A very light and enjoyable read after reading Jack Ketchum. Was this chick lit? Romance? Doesn't matter. I liked it. Except...giving that raving narcissist, Amber, her own condo because she is family would not fly with me. She was abusive towards everyone, especially her own daughter. And she stole from her cousin! Oh well, give that woman a condo!
Wow, implausible. Seriously, a deranged woman gathers 4 authors to a week long retreat to murder them because they gave her daughter's cozy novel the thumbs-down. Wth? Then, the main character's inoperable brain tumor shows up at the end of the novel? You mean, her spouse and child dying in a car accident wasn't trauma enough?
DNF 40%. A couple of things I learned here: intergenerational raising of your mother as a daughter has alot to speak for when it comes to raising children, and we don't have a prayer with the way society is run. Children will continue to have anxiety and depression because mothers can't possibly be around their children 24/7 to constantly nurture them. That said, the book is repetitive. I kept hoping we could progress from “it's not your fault” to something enlightening. Time to move on.
I was reading this thinking, “oh yeah, that previous employer? Definitely had psychopaths running the show from top to bottom!” Anyone who thinks these stories are made up? You have not lived through working in a place where this stuff takes place. Believe me, it does.
The book did tend to repeat itself, but was an interesting read nonetheless.
Not as good as Toxic Parents, but some nuggets of truth picked up. I skipped over the self-help workbook stuff (I'm not gonna burn paper or stuff balloons). The level of narcissism I experienced was not as severe, but still traumatic. I would recommend this to women who are exploring the effects of their abusive or judgemental mothers on their present (or past!) lives.