I absolutely adored Separation Anxiety!!!

Judy is a mother who is struggling with her son getting older and needed her less, her once promising career is going nowhere, her best (and pretty much only) friend is losing her long battle to cancer, and the fact that her marriage failed but they cannot finically make it official. She knows she needs to pick herself by her bootstraps and find her new normal...even if it means babywearing her dog lol!

If you are are 40(ish) or older Separation Anxiety should be required reading! Right off the bat, I found this novel extremely over the top, but crazily enough, so darn relatable! Laura Zigman does an amazing job writing snarky, realistic humor with deep heartfelt feelings— really hard to explain, but when you read it, you know exactly what I’m talking about! I love when I read a novel and at about halfway through I already know I don’t want the book to end! I have already told my friends to pre-order this 5 star gem because I need to discuss this fantastic book!! Must read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Judy's life is not exactly how she planned. Her marriage is failing, her teenage son doesn't want to talk to her, and her best friend is dying. In an unexpected turn of events (finding her son's old baby sling in the basement) she has begun wearing the family dog in a sling to cope.

This book was both comedic and heartbreaking for me. I related to it in ways I didn't think I would and found some of the over-the-top characters to be hilarious. Some of it did feel a bit repetitive, but for the most part the book was well-paced and kept me interested.

It was a bit like Where'd You Go Bernadette and Eleanor Oliphant. I appreciated the strong, female protagonist who mostly didn't care what people thought of her... and I related even more when she was vulnerable and admitted to feeling ashamed and embarrassed at times.

Overall, this was a cute and quirky story that made me want to carry my dog around too!

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book. Such a refreshing change from mom-lit where everyone is at Big Little Lies level, You relate to her and her family. I felt less ashamed, and they are not even real

Seeing Laura Zigman’s name on a novel after so many years, actually made me very happy. I remembered her extremely clever book, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, from many years ago. The moment I received the ARC from Netgalley, I eagerly read it.

Happily, I was not disappointed. This is about a family in crisis, not a sudden crisis, but years worth of pain, misunderstandings, loss and writer’s block. It’s the story of Judy who had early success in writing and is now blocked and her husband Gary, paralyzed by his own anxiety.

Somehow, Judy finds solace by wearing her dog in a baby sling. As someone who has trouble falling asleep without the melody of my cat purring in my ear, I got it! I was engaged by every moment of their journey and struggles.

This is a special novel, funny and poignant. It is very well done and a total page turner for me. It speaks to marriage, child rearing and the political correctness of progressive education. I can’t wait to share this with my book clubs. I know everyone who reads it will be drawn into Judy’s orbit and be cheering her on.

Of course, I suspect that Judy and Laura have a lot in common. Well, bravo and good wishes to both of you. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to be an early reviewer.