest issue with this book is Jude. Honestly, I liked Lauren (though she had her flaws) and enjoyed seeing her come into her own and learn to fight for what she believes in. Jude on the other hand, just comes off as immature, reckless and selfish. I understand she has her issues but some of the stuff she does and says is woah. I also didn’t find anything to be very redeeming about her which made it harder.

My other issue with this book was Hudson. I get why Lauren needed a love interest (sort of) but he is such a two dimensional character that I couldn’t find any connection between him and Lauren. This made me feel like I wasn’t rooting for anything and that entire storyline could’ve been removed from the book and I wouldn’t have missed a thing.

I did enjoy the drama and I really liked the way the book moved forward and progressed. It dealt with a lot of issues such as divorce, prejudice against black women in multiple settings, mental illness, narcissism, and alcoholism. I think the way that Martin dealt with these issues was done very well and that’s what made me have a lot of feelings. I think if certain parts of Jude’s character and Hudson’s character were edited, I would’ve like this book much more overall.

If you like contemporary novels that deal with real life issues in a lighter manner I would recommend this book. It’s not a romance novel by any means so if you’re expecting that turn back now. It’s more of a novel about friendship and life and the life part is done very well.

I know Alexa Martin went out to write a contemporary/womens fiction book with less romance, but I needed just a hint more. There was a handful of attention given to that side story and then it was neglected for a portion of the book. I think it would have enhanced this story just a bit more since that was part of the character's struggle (single mom, long time since a relationship and a previously poor one). With that being said, Alexa wrote a great story of friendship and support from two best friends but in very different life stages. I liked reading about them and made me think of my own friends that keep me together. I love Alexa's writing and she's proven she's more than sports romance.

If you’ve read any of the Playbook series then you know Alexa Martin does a great job making dynamic female characters and this book is no exception! Jude is a quick tongued influencer who loves to party and embarrass her best friend, Lauren. Lauren is a single mom who’s trying to be a role model for her young daughter (and Jude) while also providing for their small family. When Jude and Lauren move in together, their unusual arrangement has some bumps along the road. ⁣
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If you’re looking for a romance book then you may be disappointed because while there’s an element of romance, this is really more of a story about growing up, friendship and parenthood. I laughed a bunch and flew through this book! I would definitely recommend you pick it up especially if you’re looking for a fun but multilayered female centered story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book and would read more titles by Alexa Martin. I'm not sure I'm completely on board with the alternate narration. Although both main characters were interesting as narrators, I felt their voices weren't distinct enough from each other (their personalities were distinct, but not the voices/language/syntax etc used by the author).

Mom Jeans And Other Mistakes is a women’s fiction novel about a pair of millennial friends with many differences and an undying love for each other. They each have their own problems and this leads to a falling out. There are plenty of humorous moments throughout, as well as tender moments. The author addresses some thorny topics but she does it so thoughtfully and gently that I wouldn’t necessarily label them with a content warning. Just in case, here they are: racism, alcoholism, mental health, unhealthy family relationships, and influencer exploitation. As a bookstagrammer, I always appreciate a reminder of the dark side of my happy place. 😉

I am a fan of author Alexa Martin's newsletter. Reading it is like reading an email from a friend with all the ups and downs and humor of living the Mom life. It’s one of the newsletters that I open each week and read immediately. I share this because the book reads like the newsletters!

It’s like reading about friends! Lauren and Jude have been best friends since they were little and are now roommates along with Lauren’s 5 year old daughter. Jude’s is single and an influencer. Lauren is a single mom works in a doctor’s office. She’d been in med school when she got pregnant and dropped out. Her ex is now a doctor and wants to see more of their daughter.

Through a series of events, Lauren and Jude end up collaborating on a podcast sharing their friendship and different perspectives. We also get to journey with them through some messy life situations (we meet both of their families). This was an enjoyable read and I loved how the characters felt real and grew and evolved!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book about the power of friendship from an author who is best known for her steamy romances!

Lauren and Jude are moving into a townhouse with Lauren's daughter Adelaide. They have been best friends since grade school, and when they both need a fresh start (and a someone to share the costs of living), they decide that being roommates/sister wives for a year is perfect.

Lauren and Jude may be best friends, but they are very different. Lauren works in an OB/GYN office as an office administrator. Jude is social influencer with a growing brand on Instagram. She promotes health and wellness companies, and hopes one day to open her own yoga studio. Lauren is grounded, introverted, and not nearly assertive enough. Jude is outgoing, a risk taker and not afraid to speak her mind. But their friendship works because they admire those characteristics each other and put their friendship first always.

However, their world is about to change dramatically, as Addy's father has decided to sue for full custody (even though he really just started being a part of her life in the last year). Lauren, quite frankly, has been a pushover, and has nothing in writing, no documentation showing how few times he saw his daughter and how many times Lauren had reached out to cajole him to take her, and now is facing a tough custody battle as a black woman against a white doctor, who is now married to a beautiful woman (whom Lauren actually really likes).

Lauren's mother, a successful attorney, is able to help by hiring someone great to represent her, but it is Jude who comes up with the genius idea of creating a parenting/life podcast with Lauren. They call it Mom Jeans and Martinis, and they cover all sorts of topics of interest to millennial women. The podcast takes off, and their producer, Hudson, is making Lauren feel all sorts of gooey and wonderful things. He is wonderful with Addy, and kind to Lauren at a time when she feels especially vulnerable and raw because of her lying ex and the custody battle. And better yet, the podcast gives Lauren a strong base for her custody battle, showing what a great mom she is.

Jude's life isn't measuring up, either. After being burned by an ex who stole money from her, she is trying to rebuild her savings so she can open a yoga studio. Her mother, a former soap opera star, is trying to make her comeback on reality TV, but is prioritizing her success over the wants and needs of her daughter. What's a girl to do but drink (maybe a little too much sometimes)? And while Jude wants Lauren to share everything with her, she is reluctant to do the same and open up to her best friend.

While this book is definitely a feel-good read, it also deals with some very serious subjects, such as strained relationships with parents, accepting help and going to therapy, dealing with toxic relationships, and alcoholism. Both women have their demons, and have to find a way to overcome them. Martin has written a perfect ode to "ride or die" friendships that are so important for women today.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this really fun and inspiring book!

Fun book of friendship, motherhood, and exes. Add the parent dynamics and you have a wonderful read. This book will be passed among girlfriends

Finally! Finally we get body acceptance for the male characters in fiction. The love interest, which is a minor plot element in this book, is just a normal dude. There are no straining shirt buttons, or chiseled forearms. He's just a dude that's not described in endless detail, and probably looks a lot like the one on your couch or that guy at work. But he's beautiful in the eyes of Lauren and that's all that matters.

Fans of Alexa Martin's other romance books might be warned that this is not a romance, but a story about the bonds between women, be that between mothers and daughters, or friends. (To be totally honest I was holding out hope that this was going to be a romance and hoping that Jude and Lauren were going to hook up).

Recommended for those looking for contemporary fiction with strong female characters and relationships, and those facing life's challenges with strength.

Best friends since childhood, Lauren and Jude have always been the one reliable constant in each other’s lives. When they both hit rough patches, they decide to move in together along with Lauren’s precocious 5-year-old daughter. Tackling everything from custody battles to female friendships to toxic family relationships to racism in America, this heartwarming story has just the right amount of bite.

Three out of Ms. Martin’s four football romances have earned DIK status from me and her debut novel received a solid B, so I think it would be fair to label me a big fan of her work. Which is why Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes was a surprise. This women’s fiction story has some of the humor and terrific gal-pal relationships that contribute to the overall awesomeness of the author’s romances, but it’s too superficial to tackle with depth and sensitivity all the issues its heroines are going through.

Jude Andrews stumbled upon stardom. A paparazzi picture of her and her mom (a semi-famous actress) leaving a workout turned viral and resulted in sponsors reaching out to Jude and asking her to turn her healthy post Pilates class glow into a brand. Now she makes a living as an Instagram influencer, portraying the quintessential California girl – a blonde, sun-kissed, fit goddess who attends posh parties, eats healthily and takes fitness seriously. Jude’s social media makes it look like she’s crushing it but her real life has actually been a series of unfortunate events since that photo. Jude’s dad died and her mom has turned into a recognition seeking, perpetually broke, weepy dependent who spends every dime she gets on trying to recapture her youth – and Jude is spending thousands per month supporting her. Adding to Jude’s financial and emotional woes is the fact that her lover absconded with all her savings and her dream of owning her own Pilates studio crashed and burned as a result. The only good thing in Jude’s reality is her bestie Lauren Turner and Lauren’s fabulous five-year-old, Addie.

Lauren had planned to be a doctor rather than just the fiancé of one, but an unexpected pregnancy took her off the medical school path and placed her firmly on the stay-at-home mommy road. She didn’t mind. She loved being able to spend time with her baby, and becoming the picture-perfect plus-one for her beloved Ben was her new goal. But when Ben leaves her for another woman, all of that changes. Lauren initially moves in with her parents, but that solution proves to be rather disastrous since her mom is hypercritical of everything Lauren does. Needless to say, Lauren is delighted when she and Jude are able to scrape enough together to buy their own modest home and (semi) escape their dysfunctional families. Now they are “sister-wives without the husband – all of the support with none of the dude drama.”

And it works really well until Ben, an absentee dad for most of Addie’s life, gets married, decides he wants full custody and begins proceedings to get it. Fortunately, Lauren’s mom is a lawyer with excellent contacts, and she is able to hook Lauren up with some great representation. Yet somehow, at that point, Jude’s idea for Lauren to do a mommy podcast that focuses on the world of coparenting, mom groups, and dating becomes a necessity because how better to convince a judge that you are a great parent than by getting tons of followers?

I have to admit that setup felt ridiculous. When Lauren does her first on page drop off of Addie at Ben’s house, she speaks about the fact that she worked hard to get Addie into an excellent school for kindergarten, gathering together teacher recommendations, taking her for observations and testing and handling the application process alone. Ben had blown off the entire thing. Additionally, Lauren has been taking the little girl to doctor’s appointments along with her gymnastics classes and doing the pickup/drop off at preschool. According to Lauren’s lawyer, this is just the kind of hands on parenting a judge is looking for when determining custody, so it’s absurd that a podcast would somehow also be necessary, especially since Lauren already has a responsible, respectable position as the office manager for an OB/gyn. My understanding (in fairness gleaned mostly from the internet) is that things like podcasts actually make custody harder since the parent routinely violates the privacy of the child by talking about them, even if such conversations are generic and don’t mention names or specifics. The kind of guilt-by-association fame that launched Jude’s career could be dangerous for someone of Addie’s age and I couldn’t help but feel this was a mistake in the making.

Jude is another mistake in the making in terms of the coming custody battle. She’s a loyal and true friend and a fabulous playmate for Addie, but it’s clear from the beginning of the story that she’s something of a hot mess. It’s also obvious that she has a drinking problem since a lot of her time, from morning (mimosas) to evening (shots), is spent downing copious amounts of alcohol.

But the biggest problem is that the author tries to cram too much drama into a relatively short, light-hearted book. The characters are wonderful women with some really big issues. Reliable, mature Lauren is a warm hearted, sweet person who can also be naïve and overly trusting. Ben has taken advantage of that for years, not just cheating on her as she went all out to build a home for them and their daughter, but being emotionally abusive towards her as well. When we add in the drama of the mommy play group she is trying to fit into along with the issues with her mom and the nasty-because-Ben-is-an-ass custody battle, I got the impression of a woman overwhelmed by life who did not need to be taking on the magnitude of work required by something like a podcast.

Jude, who is fun loving, a bit wild, crazy loyal and very loving, has really big family issues, financial issues and a high stress job. Her burgeoning alcoholism makes some sense given all she’s going through, but it’s too much in terms of the story the author is trying to tell. If just one of our gal pals was facing tons of problems, that would have been enough fodder for a book, but having all of this happening in one novel covering both their lives was too much.

There is a romance here for Lauren, which has a hero so underdeveloped I couldn’t remember his name from scene to scene. He’s a nice, reliable, bland guy who is supposed, I think, to counter Ben’s nastiness, but the romance is so blah the book could easily have done without it.

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes is a nicely prosed narrative which does a great job of showing the immeasurable value of lifelong friendships. I adored how Jude and Lauren knew everything about it each other and were always there for each other; I liked how they balanced and often brought out the best in each other. But the plot is overwhelmed with the sheer number of threads it’s trying to work out and as a result the tale is a tangled mess which never gives any of the issues the focus they deserve. Fans of the author might want to pick it up if they are sticklers for reading everything someone writes but otherwise, I’d give this one a miss.

This novel was a bit deeper than I thought it was going to be. I was impressed with Martin's ability to mix every day life with heavy topics. I'm eager to read more of her work.

I’m a big fan of Alexa Martin. I adore her Playbook series, but this might be my new favorite! Her books always make me laugh and wish the characters were real and could be my friends. ⁣
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As a mom, this book is SO relatable. Lauren is a single mom just trying to do her best and who loves her daughter more than anyone or anything in the whole world. Martin perfectly describes parenthood and the moments that break your heart and the ones that make it feel so full it could burst. My heart broke for her so many times during the custody fight with Ben. I loved when Stephanie stepped in and made sure everyone knew what a fantastic mom she was. I could have underlined whole passages of this book. If this was a real podcast, I would definitely subscribe and listen to it (especially for Lauren’s emails.)
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I loved Lauren and Jude’s friendship. They had rough moments, but most friendships do when you’ve been friends for so long. It was fascinating to see inside Jude’s influencer world. ⁣I felt so bad for Jude who was struggling to keep it together in midst of the issues with her mother.. I'm not sure I would've been able to forgive the accidental alcohol poisoning so quickly, but I was glad to see their friendship restored and Jude taking better care of herself.
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I would give Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes more than 5 stars if I could. My review doesn’t do it justice so please check it out! I can’t recommend this book enough.

I loved this book because of the strong and empowering women who were the main characters. That’s not to say they weren’t without flaws because they had them but doesn’t everyone?

Honestly, Jude and Lauren are friendship goals even when things fall apart.

I did a great share of laughing but it also hit at some issues that Ms. Martin handled well.

Alexa Martin veers from her hot romance series and “scores” with this women’s contemporary lit. story
I’m always there for a strong female friendship. Lauren and Jude are lifetime besties and somewhat of an “odd couple”. Lauren is Black and a single mom of the adorable Addie. She and is in fear of losing her daughter to her ex husband. Jude is white and a social media influencer who’s partying and relationship with her mother is taking over her life.
The chapters alternate between each ladies challenges. I loved that they were there for each other and formed a family for Addie. The five year old warmed my heart. There was also a sweet love interest for Lauren.
The story gets pretty intense as themes of alcoholism, custody battle, and dysfunctional family relationships enter. Warning on profanity which to me seemed true to Judes character. I received an free ARC. All opinions are my own.

Opposites do attract……. Lauren and Jude have been BFF’s for years and have decided to become sister wives.

Lauren is a single mom doing the best she can, she is trying to co-parent with her ex until he serves her with papers for full custody. This puts an idea in Jude’s mind who happens to be “Insta” famous! They start a podcast “Mom Jeans and Martinis”. 🍸

This is told in alternative POV from Lauren and Jude. I really enjoyed and hope you do as well.

This is a wonderful modern women’s fiction novel about two childhood best friends that because life didn’t go as planned have to move in together.

Lauren and Jude are opposites but their friendship and fierce love for Lauren’s daughter, Addy make them a joint force to be reckoned with.

When Lauren’s ex-fiancé serves Lauren with papers to get full custody of Addy, Lauren and Jude (who knows not a ton about kids) start a mommy podcast to help boost Lauren’s parenting credentials.

Even though there a light moments, this book deals with some complex issues and how they are handled in this modern world of influencers, societal pressures, and parenting.

All of these characters are really well written and love them or hate them they evoked some strong emotions in me.