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All the Right Mistakes
Five college friends have arrived at forty in very different circumstances, but with at least one thing in common: they are among the more privileged in society. Elizabeth and Sara are lawyers, Martha is a doctor, Carmen is a wealthy and well-educated homemaker, and Heather, the most successful, is a famous tech executive―and after more than two decades of friendship, they know one another better than anyone.
Then Heather writes a women’s advice book detailing the key life “mistakes” of her four friends―opting out, ramping off, giving half effort, and forgetting your fertility―that becomes wildly popular, and Elizabeth, Sara, Martha, and Carmen all feel the sting of Heather’s cruel words. Despite their status, these women face everyday obstacles, including work problems, parenting challenges, secondary infertility, racism, sexism, financial stress, and marital woes―and as they weather their fortieth year, each one can’t help but wonder if their life might have been different if they had followed Heather’s advice.
But as these friends are continually reminded, life is complex, messy, disappointing, and joyful, often all at once―and no one can plan her way out of that reality. In the end, all five women must embrace the idea that their lives are shaped not just by their choices but also by how they handle the obstacles life inevitably throws at us all.
Then Heather writes a women’s advice book detailing the key life “mistakes” of her four friends―opting out, ramping off, giving half effort, and forgetting your fertility―that becomes wildly popular, and Elizabeth, Sara, Martha, and Carmen all feel the sting of Heather’s cruel words. Despite their status, these women face everyday obstacles, including work problems, parenting challenges, secondary infertility, racism, sexism, financial stress, and marital woes―and as they weather their fortieth year, each one can’t help but wonder if their life might have been different if they had followed Heather’s advice.
But as these friends are continually reminded, life is complex, messy, disappointing, and joyful, often all at once―and no one can plan her way out of that reality. In the end, all five women must embrace the idea that their lives are shaped not just by their choices but also by how they handle the obstacles life inevitably throws at us all.
Audiobook
First published August 4, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
November 27, 2021
Listening to the audiobook of All the Right Mistakes felt like I was listening to conversations between five friends and in a way that is how the plotline of the book is developed... through conversations. I am not sure how much I would have enjoyed this book if I had read it as a physical book but I definitely had a good time listening to it. The narrator Aimee Barrett has done a wonderful job narrating this book; her voice is soothing, smooth and clear and since most of the book is basically conversations between friends, she manages to bring all these characters to life through those conversations without changing her tone too much.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher OrangeSky Audio and the author Laura Jamison for the audio ARC of the book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher OrangeSky Audio and the author Laura Jamison for the audio ARC of the book.
March 30, 2020
I read Laura Jamison's "All the Right Mistakes" a month ago and found it so relatable at that time. And then the pandemic hit, and I am finding it even more relatable as we all struggle to balance work and life in entirely new ways. As the five characters and their life choices and circumstances emerged, I could see so many pieces of them in my life and my friends' lives. Career, marriage, infertility, unintended pregnancy, children, lack of children, friendship, disappointment, change--Jamison explores all the aspects that shape our lives. Through the book, we witness her characters begin to evaluate how they got to where they are and learn to shift their life paths toward the ones they had always envisioned. Inspiring!
March 17, 2020
Ms. Jamison tells the story of girlfriends and the struggle of managing a professional life with a personal life and the standards and emotional baggage that we as women, impose on ourselves. As I was reading the story, I completely identified with some aspect of all the women. This story is told in a way that almost all women, if not all, will connect with on some level. It is beautifully written, flows fast and you can place yourself into each woman's lives. A great book to curl up and read.
August 5, 2020
Laura has created a compelling, engaging and entertaining world to escape into to forget the times we are living in. You will recognize your sisters, friends, co-workers, husbands and maybe even yourself in this tale of motherhood and friendship. I really appreciate her insights into the challenges and joys of pursuing family, friendship and career in these busy times. I highly recommend spending time with these amazing women!
February 12, 2021
All the right mistakes follows the story of five college friends, that now at 40 have pretty different life with only one common denominator: a privileged life.
They know everything about each other and their bond is indestructible, or at least this is what they thought, until Heather publishes a book to help women be successful in their professional life, based on her four friends “mistakes”: opting-put, ramping off, giving half effort and forgetting your fertility; the book soon becomes a best seller and her friends start feeling the sting of those cruel words.
With a flowless narration, Laura Jaminson has been able to show how, despite the privileged life you might be living, no one is ever ready for the unexpected turns that will be thrown at you.
Here is a quote from the book which I found super relevant to me and on which I’ve been reflecting on after yet, again another lockdown:
“ Perhaps we get so caught up in our paid work and our kids’ schedules and our narcissistic pursuits that we make it impossible to let love in”
I’m no parent, but I’ve certainly been caught up so much in my professional life previously that I sometimes forgot to dedicate time and spend my energy on people which love me and closed myself off to all the happiness that was out there, cause I just couldn’t see past my own nose!
I highly recommend this book especially to all the women which are struggling to balance out parental and professional life.
They know everything about each other and their bond is indestructible, or at least this is what they thought, until Heather publishes a book to help women be successful in their professional life, based on her four friends “mistakes”: opting-put, ramping off, giving half effort and forgetting your fertility; the book soon becomes a best seller and her friends start feeling the sting of those cruel words.
With a flowless narration, Laura Jaminson has been able to show how, despite the privileged life you might be living, no one is ever ready for the unexpected turns that will be thrown at you.
Here is a quote from the book which I found super relevant to me and on which I’ve been reflecting on after yet, again another lockdown:
“ Perhaps we get so caught up in our paid work and our kids’ schedules and our narcissistic pursuits that we make it impossible to let love in”
I’m no parent, but I’ve certainly been caught up so much in my professional life previously that I sometimes forgot to dedicate time and spend my energy on people which love me and closed myself off to all the happiness that was out there, cause I just couldn’t see past my own nose!
I highly recommend this book especially to all the women which are struggling to balance out parental and professional life.
October 10, 2021
A group of 5 judgemental 40-year-old Bs who hate their husbands, their children, and each other.
"Oh, I really don't like Heather lately, but don't forget that she gave us free e-readers and paid for our stay at Four Seasons".
"I really need a break from my child, so I'm booking a trip to Paris to have sex day and night and try to get pregnant so that I need break from my second child too."
Excuse me, W. HAT????
"Oh, I really don't like Heather lately, but don't forget that she gave us free e-readers and paid for our stay at Four Seasons".
"I really need a break from my child, so I'm booking a trip to Paris to have sex day and night and try to get pregnant so that I need break from my second child too."
Excuse me, W. HAT????
July 19, 2020
I have complicated thoughts about this book, but maybe I'm a little young / without children to be the target audience. It centres on 5 college friends: Heather, Elizabeth, Martha, Carmen and Sara, who are now approaching forty having experienced very different lives post-college.
Heather doesn't have much of a point of view - she's a super famous COO now, and we see her character interact with the others through email, and also see her cringe-worthy tweets. Elizabeth is a lawyer married to Will who is a stay-at-home Dad. Martha has 2 kids, is pregnant, and is debating going back to work as a Doctor. Her husband Robert is also a Doctor. Carmen got pregnant in college and hasn't worked since. Her daughter is now at college, and she's having marriage troubles with her husband who she has been with since college. And Sara has 4 kids, is married to Scott, and is really struggling with all that she has to do at work and at home.
This book follows the group over a number of years, whilst Heather has released a tell-all advice book about the mistakes her friends have made that have stopped them having successful careers. Honestly I hated Heather and screw friendship because she didn't deserve forgiveness (though she did have some horrible things happen to her, one of which wasn't deserved). Also, Elizabeth named her twins after Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill which just doesn't sit well with me.
There really isn't much diversity in this at all. As much as the women struggle they still don't really acknowledge the privilege they do have. But it does really hit home that nobody should tell a woman how to live her life, and that nobody has a straight road to being successful. So conflicted feelings. The writing is good but it could have said a lot more than it did.
Heather doesn't have much of a point of view - she's a super famous COO now, and we see her character interact with the others through email, and also see her cringe-worthy tweets. Elizabeth is a lawyer married to Will who is a stay-at-home Dad. Martha has 2 kids, is pregnant, and is debating going back to work as a Doctor. Her husband Robert is also a Doctor. Carmen got pregnant in college and hasn't worked since. Her daughter is now at college, and she's having marriage troubles with her husband who she has been with since college. And Sara has 4 kids, is married to Scott, and is really struggling with all that she has to do at work and at home.
This book follows the group over a number of years, whilst Heather has released a tell-all advice book about the mistakes her friends have made that have stopped them having successful careers. Honestly I hated Heather and screw friendship because she didn't deserve forgiveness (though she did have some horrible things happen to her, one of which wasn't deserved). Also, Elizabeth named her twins after Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill which just doesn't sit well with me.
There really isn't much diversity in this at all. As much as the women struggle they still don't really acknowledge the privilege they do have. But it does really hit home that nobody should tell a woman how to live her life, and that nobody has a straight road to being successful. So conflicted feelings. The writing is good but it could have said a lot more than it did.
November 22, 2020
I absolutely loved this book and couldn't wait to come back to it once I'd had to put it down (most of the time for sleep - how pesky!) While it actually reads very surface-level, as in there is no deep soul-searching for pages on end in there, I did however feel it caught the spirit of these women perfectly and gave the reader a snapshot of their lives without bogging into too much detail while still giving just enough to make them unique and stand out from the pages. Also, while there is something that happens in there that usually puts me off books (won't spoil - but it happens with Martha), I found myself still wanting and needing to know what happens to these women, so the fact that it kept me reading told me this was a good book because it kept me engaged and wanting to know more. I'll also add I wanted to see how Heather got her come-uppance, and seriously, those women were too forgiving imo, but it was a good story about modern women at forty today and what they're dealing with, juggling, and how society has a set idea for them but they decide to do their own thing and find their happiness on their terms. That's maybe what I liked most about this book, being close to 40 myself and these questions being relevant to me
October 17, 2021
I received an ARC of the audiobook from Netgalley.
I have very complicated feelings about this book, but I think I landed on the fact that it's a little too sanctimonious and reductive. The book also preaches a universal experience that is, in all honesty, not true. The central characters are 5 privileged women, who've come from affluent homes and have the lives and understanding that comes with that particular lived experience.
At the start of the book, none of them are struggling with physical health issues, mental illness, debt or any life-altering experiences. And even when they face truly horrible circumstances, they kind of just brush it off. Grief is not even dealt with, even though the impact of grief can be unpredictable in real life and would have added some credibility to the story.
There were moments that were aspirational, such as when Carmen and Elizabeth decide to work together to achieve their dreams. The latter half of Carmen's arc was great actually, but those are the few bright sparks. The author has such a narrow understanding success, especially for women. In a way, I'm glad she champions the amount of work domestic and emotional labour requires, but I'm genuinely surprised she left out the childfree and childless perspectives in this book. There's a homogeneity to the women in this book that, once again, plays down its general air of universality.
There’s a general sense that kids just happen to people. Uh no they don’t. Once maybe by accident but multiple times? And these are grown adults, not youngsters who don’t know better. And if one doesn’t want kids, the characters in this book are well off and connected enough not to go through with it. It’s a really strange thing to constantly pretend like these characters were suddenly burdened by children when they chose to get into these situations. And also that they had multiple children despite having husbands who weren’t helpful or supportive. If they weren’t there for you for kid #1, it won’t change much for kid #2. This kind of writing just doesn’t make sense to me as reads like a get out of jail for taking responsibility for one’s actions. We’re talking about educated folks with money here—you knew what you were getting to into.
The many issues these women face, coincidentally around the same time, are too convenient, and they're all stereotypical, yet easy to overcome. I found Carmen and Mark's set-up too unbelievable as well. I'm unsure whether it was based on something the author knew, but it just seemed too bizarre. The book goes out of its way to be aggravating but keeps downplaying its own intentions by making the problems go away very quickly. If it was that easy to leave a toxic work environment and start your own business, everyone would do it. But they can't because of the lack of security, finances and faith in the system. People can still find happiness and success despite being ground to the dust by an unforgiving system, why is that perspective missing here?
I like that the author doesn't tear down one woman for the benefit of the others, but I also don't understand why the impact of someone like Heather wasn't explored more. Apparently, her practice did unethical things, so how did that affect the people who worked for her? That story felt as important as the one about Heather's book about her friends.
This book is a very surface-level exploration of the struggles of the modern woman. I mean, these people are arguing about getaways to lavish cottages, multiple trips to Disneyworld, off-shore accounts and advanced heritage payments of $1.5 million. These are not the experiences of the average person. Additionally, I'm not sure why, from time to time, the book would certainly turn very religious. Where did that come from?
Story aside, much of the writing was lacking as well. Each chapter was a particular character's point of view, but the author often struggled to maintain that singular viewpoint. A lot of the dialogue was clunky and expositional. None of this was helped by a narrator who was so robotic, I actually wondered if it was an automated recording.
I may not be the right audience for this book, but I don't know how many people who are married and have families would enjoy it either. It's neither a reflection of reality nor an aspirational guide. It's a by-the-numbers story that has a little of everything in it to demonstrate that these characters have to face drama, but don't really have any tangible struggles.
I have very complicated feelings about this book, but I think I landed on the fact that it's a little too sanctimonious and reductive. The book also preaches a universal experience that is, in all honesty, not true. The central characters are 5 privileged women, who've come from affluent homes and have the lives and understanding that comes with that particular lived experience.
At the start of the book, none of them are struggling with physical health issues, mental illness, debt or any life-altering experiences. And even when they face truly horrible circumstances, they kind of just brush it off. Grief is not even dealt with, even though the impact of grief can be unpredictable in real life and would have added some credibility to the story.
There were moments that were aspirational, such as when Carmen and Elizabeth decide to work together to achieve their dreams. The latter half of Carmen's arc was great actually, but those are the few bright sparks. The author has such a narrow understanding success, especially for women. In a way, I'm glad she champions the amount of work domestic and emotional labour requires, but I'm genuinely surprised she left out the childfree and childless perspectives in this book. There's a homogeneity to the women in this book that, once again, plays down its general air of universality.
There’s a general sense that kids just happen to people. Uh no they don’t. Once maybe by accident but multiple times? And these are grown adults, not youngsters who don’t know better. And if one doesn’t want kids, the characters in this book are well off and connected enough not to go through with it. It’s a really strange thing to constantly pretend like these characters were suddenly burdened by children when they chose to get into these situations. And also that they had multiple children despite having husbands who weren’t helpful or supportive. If they weren’t there for you for kid #1, it won’t change much for kid #2. This kind of writing just doesn’t make sense to me as reads like a get out of jail for taking responsibility for one’s actions. We’re talking about educated folks with money here—you knew what you were getting to into.
The many issues these women face, coincidentally around the same time, are too convenient, and they're all stereotypical, yet easy to overcome. I found Carmen and Mark's set-up too unbelievable as well. I'm unsure whether it was based on something the author knew, but it just seemed too bizarre. The book goes out of its way to be aggravating but keeps downplaying its own intentions by making the problems go away very quickly. If it was that easy to leave a toxic work environment and start your own business, everyone would do it. But they can't because of the lack of security, finances and faith in the system. People can still find happiness and success despite being ground to the dust by an unforgiving system, why is that perspective missing here?
I like that the author doesn't tear down one woman for the benefit of the others, but I also don't understand why the impact of someone like Heather wasn't explored more. Apparently, her practice did unethical things, so how did that affect the people who worked for her? That story felt as important as the one about Heather's book about her friends.
This book is a very surface-level exploration of the struggles of the modern woman. I mean, these people are arguing about getaways to lavish cottages, multiple trips to Disneyworld, off-shore accounts and advanced heritage payments of $1.5 million. These are not the experiences of the average person. Additionally, I'm not sure why, from time to time, the book would certainly turn very religious. Where did that come from?
Story aside, much of the writing was lacking as well. Each chapter was a particular character's point of view, but the author often struggled to maintain that singular viewpoint. A lot of the dialogue was clunky and expositional. None of this was helped by a narrator who was so robotic, I actually wondered if it was an automated recording.
I may not be the right audience for this book, but I don't know how many people who are married and have families would enjoy it either. It's neither a reflection of reality nor an aspirational guide. It's a by-the-numbers story that has a little of everything in it to demonstrate that these characters have to face drama, but don't really have any tangible struggles.
April 2, 2021
I've been looking for more women's fiction books with characters 40+. This book definitely hit that spot. It centered around 5 women who became friends in college and how their lives turned out 20 years later. I like how it explored the variety of ways women choose to live their lives: staying home with children, working while having children, not having children to focus on work, etc. I liked the dynamics between the friends and the tension over who approved or disapproved of each other's choices. It really gets interesting when Heather's book is released at the end of the first act. There is a lot about this novel that I really liked, and the writing was solid. I felt the ending went on too long, though. It could have wrapped up a lot earlier, but it seemed like the author wanted to make sure each bow was perfectly tied. I honestly skimmed last twenty pages or so because I'd lost interest at that point and all the plot points had been resolved already. It's a good, clean read with a lot of characters to care about.
August 15, 2020
Female friendship centric plots are best as they hold so many relatable issues and ALL THE RIGHT MISTAKES by Laura Jamison is nothing different. I am thankful to NetGalley and She Writes Press for sending me the e-arc. This book is a joy ride for me.
It is hard to write a story where the author put more than two center characters but Laura Jamison did it beautifully and brings up various degrees of issues female faces every day. There are sexism, male nepotism, career issues, maintaining a balance between personal life and professional life an so on. I personally love how truthful the plot I to these issues and as a female I can relate to so many things with each of the main protagonists.
I would love to read a sequel if there is any. I am not complaining about anything much but regarding the writing , I can say I would more appreciate if there is more metaphor. Love this book anyways though.
It is hard to write a story where the author put more than two center characters but Laura Jamison did it beautifully and brings up various degrees of issues female faces every day. There are sexism, male nepotism, career issues, maintaining a balance between personal life and professional life an so on. I personally love how truthful the plot I to these issues and as a female I can relate to so many things with each of the main protagonists.
I would love to read a sequel if there is any. I am not complaining about anything much but regarding the writing , I can say I would more appreciate if there is more metaphor. Love this book anyways though.
August 16, 2020
I’m grateful to have received an ARC of this book. This is my kind of story. The smart women characters in the book are relatable and real, and face the kind of choices, setbacks and victories anyone could encounter. I was emotionally attached to each of them, and loved following the ups and downs of this moment in their lives. I appreciated the attention to the friend dynamic, as well, seeing how their interactions with each other influenced their choices and reactions. I loved this book and can’t wait to pass it along to a friend. Also, as a working mom myself, I appreciated the structure of the book (short chapters) which easily accommodated the many interruptions I have in my free time.
April 9, 2020
I received my ARC of All the Right Mistakes from Laura yesterday, and I could not put it down! I raced through all 300ish pages, as I was immediately invested in the character's lives. I found myself relating to each of the five friends in different ways, both as individuals, and as friends. The writing is fluid, fast, and fun, and I was fully engaged from page 1, and I cannot wait to see what Laura writes next.
March 19, 2020
I received an ARC and loved every page. Jamison’s ATRM is not only relatable and fun but it’s incredibly entertaining. Jamison has a knack for capturing the challenges women face as women - friends, mothers, employees, working mothers - and I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters. I’m already looking forward to Jamison’s next novel.
September 30, 2021
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Not a bad read at all. I quite enjoyed getting to know all these strong women’s journey. I received this book by Orange Sky Audio, and received an audio book copy of it. Thank you for narrating the book for me while I drove to school and listened in between classes.
Writing a book bashing your friends « anonymously » is a pretty terrible thing to do... this book shows that women aren’t « one size fits all » and we need to learn how to work together and support each other instead of judging and putting one another down.
I loved how this book displayed many issues that women go through every day. Wether it’s being taken seriously at the workplace, or being a « good » mom/wife, or making sure you are not to soft/mean. It’s this difficult balance that is impossible to achieve, and this pressure that can be so suffocating. This book also explores a lot of important current themes like divorce, stay at home moms vs working moms, and infertility. All of the above shows how much intersectionality there is amongst women in a world that is filled with stereotypes putting us into boxes. I loved how this book was able to highlights that. Not to mention that a lot of these men were really stupid and annoyingly hyper masculine at times...
This was a quick and light read for me, although it made me quite anxious about my « life plan ». I am at a point in my life right now where many mistakes can be made. I’m just graduating university and a whole spew of possibilities are in front of me. This book was sort of a wake up call to make some sort of plan. But it was also a reminder to not dwell on past mistakes/decisions as life doesn’t end when you are 40. It somewhat gave me hope and excitement for all the years in front of me, and to not fear age, as it only limits yourself. I think that this book made me have a strong reflection on where I want to go in life, and these are important to have once in a while. It’s important to check on oneself and see what is going wrong, and how could things be better.
So at this point you might ask, well why give a 3.5 and not more? Well, I had a few issues with the writing style. I thought it gave too many details all at once. I wanted to get to know the characters slowly, and not know their whole life story in the first 30 pages. Some of the dialogue was a lot of word dump and information that seemed really unnatural and that got me straight out of the world. But In the end, I was still able to fall in love with the characters and be inspired by how they support one another.
Overall this was a okay/good book but it will leave a lasting impact.
Writing a book bashing your friends « anonymously » is a pretty terrible thing to do... this book shows that women aren’t « one size fits all » and we need to learn how to work together and support each other instead of judging and putting one another down.
I loved how this book displayed many issues that women go through every day. Wether it’s being taken seriously at the workplace, or being a « good » mom/wife, or making sure you are not to soft/mean. It’s this difficult balance that is impossible to achieve, and this pressure that can be so suffocating. This book also explores a lot of important current themes like divorce, stay at home moms vs working moms, and infertility. All of the above shows how much intersectionality there is amongst women in a world that is filled with stereotypes putting us into boxes. I loved how this book was able to highlights that. Not to mention that a lot of these men were really stupid and annoyingly hyper masculine at times...
This was a quick and light read for me, although it made me quite anxious about my « life plan ». I am at a point in my life right now where many mistakes can be made. I’m just graduating university and a whole spew of possibilities are in front of me. This book was sort of a wake up call to make some sort of plan. But it was also a reminder to not dwell on past mistakes/decisions as life doesn’t end when you are 40. It somewhat gave me hope and excitement for all the years in front of me, and to not fear age, as it only limits yourself. I think that this book made me have a strong reflection on where I want to go in life, and these are important to have once in a while. It’s important to check on oneself and see what is going wrong, and how could things be better.
So at this point you might ask, well why give a 3.5 and not more? Well, I had a few issues with the writing style. I thought it gave too many details all at once. I wanted to get to know the characters slowly, and not know their whole life story in the first 30 pages. Some of the dialogue was a lot of word dump and information that seemed really unnatural and that got me straight out of the world. But In the end, I was still able to fall in love with the characters and be inspired by how they support one another.
Overall this was a okay/good book but it will leave a lasting impact.
June 16, 2022
Elizabeth, Carmen, Martha, Sara, and Heather. Oh my god.
Elizabeth wants to desperately have another baby, and I feel like this eclipses the fact that she already has one. She literally says she wants to "have a child of her own" and this is why she doesn't want to adopt, and wants a biological child. Adopting a kid still makes it yours, so I had a lot of trouble with this writing. Elizabeth was just annoying to read.
Carmen was annoying as hell. Just because she wants to be a stay at home mother, she's convinced her best friend also should be. She basically tries to manipulate her friend into not going back to work. She also suddenly finds a boyfriend right after her husband of twenty years leaves her. It's absurd. She also wanted to have another baby for the past twenty years, and then suddenly decides, You know what? I don't want one anymore. I don't buy that those strong feelings just disappear without a trace.
Martha and Sara were also frustrating. Complete opposites of each other, and somehow they both didn't read well. Sara came across as very uninformed, just completely unaware. She's constantly talking about how right Heather is when it comes to her book (which basically just bashes the choices her friends made in their lives). Sara feels like she's killing it at work "and it feels good, just like Heather said it would." You dumb shit, you don't need someone to tell you that doing well at work would feel good. It's literally common sense.
There were multiple grammar issues, the characters did complete 180s way too often to be solid in personality, and there's way too much explaining in dialogue between characters and not enough effort placed in world building. It comes across as lazy.
Overall, this was just not for me.
Also, why would you refer to a group of 40 year old women as "girls"? They're not thirteen year olds!
Elizabeth wants to desperately have another baby, and I feel like this eclipses the fact that she already has one. She literally says she wants to "have a child of her own" and this is why she doesn't want to adopt, and wants a biological child. Adopting a kid still makes it yours, so I had a lot of trouble with this writing. Elizabeth was just annoying to read.
Carmen was annoying as hell. Just because she wants to be a stay at home mother, she's convinced her best friend also should be. She basically tries to manipulate her friend into not going back to work. She also suddenly finds a boyfriend right after her husband of twenty years leaves her. It's absurd. She also wanted to have another baby for the past twenty years, and then suddenly decides, You know what? I don't want one anymore. I don't buy that those strong feelings just disappear without a trace.
Martha and Sara were also frustrating. Complete opposites of each other, and somehow they both didn't read well. Sara came across as very uninformed, just completely unaware. She's constantly talking about how right Heather is when it comes to her book (which basically just bashes the choices her friends made in their lives). Sara feels like she's killing it at work "and it feels good, just like Heather said it would." You dumb shit, you don't need someone to tell you that doing well at work would feel good. It's literally common sense.
There were multiple grammar issues, the characters did complete 180s way too often to be solid in personality, and there's way too much explaining in dialogue between characters and not enough effort placed in world building. It comes across as lazy.
Overall, this was just not for me.
Also, why would you refer to a group of 40 year old women as "girls"? They're not thirteen year olds!
June 7, 2021
I've read a few books about girlfriends whose relationships endure for years after their college time (when they formed their bonds first). This particular book was not what I expected. I must say that I was in two minds about the rating, but two things swayed it. One was the simple straightforward writing which made it easy to read; the other was the ending which salvaged much of the book for me (although it might work the other way for some people).
When the story begins, there are five friends, further divided into two groups of two and three respectively if you look further. Each is battling with one issue or the other. As an individual reader, one is bound to be more sympathetic to one predicament over another. There is enough variety to choose from, and I will not be going into details of the individual stories because that's the foundation of the narrative.
I think my issue at this point was that there were too many narrative paths to follow, and my attention and emotions were pulled in too many directions. Despite liking the ending, I thought a very important balance that was not really explored (hint: the mother of one was left surprised on a phone call, any thoughts on that were never referred to again).
The content is complex and would make more sense to a woman 30+ years than someone just starting a post-study life, or at least that's the impression I came away with, especially those who have had enduring relationships with friends.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience (and maybe because I do have a bunch of friends who lead different lives than I do)
When the story begins, there are five friends, further divided into two groups of two and three respectively if you look further. Each is battling with one issue or the other. As an individual reader, one is bound to be more sympathetic to one predicament over another. There is enough variety to choose from, and I will not be going into details of the individual stories because that's the foundation of the narrative.
I think my issue at this point was that there were too many narrative paths to follow, and my attention and emotions were pulled in too many directions. Despite liking the ending, I thought a very important balance that was not really explored (hint: the mother of one was left surprised on a phone call, any thoughts on that were never referred to again).
The content is complex and would make more sense to a woman 30+ years than someone just starting a post-study life, or at least that's the impression I came away with, especially those who have had enduring relationships with friends.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience (and maybe because I do have a bunch of friends who lead different lives than I do)
October 20, 2021
Five college friends just turned forty years old and each of them has her own journey through life and its struggles with marriage, kids, work.
Elisabeth is lawyer. She focused on her career and didn't start trying for kids until she was thirty-five and she struggled when she wanted more kids.
Sara is also a lawyer who overwhelmed herself with juggling work and four kids.
Martha is a doctor who left work to stay with her kids.
Carmen got pregnant in college and gave up her elite education to be a homemaker.
Heather, their high profile executive friend wrote a book "The Four Big Mistakes Of Women Who Will Never Lead Or Win" and it was about her four friends!
All The Right Mistakes is about the struggles women deal with, where no one respects their own choices in their own lives, judgements from men and other women alike, and sexism.
Life is complex and it is messy. It has ups and downs. And it's never too late. This book is so good.
P.S. I received this audiobook thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange of a review.
Elisabeth is lawyer. She focused on her career and didn't start trying for kids until she was thirty-five and she struggled when she wanted more kids.
Sara is also a lawyer who overwhelmed herself with juggling work and four kids.
Martha is a doctor who left work to stay with her kids.
Carmen got pregnant in college and gave up her elite education to be a homemaker.
Heather, their high profile executive friend wrote a book "The Four Big Mistakes Of Women Who Will Never Lead Or Win" and it was about her four friends!
All The Right Mistakes is about the struggles women deal with, where no one respects their own choices in their own lives, judgements from men and other women alike, and sexism.
Life is complex and it is messy. It has ups and downs. And it's never too late. This book is so good.
P.S. I received this audiobook thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange of a review.
July 27, 2020
When I started this book, it had a 4.61 rating on Goodreads with 50 reviews total. I was skeptical at the beginning because I was slightly (overly) annoyed at all the characters, especially the crappy husbands (Mark and Scott). I'm so glad I pushed my doubts aside and kept reading, but this book has that "IT" factor; it kept me interested and made me feel things all the way through.
To give All the Right Mistakes a catchy phrase, I'd say "Girl Power" about sums it up. These women had some really shitty things happen to them, but I was SO pumped up by the end, I was sad to see these characters go.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
To give All the Right Mistakes a catchy phrase, I'd say "Girl Power" about sums it up. These women had some really shitty things happen to them, but I was SO pumped up by the end, I was sad to see these characters go.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
April 9, 2020
A really fun, easy breezy read perfect for cozying up with a blanket and a glass of wine. I loved the format of switching to each character’s perspective. I was personally invested in each character and wanted to find out what was next! This would be the perfect poolside summer read and one that will make you appreciate your girlfriends. I am, in fact, off to call a few of mine!
June 27, 2020
Absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend to my family and friends and all of you! The characters are so intriguing and you can’t wait to find out what happens next. At times you one could certainly relate to certain friendships and similar experiences. Such a fun novel and great job Laura!
July 30, 2020
Imagine that one of your best friends wrote a book, detailing what she perceives to be your worst mistakes and criticising your life choices. That's the event at the centre of this novel.
Carmen, Elizabeth, Martha, Sara and Heather have been friends for 20 years when Heather betrays their confidence and releases her judgement and criticism of their life choices out into the world. Despite the fact that these are women who are successful and have achieved so much since their college graduation, it is still not enough.
This book will speak to any woman who has been faced with judgement by people in their lives. We all know these women and in most instances we have a been, or will be, these women. The book covers joy, grief, and struggles women face throughout their lives and the attempts and difficulties to overcome them.
At points in this book, I felt myself a bit disconnected from the characters and wondered if a first person perspective would have really made me connect with the emotions of the different characters. However, I really enjoyed the depiction of the different marriages and relationships the women had, showing that no two relationships are the same.
My one wish for this book would be that it had presented a woman without children. The focus very much falls on the "have it all" idea and how best to balance career with motherhood but I feel it would have been an interesting addition for a member of that particular circle to have been navigating the world when there is still backlash against those who choose to stay childless.
This was an interesting read that made me think about my own goals and relationships with friends.
Carmen, Elizabeth, Martha, Sara and Heather have been friends for 20 years when Heather betrays their confidence and releases her judgement and criticism of their life choices out into the world. Despite the fact that these are women who are successful and have achieved so much since their college graduation, it is still not enough.
This book will speak to any woman who has been faced with judgement by people in their lives. We all know these women and in most instances we have a been, or will be, these women. The book covers joy, grief, and struggles women face throughout their lives and the attempts and difficulties to overcome them.
At points in this book, I felt myself a bit disconnected from the characters and wondered if a first person perspective would have really made me connect with the emotions of the different characters. However, I really enjoyed the depiction of the different marriages and relationships the women had, showing that no two relationships are the same.
My one wish for this book would be that it had presented a woman without children. The focus very much falls on the "have it all" idea and how best to balance career with motherhood but I feel it would have been an interesting addition for a member of that particular circle to have been navigating the world when there is still backlash against those who choose to stay childless.
This was an interesting read that made me think about my own goals and relationships with friends.
June 26, 2020
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of All the Right Mistakes. What a fantastic read! The pace was just right and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. I often found myself nodding or chuckling along with their inner dialog. The women are funny, on-point and oh so relatable. What I especially loved is that while it was a fun, quick read, it was also smart. A lovely novel featuring intelligent, independent, imperfect women navigating life, love, career, and family. All while maintaining the nourishing bond of lifelong friendship.
June 30, 2020
Five close college friends are now turning 40 and their lives have changed so much since they first met. Elizabeth and Sara are now successful lawyers. Martha, a mother ready to go back to work being a doctor. Carmen, the only stay at home mom now turned empty nester and Heather, the famous and most successful of them all. Heather releases a new bestselling book about her four friend’s biggest life mistakes and with the release of this book the tension between long standing friends comes to the surface. The five ladies must wrestle against their differences, confront their life mistakes, and really figure out if their college friendships can last past forty. In the end, all the girls realize that their own mistakes were actually the Right mistakes because it led them to where they are now. While Heather and the other girls have faults they are reminded that friends stick together even through the hardest and biggest mistakes.
Overall, the book was good. I could have done without the cursing. I felt there was really no relevance for it except when it involved Carmen’s character as that seems to be more her speaking nature. I cannot say I loved this book. The original description of this book caught my attention but as I read, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters. I think the overarching theme is well done but the specificities needed more work. Good try for a debut book.
Overall, the book was good. I could have done without the cursing. I felt there was really no relevance for it except when it involved Carmen’s character as that seems to be more her speaking nature. I cannot say I loved this book. The original description of this book caught my attention but as I read, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters. I think the overarching theme is well done but the specificities needed more work. Good try for a debut book.
October 16, 2021
Thanks, NetGalley, for advanced access to the audiobook!
I enjoyed this audiobook for both the story and the narrator. The characters were richly developed, although they were difficult for me to keep track of at first. The point of view switches from character to character and each of the five main characters' perspectives. This book explored friendships between women, and much more. Each character has their own challenges and joys, bringing up issues from divorce and infidelity to gender roles at home and in the work environment to love and loss.
The actual storyline involved one of the five main characters, a tight group of friends in college who are now 40, writing a book highlighting the other women's "mistakes" in life. The tone was not positive and unsurprisingly the women took offense. This caused friction among the group, all while life continued to go on.
I became involved in the women's lives, rooting for them and crying with them. I also enjoyed the narrator's ability to portray each character differently. She really brought the story to life.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and would definitely read other works by this author in the future.
I enjoyed this audiobook for both the story and the narrator. The characters were richly developed, although they were difficult for me to keep track of at first. The point of view switches from character to character and each of the five main characters' perspectives. This book explored friendships between women, and much more. Each character has their own challenges and joys, bringing up issues from divorce and infidelity to gender roles at home and in the work environment to love and loss.
The actual storyline involved one of the five main characters, a tight group of friends in college who are now 40, writing a book highlighting the other women's "mistakes" in life. The tone was not positive and unsurprisingly the women took offense. This caused friction among the group, all while life continued to go on.
I became involved in the women's lives, rooting for them and crying with them. I also enjoyed the narrator's ability to portray each character differently. She really brought the story to life.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and would definitely read other works by this author in the future.
July 15, 2020
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of All the Right Mistakes by Laura Jamison.
This is a story of five women who have been friends since college and are now approaching forty and confronting all sorts of issues in their family. They are also trying to plan a trip that one of their friends just announced she won't be attending.
If I sound completely uninterested in the synapses, that's accurate. But I think my most "I'm going to stop you right there" moment, was when I realized that I couldn't keep the characters straight, nor did I care to.
Usually I love a book about female friends, but this just constantly kept rubbing right against the grain for me. For a group of friends in their late thirties, I did not appreciate their friend dynamic. I found a lot of their interactions to be petty and prying. I also couldn't tell them apart. Which one is having career/fertility/marriage/parenting issues? All of them? Got it.
This is a story of five women who have been friends since college and are now approaching forty and confronting all sorts of issues in their family. They are also trying to plan a trip that one of their friends just announced she won't be attending.
If I sound completely uninterested in the synapses, that's accurate. But I think my most "I'm going to stop you right there" moment, was when I realized that I couldn't keep the characters straight, nor did I care to.
Usually I love a book about female friends, but this just constantly kept rubbing right against the grain for me. For a group of friends in their late thirties, I did not appreciate their friend dynamic. I found a lot of their interactions to be petty and prying. I also couldn't tell them apart. Which one is having career/fertility/marriage/parenting issues? All of them? Got it.
August 4, 2020
The concept behind this book was very intriguing from the beginning! I found the characters to be extremely relatable right away. However, this book fell short on execution for me. This was one of those books that tells you and doesn’t show you the story. Emotions weren’t communicated to the reader via nuance, but in fact this novel was filled with descriptions such as “*insert character* was *insert emotion”. Incredibly frustrating as a reader, because it felt like there was little story building to do on my end, which is really part of the magic of reading.
So, all in all, a good concept, but the delivery needs some work.
Thanks to netgalley and She Writes Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
So, all in all, a good concept, but the delivery needs some work.
Thanks to netgalley and She Writes Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2024
All the Right Mistakes is my first novel by Laura Jamison. It follows five college friends, Elizabeth, Sara, Carmen, Martha, and Heather, that met at Dartmouth and are now approaching their 40s. Heather is the only one of the five that does not get her own POV as she does not have the same struggles as the other four who illustrate their lives in the story. Each woman is going through their own struggles and the story follows each. There are a lot of positives and negatives going on with each character and the novel attempts to go through each of their lives. Heather as the COO of FLASH, an Amazon-like company, writes a book to explain to others how to be successful; however, she ends up illustrating the mistakes made by her friends. The novel then goes through to show how the friends don’t agree with Heather’s assessment.
Carmen is a stay-at-home mom who loves it and wishes the same for her friends. Her character was decent, but she did come across as manipulative and judgmental on multiple occasions. Martha is a doctor who is pregnant with her third child. After staying home with her first two children, she is debating about going back to her former job. Next is Sara, a lawyer, who has a chaotic homelife with her four kids and college sweetheart husband. These first three had a lot of flaws and were not very likable, but they were, at least, tolerable for me. Finally, there is lawyer Elizabeth who was the most triggering to me as she wants to have another baby but does not consider adopted kids to be her own, yet surrogate kids are. While everyone is welcome to their own views, I, personally, disagree and consider any kid that you raise to be your own whether you gave birth to them or not. With her character it was almost impossible for me to ignore this issue, but I can understand why other readers may not feel the same. For all four of these women, I can understand all their frustrations and daily dilemmas. I may not have found them very likable in some moments, but they all were relatable in some way. Overall, I loved the concept of the story as these are real issues that many women face, and they all deserved to be spread to others. The inclusion of so many main characters was ambitious, but I did appreciate each situation.
Carmen is a stay-at-home mom who loves it and wishes the same for her friends. Her character was decent, but she did come across as manipulative and judgmental on multiple occasions. Martha is a doctor who is pregnant with her third child. After staying home with her first two children, she is debating about going back to her former job. Next is Sara, a lawyer, who has a chaotic homelife with her four kids and college sweetheart husband. These first three had a lot of flaws and were not very likable, but they were, at least, tolerable for me. Finally, there is lawyer Elizabeth who was the most triggering to me as she wants to have another baby but does not consider adopted kids to be her own, yet surrogate kids are. While everyone is welcome to their own views, I, personally, disagree and consider any kid that you raise to be your own whether you gave birth to them or not. With her character it was almost impossible for me to ignore this issue, but I can understand why other readers may not feel the same. For all four of these women, I can understand all their frustrations and daily dilemmas. I may not have found them very likable in some moments, but they all were relatable in some way. Overall, I loved the concept of the story as these are real issues that many women face, and they all deserved to be spread to others. The inclusion of so many main characters was ambitious, but I did appreciate each situation.
July 12, 2020
All the Right Mistakes from Laura Jamison is a compelling relationship-driven novel about all that life throws at us and the many ways we try to cope.
The novel basically takes place over about a year and a half with each chapter being from a character's point of view. This works very well for this story because it both provides the backgrounds of all five characters (perhaps a little less of Heather's background) as well as the background of the group, and does so from multiple perspectives. You see the overall strength of the group and the internal rifts, much like any group of friends.
The obstacles these women face, and have faced, are a mix of general things anyone might experience and the roadblocks society throws in the path of women in particular. Specifically in the paths of successful women.
Heather's book highlighting the "mistakes" of her friends serves as a catalyst for a lot of soul-searching and decision making. But the idea of a mistake carries a negative connotation and also a very judgmental one. Some so-called mistakes turn out to be positive, some lead to life changing decisions that aren't so much positive or negative, just different from what was expected, and some really are mistakes. But the person best positioned to judge a potential mistake, the person who made it, is often the least likely to be able to step back and really assess. That is where friends come in, though not usually in the form of a best selling book that humiliates you.
Anyone who enjoys relationship driven novels will find a lot to enjoy here. Readers who have to constantly grapple with whether or not they made the best decisions will also find a lot here to incorporate into their own thoughts. Not so much in the form of advice or answers but in the form of different perspectives. These characters are flawed, but not any more than the rest of us, so most of us will find many things to relate to.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The novel basically takes place over about a year and a half with each chapter being from a character's point of view. This works very well for this story because it both provides the backgrounds of all five characters (perhaps a little less of Heather's background) as well as the background of the group, and does so from multiple perspectives. You see the overall strength of the group and the internal rifts, much like any group of friends.
The obstacles these women face, and have faced, are a mix of general things anyone might experience and the roadblocks society throws in the path of women in particular. Specifically in the paths of successful women.
Heather's book highlighting the "mistakes" of her friends serves as a catalyst for a lot of soul-searching and decision making. But the idea of a mistake carries a negative connotation and also a very judgmental one. Some so-called mistakes turn out to be positive, some lead to life changing decisions that aren't so much positive or negative, just different from what was expected, and some really are mistakes. But the person best positioned to judge a potential mistake, the person who made it, is often the least likely to be able to step back and really assess. That is where friends come in, though not usually in the form of a best selling book that humiliates you.
Anyone who enjoys relationship driven novels will find a lot to enjoy here. Readers who have to constantly grapple with whether or not they made the best decisions will also find a lot here to incorporate into their own thoughts. Not so much in the form of advice or answers but in the form of different perspectives. These characters are flawed, but not any more than the rest of us, so most of us will find many things to relate to.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
April 19, 2023
They met at Dartmouth University almost twenty years ago. The five women are about to turn forty and have retained their friendship. Their lives have changed as they have moved into professions. One is a doctor who no longer practices, two are attorneys. One has stayed at home with an absentee husband and another has a star-studded life as a CEO at a tech startup.
They come together for their annual vacation. They stay at the California friend's Carmel house although she didn't make the reunion this year. She is busy writing a book. So busy in fact, that when one of the women loses a family member, she can't be bothered to attend the funeral.
But that's not her worst act. The book is an expose, based on what the author calls the four mistakes women make. She uses each of her friends as an example, and while she doesn't name them, she uses their initials and family facts so that they are easy to identify for anyone who needs them. The other women are outraged and they feel that her book has made things more difficult for them at work and in their families.
But as they turn forty, each of them finds a way to carve out a life they want. One divorces and finds a new lover while another finds a way to have the baby she has wanted for years. One adopts a child and another finds a way to take a job on her own terms with almost twice her prior salary. Another starts her own law firm which is highly successful.
Laura Jamison has written a book about female friendships and how women must fight for the lives they want. While it is interesting, many readers will not be able to relate to these five women with tons of money and huge houses and professional careers. The husbands all agree to either cut back on their professional jobs or become consultants so that they can help more at home which doesn't seem that realistic to most women's lives. This book is recommended for readers of women's fiction who are interested in female friendships and how to nurture them and on how to get the life you want.
They come together for their annual vacation. They stay at the California friend's Carmel house although she didn't make the reunion this year. She is busy writing a book. So busy in fact, that when one of the women loses a family member, she can't be bothered to attend the funeral.
But that's not her worst act. The book is an expose, based on what the author calls the four mistakes women make. She uses each of her friends as an example, and while she doesn't name them, she uses their initials and family facts so that they are easy to identify for anyone who needs them. The other women are outraged and they feel that her book has made things more difficult for them at work and in their families.
But as they turn forty, each of them finds a way to carve out a life they want. One divorces and finds a new lover while another finds a way to have the baby she has wanted for years. One adopts a child and another finds a way to take a job on her own terms with almost twice her prior salary. Another starts her own law firm which is highly successful.
Laura Jamison has written a book about female friendships and how women must fight for the lives they want. While it is interesting, many readers will not be able to relate to these five women with tons of money and huge houses and professional careers. The husbands all agree to either cut back on their professional jobs or become consultants so that they can help more at home which doesn't seem that realistic to most women's lives. This book is recommended for readers of women's fiction who are interested in female friendships and how to nurture them and on how to get the life you want.
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