Laurie Gelman has done it again with another hilarious installment in her Class Mom series. Smells like Tween Spirit is a laugh out loud look at motherhood in all its sweaty, chaotic glory.

Jen Dixon's son Max has decided to take up wrestling and Jen is less than thrilled, although her husband Ron couldn't be happier. It may seem that watching Max get pinned on the mat at every match would be the worst of Jen's problems but there are much tougher hurdles for her to overcome. Her father's dementia is getting worse. Her mother is spending more time volunteering at the retirement home and less time with her ailing husband. Her daughters are fighting over their new business and the attention of Max's wrestling coach. And she has to wrestle the most antagonist wrestling mom ever at the annual fundraiser. Yet despite being pulled in a million directions, Jen manages to stay on top of it all with her signature sass, strength and sarcasm.

Five stars for another winner from Laurie Gelman. I hope that the series follows Max through college because I can't get enough of Jen Dixon!

Once again Laurie Gelman hits it out of the park!

Like the high school friend you haven't seen in a while but love to catch up with Jen Dixon is back and better than ever! As a spin instructor with her own class or regulars, mom to now 7th grade Max, mom to daughters Laura and Vivs, daughter to Kay and Ray and wife to Ron things are looking better than ever now that she has hung up her class mom duties. Little does she know her son comes home to announce he is joining the wrestling team, bringing with it a whole new adventure for Jen and family.

While her daughters lives continue to be a roller coaster ride and now dealing with her fathers health issues Jen Dixon is someone almost anyone can relate to on some level. This was such a great continuation of her families story and really is a must read. Like all other Laurie Gelman Class mom series I couldn't put it down and easily read this in less than 24 hours.

Hoping this isn't the last we hear from Jen Dixon......

Nothing is more fun than diving back into the world of Jen Dixon. Laurie Gelman has done it again with her latest novel, following Jen as she navigates her son Max's dive into the world of wrestling. Along the way she finds herself facing an enemy mat mom, juggling her life as a mother, grandmother, spin instructor, and overall "funster" (this phrase won't make sense until you read the book). Overall, another fun read from Gelman!!

Jen Dixon is back and with a title like Smells Like Tween Spirit, you know this is going to be good. With Laurie Gelman’s deft mix of laugh-out-loud humor and family drama, Jen takes snark and competition to a new level at Pioneer Middle School or PMS as it says on the sweatshirts.

She’s sworn off the class mom role when Max starts 7th grade but when he joins the wrestling team, Jen decides to help out. She becomes a “mat mom” which involves a lot of laundry and new hygiene rules for Max. At the same time, she’s trying to get to know her spin class participants, care for her aging father, encourage her daughters’ new venture, find time for her patient husband Ron and babysit her granddaughter. It takes sandwich generation to new levels and leads to For the Smell of It, an epic and never to be forgotten school fundraiser.

What I love about Jen Dixon and the Class Mom series is that, through all the humor, we see real life with all its complications. People argue, people die, people make mistakes but seeing problems through a kaleidoscope of love and laughter, as Jen does, helps. If Laurie Gelman reads this, I plan to follow Jen and her family through grad school so please keep writing! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company and Laurie Gelman for this ARC.

Jen Dixon is back with a vengeance! I have been waiting and hoping there would be a new installment in the Dixon clan. This time she is a "mat mom"

Max has taken up wrestling and Jen is as witty as ever. Jen is known for her snarky hilarious emails and she does not disappoint. As per usual, Jen has an enemy with a rival mat mom. Jen never backs down, this is one of the reasons she is my hero. Jen is a strong character and can handle herself. We also find out what is going on with the rest of the Dixon clan. They are a strong family unit and will always be there for one another.

Ms. Gelman has proven to be one of my favorite authors. I hope she continues to write!

Her fourth book in the series and Laurie Gelman did not disappoint. I was wondering if the series had run its course and this would be just prolonging it, but the book was awesome! There was all the humor and snark that only Jen Dixon can provide. I'm hoping there are more PMS stories to follow!

I love Jen Dixon!
Her humor, devotion to her family, spin class, middle school wrestling team and the Mat Mom's is hilarious and definitely makes for a very real, fabulous story!
I was a wrestling mom as well, and it is intense,heartbreaking at times, challenging,and exhilarating other times. Like Jen, we only want the best for our kids (not getting hurt and winning is a plus), and as seen by Jen Dixon, we will do anything for them. My favorite is washing the singlets. Pew!
Laurie Gelman has nailed this novel and there is not a person, parent, grandparent or friend who will not be caught up in this wonderful, crazy book!
I think it should be a MUST READ for all wrestling parents!
Well done as are her other books and I am anxious to see what is next for Jen Dixon and family!

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC and provide my own review.

Jen Dixon is back in Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman. Max has moved on to middle school and, to Jen's chagrin but Ron's delight, Max decides to join wrestling. Jen realizes she will be a Mat Mom and it doesn't take long to make an enemy of a rival Mat Mom. Between getting to know her spin riders, dealing with her father's decline, acting as referee between her daughters and shuffling her duties as Gee Gee and Mat Mom, Jen is busier than ever.

I love catching up with Jen and the family and look forward hopefully each year that there will be a new installment of the series. As the mom of a wrestler, this one really hit the mark for me.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Jen Dixon is back at her sarcastic ways as she leads her son Max's wrestling team as team mom. She is known for sending out snarky messages to the other moms and it is hilarious! Jen's way of thinking cracks me up and is the perfect book to read for a laugh.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publishers for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The latest installment of The Class Mom Series does not disappoint! Jen Dixon is back and continues to make readers laugh. It is laugh out loud funny and sentimental at times. It is a light and easy read that reminds me of the years my girls were in school. Smells Like Tween Spirit follows Jen and her son to middle school and the world of wrestling. We get to catch up with a cast of familiar characters and the ups and downs they experience. If you haven't read Laurie Gelman's books, give them a shot. You are in for a treat. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
5 Stars! Abosolutely love, love, love Laura Gelman's books.
You can read this as a standalone, however, I recommend reading all of her books. She is so witty and funny. I really enjoy her books. I get excited to read them and then towards the end hate that it's almost over.

I want to thank Henry Holt Publishing and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC. This is the 4th book in the series. I really liked the first, enjoyed the second, and thought the third just OK. I really liked this 4th installment. It is about 2 years after book 3 and Max, Jen Dixon's youngest , is in middle school. Max is joining the wrestling team and Jen is meeting a new group of mothers- Mat Moms! Most of the familiar characters are here, Jen's parents, husband and daughters, along with her Granddaughter Maude. We spend the year watching Jen and family adapt to changes, both happy and sad. A few favorites are missing from this installment, we see Peetsa only fleetingly, for example. There are lots of new ones, parents from Max's school and riders from Jen's spin class. I think some of the spin class interaction was a bit overdone and drawn out. On the other hand, the story line with Jen's parents was great! It added a new element that I hadn't anticipated. Overall it was a good book and I am curious to see if there is a 5th!Thanks again for the opportunity.

I love Uber-funny mom Jen, but didn’t relate well to her travails as a wrestler mom. I felt too much time was spent on the sport, rather than her relationships with the other characters.

This book didn’t have the wit of earlier Gelman novels. It really can’t be read as a stand-alone p, since so many characters, with backstories are included. Though I would recommend her earlier novels, I don’t think this is a good start for the series.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

These books are so fun. This one had some grief components to it as well that even though it was sad, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book. I will read as many Jen Dixon books as Laurie Gelman wants to write!

So delighted to have had a chance to read the next installment, "Smells Like Tween Spirit", the fourth installment in Laurie Gelman's "Class Mom" series about Kansas City area mom, Jen Dixon's adventures in modern-day mothering. Like the three before it, this latest installment finds our heroine, Jen, dealing with the complexities of school-life as her kid enters middle-school & team sports, all while juggling all her other responsibilities & her work life as a spin instructor. SO FUNNY! Highly recommend. I especially appreciated the dynamic with "aging parents". I will, of course, be up for any future installments! My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC, the exchange of which did not affect my review.

I just love Laurie Gelman and her Class Mom series. This fourth installment did not disappoint. Jen Dixon is back with her drama, wit and snark. This time her son is now on a wrestling team and she participates as a “mat mom”. Jen ends up soaring literally and metaphorically with one of the alpha moms on an opposing team. All the while Jen deals with her other kids, her own aging body, her spin classes and deteriorating dad (dementia). I really enjoyed reading this book and hope Gelman comes out with even more in the series!

This book is apparently part of a series. I hadn’t read the previous ones but it stands alone pretty well, though I feel like I probably would have had a better sense of connection to the characters if I had read the others. I enjoyed a novel from the perspective of a woman in mid-life, which is a category that is not often represented. As a mom of a middle school boy I found common ground. The thing I liked the least was that I didn’t feel a lot of connection to any of the female characters, I found them all rather unlikeable and immature.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Company, I was provided an ARC of Smells Like Tween Spirit via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Coming out August 2, 2022*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Laurie Gelman keeps it real with her latest book, Smells Like Tween Spirit. Her sense of humor and whit will keep you entertained! If you have ever raised a middle schooler, especially in sports, this book will resonate with you!

Jen Dixon has always been involved with her kid’s PTO and class mom roles. She is known for being snarky with her emails to the parents. She has two adult daughters, a granddaughter, aging parents, and a 7th grade boy. Jen leads a busy life balancing all the responsibilities that comes with it.

Jen’s son is now in middle school and she no longer has a lead role at school. She fills her time with teaching spin classes, taking care of her family and being actively involved with her son’s wrestling team. Jen is navigating a new social scene, wrestling moms. Jen will have to figure it out, while she maintains her sanity.Will her sense of humor keep her going?

I love how Laurie Gelman accurately writes about life’s issues with the right amount of humor and drama mixed in. Even though this book is a part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone. One to add to your Sumner TBR list!

I love Laurie Gelman's books, and this latest installment was a great read. Her light humor helped her address some very real and emotional aspects of growing up and growing older as a middle-aged mom. Her writing is easy and bright. I've loved this entire series!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. What follows is my honest opinion.

Laurie Gelman has done it again. In her fourth installment of the Class Mom series, Jen Dixon is back in the saddle of suburban motherhood drama; this time as a wrestling mom. Her now tween son Max has joined the school wrestling team and that means Jen is now a " Mat Mom". Just when Jen thought her days as a class mom were behind her, she yet again finds herself knee-deep in school duties. Filled with the sarcastic humor readers of the previous installments have grown to love, Smells Like Tween Spirit is the perfect follow-up to Yoga Pant Nation. The story picks up two years after we last saw Jen and the rest of her family and we find her facing the usual school issues as well as the uncertainties of having rapidly aging parents. Laurie Gelman has created a family that I have grown to love over her past three books and this fourth installment is everything a reader of her books could wish for.