The Package Deal: My (not-so) Glamorous Transition from Single Gal to Instant Mom

by Izzy Rose

Meet Izzy Rose–a hilarious and chic new stepmom trying to come to terms with the package deal. A single “middle-class socialite” living in San Francisco, Izzy loved her career as a successful, Emmy Award-winning TV producer and she was fine with the fact that she was unmarried and kid-less at thirty-five. But, then she fell in love with an irresistible Southern man named Hank and her Izzy-centric lifestyle turned upside down.

In short order, Izzy finds herself saying I DO to becoming a wife and “instant mom” to Hank’s two sons and packing her bags for a new life in Austin, Texas. There, Izzy struggles to hold on to a bit of her professional identity while reinventing the stepmother role in her sassy, stylish, but also loving and vulnerable way. Honest and daring, The Package Deal is a toast to the richness of her new life and a tribute to any woman whose ever fallen in love and then asked, What exactly did I get myself into?

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Relationships, Family, Biography Memoir, Chick Lit

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

IZZY ROSE is an Emmy award-winning television producer from the San Francisco Bay Area and the creator of stepmothersmilk.com, a blog and resource site for the modern-day stepmom with national and international readership. She’s appeared on television and radio programs in San Francisco, Austin and Memphis and is a regular contributor to Stepmom Magazine. Her work has been called “compulsively readable,” “laugh out loud,” “heartfelt,” and “ultimately reassuring.” Her most recent project, Spirited: Connect to the Guides Around You, the book she wrote with Rebecca Rosen, published by Harper Collins, releases in February 2010.

Reviews

[Kara Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were many points in this novel that I felt she was a selfish brat. You knew your boyfriend had kids -and you waited till months after the wedding to get to know them? I just felt she whined a lot. Being a stepmother myself, I felt like all she did was complain for the first half of book and point out what she hated about her life. If you didn't want kids, you shouldn't have married a man with children. Halfway through, she started to become a bit more proactive, and her tone didn't bother me as much. Would I recommend this? Good beach read. Would I read it again? Probably not.

[Cynthia Sillitoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much information and then some more.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it every night. Izzy Rose entertainingly describes her experience of getting married, becoming a stepmom, and moving to Texas without a job lined up all in one fell swoop. As a stepmom myself, I related to her experience of becoming an instant mom with its ups, downs, and lack of instruction manual. She had me nodding along, laughing, and saying, "awww," throughout the book.

I recommend this book to stepmoms especially. It's an easy, fun read and you may pick up a few tips (if not recipes) as you go.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

This candid, optimistic memoir readably recounts Rose’s journey from single San Franciscan to stepmother of two adolescent boys in Texas. Clear-eyed, funny observations complement 21 “rules of motherhood” (e.g., compromise but without sacrificing yourself) and show how real people blend.

Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty entertaining memoir about being a Step-Mom.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable memoir. Rose opens up the scary places in the stepmother psyche and shares her fears and hopes, her disappointments and triumphs. I identified with some of her story, of course, but I think I came to my own personal stepkids with a different set of baggage. I got the feeling too, that what Rose left out, she left out in deference to the feelings of her stepkids, and I respect her for that. It's a very well-done slice-of-life.

I liked all the people I encountered in this book, I found them alternately believable, annoying, winsome and hilarious. Recommended for stepmoms and memoir-lovers.

[Allison Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by a friend who is also becoming an instant mom. I've been worrying about my boy having a kid since we started to get serious, since I never felt very maternal and wasn't sure how good I'd be raising someone else's kid. Rose's book is a memoir of her first year as stepmother to two preteen boys. It's incredibly honest and not at all sentimental, which I really appreciated. I identified with Rose being a career woman and never wanting a family, to falling for someone who already has a family. She has an easy to read writing style, and I loved learning that I wasn't the only one who has had some of these thoughts.

[eRin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of an independent, single woman in her mid-thirties finding herself marrying the man of her dreams...and his two sons. Rose relates her quick adjustment to the situation as they pick up and leave her hometown of San Francisco and move to Texas. A state Rose never really wanted to visit, much less live. Suddenly unemployed and a "mother," Rose tells the story of her first year as a step-mom and how she temporarily loses herself, but finds herself again...as well as a family.

[Corene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, light-read memoir, with a chick lit fiction tone to it---that's not a bad thing! Izzy meets divorced with two sons Hank, and marries into what she calls, "the traveling circus." The author is honest and humorous, and does justice in her descriptions of San Francisco, where she meets her husband, and Austin, Texas, where she starts her new life.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story... i guess I didn't realize until the end this was a memoir vs. fiction.

A lot of relatable points / moments for those of us who have children in our lives becuase of our romantic relationships.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very frank story about what it's like to be a single gal with a great job and income, then marry a man with two kids at home and EVERYTHING changes. You don't have so much control, and you put a lot of energy into a life that doesn't have so much to do with you. She's funny.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a funny dose of reality that any step mom would enjoy. I'm lucky my step son came in my life at a young age, but it was nice to get to see sometimes experience with older children. I also appreciate her feedback beinh a child of divorce, as well as becoming a step child herself.

[Anita Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this witty memoir by a young stepmother and how she dealt with the shock, fun and horrors of living with two teenaged boys. Fun non-fiction.

[Jordana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun read, with a lot of decent advice. Loved every page.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really honest and funny. A fast read... Especially when you can relate!

[SweetPea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening insights on the author's experience in making this transition. Really liked that it was written as a story (like reading a novel) rather than a lecture of things to do/not do.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was just a bleh read. but it didn't require a lot of brainpower, either, so it was a fairly quick read. so there's that...

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny book, and very dear to my heart since she offers good advice on staying yourself while being a good stepmom. A must read for any step-parent out there.

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a step mom I could sooo relate to this book and it's characters. I would recommend this book to any lady out there who is or is about to become a step parent.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and easy to read. Its a light hearted approach to the subject of mixing into a prefab family. A nice change from most of the other books on the same subject.

[Carol Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll write a more thoughtful review later but in short...I loved every word of this book..funny and smart and endearing...it was like spending time with a best friend I've never met...

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

No review

[❈ Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastice!