The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center
Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiancé, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned; she’s happy to have so much to look forward to. But Dean–whom Jenny loves enough to overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover band–is acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding-jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor. In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up. She learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless father–who’s trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor–with a knack for soothing babies–who invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.
A girl with zero instincts for making good decisions learns how to try to make better ones in the wake of being a new mom.
When I finished How To Walk Away, I knew I was gonna need to go out and read all of Katherine Center's books. This book did not live up to the love I had for How to Walk Away, but it was still well written and a good read.
I loved Jenny's mom. She was consistent and supportive. (Btw, these two words should always describe moms but rarely are!) She was logical and helpful. She was a survivor from heartbreak. She was great!I loved Gardner- our friendly neighbor. I would've loved more from (and about) Gardner actually!My favorite part about the book was how INSANELY realistically it painted the picture of the pressures moms put on themselves. Even pregnant- Jenny really struggled with her birth plan changing- and how much to stick up for herself and her birth plan (that is SO real, you guys! So real!). Then post birth- omg did she capture the struggle of breastfeeding, of not wanting to leave your baby, of having zero sleep, of eating almost nothing. I mean, wow! Katherine Center captured this phase of life SO well. It was actually sometimes hard to read because it was so realistic!
Do you remember that book I read a while ago, Matchmaking for Beginners? People had a really big problem with Marnie and how stupid she was to continually let her dirtbag of a fiancé walk all over her? But I said- it wasn't crazy annoying but somewhat annoying? Well in this book- Jenny was SO unbelievably annoying. I could not take her poor decision making skills. I'm not going to write any spoilers but wow. So. Annoying.My major problem with the book is that I liked Gardner- Jenny's neighbor- more than I liked Jenny.Also Jenny had a brand new cat that her mom was CRAZY allergic to. Her mom. Who came over to help her. Every. Single. Day. And she never attempted to find a different solution- other than having her mom take benadryl. I'm an animal person. I am also a human person. This was so insane to me. Jenny has friends! Ask if anyone would want the cat!!!
Do: plan and have a garage sale. You know you have the stuff to sell... we all do!Eat: casserole. Any kind really. They all taste the same.... delicious!Listen to: Salsa music