Laura & Emma - a novel

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the publisher - (edited for length & clarity)

Laura hails from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, born into old money, drifting aimlessly into her early thirties. One weekend in 1981 she meets Jefferson. The two sleep together. He vanishes. And Laura realizes she’s pregnant. Enter: Emma.

Despite her progressive values, Laura raises Emma by herself in the same blue-blood world of private schools and summer homes she grew up in, buoyed by a host of indelible characters, including her eccentric mother, her brother, ; an exceptionally kind male pediatrician; and her overbearing best friend, Meanwhile, the apple falls far from the tree with Emma, who begins to question her environment in a way her mother never could.

I really wanted to adore this book but I found it REALLY hard to even like Laura, her family, and her friends. Emma was a breath of fresh air and she was the reason I finished the book. As a librarian, if I do not learn something new or get engaged in the characters I do not finish the book as there are too many good ones out there to read and review. I would not say "Oh, don't read that" but I would not say, either "oh, you must read that!". I take the middle ground of a 3 stars rating.