Everything Here Is under Control

The author has a way with words, that is all I can say about this one! Amanda is at a critical point in her life, where she is a new mother that is at the breaking point. Leaving her partner behind, she goes to her old friend, Carrie, that she hasn't spoken to in years. Amanda feels that she needs to revisit her past and understand the relationships there in order to move forward. The author captured the feelings of two people that were close reuniting, but not knowing each other anymore. A lot of women have friendships that they revisit at some point in life, especially now where it is so easy to track down former friends on social media. I really enjoyed the journey of these women.

Everything Here is Under Control is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It is a story of friendship, family and regret. After having a baby Amanda drives from New York to a small town in Ohio where she grew up to visit her childhood best friend Carrie. They haven’t talked since they graduated from high school and Carrie had a baby. They have a difficult friendship but this book is about if they can fit each other in their current lives. This is a story where a friendship means more than anything else.

The narration was great. I loved Madeline Lambert did a great job and I loved hearing the story in her voice.

The story goes back and forth between present day and flashbacks so you get a deep look into Carrie and Amanda’s lives and friendship. My only complaint was it was hard to determine when the flashbacks were happening in the beginning. I think this was probably because I listened to the audiobook. This is a common problem I have with audiobooks but did not take away from how much I enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes character based stories and fiction in general.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Even though my baby is nearly 19 my eldest 29, this book took me right back to those early endless, sleepless days & nights, when the thought of taking a shower seemed a luxury and all I did was fantasize about the different ways I could kill my husband.

Amanda and Carrie were childhood besties who like most childhood besties, have a falling out. Now 15 years later, when motherhood has Amanda beaten, she flees her NY city life with baby Jack in tow and heads to her childhood home in Ohio and Carrie. Carrie, whom at 18 had become a teen mom is now a successful tattoo artist, dedicated single mom and a full functioning adult. Carrie who was once fearless & a hell-raiser is now a conservative which both surprises & amuses Amanda. While Amanda has fled her Republican Middle America upbringing, Carrie has never left. Now Amanda is back, a mother herself and she’s overcome by the right-wing tone that is prevalent in suburban Ohio.

I really enjoyed the distinct voices of Amanda, Carrie and her teen daughter, Nina. My one small criticism, while this book wasn’t very long, parts felt redundant. This book is set in current times, right before the 2016 election and focuses on motherhood, friendship, perceptions, and Trump’s Make America Great Again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an Audio ARC. The narration by Madeleine Lambert was wonderful and added to my overall enjoyment of Everything Here is Under Control. I highly recommend the audio.

Not an overly eventful story, but well written and easy listening. This book is one of the best descriptions of new motherhood. The characters were likable but not overly so. I really enjoyed everything about this audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ALC of the audiobook Everything Here is Under Control.

After Amanda has her baby, she is overwhelmed with life as a new mother and heads back to her hometown for a trip, where she stays with her childhood best friend and her daughter. The awkward tension between them is not just from growing apart, but from a past riddled with love, betrayals, and copious amounts of drama.

I really enjoyed the narrative voice in this book. The audio version was very enjoyable to listen to, and I felt I was being pulled swiftly through the story, learning the ups and downs of Amanda's past friendship and her current life. I was quite shocked by the reveal of why there is so much tension, and it shed a light on the many complications of Amanda and Carrie's friendship.

One complaint I have is that a book so much about female choice and friendship seems to be overpowered by the gravity of Gabe for Amanda--that she would choose him over her best friend and her home--and arguably her self-empowerment.

This is a story about a difficult friendship, a complicated relationship, and post-partum depression. Not everything is as it seems, and there can be a lot more going on in a relationship than you might expect.

I definitely recommend listening to this audio as a quick and intriguing read!

Everything Here Is Under Control // by Emily Adrian

A note from the publisher: "Emily Adrian is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels, Like It Never Happened and The Foreseeable Future. Everything Here is under Control is her first adult novel. She lives in New Haven, CT, with her husband, her son, and their dog, Hank."

Everything Here Is Under Control is a fictional novel by Emily Adrian about a new mother that grew up in rural Ohio but moved to New York with her partner. After a fight with him, she packs her baby into the car and drives back to Ohio with the plan of staying with her mother but at the last minute decides to show up unannounced at her childhood best friend's place. Over the following days, she remembers the ups and lows of her life related to her partner and her best friend, and slowly comes to terms with things that she has struggled with for years.

I had mixed feelings when I first started this book. It felt very slow and I was not so sure about the narrator either. But as it went on, I realized I started getting very invested in the characters and that the narrator was actually perfect for this story after all. The way she relayed the emotions - or sometimes lack of emotions - for the different characters enhanced the story and made it feel so realistic and relatable. You could feel the desperation and the triumph, the love and the loss, the understanding and growth of the characters. This is a well-done story focused on characters, rather than specific events, and I hope to see more like it from this author soon.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Everything Here Is Under Control is a book about so many things. Motherhood. Friendships. Daughterhood. Womanhood. Relationships. Forgiveness. All of which are examined in all their messy complications in a raw and honest way through the lens of the zeitgeist of the 2016 US election campaign.

Trump, or Trump-like figures, have appeared in so many books over the last few years, but they often feel like shoehorned-in metaphors or plot devices (even when effective). That's not the case at all here, it really does just feel like a book that happens to be set in Ohio in 2016.

The story managed to touch on so many topics in poignant and sensitive ways, including race issues in 21st century America. One of the main characters is black with a mixed race daughter, and while living in a Republican, white-majority area, this does come up during the story. It's not the key driving force behind the story at all though (and there is no overt racism featured – other than the Confederate flag making a couple of appearances), instead it's mentioned in passing as a way of creating a more believable background for the story to take place.

There is a reveal around halfway through the story that changes so much in terms of the reader's perspective. The way its delivered is perfect – it's matter-of-fact, and something that all of the characters have known, rather than being a shock discovery. At the same time, it doesn't feel like something that's been deliberately held from the reader in a frustrating way to create shock. At the time of its delivery, I wasn't paying full attention to the audio narration, and had to rewind to confirm that a reveal had happened that changed everything. The kind of reveal that makes you want to cover old ground from earlier in the book to see what you've missed.

This edition was narrated by Madeleine Lambert. I really liked her delivery of dialogue in particular – Amanda, Carrie, and Nina's voices were very distinguishable. The narration of the rest was a little flat and bored-sounding at times, but that's only a minor critique.

Overall, a very human, female-orientated story.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Stories about two best friends that go separate ways and collide in some way is always appealing to me and many readers. The plot is definitely an ode to the difficulties of motherhood and postpartum depression. I appreciate postpartum being an aspect of this book, the reality of this is not represented enough in fiction. However one of the characters has definite mental health issues that are not addressed enough. Encouraged for readers that enjoy well-done character development and the woes of motherhood. This is a story that lends itself well to audio.

Review of Audiobook version:

"Everything Here Is Under Control" is the story of estranged, childhood friends, Amanda and Carrie, reunited when Amanda, unravelling from sleep deprivation, appears on Carrie's doorstep with her 3-month-old baby. Carrie, who had her own daughter when the two were still teenagers, is not exactly thrilled to see Amanda, but lets her in anyway. As the friends fall back into old habits of codependence, bickering, and mutual support, unspoken betrayal lurk just beneath the surface. Gradually, the reader learns that what tore the friends apart may have more to do with any serious infractions than with Amanda's attachment to her teenage grudges and to the childhood version of a friendship that grow up and evolve if it is to survive.

This slow-moving, character-driven novel benefits from the audiobook treatment, which helps keep the minute dramas between the friends engaging. Narrated with wonderful realism by Madeliene Lambert, the characters' attitudes and moods are conveyed through distinct and recognizable voices. Even self-absorbed, childish Amanda becomes more sympathetic when embodied by Lambert.

Emily Adrien's lucid prose lends itself well to audio adaptation. Much of the story is told through dialogue--conversations between Amanda and Carrie, Amanda and Carrie's daughter, Nina, and Amanda and her partner, Gabe--which makes the audiobook flow as smoothly as a play. Even so, the first half of the novel is sometimes painfully slow, as Adrien seems to be working hard to withhold information from the reader. While I appreciated the power of learning late why Amanda is so uncomfortable with Carrie, I would have preferred to watch her wrestle more openly with the factors that are clearly on her mind from page one.

Between the audiobook narration and the writing, all the characters feel like real people talking in the next room. While I found Amanda's stubbornness and self-pity pretty annoying (at times unbearable), Carrie's and Nina's richer and more dynamic personalities kept me engaged until the end. Even if I was wishing the whole time that I got to be in Carrie's head instead of Amanda's.

"This is such a well -written book about motherhood and female friendships. It is told from the moms— Amanda. She has left the city to go to her hometown. She arrives at her friends house and you start to understand more about their friendship. It starts slow but then I got going and ended up enjoying it!

Amanda loves her new baby, but she is struggling to keep her head above water. Reaching her breaking point, she jumps in the car with the baby and drives to Ohio, arriving at her best friends house. Only problem is that she and Carrie haven’t spoken in years. Can their friendship heal?

This was such a great story of female friendship. Carrie and Amandas friendship faces some very unique and interesting challenges, but I loved how they came back together and found a way to heal some past wounds. It also focused a lot on the life and struggles of a new mother, which I can only imagine the difficulty new moms face. This was a quick and well done read.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: An honest look at motherhood and relationships as the lines blur between friendship and family.

EVERYTHING HERE IS UNDER CONTROL is the type of book that doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It brings to the forefront the emotions and stresses of its characters all the while lacing wit and humor into the narrative. Adrian has written a true ode to what it means to be a woman, flaws, and all.

What I liked about this novel is that it has multiple layers. It is not just a story about the evolution of Amanda and Carrie’s friendship. It is not only about motherhood and the struggles women face from being a new mom to a single mom of a young adult. It brings together those elements with small-town mentalities laced with bigotry, complex emotions, and complicated past relationships. The reader gets to know all the players and invest in their lives as everything comes to the surface and is laid bare.

This richly told novel is honest, filled with heart, and smart. Adrian has taken what is going on in the country and shown a light on all the sides of humanity. She shows her readers that even when life isn’t perfect or under control, you can still find your way in life. A beautifully poignant read.

Amanda isn’t sure what she expected when she brought Jack into the world, but the responsibility for him falling just on her shoulders was not it. At her breaking point, Amanda packs up her newborn and leaves Brooklyn for the familiar comforts of rural Ohio -- and her best friend, Carrie. Carrie and Amanda had been inseparable in high school, but Amanda followed Gabe to New York City leaving Carrie (and Carrie’s daughter) behind.

Interspersed with dry humor and flashbacks to when Carrie and Amanda were in high school, Everything Here is Under Control is a beautiful but heartbreaking story about friendship and motherhood. Told through Amanda’s very sleep-deprived point of view, combined with the narrator’s performance on the audiobook, there were a lot of times I was actually laughing out loud or felt like crying (and it’s very hard for me to get outwardly emotional about books). What hit me hardest was how Amanda was struggling with her relationship with her partner, Gabe, and what she thought their relationship would look and feel the same after adding Jack to the mix. Turning to her mom for answers, Amanda’s mom suggests that Amanda loves Gabe less. Then, she reasons, Amanda’s expectations of him won’t be so high and she won’t be so disappointed when Gabe doesn’t help out with the baby -- his baby -- without being asked.

Amanda tries to run away from her current life, to put distance between herself and her reality, by returning home. She just needs a break from her life, from Gabe, from sleep deprivation and feeling like the worst mother in the world. But what Amanda does is put back the pieces of her life she scattered between Brooklyn and Ohio when she left to begin with.

Heartwarming and hilarious, Everything Here is Under Control was a book I related to on so many levels despite being kid-free. Amanda is a deeply flawed character, but she knows it (even if she does avoid self-reflection as much as she avoids actual mirrors). Amanda is relatable, and a reminder that even if you think you don’t have things under control, you’re always doing way better than you think you are.

Filled with the complexities of motherhood, trauma, friendship, and womanhood, I was totally swept into this beautifully written novel. The narration by Madeleine Lamber was wonderful and the character-driven plot made for the perfect fiction audiobook listen because it was engrossing without being too complicated to follow along with. There is nothing like finding a new author to love and follow along with and I can’t wait to see what Emily Adrian writes next.

'Sometimes, love means making yourself scarce. I know that now.'

I really enjoyed Everything Here Is Under Control! I honestly did not know a lot about it going in, as I had just glanced at the synopsis. But this book was much more than I was expecting! It was such an honest story of a lifelong friendship, family, discovery, regret, and forgiveness.

I am a mother of two younger kids, and found Amanda's struggles with the early days of motherhood to be 100% relatable... the exhaustion, the fears, and the resentment of your spouse that both of those lead you to. I am also the same age as Carrie and Amanda are in the book, so that was another commonality that enhanced the story for me. I was totally surprised by that plot twist just over half way through the book. I did not see it coming, and it made everything click in to place!

I found the story of the estranged friendship between Amanda and Carrie to be so compelling and complex. There was so much history there, good and bad. You could feel the tension and underlying love that was still there between them.

Other aspects/parts of the book that I liked and felt added a little something extra to the story were the small town reactions to the 2016 Presidential Election, and also how she touched on the sexual assault of Amanda back in middle school.

I also thought the narration was great! Madeline Lambert expressed the feelings between the main characters perfectly for me.. You could feel Amanda's desperation and exhaustion! I did increase the speed since I am an avid Audiobook listener and prefer a faster pace.

Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing my copy of this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It is a Beautiful story covering so many topics such as relationship, motherhood, friendship, love, family, trauma, postpartum depression, forgiveness, and regret.
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It is a story of two friends Amanda and Carrie who were childhood best friends. Carrie's got pregnant when she was in high school and gave birth to Nina. Amanda was with Carrie initially but right after graduation she left the town with her boyfriend and moved to NYC leaving Amanda and her daughter behind.
Several years later, Amanda is a mother herself suffering from postpartum depression, and facing struggles of new motherhood went back to Carrie leaving her boyfriend and father of her child behind. It is a story filled with the complexities of relationships and friendship.
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I am looking forward to reading more from Emily Adrian in the future.
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The audiobook is narrated by Madeliene Lambert and she has done an excellent job. She has given life to the characters by narrating it with realism. I loved the narration and I think I have enjoyed the story more because of the narration.
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⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.
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I liked this quite a bit. The writing was excellent. Lots of details about new motherhood and high school relationships and the Midwest rang true. I’d happily read more by this author.

Amanda, at 31 yo, having just delivered a baby ("Jack", 10 weeks ago), feels lost, and no one, not her "boyfriend" Gabe, not the doctors and nurses, and not even her mom truly understand how utterly desperately lost she feels. The only one who Amanda feels would truly understand her, is her "estranged" best friend, Carrie. But even if Carrie WOULD help her with Jack, Carrie is miles away in their hometown of Deerling, Ohio, and Amanda is in Queens NY. To reach out to Carrie, Amanda and Jack would have to leave Gabe (boyfriend and father) in NY (because he is working), and that would be unfair to Gabe. But unfair or not, Amanda makes the choice to return (to her hometown of Deerling and) to Carrie. And, once Amanda and Jack show up, Carrie IS, (luckily), ready to help.

The story alternates between 2016 (just prior to the elections), and 2002, and Amanda's and Carrie's senior year in high school, gradually revealing heir backstories. In their senior year, Carrie gets pregnant and chooses to have the baby. After Carrie's baby Nina is born, Amanda moves to NY with her boyfriend, Gabe, (not a spoiler). This is the story of their friendship. I do not want to say anymore. No spoilers.

I listened to the audiobook courtesy of Blackstone Publishing and @NetGalley. The narration by Madeline Lambert is fantastic. She pulls you into the story, and she does a really sweet job with Carrie's daughter (Nina's) voice (12 yo).

Overall, I enjoyed reading #everythinghereisundercontrol by Emily Adrian. She does a terrific job describing the many challenges (and life changes) first time mothers (& teenage mothers) face (this is because she started writing this book just after giving birth to her own child ... nothing like having just gone through with it!). The book has a really interesting twist that catches you off guard. Absolutely a worthwhile and fun read! I received a complimentary audiobook from Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley in return for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of this title and really enjoyed it! I loved the premise being a story of estranged childhood friends, their relationship, growing up, dealing with emotional difficulties, all against the uncertain backdrop of the 2016 presidential election. I really found this to be exceedingly interesting and very timely. As we enter into another presidential election and an even more uncertain time, I felt the book gave me hope about the future. It's essentially a story about motherhood, womanhood, friendships, grief, and the way we love each other.

Listening to this book, I was wrapped up in the first few lines. I really enjoy the narration and would listen to another novel narrated by this voice artist. The characters are nuanced and well-written and the vocalization of their thoughts, voices, and actions were exceptional. I felt the narration of this story really brought out the depth and complexity of the narrative.

The pacing was fine at about 7 hours. I've listened to very long books before, but this was the perfect length for this type of novel. I am so glad that I've been able to review this as my first audiobook review. Emily Adrian is a talented writer and I would read another book from her. This book is perfect for a book club or for fans of contemporary, prescient literary fiction. Fantastic narration by Madeleine Lambert as well!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a book that I have heard so much about. Amanda turns up at her childhood best friends house with her newborn in her arms. They haven't seen each other in years. The years away and the helplessness of a newborn mother is shown like you are with them at the house. Once you figure out the small twist, you are so engrossed with each character, you didn't even realize what was happening. If you have ever given birth in any way, this book will help you to feel appreciated for all that your body went through. I also read this through audio and I loved the narrators voice through out.