I wanted to love this with the comp titles, but it fell a little short for me. I enjoyed Mary Jane's story of coming out of her shell and having her eyes opened to the world beyond her parents' stuffy, strictly religious upbringing. The contrasts between her own family with the Cones was stark and a bit exaggerated. The pacing slowed about halfway through and was a slog to the end. And the ending itself felt rushed, as Mary Jane's mother seemed to do a total 180 without having the character arc in place to warrant her sudden change of heart. So all in all, an intriguing story that suffered from underdevelopment.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorites of 2021 so far! You won't be able to resist falling in love with the quirky cast of characters in Mary Jane!

Mary Jane's upbringing clashes with the chaotic family she will be with for the summer. Will her stoic lifestyle be able to connect with the cluttered, unrestrained lives of those living in the Cone house? Throw in a helping of sex (addicts), drugs & Rock N Roll (stars) and will Mary Jane be able learn and grow or head down the wrong path that her church going family has always warned her about! The perfect Summer/Beach Read filled with fun, quirky characters and a story that will stick with you for a while!

Those familiar with Baltimore setting will instantly feel at home and will vividly see the streetscape scenes unfold in your mind.

Have been hearing about this one for 9 months & for good reason.

This is one of the best if not THE best coming-of-age books I've ever read. I could easily identify with Mary Jane because at 14, I was that same naive, prim and proper young girl that Mary Jane was. I babysat in summers too though alas I never had rock stars or movie stars show up in my life like Mary Jane. My head would have exploded. Heck, my head would explode if it happened to me now (long past 14 years old). Mary Jane was responsible and mature beyond her years, and she provided stability and structure for Izzy that was sadly lacking from her parents. Mary Jane's own parents were stiff and strict - light years away from the situation in which she now found herself. Through the summer, she came to realize that not everything was so cut and dried in life. Just because someone was a different race or religion or had a different lifestyle didn't make them bad as her parents had taught her.

The writing is excellent and the characters are real and vivid. The story is heartwarming and ends on a happy note. What more can you want?!!

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a touching and sweet coming of age story. In a refreshing shift, the main character transforms subtly instead of transforming radically. She is less innocent and more aware of the wider world after a summer spent nannying for a free-spirited family. However, Mary Jane retains a sweetness while discovering her inner strength. The author was able to capture what it feels like to realize there are different ways of existing in the world. This book was entertaining and the characters were likeable and well-developed. It will be recommended to fans of Anne Tyler and Alice McDermott.

This was a great coming of age story taking place over a transformative summer. I also felt like it was a love story to the 1970s and Baltimore. I grew up an hour outside the city and my husband is from the area, so it was fun to read about the area during that time. My MIL and SIL live in Roger’s Forge!

I thought the author did a fantastic job capturing the teenage voice, as did the narrator on the audiobook. I loved the singing on the audiobook. It greatly added to the depth of the story.

As I was reading/listening, I kept comparing the parenting styles of Mary Jane’s mom and Mrs. Cone. Mary Jane’s mom taught her the skills to help the Cone family, but the Cone family showed her a different type of mother.

I liked Izzy as comic relief, but I also felt she highlighted the impending/ongoing maturity of Mary Jane. I think we can all think back to a time during our teenage years when we turned the corner into “adulthood.”

I liked the quote: “To feel something, was to feel alive.”

Overall, I highly recommend this book; especially on audio. I think it would make a great summer read as well, as that matches the setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced reader’s ebook.

I loved this quirky, unique coming of age story. The writing is phenomenal, the pacing of the story perfection. I will read anything this author puts out.

It turns out you can judge a book by its cover! Mary Jane is a delightful coming of age story centered in Baltimore in the 1970's. Strait-laced Mary Jane is the summer nanny for Izzy and her hippie parents - add in sex, drugs, rock and roll, and a little bit of Hollywood and you end up with a wildly fun summer read. I hated for the book to end and find myself wishing I could buy a copy of Jimmy's album.

Thank you William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for this ARC.

Mary Jane is a coming of age story of a girl in the '70's. It's marketed as "General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction" and I would say it's more like Young Adult Historical Fiction.
It really gives me the whole dysfunctional family/doctor vibes of "Running with Scissors".

I felt the characters were a bit too one dimensional for me and felt a little cliche. Also, there was a semi-negative discussion about Jewish people early on that rubbed me the wrong way.

Gorgeous cover and concept, just not for me.

Mary Jane is 14 years old in the 1970s when her life changes forever. A good student, involved with her church and church choir, Mary Jane has happily spent time with her parents, learning to cook and maintain a household. Her dreams of the future life don’t stray far from her home and community. This summer, though, she has her first job babysitting for the daughter of a local physician. Her mother heartily approves as nothing could be safer than working for a respectable doctor! Mary Jane soon discovers that life inside the doctor’s house is very different from the one she’s used to. Utter chaos reigns especially when a famous rock star and his wife come to stay for the summer.
Mary Jane is a delight. It is a “coming of age” novel for Mary Jane and all of the characters and maybe even some readers. Mary Jane’s worldview is expanded as she navigates through the chaos of life in the Cone home. Her very conservative upbringing doesn’t prepare her for the Cones' liberal, laissez-faire lifestyle. Just as the intersection of differing lifestyles, ideologies, and behaviors challenge Mary Jane to evolve, the doctor’s family, her own family, and even the rock star and his wife face the same reality.

Very enjoyable novel. A young girl, Mary Jane- 14 year old - becomes a summer nanny for a psychiatrist and his wife for their little girl. It is bizarre that a psychiatrist would hire a 14 year old even as a mother’s helper type nanny. The bizarreness starts there and carries in throughout. The Dr is treating a celebrity in his home for her heroine addiction and she meets him and his wife. It is a cute story that has some very deep topics but I love how it was done. I loved following along with Mary Jane’s summer and couldn’t wait to see how it would end.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful historical fiction novel set in early 70's Baltimore. Fourteen year old Mary Jane takes a summer position as a nanny to 5 year old Izzy, in a neighboring home of Dr. Cone and his wife, people her mother deems "respectible" because he is a doctor and they live in the "right" section of town. Soon, Dr Cone is treating a rock star, Jimmy, who has moved in with his starlet wife, Sheeba, to battle his addictions. This a true coming of age story, as Mary Anne learns about a completely different familly life than the structured, organized, prototypical home in which she grew up. Her summer centers around Izzy, all while cooking, cleaning, and lovingly getting to be part of a different, expanded family who treat each other differntly than her own. This opens her eyes to racism, antisemitism, and the changing world of 1976. Several historical errors really irked me - but this was a very worthwhile and enjoyable read.

Mary Jane's parents are strict, conservative, a bit snooty and boring. They allow her to take a summer job as a nanny. The family she is working for is the exact opposite of everything Mary Jane knows. Her eyes are opened to a different way of life and the vision of the possibilities her own future could hold.

This was definitely a fun read that I breezed through in just a few days. Set in the 70's, it gives off that free loving spirit that still lingered in the air from the 60's. Mary Jane is a little naive about sex, drugs and music, that she is now being exposed to daily in the Cones household. But she seems to know more than any of the adults in that house about cooking and cleaning. Mary Jane is torn between two completely different families with different values and she is teetering between the two trying to find what's right for her. The book does touch on some instances of racism and stereotyping that Mary Jane recognizes in her own parents. And while she does question them about it, I was wishing for a little more confrontation and the possibility of change on these matters. But, I digress.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book! It's perfect for a summer beach read!

Mary Jane Dillard seems to be living the idyllic life as a child in 1975. She and her parents live in a nice neighborhood, but when the 14-year-old takes a summer job as nanny to Izzy, she’s introduced to entirely different family. Izzy, the five-year-old only seems to able to talk in ALL CAPS. Her mother goes braless and her father is a Jew and a psychologist. Then a rock- star and his wife come to stay for addition therapy. I get May Jane’s confusion as she narrates the story, this family is not like the others in the suburban neighborhood. What’s amazing about Mary Jane is her lack of anger or rebellion. She enjoys church. Let’s just say she has common sense and her narration is spot on. Yeah, at times, the plot seems far-fetched, but then so do most sit-com tv shows. I can see this story being snapped up for a movie.

This book was like a breath of fresh air, an interesting and entertaining premise with plenty of humor and heartwarming moments woven throughout.

Mary Jane, by Jessica Anya Blau, is book highlighting a teenagers coming of age in the mid 1970s. Mary Jane is 14 years old when she takes a nannying position at a prestigious doctors house for 5 year old Izzy Cone. Dr. Cone is a psychiatrist and addiction specialist, who agrees to take on rock star Jimmy and his actress wife, Sheba for the summer for both addiction (for Jimmy) and some couples therapy. This story details the time that Mary Jane spends at the house, and the "family" that is formed for the summer that she is there.

Mary Jane comes from a buttoned up, white collar house hold, where things are more "traditional". Pot roast and meat loaf are staples in the household, and traditional man/woman roles are abided by. Mary Jane's eyes are opened to the unconventional lifestyle the Cones (and Sheba/Jimmy) exemplify, and loves the tastes of freedom that she gets while she is taking care of Izzy (and really, taking care of everyone!)

This book is light and highly entertaining. It shows an era of transition, between those who were of the older generation in the 70s, and those who were younger and wanting change, both in music, social/political climate and gender roles. It was a great time of transition, where everyone was trying to find their place. This book highlights this perfectly, without being too overdone. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and and wants to break up the sad WWII reads with something lighter and more warm hearted. Five stars!!

This coming-of-age story involves fourteen year old Mary Jane, growing up in Baltimore in 1975 who lands a summer job as a nanny for five year old Izzy. Naive Mary Jane has had a strict upbringing with conservative parents and she is exposed to a family of free-thinking people and the world of drugs and rock and roll. Izzy’s father is a psychiatrist who is treating a rock and roll star for addiction. The musician and his actress wife are living in the doctor’s home during the treatment. Over the summer Mary Jane discovers who she wants to be. The novel provides a sometimes funny and thought-provoking look at the 1970s, touching on addiction, racism, sexual mores, rock and roll, and the value of friendship.

What one summer can do to change a young girl’s life. A nanny position gave Mary Jane an opportunity to break free and be herself, to see what it was like to be in a loving family.

The characters, the storyline, the ending - I loved it all.

'Mary Jane' by Jessica Anya Blau is a very cute coming of age story set in the summer of 1975 in the Baltimore suburbs. Fourteen year old Mary Jane Dillard is the product of a straight-laced conservative, Christian family with a home maker mother and a lawyer father that you just know have a flyer from the Eagle Forum neatly tucked into a drawer of a secretary colonial. The story opens with Mary Jane accepting a job as a summer nanny for the Cone family down the street. Almost immediately, Mary Jane finds herself in a topsy-turvy progressive household very different from her own. The book opens strongly with a clear 70s vibe, in part, to further contrast Mary Jane from the Cones. Over the first few chapters we see Mary Jane and Izzy, the Cones' five year old daughter, form an adorable bond while Mary Jane begins to bring some semblance of order to the Cone household. Although she was initially employed to be a nanny, Mary Jane begins to find other things around the house that she can help with - cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping - all skills that she has learned form her very traditional mother. Because, while a housewife, Mrs. Cone doesn't cook, clean, or watch Izzy. Dr. Cone is a therapist who has cleared his summer schedule to treat one high-maintenance patient - a drug-addicted musician named Jimmy and his moviestar wife, Sheba.

When Jimmy and Sheba move into the Cones house for the summer, Mary Jane's world blows wide open as she is exposed to the glitz, glamor, and dark side of celebrity culture. In the middle of the hurricane that is the dysfunctional nature of the Cone house and now the riotous existence of Jimmy and Sheba, Mary Jane learns what it means to be herself. Because even though her own home offers security, cleanliness, and routine, the love and acceptance Mary Jane experiences with the Cones covers over a multitude of mess.

I think Blau has created an absolutely charming story of what it means to be comfortable with yourself when the culture or your family can only see you through one lens. The characters are lovely and lifelike and the author transports readers to a different time and mentality. Greedily, I wanted more descriptions that were uniquely "70s". Not just the clothing, not just listening to records, and definitely not just from the blazing racism expressed by some of the characters although that is anachronistic in its own way. I wanted even more atmospheric descriptions which seem to wane as we become invested in the characters. I would have liked to have seen more specific references to music (maybe even include a playlist?), variety shows, appliances and other household items, and even societal interactions that weren't on a racial sliding scale. I think the author does this well when we see Mary Jane interact with the Cones, I mean, one of the first interactions she has with Izzy is when she is coloring diagramed drawings of genitalia at the breakfast table that reminded me of the squiggly pen and ink drawings of The Joy of Sex! But we are taken into generic conservative/traditional scenarios when Mary Jane is with her own family. For example, I don't think we ever get a proper idea of what Mary Jane's room looks like. I found that a little peculiar for a story about a teen girl. Like I said, more consistent details would have enriched this book even more and made it a perfect read for me instead of getting vague hints and allusions to popular culture movements and moments of the 70s.

All in all, 'Mary Jane' is a really wonderful book and it was a delight to read. Highly recommend as a summertime, coming of age story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love, love, loved this book from beginning to end. It’s beautifully detailed, filled with amazing characters, and written in an easy-to-read manner. It’s filled with nostalgia, love, and a little harmless mischief.

In the pages of this book you will meet Mary Jane, a fourteen year old girl who has agreed to be a summer nanny to a doctor’s daughter. What she doesn’t realize that she’s about to step into a world of free spirits. That’s going to be an eye opener to this child from a very conformist and uptight family. Her mother, especially, has rigid cultural and social norms, and she believes everyone else should too. She’s highly repressed and restrictive. Both she and her husband are racist and anti-Semitic. What Mary Jane finds in the Cone house, however, is a hippie vibe. Lots of love, but also a laissez-faire attitude toward household management. In other words, the house is filled with clutter. No one in the house likes to cook, either. But they want their five year old to be well-taken care of. These are such foreign things to Mary Jane. Her mother believes being a housewife, keeping a home, and cooking are the highest accomplishments for a woman. But Mary Jane is up to the task. But what will she do if her parents find out that she’s doing more than taking care of a five year old?

In the Cone house, there are also some famous guests, a movie star, Sheba, and her rock star husband, Jimmy. They are kind, generous, and loving people, but they came for Jimmy to receive treatment from Dr. Cone. This is the serious part of the book. Jimmy is being treated for multiple addictions. But when he’s not in treatment, he and Sheba, along with Mary Jane, become part of the family.

This was such a great story, so easy to read, and engulfing. I felt like I was a part of this wonderful group of people who formed a loving family. It’s not a straight line story, either. There are some surprises. There’s also use of some crude language at times. These are flawed people, not perfect dolls. They all have problems. They’ve all come from different backgrounds that provided difficulties and challenges. But at the end, it’s very much of a feel-good tale. I know that I smiled throughout most of the book. I would love to see a sequel to this book.

I received a advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reaction to reading this book.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming-of-age story. Mary Jane is a twelve/thirteen year old with a summer babysitting job. From the first moment she enters the Cone's home, she knows it is different, but she has already fallen in love with her charge, Izzy, who is an adorable five-year old curly-headed girl. The place is in chaos, but Mary Jane starts immediately putting it to rights, and involving Izzy every step of the way and making it all fun. They collect boos from all over the house. They fold clothes and, at least, Izzy's get put away. Izzy is given a bath regularly, something new. Mary Jane and Izzy do all the grocery shopping and gradually they take over the cooking. Guests arrive: Jimmy, a rock star, and his starlet wife, Sheba. But it is a big secret. Turns out Dr. Cone is a psychiatrist and Jimmy is an addict, here to recover. A new world opens to Mary Jane. The Cones had been odd but Jimmy and Sheba were odd and fun!

As all good things, must, this babysitting came to an end, but not before the Cones and Jimmy and Sheba had had a huge impact on Mary Jane, and she on them. They saw her in a way her parents never had. Well, to be fair, her parents had never looked. The impact was not only on Mary Jane, but on her mother as well. It was all-good. This was an amusing book. There is so much going on for everyone that is was sometimes almost overwhelming. There was so much introduced to Mary Jane in just a couple of months: she had had no idea. It was a terrific read. It was so easy to identify with each of the characters and so empathize, but at the same identify with some of the other characters. What a wonderful insight into the workings of a teenage mind. It made me smile. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Mostly, it made me excited for Mary Jane's life.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Mary Jane by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #maryjane