Talented and Gifted: A Novel

by Kelly Kearsley

The hilarious, heartwarming story of a disgraced former blogger attempting to reinvent herself in the cut-throat world of tech startups while co-parenting with her ex-husband, for fans of Amazing Grace Adams and The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus.

Molly Wells was once the queen of mom blogging until an unhinged post about her ex-husband’s affair destroyed her career (turns out that family brands don’t love sponsoring content about busty baristas and secret sexcapades). Three years later, she’s still trying to recover. A temporary ghostwriting gig at a buzzy Portland startup that makes apps and tests for gifted kids tees up the potential for a permanent job, not to mention the professional redemption she so desperately wants. 

However, with the startup at risk of running out of funds, Molly must find a way to help the founder save the company and outsmart its most recent hire Ana Gooding, a “Sh-E-O” consultant with her own devious motivations. A gig secretly ghostwriting for her boss’s biggest investor, a huge crush on a controversial entrepreneur who lives in his Sprinter van, and her son’s social life implosion add even more complications to Molly’s big Midlife Reboot. 

As the promises of the city’s quirky startup community give way to hidden agendas and outright betrayals, Molly’s comeback dreams threaten to derail. With consequences too serious to be remedied by a hot night in the back of a deceivingly expensive van, Molly comes to a Will she ever find her voice—and herself—again, or will failure be her permanent status update?

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

Expected publication April 27, 2027

About the author

When she’s not plugging away at her fiction work, she ghostwrites for Fortune 500 tech and finance executives. She began her career as a news journalist, winning investigative awards for her reporting. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Forbes, CNNMoney, Runner’s World, and more. She’s also been an organizer, blogger, and investor in Oregon’s startup community. Kelly lives in Bend, Oregon.

Other important facts:

- I'm writing in first person now. I love dogs. I've had a mini schnauzer, like Bailey, and currently have a doodle.

- I'm the oldest of four siblings. Talented and Gifted mentions versions of all my siblings' names as minor characters.

- After the first draft of Talented and Gifted, I realized that the characters only ever ate pizza. Because I love pizza. And that would be my dream. Tho I did change it.

- While the Nurtr employees love kombucha, I hate it. But I keep it on the down low because I don't want to get kicked out of Oregon.

Reviews

[Anna (annareadit)]

Love this cover, it perfectly describes my state of mind 😄
Can't wait to read the story itself

[Ashley Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and the Hachette Book Group for this fantastic ARC.

Talented and Gifted is a story about redemption, love and friendship. After Molly finds herself unemployed after a rogue blog post goes viral, she's left to figure out what is next in her life. She is working as a contractor for a small startup in Portland, Oregon. The story progresses as Molly has to find her way around assisting the founder with coming up with money and investors while Molly has to fight against office mean girls and politics.

Molly's young son Sam is also finding his way in life after the divorce of his parents. Middle school is hard for everyone, especially those who don't know where their place is in friendships.

I found this book to be funny, delightful, and endearing. 10/10 would recommend.

[Sally 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad I didn’t know anything about this book before I started reading. It allowed me to be very pleasantly surprised! I don’t know much about tech start-ups or Portland, but I still found myself drawn into the world easily. And as the best books are, it wasn’t really about that. And as a mom of sons, it hit hard in the best ways, and I was so invested in Molly and Sam’s stories. I thought this book was really refreshing and surprised me several times. I really like Kelly Kearsley’s voice and I loved that romance took a very distant backseat to everything else happening. If you are looking for a rom com, this isn’t that, but if you’re looking for a good story.. you’ve found one! I would compare it to Natalie Sue, who is one of my favorite writers I’ve found this year. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

[Phil Wrighthouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an ARC of this book prior to its release. All opinions are my own.

This book was pure fun, even in its most stressful times. It would be a 4.5 star if I could do halves of stars so I’m rounding up. There were some truly laugh out loud moments and genuinely heartwarming scenes. It really brilliantly captured what it’s like to be a parent of a good kid when it seems like every choice might be the wrong one.

Molly is a disgraced mommy blogger who lands a job with a startup who want to get gifted and talented testing into the hands of everyone. As the book progresses, she finds herself more and more and learns not to be defined by her mistake in the past.

At first, I thought I wanted a bigger skewering of startup tech culture, of those interminably long and overwritten LinkedIn posts that feature anecdotes that probably never happened and lessons that could be said in a sentence instead of 5000 words. But this book doesn’t offer that and, by the end, I was glad it didn’t. No one is truly a hero or villain here and even characters who get a happy ending have flaws that are acknowledged. It’s a good lesson on what to do with what’s next and a very enjoyable read for a wide swath of people.

[Amanda Stiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.
All opinions in this review are entirely my own.

First, this book was very well researched. I loved all the little details about Portland. The way the startup world is portrayed was also well done.

The story was very relatable. Molly is a middle aged mom on a journey to find herself after some unexpected drastic changes in her life. I absolutely adored her relationship with her son Sam, and how they learned more about each other as the story went on.
I was rather sad when it ended. I wanted more. I felt like I was hanging out with a friend and wanted to see where her life took her.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

the situations she wrote definitely inspired huge emotions within me. Nothing really gets me fired up like workplace drama and mistreatment. I was hooked - this was a fast engaging read with an interesting voice.

As someone who has never been divorced, worked at a start up, or had a child - the main character still felt incredibly relatable as someone who is navigating a shitstorm of daily personal and professional disasters

All in all - this was a page turner for me and I was patienty awaiting her next disaster. I love stories about people getting back on their feet.

[Megan · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I enjoyed some elements of this book and found others to be a bit lacking. I really enjoyed Molly as a character. I loved her relationships with her son and her best friend. Her growth wasn't linear, which felt realistic and made me feel more connected to her struggles. You could always tell that her heart was in the right place, and she really was trying her best.

On the flip side, I found the pacing to be a bit inconsistent. I think the novel was pretty slow to start. There was a very intense and fast-paced sequence about 80% through the novel, and then the ending trickled on a bit too long. I found parts of the start-up element to feel a bit tired and I think some work-related plotlines could've been streamlined. The "relationship" between Molly and Nate didn't have much chemistry and it almost felt like it was just thrown in so that there was something else Molly had to juggle.

[Doug Kearsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly is one amazing new writer. I could hardly put it down. She weaves a very wonderful story, and I won't be surprised when they make a movie out of it! Maybe Amanda Seyfried will play Molly.

PS I'm Kelly's Dad.

[Amanda Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic debut! I’m someone who rarely reads blurbs before diving into a book, so I had no idea what to expect going in. I absolutely loved it.
Molly was such a relatable character, and I loved following her as she navigated the challenges of starting fresh while juggling work, family, and her love life. There was something so authentic about her experiences, her relationships, and the messy, complicated moments that come with regaining her confidence after a setback.
Everything felt so genuine and wonderfully human. A beautiful debut with a character I couldn’t help but root for!

[Christin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly Kearsley has written a book about reinvention that never loses sight of how desperate reinvention actually feels. Talented and Gifted is propulsive, funny, and genuinely hard to put down because you're invested in Molly's survival.

What makes this work is Molly herself. She's not a sympathetic mess or a cautionary tale. She's clever, creative, and genuinely skilled at what she does. The fact that she was TAG (Talented and Gifted) is a hilarious addition to her character. She's intelligent enough to see the traps being laid for her, but desperate enough that she walks into them anyway. That tension between competence and desperation is what drives the book forward.

The startup world backdrop is perfect for her story. The tech industry runs on disruption and reinvention, which aligns with what Molly is trying to accomplish. But it also operates on ruthlessness and hidden agendas, which means her comeback is constantly threatened by forces beyond her control.

The complications pile up authentically. The ghostwriting gig for the investor, the crush on the van-dwelling entrepreneur, her son's social chaos, Ana's machinations, and none of it feels contrived. It all feels like what actually happens when you're trying to rebuild while managing multiple impossible situations simultaneously.

What I appreciated most was how Kearsley never lets Molly off the hook for her own choices while also making clear that she's being actively betrayed by people around her. She's not a victim, but she's not equally culpable for everything that goes wrong either. That moral complexity is refreshing.

The pacing is relentless. The book moves fast enough that you're racing through pages to find out what happens next, but Kearsley never sacrifices character work for momentum.

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC through NetGalley to review this novel. I am thankful for the opportunity I was given to read this novel and provide feedback, as it was an enjoyable read.

The novel focuses on the aftermath of Molly’s mom-blog meltdown as she navigates her “new normal” as a temp employee at a floundering tech startup, and co-parents her son who experiences the upheaval of his social circle as he navigates middle school. While the story focuses on Molly, we do also get to follow the additional tense story arcs of Molly’s tech start up boss (Josh) and Molly’s son (Sam), and the interplay of these story lines with Molly’s adjustment to her post-blog, post-divorce life.
Kearsely does a great job developing the characters in this novel. At first, I was concerned as the handful of characters were introduced rather quickly in the book, but stayed with it and got to experience getting to know each of them and their unique traits, dialogue, and effects on Molly.
The book was a breezy read, but with more emotional depth than I anticipated (which I appreciated). Kearsely does a good job with her use of descriptive language to keep you engaged and imagining the scenes, without being overly or unnecessarily verbose.

Four stars from me - it is not a novel that will leave you thinking for days or clambering to recommend to everyone you know once you finish, but it was one I looked forward to picking up to see where the story was going to go, and I did not hit any walls where I considered DNFing at any point. Overall a nice job for this debut author!

[Kourtney MacDiarmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this novel.

The minute I saw the title and cover of this book, I knew I wanted a chance to read it - has there ever been a more "me" cover?

As for the story itself, there were things I liked and things I didn't care for.

Molly being a "former mom blogger" was one major plot point that drew me in originally but we didn't find out what "the post that ruined everything" was exactly until a bit into the story. I would've liked to have started on that note.

I liked her ghostwriting gig - very original, interesting that she can have multiple online voices for other people but isn't able to use her own anymore. However, tech startups go a little over my head so that part was lost on me. Some of the push-and-pull between Molly and Ana Gooding seemed a little juvenile to me as well.

While I wasn't super into Molly's day job, I really enjoyed getting insight into her personal life - her interactions with her ex-husband, taking care of her son Sam, her friendship with Kat, and her burgeoning relationship with Sprinter Van Man. These were the parts that felt the most real to me.

One thing I wanted more of was Molly's Talented and Gifted background. It was briefly mentioned that she was TAG in school, but I would've liked to have seen it be used more (how has it influenced her personality, her relationships, her work? Other former TAG kids, you know what I mean).

Ultimately, I think I'm 10 years too early to this book and that's what made it fall to 3 stars for me. My marriage is still new, my son is still small, I don't work in a corporate world, and I haven't hit midlife crisis stage - yet. I'm just not the target audience.

Pick this up if you have familiarity with the tech or corporate worlds, are 40+, have kids nearing the teen years, and/or have experience with needing to start over from scratch. I think this might end up being a 4-star book for you.

[Erin · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Talented and Gifted follows Molly, a 40-something single mom rebuilding her life after getting divorced and blowing up her career.

I thought this was such an interesting premise for a book with work almost as the center. Molly is a compelling main character. It's easy to relate to someone balancing a new job with a teenage son who has a lot of complicated feelings about her ex and his new life.

That said, it was so relatable that there were parts I didn't enjoy reading. It sucks when someone takes credit for your work and it almost is as bad to read about it happening to someone else who doesn't do much about it. I don't like reading about angsty teens, workplace politics, or anything I deal with in real life, so those parts of the book weren't that interesting for me. I glossed over the old blogs, the LinkedIn posts, the Forbes stories, etc. I don't feel like they added anything to the story, and it felt like work to read them.

I thought there was too much going on in the book with Molly's son, her ex's marital drama, her ex considering moving, custody problems, friendship problems, all on top of the new job. These things helped to develop Molly's character -- which I thought was done very well -- but also felt like a lot of big things, all of which wrapped up just a bit too nearly for me at the end. I found the end a bit hard to buy.

Overall, an entertaining story that's different from a lot out there.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Kimberly · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

The title and cover for Talented and Gifted really caught my eye when I saw it on NetGalley. I had to read it after finding out that it was set where I live, the greater Portland area. The setting was a highlight for me, because it's always fun to read about where you live and know exactly where the characters are, like the Saint Johns Bridge (if you don't know it, look it up--it's the prettiest bridge in Portland!).

As for the story, I identified with Molly's midlife struggles. Juggling *all the things* and feeling like when you focus on one thing another thing will fall apart is something that I really related to. I enjoyed her character development, especially when she started to stand up for herself and found her voice. I struggled a bit with how much of the plot revolved around Josh and the startup; I felt like there could have been a little more balance in focus between work and Molly's life outside of the office, especially in the first half. I also would have liked to see a bit more chemistry between Molly and Nate. Molly's relationship with her son Sam was realistic and well-developed, another high point.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Kelly Kearsley, and NetGalley for the eBook! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Talented and Gifted: A Novel will be published on April 27, 2027.

[Maggie Mulloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I connected with the protagonist, Molly, from page one. Her voice is filled with wit and sharp insight about being a woman and mother.

Molly’s successful mommy blog falls apart after she writes a scathing post about her husband’s affair. Three years later, she’s trying to rebuild her life and career. In her professional life, she ghostwrites for a struggling tech startup in Portland, and in her personal life, she co-parents her son, Sam. He’s trapped in the confusing world of middle school and still reeling after his parents’ divorce.

The supporting cast of characters have well-developed arcs that complement Molly’s journey. In particular, Molly’s relationship with her son is genuine and heartwarming—one of the highlights of the novel.

If you relate to characters in their 40s dealing with the ups and downs of starting over, this book won’t disappoint. It touches on many of life’s struggles, from parenting to maintaining friendships, finding love again, and redefining the meaning of success. It doesn’t shy away from the difficult moments but faces them with honesty and heart.

This is one of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly was 100% relatable from page one for me. I think in part I related so well to Molly because my son is roughly the same age that Sam is in this book, so all of the struggles that Molly and Spencer were facing regarding parenting a teen were so real. Typically these kinds of stories drive me crazy, when the MC is facing every possible hurdle and is constantly getting the short end of the stick, however I really appreciated how normal Molly was in the face of it all. She reacted to things exactly as I felt I would have in these types of situations, and the writing really made you feel like you were in those moments with her. Would I have liked for her to have a resounding and unquestionable win at the end? Absolutely. Was the writing and the eventual result more real? Yes, yes it was, and I think that is why this book was even easier to digest. You weren't getting a HEA all wrapped up in a pretty little package, you were getting a REAL ending. This was my first time reading anything by Kelly Kearsley, but I don't think it will be my last!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The first thing I like to tell my founders is that fear is your friend... It can prevent you from doing some dumb things, yes. But other times, it's a signal that you're approaching something big, something that's worthwhile."

-Talented and Gifted

It was so easy to root for and relate to our midlife protagonist, Molly, because she is so many of us. Rebuilding after life throws her a sharp curveball (or 10), learning to own her shit while refusing to let her rock bottom define her, bravely excavating new layers of life and love when it all looks so different than how she thought it would.

Dare I say Kelly Kearsley is a talented and gifted writer (sorry/not sorry), who deftly blends heartfelt humor and domestic dilemmas that will have you cringing  and nodding along, with sharp takes on modern hustle culture and the moral dilemmas that can come with scrambling up the corporate ladder.

I adored this delightful debut novel and its very human, nuanced cast of characters, and am a big fan of its wise, thoughtful, bighearted author. Sign me up for whatever Kelly Kearsley writes next! I'll be over here cheering both her and Molly on.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read all year, and I do not say that lightly. This book was well researched, funny, and the characters were so well developed with amazing character growth arcs throughout the book.

The subject matter for the plot was fresh and relevant, taking on the aftermath of an early 2000s mommy blogger when her world crashes down around her. Following her husband’s infidelity and a very public blog post on the fallout, Molly’s world has crumbled around her and put her in a free fall. While navigating co-parenting of her teen son, Sam, she takes on a new role as an interim marketing director for a startup company.

This book has it all; a midlife pivot, navigating co-parenting, teen angst, business success/failure, maintaining female friends, and little bit of romance.

I cannot say enough positive things about this novel and I will be the first one in line to purchase anything this author has written.

A huge thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Rangel Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

Could not put this down! Well done on your first book Kearsley! (1) I appreciated how Molly's focus is taken in multiple directions - as it does in real life! (2) I appreciated that not everyone had a revelation or #goodtogrow experience (i.e. her ex.) to again, add some reality. (3) this reminded me of the WeWork mini series, but better, as I enjoyed seeing the startup culture from an employee/"outsider" perspective. (4) I want Kat as my best friend - I will totally go get a mammogram with her! (6) The startup culture is totally nostalgic to me as I not only studied it in college but then graduated into it. (5) My favorite moment in the book is when Sam feigned knowledge of Nate. And (6) my favorite quote of the entire book "She embraced her baby boy. Her teenage son. Her precious infant. Her brave toddler. Her gap-toothed eight-year-old. He was all here. They were all here." Kearsley encapsulated how moms view their children at any given point in time in one sentence.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talented and Gifted is an entertaining story of reinvention that also offers an insider’s view of the tech startup world and a sympathetic portrayal of the challenges of parenting a child through the tumultuous early teen years. This book has layers, all of them well executed.

Successful mommy blogger Molly loses her marriage and her career in one fell swoop after a blisteringly honest and funny post about her husband’s affair draws negative comments that prompt sponsors to abandon her. As her husband begins a new life with his second wife and new baby, forty-year-old Molly struggles to establish a new career while putting on a brave face for her fourteen-year-old son.

As someone from the tech startup world, I found Kearsley’s portrayal of the players and challenges spot-on and authentically nuanced. The subplots about co-parenting through divorce, the performative tightrope women must walk in the workplace, and how easily friends are taken for granted added depth to the story.

Fans of Jennifer Weiner will enjoy this book. 4.25 stars.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a recovering Talented and Gifted kid myself, I had to request this one based on the title alone. The premise is that Molly blew up her mom blog (and her life) with a rage-filled post detailing her ex's cheating. Now she's struggling to get by as a marketing consultant at a flailing Portland start-up.

I loved how messy and real her life feels, from her son Sam's struggles at school, to nasty co-workers, to the lingering shame over how her blog ended. The author does a great job setting the scene in Portland, and as someone who's worked in start-ups, I can confirm the kool-aid and chaos is spot-on. I also enjoyed the dynamic with the other consultant, which captured realistic mean-girl energy. All the side characters felt fully fleshed out, with believable motivations and emotions.

My one gripe is the ending, which tied up a little too neatly after such a bumpy book. Overall, a enjoyable and engaging read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Carol Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cover of this book immediately snagged my attention! I know this woman. She is overworked, overstimulated, and juggling all the many small stresses that make a life.

Upon reading, that is exactly what comes across. A once popular/canceled blogger works to figure out how to piece together her life after a failed marriage and failed career. Between a teenage son, a you entrepreneur boss, and a temp job, things are stressful.

I appreciated the sneak peak into the start up world, and loved learning that the author held some of the exact same jobs as the protagonist. Its not something I know much about, but there is an appeal to being your own boss! There is enough happening to keep readers engaged and interested in both the main character, Molly, and the tertiary characters in her orbit. By the end you are rooting for the HEA.

Thank you @netgalley for my ARC. These thoughts are mine alone.

[Laura Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars for this romance novel!

I devoured this book thanks to NetGalley! Talented and Gifted was so fun to read; I was addicted right from the start.

We are introduced to Molly Wells, down on her luck after an inappropriate public blog post about her husband (now ex). Now, she’s a single and unemployed mother to Sam, searching for a job, a boyfriend, and happiness. And guess what? She might find all three! There were many satisfying parts of this book. I loved the main character. She was real and relatable - Molly had faults and strengths just like anyone else. She wasn't perfect, but she was passionate about her work, her son, and doing what she thinks is right. I enjoyed the workplace conflicts/drama, and I also love that she is a writer. I also appreciate the many layers and complications in her love life.

There are many subplots and surprises along the way, and I think any romance reader would love this book!

[Keisha Hause · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about this book in the beginning, but once I got more context on Molly and everything she was dealing with, I became much more invested in her story. After her successful blog fell apart, she was trying to figure out how to rebuild her life and career while also dealing with everything else happening around her.

I enjoyed watching Molly make connections that helped her rediscover her confidence and find a new career path that aligned with her gift for writing and fit the life she was building, while also learning to set boundaries and trust her own decisions.

By the end, I really enjoyed seeing Molly create the life she had always dreamed of but never truly believed would happen for her.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the arc.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was thrust into the Gifted & Talented programs all through school, whether or not I wanted to be there, this book spoke to me on a deep level. All of those former G&T kids are now in the real world, struggling to find our way, and many of us looking around at the corporate ladder and wondering how we get back down. But I digress.

Kelly Kearsley crafted a compelling story from start to finish - I was wholly invested in Molly's journey and professional redemption, especially as someone who has also been unemployed recently. The startup culture is cutthroat and she did a great job navigating those dynamics while also balancing family and some semblance of a social life. I couldn't put this down and read it in one sitting on a rainy day at the beach.

[Sarah Pitcher-hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was an entertaining read that also dealt with real situations and issues that a family could face. Molly is divorced, has had some really bad online feedback, and is raising her son. She and her former partner do not agree on many things, which. makes parenting together difficult. She is involved in a start-up that seems promising, and the current CEO has given her a green light to go ahead with some ideas that just may help her rise from her previous online debacles, but then things start to fall apart even more. How Molly uses her past troubles to negotiate this one, show maturity and resilience. This was a fun and quick read, which I do recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talented and Gifted had me at the title. The topic of gifted being something that allows doors to open for kids, is still so relevant and relatable in everyday life.

Molly Wells finds herself, and unemployed, single mom who’s life blow up she decided the world needed to hear about. She takes the only job available, writing for a new tech startup.
She navigates work, home life, friendships and even a bit of dating along the way. Her witty writing style and reinvention multiple times felt so much like someone who could be a friend.

I enjoyed this one a lot and can’t wait for more readers to get their hands on this cute, quick story.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Publishes April 2027.

[kaya (refreshing reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Talented and Gifted by Kelly Kearsley was a wonderfully cozy and quick read. I found myself unsure if I finished the book because of how fast-paced it was or if it was my vested interest in how Molly’s new take on life was going to turn out. I enjoyed the focus on Molly’s immediate family & chosen family (i.e. Kat), but felt that sometimes that heavy focus impacted my connections to the characters that were brought up frequently such as Jean, Josh and Nate. Overall, I did enjoy this novel, and would rate it around a solid 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Brittany Herbst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the egalley of this book! I completely enjoyed this read (despite the secondhand anxiety and guilt I felt at times because of the main character's choices). I love anything set in the startup world and it makes me very thankful I'm not part of it. This book kept me guessing the whole time about what would happen next, but was also a somewhat cozy read. I loved the themes of parenting, friendship and entering into midlife but I especially appreciated the main character's humor and light snark as well as the author's thinly veiled jabs at self-help gurus and "boss babes".

[Michelle Szubeczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly , the main character, is so relatable. I enjoyed this story with her funny wit about life’s obstacles . I liked to get a glimpse of tech life at a startup company that Molly works at . This was a funny , easy relatable read about a divorcee who is a mother and writer/ blogger. As a blogger Molly makes a mistake that pauses her writing career. One of my favorite characters in this book is her best friend , Kat. She is so supportive and real I wish everyone is so lucky to have a Kat in their life .As Molly tries to reboot her career midlife we get to enjoy her witty, funny relatable story about her life .

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy !