This was just phenomenal! It's a story about family, love, and abuse while still somehow managing to be utterly hilarious. Personally I really related to Jude as alcoholism runs in my family, and I like that her addiction wasn't used as a plot point - rather alluded to the entire time. The relationship between Lauren and Jude felt so authentic and loving, plus I would totally listen to their podcast! And don't forget about Addy, the gem who holds this entire book together. Overall a beautiful book that I'll be rereading until the end of time.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I’m done and I’m crying because this book was perfect. If you’ve read Alexa’s work before you know that she has a way of writing about strong women, and friendships very well, even though before they were just part of a bigger romance plot. Alexa always writes characters that are witty and just hilarious and this didn’t miss a beat. You’ll be laughing your butt off throughout the whole book.

In this book Alexa explores the relationships of being a mother from different angles. She explores not only the relationship that Lauren, one of our MC’s, has with her daughter, but the relationship with Lauren and her mom, Jude, our other MC, and her mom, Jude with Lauren who is a mom, and Addy with her bonus mom. As one of the last childless women in my friend groups I related to Jude a lot but whether you’re a mom or not you’ll find the mother daughter dynamics so relatable and will really pull your heartstrings.

This book is all about female friendships; The beautiful and hilarious parts and also the ugly and messy parts. It explores the strength you pull from one another and also the need for independence and ability to recognize when you need to work on yourself.

In previous work, alexa has incorporated issues that need our attention and this book is no different. Mental health is a big factor in this book as well as Black women and childbirth and how they are three times likely to die during childbirth than white women. This is something that needs more attention and I’m glad it was incorporated in this book!

In short, this book is a gem and is the perfect read to make you feel and laugh and want to hug your mom and your best friend.

CW: alcoholism, child custody battle, medical gaslighting, depression.

I loved this book! It made me grin and it made me cry. I fell in love with the characters. I don't often say that about a book. It is common enough to find stories that are entertaining. But this book is a gem because of its characters. As a mom, I connected strongly with Lauren's inner voice! Just as Jude believed Lauren's candidness about motherhood would resonate with podcast listeners, Alexa Martin's storytelling about motherhood - its highs and lows, pressures and fears - struck a chord with me. I felt like I was holding my breath watching Jude and Lauren struggle, rooting them on and hoping for the best.

The book's main themes are friendship, female empowerment and relationships  (both healthy and unhealthy ones). I felt Martin successfully addresses difficult issues such as racism, mental health, alcoholism and emotional abuse to name a few.

This was my first time reading one of Martin's books and I can't wait to read more.

I wish I could give half stars because I think this book is a 4.5. Definitely add this to your TBR!

A huge thank you to Berkley Publication & Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

“𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿.”

First of all, wow!! I was hesitant to start this at first because of how little romance it was said to have but jokes on me because this book crawled its way into my heart and stayed there. It was so good!! My mind is still trying to wrap around the fact that this book was a masterpiece. I might have literally devoured this within hours but Jude, Lauren and Addy’s stories will forever stay in my heart.

𝙈𝙤𝙢 𝙅𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 follows best friends Lauren and Jude who made the promise to someday live together as teenages but things didn’t go exactly as planned with Lauren being a full-time social media influencer and Jude unexpectedly getting pregnant, dropping out of college and breaking up with her fiancée. They finally fulfilled their dreams of getting a place together but now, they have an extra 5 year old and more life baggage

This book had my heart all throughout! With all the important, relevant topics addressed, it ended up being such a emotionally packed, fast-paced read. The alternating POVs between Lauren and Jude were both engaging. I was invested in their individual stories and conflicts but I was also captivated in their journey together as best friends and role models for Addy.

Jude’s experience as a single mom was so complicated yet real. It broke my heart reading about all the struggles she had to go through from feeling alone to fighting for her daughter’s custody but despite all of those, she never became any less of a mom for Addy. She proved how strong she was and how true her love for her was. Racial discrimination of women especially was also addressed in this book and it made me so angry how this is the reality we live in.

I felt so much for Lauren! I loved how her story highlighted how the difficulties of having a dysfunctional parent and how it’s not always an easy feat putting yourself first when you feel obligated to care for them. I love that towards the end she learned to put herself first and to walk away when the relationship becomes too toxic.

Lauren and Jude’s friendship was just so wholesome! The way Martin showed how long-term friendships aren’t always smooth sailing and how it should be mutual thing is just amazing. The journey they had in this book as best friends and strong women was so heartfelt. I have no doubts they were soulmate from the way they were exactly who they needed in each other’s lives. Addy is super lucky to have them in her life as role models.

On top of that, I loved how they were so well-appreciated by fans of their podcast. Their content was so entertaining, refreshing and genuine, I would personally subscribe to their podcast if I could!

Overall, this might not have a lot of romance, that didn’t change how utterly in love I am with this book. Jude and Lauren’s stories were so unforgettable and empowering. But not only them but all the women in this book were so supportive. I love the whole message of women support women!

Overall, this was such a wonderful story about friendship, family, love, self-discovery and women empowerment! I highlyyyy recommend this!

I liked Alexa Martin's Playbook romance series, but this novel, which represents her move into women's fiction, really engaged me emotionally on a much deeper level. How many women--especially these days--have relationships like Jude and Lauren's, and why don't we see more page and screen time devoted to those relationships? My female friendships are at the center of my own life, and I think this book will resonate with many other readers who feel the same and who don't see our stories written like this often enough. My only issues were the title (I think MOM JEANS AND OTHER MISTAKES is... not good, and reads like a placeholder rather than something memorable and catchy such as the similarly-themed recent release MY RIDE OR DIE), and, while I am the last person in the world to take issue with profanity in pretty much any context, I do feel like Jude initially starts off with a lot of swearing and cliches in place of actual character development and a personality (although this improves a lot as the book goes on and we get more into her relationship with her mother, etc.). However, I'm still giving it five stars because neither of these issues outweighed my overall enjoyment or my desire to see more books like this one in the future!

Lauren is a mom to a five year old, a med school drop out, her ex fiancé/ child's father was cheating on her and now hoping to take a step forward and move out of her parents house she find a place to rent with her best friend for the year.

Jude is an Instagram influencer and her mom is a former Hollywood Housewife. The problem, her mom is only in her life with she can get something out of her, such as a return spot on Hollywood Housewife or a bill that needs to get paid. She also had an ex boyfriend wipe out her savings after a shady deal and thinks renting a house with her best friend and her daughter sounds like a pretty great deal.

From starting a podcast to dealing with past trauma and demons the year take Lauren and Jude a rollercoaster they were not ready for.

This book. I’m not even sure I have words to explain how much I loved it, but I’ll try. I know it’s hard to try something new, but Alexa Martin nailed it with this book. Lauren and Jude are REAL. They’re relatable in their struggles, and their friendship. I laughed, I cried, I was rooting for them and Addy. Its just a wonderful story of friendship, family, love, and being who you were meant to be.