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Between Mom and Jo
Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest Moms ever, but everything changes when his birth mom and her wife, Jo, start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in the middle, and instead of having two Moms to turn to for advice, he has no one.
Nick's emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's love can survive even the most difficult times.
Nick's emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's love can survive even the most difficult times.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2006
29 people are currently reading
3,121 people want to read
About the author
Julie Anne Peters
30books1,702followersJulie Anne Peters was born in Jamestown, New York. When she was five, her family moved to the Denver suburbs in Colorado. Her parents divorced when she was in high school. She has three siblings: a brother, John, and two younger sisters, Jeanne and Susan.
Her books for young adults include Define "Normal" (2000), Keeping You a Secret (2003), Luna (2004), Far from Xanadu (2005), Between Mom and Jo (2006), grl2grl (2007), Rage: A Love Story (2009), By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead (2010), She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not... (2011), It's Our Prom (So Deal with It) (2012), and Lies My Girlfriend Told Me (2014). Her young adult fiction often feature lesbian characters and address LGBT issues. She has announced that she has retired from writing, and Lies My Girlfriend Told Me will be her last novel. She now works full-time for the Colorado Reading Corps.
Her books for young adults include Define "Normal" (2000), Keeping You a Secret (2003), Luna (2004), Far from Xanadu (2005), Between Mom and Jo (2006), grl2grl (2007), Rage: A Love Story (2009), By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead (2010), She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not... (2011), It's Our Prom (So Deal with It) (2012), and Lies My Girlfriend Told Me (2014). Her young adult fiction often feature lesbian characters and address LGBT issues. She has announced that she has retired from writing, and Lies My Girlfriend Told Me will be her last novel. She now works full-time for the Colorado Reading Corps.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
December 3, 2012
Although my parents are heterosexual, Between Mom and Jo still spoke to me personally. As someone who wishes to have children with a male partner one day, it was saddening to read about how Nick had to put up with the taunting and teasing of his peers.
Looking at it positively, at least he had two loving parents who supported him through it. All his life, he’s known Mom and Jo would be there for him. They’ve gone through tough times together, battling alcoholism, cancer, and death. Which makes it that much worse when Mom and Jo start having marital problems and Nick’s left with no one to turn to. How can he choose between the two people in his life whom he cares about the most?
I’m pretty sure that Julie Anne Peters is known as a prevalent YA writer, specifically in the GLBT vein. This, however, is the first book I’ve read by her. She has an effortless style to her prose � it’s simple and sparse, but effective in communicating the characters� emotions to the reader. I finished this book in a couple of days, but it felt like I had been with Nick for much longer than that.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about what it might be like to have same-sex parents, as well as anyone who has had family problems � specifically involving separation or divorce. While this may be my first book from Julie Anne Peters, it definitely won’t be my last.
*review cross-posted on my blog, .
Looking at it positively, at least he had two loving parents who supported him through it. All his life, he’s known Mom and Jo would be there for him. They’ve gone through tough times together, battling alcoholism, cancer, and death. Which makes it that much worse when Mom and Jo start having marital problems and Nick’s left with no one to turn to. How can he choose between the two people in his life whom he cares about the most?
I’m pretty sure that Julie Anne Peters is known as a prevalent YA writer, specifically in the GLBT vein. This, however, is the first book I’ve read by her. She has an effortless style to her prose � it’s simple and sparse, but effective in communicating the characters� emotions to the reader. I finished this book in a couple of days, but it felt like I had been with Nick for much longer than that.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about what it might be like to have same-sex parents, as well as anyone who has had family problems � specifically involving separation or divorce. While this may be my first book from Julie Anne Peters, it definitely won’t be my last.
*review cross-posted on my blog, .
July 13, 2007
I really enjoy the premise of this book: Nick has two moms, and they're splitting up. Thus, Nick faces all of the same problems a child of divorce would face- (point: it's the same thing, people!) with the added hardship of being ostracized by others because of his parents. It's especially complicated because his "non-biological" mom didn't officially adopt him, and his other mom tries to keep them apart.
This was all wonderfully written, but the book is very sad. It put me into a weepie funk.
This was all wonderfully written, but the book is very sad. It put me into a weepie funk.
October 26, 2015
The book started off kinda weird for me because the narrator was like 4 or 5 but the voice sounded old. I think by books end he was like 13 but he still sounded much older. Like maybe looking back on his life. Either it wasn't clear or I didn't get it. The main character's name is Nick. He has two moms. His biological mother is Erin. She's studying to be a lawyer. His other mom is Jo, who at the beginning drinks to much but then promises Nick to stop and keeps her word. Jo is always in an out of work. At some point in their lives together, after promising young Nick that they would be together forever, Jo and Erin break up. Erin has breast cancer and survives and falls in love with another woman named Keri. After the breakup, Erin doesn't want Nick to talk to Jo or see her. Jo never adopted Nick because she trusted Erin when she said they would always be family. Erin in trying to make a new life with Keri doesn't want to have anything to do with Jo. It's sad. It makes me sad that sometimes when marriage between gay people break up there is no legal standing for the non-biological parent. The biological parent can just do whatever she wants. Nick is miserable and makes his mom and Keri miserable. He dyes all his clothes black. He stops taking care of himself and his fish. Throughout the book they have many pets. Dogs: Lucky 1, Lucky 2, Lucky 3. Cat: Savage, many fish. Finally Nick talks to his mom and tells her while she's his birth mom, Jo is his real mom and he wants to live with her. Erin doesn't want to hear this and it's not until he does something so uncaring and out of character that she relents. There's hope left at the end. This book was pretty dark to me. Divorce is awful. I've never experienced it myself but I can imagine how much it can suck. I don't know why anyone would want to keep their kid away from someone they love who loves them. So no points for Erin there. All in all a very realistic look at Nick's exterior and interior life. I cared about him a lot.
May 30, 2007
Written from a 14 yr old boy's perspective, this book tells the story of his childhood with his two lesbian moms. Ultimately his moms split and Nick must deal with the grief of split family and the possibility of never seeing his mom, Jo, again.
The voice in the book is powerful and authentic. Nick is so honest. This story brings to light an issues that is all too often ignored when one parent does not have legal rights to the child she has raised and the struggles that plague gay couples who have children together. Great book, although some of the struggles seems a little contrived.
The voice in the book is powerful and authentic. Nick is so honest. This story brings to light an issues that is all too often ignored when one parent does not have legal rights to the child she has raised and the struggles that plague gay couples who have children together. Great book, although some of the struggles seems a little contrived.
March 14, 2023
I didn't think a book about divorce from the perspective of the child stuck in the middle would be an easy or happy read. It wasn't. And I give Julie Anne Peters for kudos for attempting to tackle a hard subject.
What I didn't expect, in a novel involving queer families, is for one of the moms to be a gross stereotype of a butch lesbian, which included crassness, immaturity, and a plethora of toxic masculinity thrown at her son, not to mention the slurs, including homophobic slurs, the character spoke with regularity (note: be aware of both the f- and r-slurs in these pages).
Also, the resolution to this book made zero sense. It's as if Peters forget there's a middle ground where compromise exists.
Nick is really dealt a shit hand in this, and I think Peters gets his anger and pain and angst correct. But I'm not a child of divorced parents, so who knows. But neither parent comes off looking good here. They're both awful. And maybe that's a bit of the point.
What I didn't expect, in a novel involving queer families, is for one of the moms to be a gross stereotype of a butch lesbian, which included crassness, immaturity, and a plethora of toxic masculinity thrown at her son, not to mention the slurs, including homophobic slurs, the character spoke with regularity (note: be aware of both the f- and r-slurs in these pages).
Also, the resolution to this book made zero sense. It's as if Peters forget there's a middle ground where compromise exists.
Nick is really dealt a shit hand in this, and I think Peters gets his anger and pain and angst correct. But I'm not a child of divorced parents, so who knows. But neither parent comes off looking good here. They're both awful. And maybe that's a bit of the point.
July 29, 2008
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I love the concept of a teen dealing with his parents' divorce, especially if those two parents are women.
However, the book just made me angry. Nick's Mom (birth mom) cheats on Jo (other mom), leaves Jo for other lady, and decides that Jo has no rights to Nick (Jo never formally adopted Nick because she trusted Mom that they would be a family forever). It was awful the way Mom treated Jo, like she was nothing. She was the other parents that Nick had known his whole life. Further, the family never talks. When they do, it is in anger. This is believable, but still sad. Probably the worst aspect of the story, since Nick is not allowed to see Jo, he spirals into a depression. He avoids his Mom, acts in anger to her new girlfriend, and doesn't care about anything. His previously beloved fish die from being neglected, he physically hurts himself (cuts his knuckles with a knife), and he is overall a jerk to everyone.
While I understand that divorce is a difficult time for people, this book was full of negative behaviors from parents and the teen. There is no coping. It's bad-behaviors to worse-behaviors to suddenly cheery when he gets his way.
The only redeeming quality is how Jo helps Nick through different obstacles in his life, from being teased by other children for having two moms to talking about Nick's sexuality.
However, the book just made me angry. Nick's Mom (birth mom) cheats on Jo (other mom), leaves Jo for other lady, and decides that Jo has no rights to Nick (Jo never formally adopted Nick because she trusted Mom that they would be a family forever). It was awful the way Mom treated Jo, like she was nothing. She was the other parents that Nick had known his whole life. Further, the family never talks. When they do, it is in anger. This is believable, but still sad. Probably the worst aspect of the story, since Nick is not allowed to see Jo, he spirals into a depression. He avoids his Mom, acts in anger to her new girlfriend, and doesn't care about anything. His previously beloved fish die from being neglected, he physically hurts himself (cuts his knuckles with a knife), and he is overall a jerk to everyone.
While I understand that divorce is a difficult time for people, this book was full of negative behaviors from parents and the teen. There is no coping. It's bad-behaviors to worse-behaviors to suddenly cheery when he gets his way.
The only redeeming quality is how Jo helps Nick through different obstacles in his life, from being teased by other children for having two moms to talking about Nick's sexuality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2021
This was another read in one sitting. Would be a great book for book club because there is a lot to discuss.
August 5, 2009
This book was intense for me. I think it's because Peters does such a great job of making the reader identify with Nick, the main character of the story. The novel begins with Nick's earliest memory of his mother, Jo. As the story progresses through time, the reader realizes that they share a bond. A bond that gets severed when his "real" mother, Nick's biological mother and Jo's life partner, decides she no longer wants to be with Jo, and that Nick belongs to her. As Nick reminisces, the reader witnesses the evolution of his family, and its slow spiral downward. The reader gets to cheer Jo on as she takes on Ms. Ivey, feel indignant when children tease Nick about his lesbian moms, and feel hatred seeth throughout their bodies as Erin, Nick's biological mother, discards Jo and forbids Nick any contact with her.
Nick isn't allowed to say "hate" because his mothers know what it can do--it's poison. Yet, so many people hate them for who they are. Peters does a great job of showing that this family represented so much more than the mother's sexuality. And, by the end of the novel, the fact that they were a gay couple who broke up isn't even the focus. The focus is on Nick, a boy who is caught between two people he loves, who used to love each other, and, now, he must choose. The novel shows his anguish with having his family torn apart, and raises questions about committment, honesty, and selfishness. I doubt this book will ever be taught in a public school, but I think it would be a shame not to have it on the shelf for that one soul who might be searching for hope.
Nick isn't allowed to say "hate" because his mothers know what it can do--it's poison. Yet, so many people hate them for who they are. Peters does a great job of showing that this family represented so much more than the mother's sexuality. And, by the end of the novel, the fact that they were a gay couple who broke up isn't even the focus. The focus is on Nick, a boy who is caught between two people he loves, who used to love each other, and, now, he must choose. The novel shows his anguish with having his family torn apart, and raises questions about committment, honesty, and selfishness. I doubt this book will ever be taught in a public school, but I think it would be a shame not to have it on the shelf for that one soul who might be searching for hope.
July 14, 2017
Between Mom and Jo is the first of Julie Anne Peters's books I've picked up in a few years. I've been avoiding her books for a while, because I was afraid that now that I'm 24, the magic of her stories would be gone. I was afraid that they wouldn't speak to me like they did when I was 14, and in a way I was right--reading her books now is not the lifeline it was when I was so young. But that doesn't mean her books have lost their magic or their realness.
Between Mom and Jo is a phenomenal story about the resilience and strength of family. Thirteen-year-old Nick struggles miserably through his moms' divorce. It doesn't matter what gender your parents are; divorce hurts, but there can be happiness and a new sense of unity afterward, even if your family has changed.
My parents got divorced when I was around Nick's age, so a lot of this book hit home with me. In comparison to Nick, though, I was lucky. I was never prevented from seeing one of my parents, and I didn't have to worry about the fact that one of my parents hadn't adopted me and therefore had no rights over me. This is something that families with same-sex parents really do struggle with today.
This book rings true on so many levels. It's both joyous and heartbreaking, and the characters are wonderful--they're funny, and honest, and they struggle with real problems. It's a great book for anyone whose family is changing because of divorce, whether your parents are gay, straight or in-between.
Between Mom and Jo is a phenomenal story about the resilience and strength of family. Thirteen-year-old Nick struggles miserably through his moms' divorce. It doesn't matter what gender your parents are; divorce hurts, but there can be happiness and a new sense of unity afterward, even if your family has changed.
My parents got divorced when I was around Nick's age, so a lot of this book hit home with me. In comparison to Nick, though, I was lucky. I was never prevented from seeing one of my parents, and I didn't have to worry about the fact that one of my parents hadn't adopted me and therefore had no rights over me. This is something that families with same-sex parents really do struggle with today.
This book rings true on so many levels. It's both joyous and heartbreaking, and the characters are wonderful--they're funny, and honest, and they struggle with real problems. It's a great book for anyone whose family is changing because of divorce, whether your parents are gay, straight or in-between.
September 7, 2009
Between Mom and Jo, is also my favorite book. It has all that a book needs; conflict, LOTS of DETAILS, and a solution. But somehow this book seems as if it has more than it needs. This book made me think about how some boys cut themselves because they think that their lives suck, or how some boys have 2 moms, or 2 dads. It made me open my eyes to those that don't have what I do or what others have.
This book talks about this boy named Nick. Nick has two moms and he knows that they are lesbian. At school he always got teased ecause of his moms. They thought that he was gay, so they called him "Dickless Nicholas", and "Gay". He had suffered a lot but never told his mom, just Jo {his other mom}. Mom was the type of mom that was like a real mom. And Jo was the type of dad. One day Jo and Mom got seperated and Jo left. Then Kerri, this chef woman, moved in with Mom and Nick. Nick hated her because she tried to act cool with him. Then he started cutting himself and dieing all his clothes black. Not until his Mom relized that he was unhappy with him did she let him live with Jo. Later on Jo and mom become only friends, but they share Nick.
I think that this is a good book for people that bully others, that way they could think twice after committing something horrible. I give this awesome book a 5.
This book talks about this boy named Nick. Nick has two moms and he knows that they are lesbian. At school he always got teased ecause of his moms. They thought that he was gay, so they called him "Dickless Nicholas", and "Gay". He had suffered a lot but never told his mom, just Jo {his other mom}. Mom was the type of mom that was like a real mom. And Jo was the type of dad. One day Jo and Mom got seperated and Jo left. Then Kerri, this chef woman, moved in with Mom and Nick. Nick hated her because she tried to act cool with him. Then he started cutting himself and dieing all his clothes black. Not until his Mom relized that he was unhappy with him did she let him live with Jo. Later on Jo and mom become only friends, but they share Nick.
I think that this is a good book for people that bully others, that way they could think twice after committing something horrible. I give this awesome book a 5.
April 9, 2012
There are moments when you pull back and recognize you are experiencing a magnectic moment of bliss. Often, these moments are benign and seemingly throwaway to most people, but signify a real turning point in your life. Nick experiences this revelation during a summer day spent with his two moms.
Nick is the product of Erin and Jo, a lesbian couple composed of an ambitious lawyer and an untethered handy-woman. Nick loves his two moms, considering his family a happy unit as they navigate alcholism, cancer, and falling out with parents. Everything changes for Nick when his moms announce their seperation, and a new partner emerges for his biological mother. At first Nick tries to keep the status quo by visiting Jo, his other mother, but is forbidden to continue this. Nick spirals into depression after his countless attempts to keep contact with Jo are thwarted. He begins to lash out at his mother and her new partner, testing the limits of self control.
Between Mom and Jo was a heartbreaking snapshot of a child who comes to terms with not only the true meaning of a mother, but endures the pain and responsibility attached to it. Peters is a simple writer, but she crafts strong characters and creates universal messages of love and family in this beautiful novel.
Nick is the product of Erin and Jo, a lesbian couple composed of an ambitious lawyer and an untethered handy-woman. Nick loves his two moms, considering his family a happy unit as they navigate alcholism, cancer, and falling out with parents. Everything changes for Nick when his moms announce their seperation, and a new partner emerges for his biological mother. At first Nick tries to keep the status quo by visiting Jo, his other mother, but is forbidden to continue this. Nick spirals into depression after his countless attempts to keep contact with Jo are thwarted. He begins to lash out at his mother and her new partner, testing the limits of self control.
Between Mom and Jo was a heartbreaking snapshot of a child who comes to terms with not only the true meaning of a mother, but endures the pain and responsibility attached to it. Peters is a simple writer, but she crafts strong characters and creates universal messages of love and family in this beautiful novel.
March 30, 2015
Mi aspettavo decisamente di più.
Di questo libro mi sono rimaste impresse alcune frasi un po� amare testimoniavano il carattere forte di Nick, il protagonista, altrimenti un personaggio troppo piatto.
Nick ha due mamme, Erin e Jo. Partendo solamente da questo, c’� una marea di argomenti che si possono trattare, peccato però per lo stereotipato personaggio di Jo trasformato in tutto e per tutto in un uomo (beve troppo, fa un lavoro da uomo, pratica sport maschili�) che ha rovinato tutto.
“Ciò che appare all’esterno non corrisponde necessariamente a quello che c’� all’interno, soprattutto con le donne.�
Inoltre sono stati trattati troppi argomenti e, come spesso accade in questi casi, molto superficialmente: la famiglia alternativa, la fecondazione, i tradimenti, la separazione, la malattia�
Tanti, troppi argomenti buttati lì.
“Ci sono un sacco di modi di prendersela con le persone, come ad esempio farle sentire invisibili�
Poi ci sono frasi che stravolgano il giudizio che avevi già costruito e che, da sole, meritano la lettura di questo libro�
Di questo libro mi sono rimaste impresse alcune frasi un po� amare testimoniavano il carattere forte di Nick, il protagonista, altrimenti un personaggio troppo piatto.
Nick ha due mamme, Erin e Jo. Partendo solamente da questo, c’� una marea di argomenti che si possono trattare, peccato però per lo stereotipato personaggio di Jo trasformato in tutto e per tutto in un uomo (beve troppo, fa un lavoro da uomo, pratica sport maschili�) che ha rovinato tutto.
“Ciò che appare all’esterno non corrisponde necessariamente a quello che c’� all’interno, soprattutto con le donne.�
Inoltre sono stati trattati troppi argomenti e, come spesso accade in questi casi, molto superficialmente: la famiglia alternativa, la fecondazione, i tradimenti, la separazione, la malattia�
Tanti, troppi argomenti buttati lì.
“Ci sono un sacco di modi di prendersela con le persone, come ad esempio farle sentire invisibili�
Poi ci sono frasi che stravolgano il giudizio che avevi già costruito e che, da sole, meritano la lettura di questo libro�
July 4, 2007
Nick's life has always revolved around himself, his mother, and her wife Jo. Over the years, he's gotten used to the taunting from his classmates - the boys calling him "fag" and making fun of his mothers. He's even experienced discrimination from his friends' parents and his teacher in elementary school. The one thing that makes him feel better is his mother's promise - that the three of them will always be together, no matter what.
Nick isn't prepared when the floor falls out from beneath him. The family that had once been his only support is going through the biggest crisis it has faced...and when things change drastically, who will Nick have to turn to?
Nick isn't prepared when the floor falls out from beneath him. The family that had once been his only support is going through the biggest crisis it has faced...and when things change drastically, who will Nick have to turn to?
May 27, 2014
Between Mom and Jo is the story of a boy named Nick and his two moms, Erin and Jo. The book starts when Nick is three, and we get to see Nick grow up thinking that having two moms is completely normal. In fact, his parent’s sexuality isn’t even the main focus of the book. Though their family faces many hardships (including alcoholism and cancer) Erin and Jo promise Nick that the three of them will always be together.
But one day, when Nick is fourteen, Erin starts an affair with another woman. This causes Nick’s parents to separate and Jo moves out.
And just as children of heterosexual parents who separate, Nick is devastated and wants both of his moms.
But one day, when Nick is fourteen, Erin starts an affair with another woman. This causes Nick’s parents to separate and Jo moves out.
And just as children of heterosexual parents who separate, Nick is devastated and wants both of his moms.
June 20, 2010
I didn't love the structure (I think I like well-done flashbacks over a giant timeline that lets a writer merely focus ONLY on the important stuff; I think it's a much easier way and therefore inherently not as rewarding), and, godDAMN is this a depressing one. But there are still a lot of interesting and thought-provoking issues explored here. Agree with the reviewer who said there are some huge missed opportunities with regard to class/privilege, etc.
Fair warning: if you love animals this book might be tough on you. I had to take a break to snuggle my pets, no joke.
(read: 97)
Fair warning: if you love animals this book might be tough on you. I had to take a break to snuggle my pets, no joke.
(read: 97)
September 27, 2017
This book is two things that don’t fit well together: a tween narrative about a kid managing with his divorcing moms and the birth mom’s new gf, and a psychodrama about a lesbian couple breaking up and struggling with raising their son. Both threads had one terrible ending. Not terrible sad, but terrible unrealistic and way over-simplified. It’s all narrated by the tween son who couldn’t possibly have the emotional maturity to narrate the mom’s stories.
September 15, 2007
Compelling story of the dissolution of a marriage from the POV of Nick, a 14-year-old boy. His moms' relationship has come apart at the seams, and he wants to live with his non-biological mom. Dwells a little too much and too long on Nick's depression for comfort, and it's hard to believe (she says self-servingly) that a mother could ever be so clueless about her kid. Overall a solid book.
January 19, 2015
Nick loves Jo but Jo and his mom break up. This book is heart-wrenching as Nick struggles to understand and to express his own need for love without rejecting either one. I liked this book in that it got me engaged in a subject I usually avoid and showed the humanity of a difficult situation.
July 18, 2018
Worth the read, but didn't quite meet my expectations. While I liked the overall premise of the book and there were some genuinely lovely moments in it, there were a lot of things that were just good without developing enough to pack the punch that we could have gotten.
My overall feeling on the characters is that they all started out great, but did not get fleshed out as much as they deserved. The character development felt a bit stilted and unfulfilled, which made it hard to sympathize with the characters after a certain point (around the beginning of Part Two). I never felt like I got anything from Nick's relationship with Mom. For all the times that she said she loved Nick, I didn't see it. The book's written in first person from Nick's perspective, so I understand that he often sees Jo as "good cop" and Mom as "bad cop" (especially after his moms break up), but I wish there were moments that showed Mom loves Nick, even if Nick misinterprets it as he seems prone to do. And between Mom and Jo. Nick kept talking about how they're a family, but the watermelon scene was probably the only scene where I could see what he meant. Also, after Jo left, it felt like Peters was ticking off the boxes for "depressed adolescent". The narration became ultra-angsty. It was more like how angsty teens write about their feelings than how they actually think, and (I really do hate to say it, but) it made Nick hard to feel bad for.
The evolution of Mom and Jo's split leading up to the end was fine, but I still just didn't feel like I was able to fully understand anyone's motivation. All of the back-cover descriptions of this book indicated that Nick was torn between his two moms, but in reality, he knew who he was choosing from the beginning. I think this would have been fine if my expectations had been set so, or if I had gotten more insight into Nick's relationship with Mom. Anyway, the ending just didn't quite seem like it followed everything that came before it.
One last note: there was a bit of a disconnect between the tense and structure. There were short reflections at the end of each chapter in the first part, indicating that Nick was looking back on these experiences, but then the narration was in present-tense. Then in Part Two, the reflections disappeared altogether. What was going on with that?
My overall feeling on the characters is that they all started out great, but did not get fleshed out as much as they deserved. The character development felt a bit stilted and unfulfilled, which made it hard to sympathize with the characters after a certain point (around the beginning of Part Two). I never felt like I got anything from Nick's relationship with Mom. For all the times that she said she loved Nick, I didn't see it. The book's written in first person from Nick's perspective, so I understand that he often sees Jo as "good cop" and Mom as "bad cop" (especially after his moms break up), but I wish there were moments that showed Mom loves Nick, even if Nick misinterprets it as he seems prone to do. And between Mom and Jo. Nick kept talking about how they're a family, but the watermelon scene was probably the only scene where I could see what he meant. Also, after Jo left, it felt like Peters was ticking off the boxes for "depressed adolescent". The narration became ultra-angsty. It was more like how angsty teens write about their feelings than how they actually think, and (I really do hate to say it, but) it made Nick hard to feel bad for.
The evolution of Mom and Jo's split leading up to the end was fine, but I still just didn't feel like I was able to fully understand anyone's motivation. All of the back-cover descriptions of this book indicated that Nick was torn between his two moms, but in reality, he knew who he was choosing from the beginning. I think this would have been fine if my expectations had been set so, or if I had gotten more insight into Nick's relationship with Mom. Anyway, the ending just didn't quite seem like it followed everything that came before it.
One last note: there was a bit of a disconnect between the tense and structure. There were short reflections at the end of each chapter in the first part, indicating that Nick was looking back on these experiences, but then the narration was in present-tense. Then in Part Two, the reflections disappeared altogether. What was going on with that?
June 22, 2016
2.5/5
Oh, Julie Anne Peters. Must you confound me so?
Look, I want to like Peters, I really do. The author of the first book about a transgendered person in all of YA should deserve praise, and she's truly not a bad writer. She tries to break more ground here by writing about a character with two moms. I've seen it in YA before (in , but that came out a year later than this book, and the focus of the book wasn't on having two moms.
But y'know, I'm not sure if I could say the focus in this book was on having two moms, either. I expected that to be the focus, and if you'd told me beforehand that it wasn't, I'd probably consider it a good thing. I'm all for books about LGBT characters that have their sexuality/gender as part of the story, but not all of it. But here, Peters never seems quite sure what she wants to focus on. There are two vastly different parts to the book: the first part is entirely flashbacks to Nick's childhood, and we watch him gradually grow up. The second part is about Nick's parents splitting up when he's a teenager. There's no overarching theme here - the first part focuses on how Nick's life is different because he has two moms, and the second is on learning to live with divorced parents. It feels more like two novellas with the same characters than a cohesive novel. The first part seems to be setting up some big theme about having two moms, but the second part never adequately resolves the theme, leaving it incomplete.
I preferred the second part to the first. The first part was told, bizarrely enough, in present tense, despite being acknowledged flashbacks and in Nick's teenage voice. Perhaps it was this strange mix of intentions that led to an off-putting feel to the first part. I often had the experience of never being quite sure how old Nick was, and it often felt like Peters didn't have a grip on it either, giving Nick an oddly old voice in his dialogue, and writing things that just didn't make sense for a five year-old. (Even for homophobic playground bullies, fifth graders calling a kindergartener 'Dickless Nicholas' struck me as too extreme.) There was also a lack of defining plot. There was a common theme of Nick falling victim to homophobia because of his parents, but scattered homophobia does not a plot make, and it gave the weird impression that homophobia was the only thing that impacted Nick's social life.*
That said, there was some very nice subtext in this section, regarding how Nick's parents treat him. The only large section not dedicated to Nick dealing with homophobia** dealt with Jo recovering from her alcoholism, and it was written really, really well. I was surprised by how well Jo was characterized here, and there's a lot of interesting subtext in her conversations with her partner. We see a lot about what they tell Nick and what they hide from him, and there's a subtle undercurrent throughout the first part that 'Mom' married Jo when she was young and stupid, and is now dealing with the consequences of Jo's immaturity. It's a very fascinating explanation.
Which makes it all the more bizarre that their divorce doesn't come as a result of that arc. When the second part starts and they get divorced, the implication seems to be that it had to do with 'Mom''s cheating. This contributed to the disconnect between part one and part two - they really did feel like completely different stories. Part two is where we see a lot more of Nick's character, and he's fairly well-developed, relatively distinct from Peters' other protagonists. It was a little off-putting that he seemed to have no social life apart from his parents, but other than that, he felt like a real person. The section also highlighted Peters' ability to really capture a character's voice. Without the bizarre mix of intentions in part one, we see that Peters really can write. Her prose is smooth and effortless, and all of it rings true to a character like Nick.
Sadly, the plot didn't live up to this. To be honest, it was boring. In general, Peters has been one of the better contemporary authors I've read when it comes to making a dramatic structure with an adequate climax and everything - it's something that YA contemporary really struggles with. But no such luck here. About half of this story consisted of Nick angsting in the most melodramatic fashion possible, with no rising action to speak of. The eventual ending is a little too neat and happy - it seemed like everything was tied up in a neat little package, and with no climax at all, it really came out of nowhere.
Overall, this was a problematic novel. Peters' writing was excellent, and there were some honest, human moments throughout. But it's all buried under boring, disorganized plots and mixed intentions. I have faith that eventually, I'll come across another Peters book as good as or , but as it stands, it's been more than a year since I've really enjoyed one of her books. Those are the two I'd recommend if you're interesting in Peters' works. If you're interested in other books about same-sex parents... well, I hate to say it, but I'm drawing a blank here. If somebody wants to recommend a better book about gay parents, I'm all ears, because I really don't want this to be the best there is.
*Not that homophobia wouldn't be a factor in his life at all, but I've known people with gay parents. As a generalization, while they certainly deal with quite a bit of homophobia, it's far from the only thing that impacts their lives, particularly as kids.
**Which happened in a somewhat cliche manner, by the way - it won't be particularly new or surprising to anyone who's familiar with LGBT literature. It's at times like this when I contrast Peters to David Levithan, who rarely makes homophobia the center of his books, but when it does appear, I get angry every time. Here, I feel like I've grown numb to the way it's presented, even though I know I should be outraged. It's bizarre that I can feel that apathy, but apparently, I can.
A slightly edited version of this review can also be found
Oh, Julie Anne Peters. Must you confound me so?
Look, I want to like Peters, I really do. The author of the first book about a transgendered person in all of YA should deserve praise, and she's truly not a bad writer. She tries to break more ground here by writing about a character with two moms. I've seen it in YA before (in , but that came out a year later than this book, and the focus of the book wasn't on having two moms.
But y'know, I'm not sure if I could say the focus in this book was on having two moms, either. I expected that to be the focus, and if you'd told me beforehand that it wasn't, I'd probably consider it a good thing. I'm all for books about LGBT characters that have their sexuality/gender as part of the story, but not all of it. But here, Peters never seems quite sure what she wants to focus on. There are two vastly different parts to the book: the first part is entirely flashbacks to Nick's childhood, and we watch him gradually grow up. The second part is about Nick's parents splitting up when he's a teenager. There's no overarching theme here - the first part focuses on how Nick's life is different because he has two moms, and the second is on learning to live with divorced parents. It feels more like two novellas with the same characters than a cohesive novel. The first part seems to be setting up some big theme about having two moms, but the second part never adequately resolves the theme, leaving it incomplete.
I preferred the second part to the first. The first part was told, bizarrely enough, in present tense, despite being acknowledged flashbacks and in Nick's teenage voice. Perhaps it was this strange mix of intentions that led to an off-putting feel to the first part. I often had the experience of never being quite sure how old Nick was, and it often felt like Peters didn't have a grip on it either, giving Nick an oddly old voice in his dialogue, and writing things that just didn't make sense for a five year-old. (Even for homophobic playground bullies, fifth graders calling a kindergartener 'Dickless Nicholas' struck me as too extreme.) There was also a lack of defining plot. There was a common theme of Nick falling victim to homophobia because of his parents, but scattered homophobia does not a plot make, and it gave the weird impression that homophobia was the only thing that impacted Nick's social life.*
That said, there was some very nice subtext in this section, regarding how Nick's parents treat him. The only large section not dedicated to Nick dealing with homophobia** dealt with Jo recovering from her alcoholism, and it was written really, really well. I was surprised by how well Jo was characterized here, and there's a lot of interesting subtext in her conversations with her partner. We see a lot about what they tell Nick and what they hide from him, and there's a subtle undercurrent throughout the first part that 'Mom' married Jo when she was young and stupid, and is now dealing with the consequences of Jo's immaturity. It's a very fascinating explanation.
Which makes it all the more bizarre that their divorce doesn't come as a result of that arc. When the second part starts and they get divorced, the implication seems to be that it had to do with 'Mom''s cheating. This contributed to the disconnect between part one and part two - they really did feel like completely different stories. Part two is where we see a lot more of Nick's character, and he's fairly well-developed, relatively distinct from Peters' other protagonists. It was a little off-putting that he seemed to have no social life apart from his parents, but other than that, he felt like a real person. The section also highlighted Peters' ability to really capture a character's voice. Without the bizarre mix of intentions in part one, we see that Peters really can write. Her prose is smooth and effortless, and all of it rings true to a character like Nick.
Sadly, the plot didn't live up to this. To be honest, it was boring. In general, Peters has been one of the better contemporary authors I've read when it comes to making a dramatic structure with an adequate climax and everything - it's something that YA contemporary really struggles with. But no such luck here. About half of this story consisted of Nick angsting in the most melodramatic fashion possible, with no rising action to speak of. The eventual ending is a little too neat and happy - it seemed like everything was tied up in a neat little package, and with no climax at all, it really came out of nowhere.
Overall, this was a problematic novel. Peters' writing was excellent, and there were some honest, human moments throughout. But it's all buried under boring, disorganized plots and mixed intentions. I have faith that eventually, I'll come across another Peters book as good as or , but as it stands, it's been more than a year since I've really enjoyed one of her books. Those are the two I'd recommend if you're interesting in Peters' works. If you're interested in other books about same-sex parents... well, I hate to say it, but I'm drawing a blank here. If somebody wants to recommend a better book about gay parents, I'm all ears, because I really don't want this to be the best there is.
*Not that homophobia wouldn't be a factor in his life at all, but I've known people with gay parents. As a generalization, while they certainly deal with quite a bit of homophobia, it's far from the only thing that impacts their lives, particularly as kids.
**Which happened in a somewhat cliche manner, by the way - it won't be particularly new or surprising to anyone who's familiar with LGBT literature. It's at times like this when I contrast Peters to David Levithan, who rarely makes homophobia the center of his books, but when it does appear, I get angry every time. Here, I feel like I've grown numb to the way it's presented, even though I know I should be outraged. It's bizarre that I can feel that apathy, but apparently, I can.
A slightly edited version of this review can also be found
May 21, 2022
Between mom and jo
“All these years, all these reminders. Some things you carry with you forever; you do not need reminders. Some things leave permanent scars.� (3)
Nick was around 3 years old when he can first remember his first memory of the living, and at that moment he thought everything was pretty good. Considering that he had two moms (Jo and his biological mom (Erin)) he could not imagine a life greater than that, but life goes on and he gets older. He starts to realize things between his parents as the days go by: “Until you are old enough to see your parents for who they are, you cannot trust a word they tell you. I do not ask, and Jo does not tell. If she is not drinking again after everything that has happened, I cannot imagine what would make her start.� (78)
Jo is fun and has an out-of-control personality, but she starts having more trouble with her drinking problems. While his biological mom is more on top of her work and gets things down, then she decides it's time to end things with Jo since she is having an affair. “As nick is heartbroken for what happened wishing it didn’t happen “I wished for Jo to keep her promise, for time to turn around. Go back. I wished for bones that did not break, or hearts, or homes, Or people.� (133)
He is stuck in-between a separation from his parents and not knowing who exactly to go with and who is at fault. So, Jo leaves and moves on and has us booing Erin when she forbids any contact from Nick to Jo. But by the end, it was not about the separation but about Nick who was with two people he loved and used to love each other but now he must choose and that is the hardest thing to do because it happened so quickly.
“All these years, all these reminders. Some things you carry with you forever; you do not need reminders. Some things leave permanent scars.� (3)
Nick was around 3 years old when he can first remember his first memory of the living, and at that moment he thought everything was pretty good. Considering that he had two moms (Jo and his biological mom (Erin)) he could not imagine a life greater than that, but life goes on and he gets older. He starts to realize things between his parents as the days go by: “Until you are old enough to see your parents for who they are, you cannot trust a word they tell you. I do not ask, and Jo does not tell. If she is not drinking again after everything that has happened, I cannot imagine what would make her start.� (78)
Jo is fun and has an out-of-control personality, but she starts having more trouble with her drinking problems. While his biological mom is more on top of her work and gets things down, then she decides it's time to end things with Jo since she is having an affair. “As nick is heartbroken for what happened wishing it didn’t happen “I wished for Jo to keep her promise, for time to turn around. Go back. I wished for bones that did not break, or hearts, or homes, Or people.� (133)
He is stuck in-between a separation from his parents and not knowing who exactly to go with and who is at fault. So, Jo leaves and moves on and has us booing Erin when she forbids any contact from Nick to Jo. But by the end, it was not about the separation but about Nick who was with two people he loved and used to love each other but now he must choose and that is the hardest thing to do because it happened so quickly.
November 9, 2018
“I love both you guys.� In different ways, I don’t add. For different reasons. But I love you both the same.
God. I really walked right into that, didn't I.
I was honestly not looking for it. I wanted a light, but nice lecture between exams and I figured out I could find it in this book. It especially reclaimed my attention with the topic: I wanted to read about the point of view of a boy that had two moms. Even if this was an important point, it was not the main one; this book was about marriage and parenthood, and how to walk through the line between them when one is falling apart.
“God. I never knew anything could hurt this much.�
The writing was simple yet beautiful. The characters felt very real; they did stupid things because they were imperfect and you could understand it, even if you didn't like it. While I didn't feel especially attached to any of them I still like them and enjoyed them, and their relationships with each other felt very close to my heart.
I don't have a strong negative opinion on this book. It was good, but sometimes I really hated a storyline or something seemed too off. But the good was more than the bad; there was one scene, by the end, that had a lot of impact in me and really captured how depression feels like.
This was a very compelling history, and my favorite of Julie Anne Peters so far. I would just add a tw for animal death.
April 2, 2018
I'm torn about this book. It was well written, but both of the parents were so irresponsible and self-centered that it was a frustrating read. I'm not sure whether that is unrealistic or just unpleasant. The one part that really seems unrealistic is Jo not adopting Nick. I can't believe any non-biological parent would refuse to adopt their child out of denial that their parental rights would ever be questioned. I think the book would've been better if I'd been able to feel for either of Nick's moms, or if there had been a complexity to their struggle to make the right decision, rather than them both just acting idiotic.
September 24, 2018
Emotionally complicated story that deals with divorce between lesbian parents. Initially it focuses on Nick's life as he is growing up and dealing with how the world perceives his family. Jo is a mess but she loves Nick and when Erin and Jo split up, Jo has no rights to Nick. Thus ensues a messy battle with Nick fighting to be with Jo. I like that Jo is a messy character--she is crude a brash but that's part of why she and Nick work.
February 21, 2020
this book was fine. i am confident that julie anne peters did not peak with this one tho. the pacing was bizarre and should have denoted jumping back and forth in time in some visual way--i really couldn't follow it for the first portion, but once i got into it it was a quick and easy read that had queer adults and straight children before there were as many protections for the queer adults parenting.
August 20, 2020
This book didn't exactly age well.... The slurs and Trump references? No bueno.
Aside from that and the fact that both of his mothers seem like terrible parents/people, it was alright. It was an interesting view into a different kind of "divorce" and how that might affect a child. Probably not the best thing to read when trying for a child of my own, but I digress.
Aside from that and the fact that both of his mothers seem like terrible parents/people, it was alright. It was an interesting view into a different kind of "divorce" and how that might affect a child. Probably not the best thing to read when trying for a child of my own, but I digress.
October 15, 2018
Another awesome one! I am in love with Julie Anne Peters writings!
December 17, 2018
This was the 7th book I have read by Julie Anne Peters. Peters is an author extraordinaire. She never disappoints and I am always glad to have read her book(s). This book was no exception.
December 30, 2018
Not many people know what it's like to grow up with two moms. This book lets us take a peek in to that dynamic. julie anne peters writes with such honesty, and integrity.
April 22, 2019
One of the original titles added to MS and HS libraries with CCS/PFLAG Rainbow Reading project.
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