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popthebutterfly 's review for:

4.0
emotional informative inspiring relaxing medium-paced

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxities

Author: Kellye Crocker

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Anxiety Disorder MC, ADHD character, Hispanic characters

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, contemporary, blended families, children of divorce, anxiety disorder

Publication Date: November 22, 2022

Genre: MG Contemporary

Age Relevance: 10+ (pregnancy, gore, anxiety attacks, period talk, HP reference, parental death, sexist remark, grief, racism)

Explanation of Above: There is pregnancy mentioned and some period talk. There is a slight mention of blood. There are showings of anxiety attacks. There is one slight HP reference. There are mentions of a parental death and grief. There is one sexist remark and mentions of racism.

Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company

Pages: 288

Synopsis: Dad hasn't even been dating his new girlfriend that long, so Ava is sure that nothing has to change in her life. That is, until the day after sixth grade ends, when Dad whisks her away on vacation to meet The Girlfriend and her daughter in terrifying Colorado, where even the squirrels can kill you! Managing her anxiety, avoiding altitude sickness, and surviving the mountains might take all of Ava's strength, but at least this trip will only last two weeks. Right?

Review: I loved this book so much! As someone with anxiety I deeply related to this character and her struggles. I don’t like surprises and I am always thinking of the worst case scenario. The book did well to present an anxious character and then give really good advice on calming your anxiety down, with 2 techniques and some advice to remember. The book also did well to be relatable to kids who are about to be apart of blended families and those going through their parents divorcing. The book had really well done character development and world building and this will definitely be a book I remember for a long time.

The only issue I had with the book was the HP reference. It really could have been any other book mentioned in the context it was mentioned in (“that was as thick as the ____ books”).

Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend.