I fell in love with Alexa Martin’s books last summer, when I binged all four parts of The Playbook Series. That’s a romance series set among the girlfriends and wives of an NFL team.

When I saw she had a new book, I jumped on it without looking into the synopsis. If that’s your style, let me give you a little bit of a warning. Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes is not in that same vein. It’s got a twinge of a love story, but this is definitely contemporary fiction instead of modern romance.

This story alternates between the voices of Lauren and Jude. Lauren is a single mom of a delightful five-year-old girl named Addy. They move into a Los Angles townhouse with Lauren’s best friend from third grade, Jude. Jude is an influencer and daughter of a relatively washed up soap opera actress.

But as we know, exes be crazy. Lauren’s ex fiancé serves her papers demanding full custody of Addy, even though the relationship ended due to his cheating and he wasn’t involved in the child’s life for years. This is where the story got hard to read. Ben’s antics made me so angry, I contemplated throwing my phone/book and giving up entirely. I was so irritated with him and internally screaming at Lauren for not protecting herself…. shooot. There were many angry messages sent. However, I’m glad I stuck with it. There’s a mediation scene that is straight fire.

While Lauren is struggling through her own set of problems, Jude is also facing her own issues. Those largely stem from her mother. Juliette hasn’t been the same since her husband died. She’s spent more money than she has in an attempt to keep up appearances with reality show castmates, and frequently turns to Jude for cash (which she doesn’t have). Juliette manipulates Jude into a paparazzi deal, but the stress of her mom only talking to her when she needs something sends Jude over the edge a little bit.

One thing I love about Alexa Martin’s books across the board is how she writes female friendships. They are so supportive and all in for each other and I love it. It’s both realistic and slightly utopic at the same time. You know it if you have those ride or die gals in your squad, and also wish more women were that level of supportive. It just makes you smile.

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes is a frustratingly beautiful story, just like real life. Keep that in mind if the struggles and battles get on your nerves. There are also plenty of joys along the journey.