Smart Women by Judy Blume: Maybe I’m just not ready for middle-aged chick lit yet, but I felt like I was reading a Lifetime Original movie. It had all the prerequisite plot devices: divorce, puberty, affairs, teen sex, and mental breakdowns. To top it all off, it was set in the 1980s. I remember enjoying Blume’s children’s books when I was young, and unfortunately I felt like that’s what I was reading again, only with sex and foul language thrown in. Blume can write very realistic children, but this talent does not translate well to adults. Much of the dialogue fell flat, sounding like monotone in my head. To her credit, there was some funny banter between Margo and Andrew, I felt real pity for B.B., and the children (Sara and Michelle) were very believable and sympathetic characters. All in all, Blume should stick to what she does best: children’s fiction.

Originally posted on Bookcrossing.