Holly Banks Full of Angst

“Julie Valerie does a great job relaying the anxiety that comes with starting your daughter in kindergarten in a new school and a new town. And she does it with the perfect mix of humor and humility.” —Laurie Gelman, author of Class Mom and You’ve Been Volunteered

“Seemingly perfect lives are usually anything but, as the eponymous protagonist of Holly Banks Full of Angst quickly learns. A sharp, witty, and altogether unexpected story about how striving can lead you straight to the end of your rope, Julie Valerie’s debut is not to be missed.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You

“Holly Banks Full of Angst is a must-read for any mother who sometimes feels inadequate—and what mother doesn’t? With themes of new beginnings, the quest for perfection, motherhood, and marriage, Valerie delivers lessons in hospitality, humanity, and hope, gently reminding us that we’re all works in progress. If you’re looking for a fun escape filled with humor and heart, look no further than Holly Banks Full of Angst.” —Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List

“You will love the time you spend with Holly Banks in the Stars Hollow–esque Village of Primm. Holly is the perfect heroine: flawed, impulsive, and self-deprecating but also deeply relatable, lovable, and hilarious. This book is pure fun (but be prepared to cry a little). Holly Banks Full of Angst is the perfect read for anyone who has ever wanted to stick it to the Pinterest Mom.” —Suzy Krause, author of Valencia and Valentine

“With wit, whimsy, and an artful sleight of hand turn of more than a few phrases, Julie Valerie’s frothy cautionary tale of suburbia on steroids is like a finely crafted cocktail: effervescent but complex, sweet but with just a hint of bitter, and packing a potent punch. I’ll have what she’s having.” —Josie Brown, author of Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives and the Totlandia series

“With astonishing wit, razor-sharp dialogue, and pitch-perfect pacing, Julie Valerie has created a masterpiece about motherhood. Holly Banks Full of Angst is absolutely hilarious yet also deeply poignant, with some of the best lines I’ve ever read. Both satire and upmarket women’s fiction, this novel will be beloved by readers everywhere.” —Samantha M. Bailey, author of Woman on the Edge

“Our plucky heroine, full of quippy asides and enough anxiety to keep us all up ruminating at 3:00 a.m., imagines herself the star of her own movie (because of course she dreams of ditching her SAHM life and fulfilling her long-lost film student aspirations). Personally, I would title her movie Mean Girls for Moms, and you’d find me at the premiere, front row center!” —Lindsey J. Palmer, author of Otherwise Engaged, If We Lived Here, and Pretty in Ink