This is first book I read by Laura Zigman, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I saw this cover, I did think this would be more humorous, but this was definitely a much more serious novel then expected.

Judy is fifty, a children’s book writer who hasn’t come up with a good idea in years, separated from her husband (but they still live together) and a mother. When the book start starts she is cleaning out her basement when she finds an old baby sling, and this sets up her carrying her dog in that sling for the remainder of this book.

While a lot of the supporting characters brought in that humorous element to this book, Judy’s character is quite serious. She is having her mid-life crisis. Every decision seems critical for her, and potentially will be life changing.

I so loved this book and how Zigman portrayed your typical American mom. She wants to do right, but it just seems it just doesn’t ever happen. She feels very relatable, even with the dog strapped to her all the time. She is a woman who is just trying to get through the day, provide for her family, and also have the love from that family she provides for.

This was a surprising read, which I believe will make great book club discussions, with a few added laughs. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Judy is using the family pet dog as a comfort animal and is carrying it around with her everywhere she goes in a baby sling. She and her husband are separated but living in the same house. The husband has panic issues which makes it hard for him to pursue his creativity in music. Judy had written a very popular childrens book in the past, but now has writer's block since her past two books were not received well. Both Judy's parents have died recently, and now her best friend is dying.

This book was, I think, supposed to be an insight into mental illness and may have been trying for humorous and witty. For me it missed the mark. The story was very sad, but the characters seemed unbelievable to me and didn't win my heart. I really felt sorry for the child though.

Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This has been one of my favorite books of the year, so humorous but relatable. How does one cope while a husband is going through s mid life crisis, while you are responsible for keeping your family financially afloat? It's all too much and she copies by keeping her dog attached to her with a sling. And that's just the beginning. A must read.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of humor and self deprecation but in a good way. There was some sadness too. This cooky story will hold your interest and you will be invested to find out what happens next. A book about hope, loss, and love.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Everything I heard about this book made it seem like it would be a perfect read for me. I love novels with quirky-but-strong female characters. I did find the book to be entertaining and the writing was good, but it did not quite live up to my expectations. Perhaps the hype surrounding this book set my standards too high. I think I was hoping for more depth and emotion. I wanted to laugh out loud and to cry real tears. Overall, I think this was a good book, but it failed to reach the level of a great book.

“Separation Anxiety” by Laura Zigman is the story of Judy, a middle-aged mom who is stuck in a failing marriage and a failing writing career. Additionally, both of her parents died recently, her best friend is in the end stage of cancer, and her teenage son is growing up and apart from her. Looking for some comfort and a way to control her growing anxiety, Judge begins to wear her Sheltie in a baby sling. Everywhere.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book did have some very very funny parts and some touching parts. However, I just didn’t feel for the characters or the story development. That being said, this may be a book for someone else and they may love it. That’s what is awesome about reading, one persons 2 stars is another persons 5 star!

A quick read that runs the gamut of quirky, funny, and sometimes sad. The story of a family at a crossroads and how they reconcile their relationships to each other, their circumstances, and the cast of characters that surround them.

Separation Anxiety is utterly unexpected and charmingly quirky. A first purchase for adult fiction collections, particularly where uplit is popular.

I'm so excited to have been able to read another Laura Zigman book! It was a good mix of serious and silly and I like the way it used humor to make us see the absurdities in our lives.

I could not finish this book. I made it to about 20% but felt no connection to the characters or the plot. The premise sounded good, but it just didn't click for me. I don't plan to post a public review because I don't necessarily think this is a bad book. It's just not for me. I hope it finds its audience.

This is not the kind of book I normally read, but I was really intrigued by the cover. I heard about it from a Harper/Collins Book Buzz. As it turns out, I adored this book! It was funny, sad and very relative.

Not going to lie the opening chapter of this book didn't make me empathetic of the protagonist, nor did it make me find her relatable, and therefore the book was just plain weird to me and not entertaining. I couldn't get past it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

There is some humor in this book but mostly I just found the subject matter so depressing. I am not at the same point in my life where I can relate to Judy so that made it hard to read this book. I can definitely see how this book could be important for some people to read but I just couldn't understand or relate. Overall, the writing was good and I enjoyed bits and pieces but this book just didn't have me intrigued.

Judy's life is a mess and she knows she has to find a way to deal with her always buzzed, anxiety-ridden, almost ex-husband, her best friend's cancer, her own creativity slump, mounting financial worries and her teenage boy who doesn't find her fun anymore - sigh. The one place she feels comfort is by carrying her dog around in her son's old baby sling. This is middle-age madness that some of us can relate to only because of Zigman presenting it to us with tears and laughter in equal measure. While we may not have all the issues that are plaguing Judy and her family, we can all use a bit of time with the doggy sling. This will resonate with fans of "feel good but with a purpose" fiction that focuses on wonderful characters that make us giggle and cry. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book was so interesting and relatable. It addressed anxiety and family issues in a way that was humorous but didn't diminish them.

This book reminded me a bit of Laurie Gelman's Class Mom series. It's funny but touching and entertaining but at times, poignant. I enjoyed it- fast, fun read!

I found the story quirky but cute. I could see my mom in this character when I was about to go leave for college. It was a good read but I can see this book being kind of hard for my age group to relate to. I also found some sections a little slow.

This was intended to be an insightful, witty look at mental illness, marriage troubles, and midlife happenings. Unfortunately, it missed the mark. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the storyline crept along too slowly for my tastes. I was hoping for more depth, more emotion, more SOMETHING. I didn’t care for the characters and wanted to shake them. This unfortunately didn’t work for me but others have left it glowing reviews so I may be the oddball here. 🤷‍♀️ Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

A quirky novel about motherhood once the babies are teenagers and don't need you like once before. I laughed a lot and also felt a lot of this book in my heart. I believe any mothers that have or have had teenagers will likely connect.

Do yourself a favor and just go with the premise of this book. Do not overthink the logistics or why of Judy wearing her dog. Once you do that, the story is something beautiful and moving that is rarely found in this genre. Being a "woman of a certain age" isn't easy and Zigman does an increible job bringing this famiy to life in a powerful and moving way. I don't think anyone who truly sumbits to the book will walk away unmoved. Grateful to have had the chance to read this.