Confessions of a Domestic Failure

April 3, 2017
Laditan’s novel will strike a hysterical and compassionate chord with new moms. Once upon a time, Ashley Keller knew what eight hours of sleep was. Now, she’s an exhausted stay-at-home mom to her eight-month-old daughter, Aubrey, while her husband, David, builds his dream advertising agency. When mommy blogger extraordinaire (and Ashley’s personal guru) Emily Walker announces a contest alongside her new book, Motherhood Better, Ashley is thrilled to be chosen to participate in the “Motherhood Better Bootcamp.” Ashley’s desperate to become the dream mom she had always fantasized she would be. Satirizing the unrealistic expectations that society places on mothers to be one and all, Laditan hits the high mark for hilarity and humanity. While at times ungrateful about her life, Ashley still manages to recognize the precious gift she’s been given in Aubrey and the moments of pure love amid the chaos. Laditan writes with a comic gift, giving readers a hilarious send-up of mommy culture in today’s world.

Starred review from April 1, 2017
Ashley Keller is just trying to get by as a stay-at-home mom to her eight-month-old daughter. Ashley hates cooking, crafting, Instagramming, and (particularly) Pinterest, so she is lonely and left feeling like a failure as a mom. When her momspiration, Emily Walkermom of five, blogger extraordinaire, and TV-show hostoffers Motherhood Better, a six-week boot-camp challenge to become a better mom, Ashley can't help but apply. Thus begins her quest to be crafty, popular, and perfect. Laditan does not disappoint in her debut fiction novel that is chock full of laugh-out-loud moments that moms everywhere will relate to. Laditan keeps the story flowing as Ashley tries with all of her might to move herself up the mom ladder, from lying to her La Lait group about breastfeeding, to mooning the contestants of the boot camp on their first video chat, to staking out her babysitter (and getting picked up by the police), to doing a brief stint as a phone-sex operator. Readers will fall in love with Ashley and all of her flaws quicker than they can click like on an Instagram pic. Perfect for readers looking for a funny, realistic look at motherhood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)