Reviews for Stepmother

The average rating for Stepmother based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-05-09 00:00:00 Manrico Avorio Being a first wife, I sang with Ms. Divine, Goldie and that skinny chick who's name I can never remember about the First Wives' Club. I knew that if my husband ever got remarried to some perky lil' thang, nothing would've pleased me more than making her life and his absolute hell. Not only that, but I planned to delight reminding her that no matter what she did, how much harder she tried, or how adorable she was...she simply was never going to measure up. That is, right up until I became the second wife. Luckily for me karma cut me some slack. Well, that and I'm not some gravity-defying lil' thang who's entire vocabulary consist of acronyms and variations of the word "like", with a little old school Britney lyrics thrown in for good measure. So, with all that being said, you'd think I would've liked this book a bit more being that I have seen both sides of the coin, right? You would think. While both perspectives (the first and soon-to-be second wife) were interesting, the reality of their interactions was not. Some of the struggles and situations that arose for both women I could intimately relate to, but that's where it ended. Even a day later, I'm not sure what Ms. Adams was trying to accomplish. Was she trying to garner sympathy and understanding for the plight of the second wife? If so, she failed. The soon-to-be stepmother bitches through the entire book about the evil, manipulative stepdaughter, the saintly ex she will never live up to, and the burden of loving a man she DOES NOT WANT TO SHARE. The latter blamed ad nausea on her being an only child. In other words, she's a whiny, spoiled cracker that has no heart. How about the ex-wife, you ask? Could we at least empathize with her? Nope. Instead, we almost want the infantile cracker to take the food-obsessed, alcoholic woman who blames her inability to deal with life on a snobby, rich mother and a husband that was lazy (Surprise! HE WAS LAZY WHEN SHE MARRIED HIM). Oh, and also on her conniving, slutty 14 year old daughter. And there went logic and reasoning…exiting stage left…leaving only the mother with no brain. And what of the husband? Think of every man/husband joke you have ever heard and visualize any random male cardboard cut out. Weak, irresponsible and clearly unable to stand up to either woman, here lies the man with no courage. And poor Amber, the fourteen year old daughter. The only love she got was from daddy. And even right up until the end, both women were trying to put a stop to that. Damn, people, at least give her a puppy or something! And, of course, no chick lit is complete without the over-the-top, completely far-fetched ending that has all but the unicorns and rainbows. Thus, taking over where Barbie left off...into unrealistic land where little girls go to cry.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-09-11 00:00:00 Isaias Perez I wish I had read this book before I married a man with three daughters. It would have helped a lot in understanding the differences in being a support system (step-parent) vs. a primary caregiver (father/mother). This is a must read for anyone contemplating becoming a stepparent. My favourite quote is "I get jealous and that makes me feel insecure, and insecurity can turn even the most level-headed woman into a fruitcake. A dangerous one at that. It's easy to see why stepmothers can become so evil. Our husbands have a love interest who is half our age and twice as beautiful." (page 285, paperback) In regards to making a marriage work, Carrie Adams delivers one of the best paragraphs about the subject. "Marriage gives you invisible protection against the world. You have a punching bag when you need it. You have a partner in crime when you want one. You have a lover on tap. You have support. The tricky bit is remaining aware that the person is providing all those things all the time. You start to think you're doing it alone. That you provide those things for yourself. As a result you get a bit pissed off with all the demands, with the cost of those services. Loyalty. Respect. Faithfulness. Changing light bulbs when you'd happily live in the dark. Hardest of all, maintaining a sense of humor...Resentment creeps in. Boredom. A feeling that you're missing out when actually you've got everything. You just can't see it." (page 112, paperback)