Real Rating: 2.5* of five, rounded up for some pretty funny lines

It was the title. The title made me do it. And by gawd I slugged it out through nine chapters! I can not be accused of short-changing this story in the attention department.

I think I've mentioned how little I like the sexist and stupid "dumb-ol'-dad" plot...the one where the breadwinner comes home and, for reasons best known to comedy writers of the last century (or those stuck there), becomes incompetent and borderline moronic.

Here we are in a brand new century and here's that plot again! Only this time it's extra-funny stuff because it's <I>Mom</i> who's the clueless schmoe! Barely seems to know her kids. Definitely doesn't know the other mothers whose lives center on their own kids, or get what the power politics are.

Honestly, whether well done or not, this stuff's tired and needs to be laid to rest. This version's got tolerable writing. I am not the audience for it. I don't like to think most of y'all are, either, but you know your own tolerance for tired old comedy tropes from <I>Bachelor Father</i> and <I>Married...with Children</i>.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

A book about a woman who has a successful career first and oh yeah, a husband and two kids second. Amy travels the world, literally, sourcing coffee beans. She's gone for months at a time and barely knows the two children she's given birth too. On the way to the airport one morning she gets a call from her boss, he reroutes her to the office and lays her off. Just like that Amy is out of work which means her family is without an income - her husband is the stay-at-home parent. What are they going to do? Peter, a talented screenwriter, goes out to try and sell his work and become to income earner in the family. Meanwhile, Amy is trying to get to know her children and what she's discovering isn't what she expected - about herself or them. Will any of them survive this topsy-turvy life that they've been dropped into?

I kept reading the book so I'm pretty sure I liked it but I was drawn to but yet repelled by Amy and Peter both. I felt they were incredibly immature in their relationship and in their own personal development. I felt bad for their children! I liked how the story wrapped up, it's conclusion was extremely satisfying.

This was a quick read for me but fun. I think the characters like the husband could have been developed a bit more. However, the tone of the book was engaging and the story itself was an interesting struggle between the urge for adventure and the pull of family life, all bundle into a work emergency. I'd recommend it to a friend as a quick read but not a book club for in-depth discussion.

I absolutely loved this book and I really regret not reading until now - I love Virginia Franken's writing, she is so FUNNY and I wish her protagonist, Amy, was real and we could be best friends!
I can so relate to the whole working mother thing and always feeling a half step behind what is going on with your kid's school life.
What first drew me to this book was the title and the blue sky and coffee steam on the cover.
The setting of this story is unique and I thought the idea of Amy being in the coffee business was facinating. This protagonist is a very smart, successful woman who is also very down to earth and somewhat brutally honest with herself.
The author has really nailed the personalities of her characters and is hilarious about It!
I never lost interest because the story never seemed to lose momentum or get sappy towards the end. I love how she grew as a person and saw through those who judged her or tried to take advantage of her, yet remained compasionate.
And the ending was so poignant, but she didn't cave in and carved out her own place in the world with her family. Just loved It!

It was interesting to see how the author handled her characters through a lot of messy life choices. The coffee part fascinated me as well. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

Fluffy, and readable chick lit, but I didn't find the main character particularly sympathetic or believable. And I intensely disliked the overblown neo-colonial ending.