Reviewer: Annie
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of northern California, and three charming kids with perfectly straight teeth. And then comes their eldest daughter’s senior year of high school . . .
Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that’s not going to write itself. She’s set her sights on Harvard, her father’s alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won’t let up until she’s basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she’s suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can’t help but daydream about the cute baseball player in English class. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her term paper—which, along with her college essay and community service hours has a rapidly approaching deadline.
Angela’s mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real-estate career where she caters to the mega rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, Maya, still can’t read at the age of eight; the middle-child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and the dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a heedless collision course that’s equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball.
Sharp and topical, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest of lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.
Review:
This novel of the Hawthorne family was full of surprises, lessons and SAT Words. I thought it was funny that there were SAT words all over the book. I have a lot of words to look up! This was a fun book to read. The writing was very engaging.
This has to be one of the most interesting families I ever read about. Nora Hawthorne is married to Gabe, with three daughters; Angela, Cecily and Maya. Each one of them has their own story, so together Meg Mitchell Moore gives us a very entertaining novel. I see why so many people love this book, because I did, too.
I was so entertained reading Nora’s emails to her sister, Marianne. Angela was losing her grip in being Valedictorian and heading to Harvard…and, this is just the beginning. Everyone’s life has issues and they begin to unravel…One fray at a time.
Don’t miss out on this story.
5 Stars
Great review Annie! I loved this book.