I absolutely LOVED this book.....The novel features a teen girl who is very smart but does not do well in school, nevertheless she LOVES to read. Her parents are divorced. Mom abandoned her when she was a little kid, so she now lives dad and her older sister. She regularly spends time with her paternal uncle and his wife.....As the book progresses there are changes in school and at home. "A Month of Mondays" very much a realistic novel, but it differs from the majority of teen lit in that the message is uplifting.

Suze Tamaki always seems to be getting herself into trouble, a result of feeling bored with school and her life in general. When an English teacher coaxes her into an honors class, Suze learns what it’s like to finally be challenged. However, her life dramatically changes when her mother, Caroline, shows up unannounced after a 10-year absence and wants to pick up where she left off. Dad’s not thrilled, and big sister Tracie won’t allow it. In fact, she’s adamant that the two stick to the pact they’d made years before: to never speak to Caroline. Ever. But Suze is conflicted and wants to give her mother a chance. Anthony, who writes YA novels under the name J. M. Kelly, has created an engaging narrator bound to resonate with readers. Suze is half Anglo, half Japanese, and a Canadian tween through and through. Her missteps, hesitations, and assumptions are universal, and when she
faces her toughest challenges, she takes messy but brave leaps that leave her a little more mature than the
day before.—Jeanne Fredriksen (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2017)

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

I started off enjoying this book quite a bit and then it sort of dragged on and I began to lose interest. I can only imagine that if my preteens were reading this, they would also get bored with it. Suze is a 13 year old who lives with her father and older sister. Her mother walked out on her family when she was too young to remember and now her mother is back. In addition to that storyline, you also follow her time at school where Suze is constantly in trouble, but a well-meaning teacher puts her on a project with her friend, Amanda.

I felt that it would have been nice to have the focus more on Suze's mother and her past. I felt that was rushed. I felt that Suze was quite immature for her age and I would have guessed her to be around 11. I do really appreciate the spotlight on school custodians, as my mom is a custodian.

As a mother of 3 girls, I can relate somewhat to what the main character goes through. I like that this is set in middle school. I often think this is a setting that is overlook by many authors and should be explored more. I am always trying to find quality, thoughtful, entertaining reads for my daughters and this was a good one.

A Month of Mondays is just the type of book that will do well, especially with my current grade 8's where I have a number of students who love heartfelt, well written books with a relate-able young teen struggling to fit in with family and school. Lately they have been reading books where the parent leaves and this will be a change for them because the parent, in this case mom, has returned. Sensitively and realistically handled.

***I was given a free e-ARC of this book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***



Suze Tamaki is literally just coasting through middle school, trying to survive rocky friendships, bad dye jobs, and a principal who is out to get her. Her English teacher pairs her up with an Honors English student to work on a project. When Suze and Amanda find out that the school system is planning to get rid of their beloved custodians, the two girls turn saving their jobs into their English project. And if everything goes well, Suze will get to stay in Honors English- something that she desperately wants (it also scares her to death).



Adding to that stress is the reappearance of Suze's mom who left the family when Suze was just 3. While Suze wants to give her mother a second chance, older sister Traci is adamantly against it and resents Suze for her decision.



This is a pretty realistic story about not just growing up but also family ties. The characters were well thought out and the plot was solid. I loved the way it wrapped up and the decision Suze made about how much she influence she was going to allow her missing mother to have on her life. I've read a lot of stories where the child just fully forgives the parent who walked away, so it was nice to see a story where the child acknowledges their hurt over being abandoned and taking steps to protect themselves.



It was a lovely middle grade read but I would definitely recommend this to all realistic fiction lovers.

Suze Tamaki hasn't seen her biological mother in 10 years, and suddenly she wants to be back in her life. Suze lives with her father and older sister, and is being raised with the help of her aunt Jenny, also known as AJ. Suze's sister Tracie is determined not to let her become close to their mother who abandoned them all those years ago. As if dealing with all this isn't enough, Suze's English teacher wants her to try harder in his class, and has just given her an extra assignment. Will she be able to handle it all? Kids will be able to sympathize with this believable character and enjoy the book from beginning to end.

Suze Tamaki’s life is turned upside down when her long lost and estranged mother pops back up in her life looking to reconnect. Suze’s older sister Tracie is unable to forgive their mother for abandoning them, and is determined to make Suze’s life hell if she even considers speaking to her.

Suze, however, wants to give her mother a chance, and she is determined to know her despite Tracie’s feelings. Things at school are even more uncertain, when a teacher puts her into English Honors, Suze finds herself feeling somhow like she doesnt belong but wants to.

Really lovely read.

Suze is content to slide through life being average, but her life seems to be full of Mondays when her estranged mother comes back into her life, older sister Tracie is pressuring her to ignore her mother, and Suze is moved into Honors English for an assignment that she must ace to stay. Suze must decide what she wants from her family, her life, and her education.

Suze, her friends, and her family really resonated with me. They were realistically portrayed. I liked that even though Caroline returns to Suze's life that not everyone finds that easy transition. Each person has his/her own distinct emotional journey as they deal with complex life events.