Eve Fletcher is about to start a new chapter in her life. Since her husband walked out seven years ago, it has been just her and her son Brenden. Now he is headed off to college and she's not sure she's ready to live alone. Eve is the head of a senior center so it's not likely she will meet anyone at work.

But Eve adjusts. She takes a class at a community college and finds friends there. The class is taught by a transgender man and she is now unsure about how to find female friends. There is also a college freshman who knows Brenden and considers him a bullying jock.

Along with challenging her mind, Eve also explores her sexuality. She watches porn, makes a tentative move towards a female colleague. The freshman develops a crush on Eve and tries to seduce her. When all is said and done, how many new experiences will Eve experience?

Tom Perrota is known for his humorous writing, taking up such topics as elections and everyday human existence. Eve is someone most middle-aged women can relate to as they try to determine who they are and what they want once the years of childrearing are over. Brenden starts as an obnoxious teenager but grows over the course of the novel. This book is recommended for readers of literary and women's fiction.

Hysterically delicious. I was embarrassed at moments and then couldn’t wait to turn the page. I wish I was this satisfied 😉 with every book.

This was an intriguing book, and I enjoyed the alternating perspectives between a mother (now an empty-nester) and her son at college. We follow both of these characters undergoing new life changes, and even if they weren't particularly likeable, it was interesting to follow their journeys.

If you're autistic, I'd recommend NOT reading the "Parents Weekend" chapter (in Brendan's first-person POV). (The chapters aren't numbered, but they are titled. Brendan isn't autistic; his half-brother is.)

Because I did read this chapter, and ended up crying in the bath. We autistic people don't really need to know how much non-autistic people hate being in our presence.

Read up on the TV series. Seem to be some differences, which is a relief because Brendan's chapters are gross thus far. Wikipedia mentions Julian and Chloe, whom I haven't seen in the book (yet). Amber in the book isn't listed for the show. Great that the trans woman character is played by a trans woman actress!

Autism rep in the book making me nervous. Hopefully it's not in the show.

Another entertaining, sharply observed and funny examination of real life. Tom Perotta's novels are always must reads for me. Highly recommended.

This is the first book I've read by this author and it was very enjoyable. The characters and the plot were very realistic.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

While I found the writing to be compelling, it wasn't enough to make it worth reading the unlikeable characters and lack of plot.

Thank you to Net Galley and Scribner for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Super disappointed with this book, I have really enjoyed Tom Perrotta's other books, but this one just did not connect with me. The characters were all awful and selfish and the changing of narration from chapter to chapter made the story choppy.
This book tells the story of Eve, who is feeling a little lost after her son leaves for his first year of college. She tries to find herself and through a series of misguided choices finds herself at a crossroads. Her son Brendan is struggling through his freshman year of college and his hard partying isn't helping him out at all. I found it hard to relate or root for either character, as they were both very self absorbed.
I finished the book although during several point throughout it, I didn't want to continue reading.

I attempted this book and made it to page 50 before abandoning it. Just not for me AT ALL. However, I know it has been very popular with a lot of my reading contemporaries!

Brendan Fletcher is about to leave home and start college leaving his forty six year old Mum, Eve, with a severe case of empty nest syndrome.
However, the arrival of an anonymous text labeling Eve a 'MILF' sets off a turn of strange and unexpected events. Eve begins to make some much needed changes to her life, starting with the enrollment on a Gender and Society course. She ends up learning more than she ever could have imagined and finds herself making new friends along the way. This leads to Eve wanting to explore her sexuality but when she begins to develop a fixation with online MILF pornography things starts to get complicated.
Meanwhile, Brendan is all set for some serious partying as he begins college life...However things don't quite turn out the way he imagined when he begins to fail all of his classes, lose his friends and his demeaning attitude towards women looks set to land him in a tricky situation...
I was absolutely fascinated by the concept behind Mrs Fletcher. Tom Perrotta is a new author to me, but I was immediately drawn to this book and I'd been hearing high praise about Perrotta's writing, therefore I was really looking forward to giving it a go.
I didn't in a million years think that I would end up enjoying this novel half as much as I did. It was fresh, snarky and hugely appealing.
I immediately warmed to Eve. A lonely middle aged divorcee, it was clear how much she was going to miss Brendon when he went off to college. (Although I have no idea why, he was incredibly annoying...) I was worried with how she would cope with suddenly finding herself living on her own, but the thing I loved most about this book is just how Eve surprised me and ended up turning this whole story on it's head.
She started off your stereotypical moping-lonely-let's-text-Brendan-every-five-minutes kind of mother (not that there's anything wrong with that - she cares about her son) but the arrival of the anonymous MILF text really changed Eve. Whilst her obsession with online X-Rated content may not have been the healthiest, it really brought her out of her shell. It gave her the confidence to pursue friendships, to pursue romances, to take that leap of going back to college. I loved it when people started paying her attention...This poor, seemingly down-trodden women went through such a transformation and I absolutely loved reading about how she changed as a character and how the people around her reacted to that.
As for Brendan, eurgh. As much as I disliked him, I do understand that he is probably representative of many teenage boys whose main goal in life is to go out and get drunk. He was a jock; popular, good at sports, a hit with the ladies...But he was so selfish. His behaviour made me cringe at times, but it was interesting to see him try to adapt to his new circumstances at college. Then when things take an unexpected turn and his roommate suddenly gets a girlfriend, he finds himself floundering. I think that, ultimately, his heart was in the right place and I will admit I felt slightly less frostier towards him at the end of the story but jeeeeez, it was a long journey for us to get to that point.
I was quite cross that Eve seemed to give up some of her new-found freedom when Brendan arrived back home, which reinforces one of the over-riding themes of this book - discovering your own identity. It touches upon so many other important topics, addiction, sex, love, family, feminism...if you like your stories to have lots of underlying themes then Mrs Fletcher definitely needs to go onto your TBR.
The story is told from both Eve and Brendan's perspectives and it was fascinating to get a glimpse of their inner thoughts and questionable choices. I really felt as though Tom Perrotta got inside his characters minds and both Eve and Brendan were extremely real to me. I found myself really caring about Eve and wanting the best for her.
Mrs Fletcher is a fascinating novel and one unlike any other I have read so far this year. It's really well written, extremely thought-provoking and a really satisfying read.
I'll definitely be reading more by Tom Perrotta in the future.

I enjoyed the constantly switching perspective of this book. You never knew who’s head you were about to dive into, and what normal yet unique things we’re going to happen to them.

Oh my god, this was SO GOOD! I could not put it down. I liked how none of the characters were perfect, some not even likable, but you still cared what happened to them. I liked that things pretty much worked out, but not everything did. Well done, Tom Perrotta.

The eponymous Mrs Fletcher and her son Brendan are at a turning point in their lives. Brendan is about to go to University leaving his mother with empty nest syndrome. Middle-aged and divorced Eve realises she must make changes but soon finds her new life taking her in unexpected directions. Brendan is a typically unreconstructed jock and finds many of his previous assumptions, especially about girls, overturned when he gets to college. Both of them have to grow and learn, and in Eve’s case this translates into an internet porn addiction. In this well-written and engaging novel Perrotta explores many contemporary issues – almost like a checklist – such as sexuality, transgender identity, rape, autism, feminism and so on. Mostly his observations are spot-on and although I don’t see the novel as a satire, it certainly hones in on modern-day society and societal values and mores with some bite. The novel alternates between Eve and Brendan as they both try to come to terms with changing circumstances. Perrotta is an acute observer of suburban middle-class life and angst and there’s much to enjoy in this novel as we watch mother and son make bad choices and questionable decisions, but I wasn’t totally convinced by Eve’s obsession with internet porn nor with Brendan’s transition from jock to something less toxic. However, it’s a good, often amusing read, and if it all felt a bit superficial at times, I nevertheless enjoyed it on the whole.

3.5 stars This author has a knack for writing characters that leave you thinking. They aren’t particularly likeable...mainly because you see their shortcomings and less-than-charming quirks. While not my favorite, this is still a good example of his writing skill.

Well written, my favourite book subject, modern suburban American families. Book was gritty, very current and full of horrible characters that you wanted to read about. Reading Mrs Fletcher made me go and buy some of Tom Perrotta’s older novels.
Well worth a read.

I enjoyed this story of a woman finding herself as a single empty nester!

Awesome story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

Slightly flat suburban satire about sex, gender, sex, culture and sex. Did I say sex more than once? That's because it's the main focus here - this small town in New England has it ALL going on! Pornography addiction, misogyny, Tinder hook-ups, threesomes, transgenderism, bisexuality...can't think of much in the way of sexuality and gender that didn't get at leaast touched on. It's not overly graphic or overbearing in any way, but make no mistake - it's the book's main THRUST (sorry, couldn't help myself).

Eve Fletcher and her clueless son are the two main characters. Mrs. Fletcher is a lonely and unsettled divorcee in her mid-forties with a newly empty nest. Her son, Brendan, is a shallow party-boy in his first year of college for which he is totally unprepared. The story is mostly split between the two of them; Mrs. Fletcher's arc told in third person and Brendan's in first person.

I liked it and it sure kept me turning the pages, but I suspect this isn't Perrotta's best effort. Still, he is a masterly, sly writer. The unease ratchets up towards the end as the many indiscretions lead you to suspect something cringeworthy is going to happen to Eve. The last two pages are funny, unsettling and pretty creepy.

A solid 3.5 that I am rounding up because I enjoyed the characters and got a kick out of the wry twist at the end. Would I recommend this? Yes, but not for the demure reader!

Eve Fletcher is in transition. She’s divorced, and her only son, Brendan, has just gone off to college. Her nest is officially empty, and she’s doing…fine? But she knows she needs to fill her time. Of course she has her work at the senior assisted living facility—which keeps her busy, but not quite fulfilled. So she takes a class at the local community college, meets some people, makes some friends.

She also develops a mild porn addiction.

And entertains sleeping with a boy (man?) her son’s age…

While also having a crush on her coworker, Amanda.

So yeah. She’s confused. Free…but figuring it out.

This book surprised me. After reading Little Children, I really expected more drama, more of a something to happen, especially at the end. But this book is a conversation. Or at least the beginning of one. It’s a push to see things differently, to question the “facts” (about gender and sex and aging and porn and parenting) you’ve taken for granted. Events don’t really happen here. Topics, issues, moments are explored.

Part of me did want more drama. I wanted something significant to happen, for the love. But I also appreciated the story as it was. Because the characters alone make this book compulsively readable, and I didn’t want to to put it down. I thought about Eve and Brendan and Amber and Julien when I was making grilled cheeses for my kids. They were on my mind, left me wondering. What happens next? What do I want to happen next? It’s just one of those stories that makes you think.

In short, this is an intriguing book. Thought-provoking and interesting, but not necessarily action-packed. It made me ponder and question, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I hoped for a more gripping ending, but I still finished the book feeling satisfied. Not a bad read, overall.

Tom Perrotta's books are so much fun to read, aren't they? He loves to pick away at the façade of normalcy to show you fact instead of fantasy. Think of Election and Little Children. People in the suburbs are up to some kinky shenanigans.

In Mrs. Fletcher, Perrotta shows you what a single, divorced mother facing empty nest syndrome does with her time, and let's just say that it involves a healthy dose of attention paid to MILFateria.com. Her interest is piqued when she receives an anonymous text telling her that "U R my MILF!"

The director of a community center for senior citizens, Eve's life reflects her job, to a great extent. She's surrounded by people who expect and adhere to routines, finding solace and security in what they can predict as they stare down their waning years. Eve has enjoyed the routine of life with Brendan, the two of them alone since her divorce seven years earlier. She makes him dinner, she does his laundry, and she accepts his self-centeredness with placid resignation. When she returns home after dropping off Brendan at college, she has to face a new normal.

She begins taking a Gender and Society night class at a community college, which expands her social circle considerably. And then she receives that text, which sends her down the Internet rabbit hole of online porn. One good side effect? Thanks to all the self-love that her newfound porn addiction ignites, her skin has never looked better.

Brendan, meanwhile, flounders. His high school misogyny and ego bloat turn out to not quite fit in the way he anticipated, especially since he picked his would-be alma mater because of its reputation as a party school. If there is a wrong move to make, Brendan makes it. You'd feel sorry for him if Perrotta didn't make it clear that any sympathies spent on Brendan are exercises in frustration. He uses Brendan as a cautionary tale about kids today: they need more than electronics and the emotional disconnect of social media. They need parental attention.

Some of the scenes are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and some are so melancholy as to make you feel a little teary. it isn't accidental that Eve learns as much about herself when her son is at college than he does about himself. The difference is that Eve wants to learn. Brendan was perfectly happy not realizing anything that he has to face. At first, Eve fights change but then comes to embrace and demand it. Brendan, on the other hand, can't adapt to the changes he thought he wanted. He discovers that he can't transfer his big man high school status to college, and the realization nearly cripples him.

Through Eve and Brendan, Perrotta shows you the different faces of sex and sexuality. For Eve, MILFateria and her night school class represent an awakening of sorts, while Brendan struggles to understand what sex is between two truly consenting adults.

I enjoyed this book so much. I liked how Perrotta kept me wondering about what would happen to Eve and Brendan, and I liked how he made me think about the Brendans and Eves of the world. He certainly makes me look at my neighbors and colleagues and wonder what they're up to as they stare at their computer screens.