Our favorite class mom is back! Like the previous 3 books in this series, this book is fantastic. Jen Dixon is the mom most of us would like to be - brutally honest, sarcastically funny, and always in charge. She’s a mom to 3, grandma to 1, spin instructor, and she’s now entering the world of wrestling via her tween son. I’ve told my kids they could play any sport of their choosing - just NOT wrestling. Jen’s hysterical rants about the stench of uniforms, stinky boys after practice, gnarly skin rashes and cauliflower ear - my decision is confirmed. While these books are definitely laugh out loud funny, they are also incredibly heartwarming. She loves her family fiercely. Even when they drive her crazy.

I’m loyal to my Peloton but I wouldn’t mind a spot in one of Jen’s spin classes. Her playlists sound like perfection! What do you think Lau? Can we get one of Jen’s class playlists on spotify?

One of the biggest challenges with sequels is how to deal with the passage of time. Even our favorite characters have to change and mature. More importantly, the times around them must change. Good literature is, after all, a reflection of the times.

Jen Dixon, the protagonist of the Class Mom series, now has a middle-schooler. Max is now also hitting puberty, complete with all the smells and insecurity. Max has also decided to join an Organized Sport. He has joined the wrestling team! Ron, Jen’s husband, is extremely happy about this. Jen, not so much. I missed Book #3, Yoga Pant Nation (for now - I got greedy and wanted to jump ahead), so there are a few things I have missed. But the blanks are quickly filled (and look forward to the missing gossip).

What has delighted Jen, however, is being a grandmother to her oldest daughter’s daughter - Maude. She calls Jen “Gee Gee” for reasons I either do not understand or do not yet know. Vivs and Laura are trying to start a health food business. Jen has a whole new set of moms to deal with, and a new nemesis with the hysterical name of Mimi Melon. ( I have no idea if that’s a play of Lululemon, but it certainly is in my head.)

Jen has a new sense of being a fish out of water. She doesn’t understand Millenials at all. She also has (shockingly!) issues with boundaries with other people. As someone also in her fifties, I can definitely relate. Even her spin class centers around the 1980s.

It is no secret that I love books like this. However, what I found most refreshing is that Jen and family seem just comfortably normal. But there’s just enough extra material to make them entertaining. This book deals with Jen also facing middle age - she is now 55 and also has to worry about the health of her parents as well as her children.

My favorite thing about the book is the dialogue. I won’t lie, it does make the book fly by faster. But it also makes the reader seem more like an active listener as opposed to just an eavesdropper. It adds to the believability of the characters. There is also a maturity not present in the first books. Real life topics are discussed.

I will go back and catch up as soon as my schedule allows. I can also see this going next generation - how Vivs will deal with Maude being in school. Just keep the stories coming and let’s all go off to high school!

I’ve never been much of a book series girl until I met Jen Dixon in the first class mom book. She’s back in the fourth book now and she’s just as funny as ever. Max is a middle school tween on the wrestling team and Jen has become a full fledged Mat Mom.

She’s still a spin instructor and meeting up with all her regular clients in this next book and they are quite the cast of characters. I listened to the first three of these books narrated by the author. I do really enjoy them as audiobooks because they are just so fun and Laurie makes for an amazing Jen. This one I read and I could hear Jen’s voice in my head the whole time.

I recently sent a work email and after reading it, I couldn’t help but think that Jen Dixon had inspired my snarky sense of humor. 😆 Thanks Jen- I’m pretty sure Jen and I would spin together, laugh together, and sip iced coffee together. The only thing we might not do together is read. 😉 IYKYK

Another fun romp! I love the characters and wish I could hang out with Jen and her mom friends. Perfect for a summer read!! 5 stars!

Picking up a book about Jen Dixon is always a good idea. Her level of humor and snark combined gives class moms like me a level to aspire too. Every time I finish up one of these books I send up a little prayer that we haven’t seen the last of Jen Dixon.

This is a fast and fun story that mirrors life. As a seasoned mom of a middle school athlete, I totally related to the never ending practice/game schedules. The descriptions of the interesting challenges experienced as a seasoned female were both accurate and hilarious. Reading this book was a true delight! I highly recommend it for any person who can relate to the trials and joys of midlife.

Gelman’s Class Mom series always raise my spirits and her latest, “Smells Like Tween Spirit” didn’t disappoint! Let’s be honest, life is heavy these days so to be able to escape to a fun, laugh out loud book that still has substance is an absolute gift! Jen Dixon’s snarkiness is always on point and she and her family navigate real life obstacles with laughter and sarcasm. Jen’s email correspondence and hilarious one-liners are abundant and her musings on tween boys and the sports mom scene are a fun addition to the series. I love Jen and her gaggle of sidekicks and I would definitely want to be her friend!

If you’re like me and need a laugh these days, pick up “Smells Like Tween Spirit.” Make sure you read this series in order as the characters and backstories build and develop with each book and there’s very little recapping. 5 stars for making me smile and laugh and giving me just what my soul needed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the chance to read an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Fun, witty, fast-paced read!

I have been an avid follower of the Class Mom Series since it’s debut in 2017. Smells Like Tween Spirit, is the latest installment by Laurie Gelman. This book picks right back up where our favorite protagonist, Jen Dixon, left us. Jen, now a mother of a middle school wrestler must learn to tackle life and motherhood amongst the competitive world of sports and the ever present family drama.

Gelman has a distinct voice that stands out in any crowd. This book is full of the quick-wit, no-nonsense, and outright hilarious writing, that readers have come to expect from Gelman. I found myself literally laughing out loud as I savored every moment of this read.

I cannot recommend this book and the previous works In the Class Mom series enough!

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book was the perfect summer read! I love this author- she somehow makes the lightest, easiest to read books substantial enough to be highly enjoyable and surprisingly relatable.

Everything is just enough of an exaggeration to be funny but not far enough of from the reality of modern motherhood to be totally imaginable. I found myself laughing out loud many times throughout the book.

The audiobook narration was was so well done and really brought this story to life. Smells Like Tween Spirit ended up being my favorite of the series so far and I’m definitely looking forward to the author’s hint at her next book!

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio for my gifted review copies.

You can all keep your book boyfriends - all I need is my book BFF, Jen Dixon! We're both sarcastic wine-lovers obsessed with our spin bikes. If she were real, I'd totally invite her to join me and the other irreverent Peloton-riding winos in Read Spin Repeat Book Blub. 🤨🚲🍷

There aren't many books that I recommend to everyone but 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗺 by Laurie Gelman is on the short list. From Jen's snarky email blasts to the hysterical take on stay-at-home mom-ing, I loved every page of that mom-com and the two books that followed in the series, 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 and 𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝗦𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗧 continues Jen's journey to survive raising kids and the other parents she's forced to deal with along the way. This fourth installment is as funny as ever but has its share of poignant moments as well. It felt like the ending might be hinting at a fifth book and I'll be crossing my fingers that's the case.

Thanks to Henry Holt Books for the copy to review.

Jen Dixon is back in the hilarious class mom series. This time however; she'd taken a step back from being a full time class mom and is now a "mat mom."

Smells like Tween Spirit brings back the beloved Dixon family and all the quirky side characters. Jen is still texting cycling, Ron is managing yoga studios and the daughters are up to their schemes. Oh, and Max is now in middle school wrestling, a sport that Jen makes clear she loathes. Hop on in and journey through a year of tweenhood and laughs.

As a teacher, I have throughly enjoyed listening and laughing through Jen's triumphs and losses. This series is a book I recommend to all my teacher friends and those who just want a laugh in general. It is my hope that Laurie Gelman continues sharing with us the Dixon family travels.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co for a gifted copy of Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman. All opinions are my own.

5 🌟
Jen Dixon and her sense of humor are back. No longer a class mom, she is now a mat mom. Max is in middle school and wants to wrestle. How much fun and trouble can Jen find at the gym?

Smells Like Tween Spirit is the fourth book in the Class Mom series. I absolutely love this series. Jen and her family are laugh out loud funny. Have a tissue or two for this one. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Women's Fiction
Release Date: August 2, 2022

Stinking hilarious.

Why has this author not been in my wheelhouse until now? But happy me gets to read the backlist Class Mom series now.

As a mom of a certain age, I related to each and every issue going on in Jen Dixon's world. It just made me laugh and at the same time comforted that someone else gets it.

Loved it. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC to read and review.

This fourth entry in Laurie Gelman’s Class Mom series is another fun one! Our favorite snarky mom Jen Dixon is back, now with her son a teenager taking up wrestling which makes her have to join the ranks of the “mat moms,” while also dealing with her aging parents, and her older daughters wanting to go in to business together.

I was in the mood for a light and funny book and this totally delivered, while bringing some heart and emotions as well. It’s not really one I would recommend as a stand-alone - not bc the plot is complex but because it kind of already assumes familiarity with the characters. But if you love mom coms and you haven’t read the other Class Mom series go start with the first book and work your way through to this one, you won’t regret it! And if you have read the other books in the series, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too! I for one will keep reading these books as long as Laurie Gelman keeps writing them.

This is the 4th book in the series and my first of this series. I’ve heard great things about the other three books are hilarious and fun as well so I will be going back and reading those! It was actually a main reason I wanted to read this one! 🥰

Jen becomes a “Mat Mom” when her son joins the wrestling team. The emails and goings on with Jen’s life and middle school sports is just hilarious. I really enjoyed teaching this one. I laughed out loud so many times and I could picture these things happening.

If your a mom with kids in school I would definitely recommend this one. It’s a great MomCom. With both hilarious and touching moments.

I’ve read each of the Class Mom series, and feel like the author has perfectly captured the various stages of parenthood: PTO, competition parenting, marriage struggles, aging parents, and coming to terms with watching your kids flail, grow, and move on. I’ve really loved have these book friends, who make me laugh, chuckle, snort, nod “oh hell yes, absolutely.” As I lost my own father to dementia this past year, this chapter in the evolution of “Class Mom” was particularly poignant. I recommend this highly to anyone who’s parented, PTO’d, driven the soccer team, volunteered for school events. You will crack up at how accurate Laurie German portrays these experiences.

I love this series/trilogy/whatever you want to call it.. Jen is my spirit animal, my alter ego and what I think I sound like in my own head when I'm thinking...

Thankfully, my real life is way less hectic.

But I still love her, and this book. Keep 'em coming! Max only has about 5 years left of good material!!!

Smells Like Tween Spirit is the fourth installment of the Class Mom series. I hadn't read any of the other books prior to picking this one up, and while I could certainly follow along and enjoy the story well enough, I think the background knowledge of the characters and their stories probably would have been helpful.

In this latest book, Jen is tackling her father's advancing dementia, Max's new hobby - the sport of wrestling, and her daughter's new business venture opening a healthy sandwich shop. With Max's new wrestling endeavor, Jen also becomes a mat mom which is a seemingly huge responsibility with weekly pancake breakfasts, other fundraisers, and endless laundry.

I did the audio for this novel and it was a lot of fun. The novel is read by the author herself which I always think is a huge plus because you really get the story the way it's meant to be told.

Because I haven't read the other novels, I wasn't overly invested in the characters and definitely missed out some subplots where the history wasn't shared.

All in all, this was a cute, quick read and if you've read and enjoyed the other books in the series, I have no doubt you'll love this one too!

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

I loved this new addition to the Class Mom series. The humor and sarcasm in Laurie Gelman's writing is so relatable and on point. I have absolutely loved getting to see how Jen's life has adapted through each book in the series and I can't wait for more!

Jen Dixon and her hilarious family and friends are back and as funny, heartwarming and lovable as ever. This installment begins with Jen’s foray into becoming a ‘Mat Mom’ for her son, Max’s wrestling team and ends with a charity wrestling match involving Jen herself! I love these books. I mean, it may be simply because Jen Dixon is my spirit animal. Or because I laugh out loud at inappropriate tunes whenever I’m reading it. Or maybe because I’m in the same phase of my life as Jen, especially dealing with her parents! Whatever the reason, I suggest that you, my friends, go and get this book immediately to read!