Betting on You by Lynn Painter

A little peek behind the curtain.

I was a single mom for the first 9 years of my daughter’s life. Fortunately, I met my husband when she was 9 and we ended up getting married when she was like 12 and then he adopted her when she was 13.

That being said, navigating being a single mom who is dating is hard. And this book gave me a perspective that I hadn’t spent a ton of time thinking about before.

Needless to say, within 24 hours of finishing this book I had my daughter (who is now 24) on the phone quizzing her on if it hurt our relationship when I met her Dad and what that experience was like for her. Good news - she is not permanently scarred but it was a worthwhile conversation none the less.

This book specifically got me in my feelings - but also it made me want to grab our heroine and shake her repeatedly. She REALLY needed to talk to her mother about what was going on her head. I have personally never met a teenager that was THAT self sacrificing - but if they exist - she is their leader.

Final thought: A specific win for me - but not a reread.