I’ve been mixing things up a bit lately and haven’t done too many book reviews, but after I read Stepmother, I knew I had to write a review. My memoir, A Bittersweet Goodnight, is about my relationship with my stepmother, June. And it contains a few bits about my own experience being a stepmother. I believe this book is a good compliment to my own story.

The author fell head over heels in love with an older man who had 2 teenage children. That’s how it starts, falling in love without thinking about what that might mean once living under the same roof. She tried so hard to fit in and blend the family but hit a roadblock every single time.

Although my situation is different, they all are, it is so much the same. The stepmother is always viewed as the outsider by the children, the community and often even the husband. Society has some skewed view that the stepmother is second class and unable to care and love for children and families that are not her own. This is so wrong.

While I didn’t think this book was particularly well written, the message hit home. Whatever made Marianne mad, made me mad because I’d been there and felt those same crushing emotions at times. Stepmother is a great guidebook for those of you out there struggling to blend your family together. You will find within these pages comfort and understanding. You are not alone.