Review and CONTEST: Lost in Suburbia

Lost in Suburbia: A Momoir. How I Got Pregnant, Lost Myself, and Got My Cool Back in the New Jersey Suburbs, by Tracy Beckerman.

I know I had been cool once ...

I don't remember all that clearly what made me so cool except I have this vague recollection of wearing a lot of black, drinking a fair amount of scotch, and being single. Of course, that could describe almost anyone attending an Irish wake, so maybe those are not good indicators of what makes someone cool.

Tracy Beckerman writes a nationally syndicated humor column, also called Lost in Suburbia, and this is her first "momoir" (memoir). Parts of this book definitely made me laugh out loud, and for the most part, the book almost read like fiction because it was so detailed.

Official synopsis:
Tracy Beckerman's story starts in Manhattan where she works at a high-powered TV job, has an apartment in the city, and a loving husband to boot. Flash forward and soon Tracy is pregnant, and her world is starting to change. Gone are the days of expensive haircuts and spending her lunch hour at sample sales. Her time is quickly taken over with play dates, school projects, and trying to find herself in her strange new home - Suburbia.

Tracy delivers her stories about motherhood, living in the Garden State, scrunchies and peanut allergies with wit and a sharp sense of humor. Anyone who traded in their skinny jeans for mom jeans (or refused to) will relate to Tracy and find her tales impossible to put down. While her humor shines through in this "Momoir," there are significant moments of self-exploration, where she struggles with her identity and self-confidence as so many new moms do.

Whether she's being ticketed while driving in her bathrobe, attempting to have the oven self-clean or making changes in her life in order to find herself, Tracy Beckerman will make readers laugh along the way. For fans of Chelsea Handler and Jen lancaster, LOST IN SUBURBIA is about what you give up to be a mother - and what you get back.
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The bathrobe scene mentioned in the description, by the way, is one of the funniest scenes in the book - she gets pulled over while wearing a bathrobe, and her daughter accidentally "sasses" the cop, too.

You don't have to be a mom or parent to relate to this book (I'm not), although I assume that if you are, some of the scenarios mentioned throughout might resonate with you more than a single person. It's a bit repetitive throughout - Beckerman talks a lot about "regaining her cool," and trying to find out exactly what "cool" is, or what it used to be for her. The best scenes are actually ones like the bathrobe scene, where she recounts certain situations or events that happened to her.

3 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of this book to review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I have a copy of Lost in Suburbia to give away to one lucky reader! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The contest will end on Wednesday, April 10th at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted on Thursday, April 11th and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

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