Kathleen WestCritiques

Helicopter parents vs teachers! this was a fun story without the filler fluff most similar books make you trudge through

A solid 2 1/2 stars. It got better the further along I read, maybe because I knew it would soon be coming to an end. Pretty infuriating in some instances, maybe that's real life. I don't know. I guess it is for some.

This was so much fun! I think there were a few too many perspectives, and Jamie and Julia just really needed names that didn't start with the same letter, but very readable nonetheless.

Yes, yes, yes. It feels like I have been waiting for this book for my entire life and it is exactly what my hockey goalie heart wanted. Female friendships, a husband who managed a bookstore, kids getting into the sport their parents loved on their own, a long over due #MeToo in the hockey world, a pub date right after the Winter Olympics, and a team of young girls coming together to embrace the sport they love - I loved every page, every minute, of Home or Away.

Home or Away by Kathleen West is a 2022 Berkley publication.

Best friends, Leigh and Susy were on the road to Olympic hockey glory together...

But only one of them would bring home a medal...

Now, twenty years later, Leigh, married, and the mother of young Gus, has moved back to Minnesota, for the sake of her son, who wants his own chance at hockey glory.

But for Leigh, the move has brought back bitter memories-deepening the poisonous secret she has kept from her husband, while Gus struggles to play at the same level as his teammates.

Meanwhile, Susy, the hockey coach, tries to reach out to Leigh, but Leigh resents Susy’s success, her knowledge of Leigh's old secret, and the new friendship that Susy has developed with her husband, Charlie.

Things go from bad to worse for Leigh, as the reasons for her hockey failures all those years ago threaten to surface, meaning a certain end to her marriage. But even worse, there is an increasing amount of pressure from Susy and others to admit the truth and to finally come forward with her story…

This novel deals, not only with the pressures on young athletes, but with the behind-the-scenes politics, and the exploitation of young women who participate in sports at an elite level. It is also the story about relationships- motherhood, marriage, and friendship.

Occasionally I struggled with this book. I found it repetitive, at times, and the characters often frustrated me. I understood what the author was going for, though, and the themes explored are ones I feel strongly about- so I tamped down on my impatience to see how everything would play out.

Ultimately, I liked how the story came together, and the big steps the characters made. Even though the adults are older, a great deal of growing up is necessary- and slowly they rise to the occasion and do the right thing for themselves and others. Gus was my favorite character, though. I felt for him- the pressure he felt, the maturity and insights he had, and the realistic view of his limitations, which might have fallen short of the expectations placed on his little shoulders.

Overall, despite my annoyances with some of the characters, and their deliberate ignorance and stubbornness, and occasional outright meanness, I feel the story touches on a several thought-provoking subjects in such a way as to avoid uncomfortable heaviness, or becoming preachy, while providing us with a story that gives us something to chew on while offering hope, closure, and a new beginnings for everyone involved….

3.5 stars½

A story about teens and their phones. But not a bad read. Good beach read.½

This book was okay. I found parts of it to be entertaining, but other parts dragged on a bit too much. It took me two weeks to finish because I kept getting bored with it and putting it down. I preferred Where'd You Go, Bernadette? Also, I expected more of a surprise/impact when the graffiti mystery was revealed. In addition, the story felt incomplete in terms of the kids--especially since chapters were often written from the kids' points of view. What happened with Sadie and Tane's friendship, for example? How did Sadie and Teddy think of each other at the end of the novel? And don't get me started on the environmental charter school. That seemed a bit too perfect and convenient. On the positive side, it's nice to read a book like this where things don't get too dark and there's a hopeful, optimistic spirit. It has a touch of the comfort-read, like snuggling under a blanket.

Fabulous book for anyone who has been involved in kids sports. I know nothing about ice hockey but this was a fun read. Issues of women in sports a interesting side story. That may have been the main story.

Twenty years ago, Leigh Mackenzie felt like she lost everything when she failed to make the US Olympic hockey team. She left hockey behind and tried to move on by marrying her boyfriend, moving to Florida, pursuing a high-profile career, and eventually having a baby, but now they’ve moved back to Minnesota and her past has slammed into her. Home or Away by Kathleen West is definitely about hockey, women in sports, and the pressure of sports in general, so if that doesn’t interest you then beware. But, it’s also about marriage, fidelity, friendship, and family. West’s story moves quickly, and her story feels relevant and rings with truth for anyone who spends time in youth hockey circles.½

Author Kathleen West is a lifelong Minnesotan with more than twenty years' experience as a schoolteacher,. She continues teaching English while focusing her writing on motherhood, ambition, competitive parenting, and work-life balance.

West describes Minneapolis as "the perfect place to write a hockey book. . . . Minnesota is the state of hockey." It is an integral part of the school and youth culture, and West herself is a hockey mom. Her children fell in love with the sport and she has spent a decade in hockey rinks. Even so, to pen Home or Away she had to conduct significant research to educate herself about coaching and playing hockey. In addition to the fact that "Minnesota and hocky go together," she chose to focus the story around it because children begin playing at a very young age in order to excel at it. And hockey requires players to master several different skillsets, including skating and stick handling, in addition to game strategy. West found the intensity inherent in the sport important for her characters' traits, life choices, and reactions to what they experience.

The story is told from four characters' perspectives. At the center of the tale is Leigh, who grew up in Minneapolis playing competitive hockey and, along with her good friend and teammate, Suzy, goes to Lake Placid to train and, hopefully, secure a place on the 2002 Olympic team. For Leigh, competing in the Olympics will be the culmination of years of preparation, and she is singularly focused on her goal. By the time she leaves for the summer, she is in a relationship with Charlie. When she arrives in Lake Placid, she realizes that competition for the team is even more intense than she imagined it would be, but she has attracted the attention of an assistant coach, Jeff Carlson. She believes him when he assures her that, although he does not have final decision-making power, he can definitely influence the selection of Olympic team members. Leigh is young, ambitious, and determined to achieve her goal at any cost. Still, her compromise is not enough and she listens in stunned disbelief as the team members are announced but her name is not called. She returns home to Minnesota dejected and bitter, and gives up hockey. She persuades Charlie to marry her shortly thereafter and launches her career in investment banking.

Worse, Leigh carries a terrible secret that, if revealed, could destroy the life she builds with Charlie in Florida where he works as the assistant manager of a bookstore and toils sporadically on his first novel which, unbeknownst to Leigh uncomfortably parallels her experience. In their marriage, Leigh is the primary breadwinner, and Charlie bears prime responsibility for their household and rearing their nine-year-old son, Gus. Like his mother and Leigh's brother, who coaches hockey in Minnesota, Gus loves the sport and is excited to move to a place with a more robust youth program.

West also relates the story from Gus's perspective as he maintains a "Hockey Bible" in which he chronicles his practice times, milestones, and advice received from his coaches. His consternation about competition, fitting in, and his mother's role in his placement on the team in a division for which he is not sure he is qualified, is endearing and, at times, heartbreaking. West credibly depicts his emotional struggles and voice. He enjoys hockey and knows that his mother, more than anyone, wants him to excel. But is he playing the sport because he is passionately devoted to it and fueled by the same kind of ambition his mother had? Or is he just trying to please his parents by living up to their expectations?

The story is also related from the vantage points of Charlie and Susy. Charlie is affable, devoted to his family, and a bit overwhelmed as he attempts to assimilate into the the world of hockey parents. He wants only the best for Charlie, and looks to Leigh, her brother and his fellow coaches, and the other parents for guidance since he did not play hockey. His passivity and gentle nature both attract and repel Leigh, who finds herself at a crossroads soon after relocating. She is reunited with Susy, who knows the truth about what happened in Lake Placid. She could see that Leigh's focus was not where it should be and she was not working hard enough. Suzy has remained active in the sport as a coach and mother of a talented daughter who is competing. Susy's growing friendship with Charlie alarms Leigh, who fears that she will reveal to Charlie what she knows about Leigh's past. Divorced, Susy finds herself increasingly drawn to Charlie ("the nicest guy in the universe" who looks "like a literal movie star") and frustrated by Leigh's actions and the way Susy believes she takes Charlie for granted.

Leigh learns that Jeff has been accused of abusing young, vulnerable female athletes that he coached after that lifechanging summer in Lake Placid, and she is asked to provide information about her experiences. Jeff's fundamental character traits remain the same as two decades earlier. He is still overbearing and manipulative, and convinces Leigh that he holds the power to influence her son's success as a competitive player. The secret she has kept for so many years weighs heavily on her, as does her guilt, as she debates whether to accede to Jeff's demands or risk everything and everyone that she loves by telling the truth.

The most compelling and emotionally resonant aspect of Home or Away is West's exploration of the power dynamics between male coaches and female athletes. West places Leigh and Susy in the midst of the emergence of women's hockey in the mid to late 1990's, culminating in Susy earning a place on the U.S. Olympic team when Leigh did not. Seeing Susy again -- an Olympic medalist -- churns up feelings that Leigh has refused to confront for twenty years. Coupled with pressure from both Jeff and other women who want her to speak her truth in order to ensure that Jeff is held accountable for his behavior, Leigh must finally reconcile her past at the risk of the life she has built. She is not just wracked with guilt and afraid of the fallout from having the truth exposed. She is also proud and determined not to let her parents and brother down again. After all, her father created a place in her parents' home where her Olympic medal was going to be displayed and that place has remained empty for twenty years. It represents an empty space deep within Leigh where she has been unable to forgive herself. As West notes, "She refuses to let people in or admit weakness" and her stoicism blinds her to the truth about her behavior in Lake Placid. But at her core, Leigh wants to do the right thing, which forces her to grapple with a stark reality: she has the unique power to aid the young women who have lodged complaints about Jeff's abuse of power. West deftly examines the nuances of the #MeToo storyline from the viewpoints of Leigh and Susy, as well as the voice of Leigh's new friend, Nicole, a savvy and assertive attorney. She also compassionately depicts Charlie's emotional turmoil as pieces of the puzzling truth about his wife and her decisions begin falling into place. Charlie and Leigh eventually grapple with whether their marriage can withstand betrayals and lies through understanding, forgiveness, and abiding love and respect.

Home or Away is at once a charming look at family life in America's heartland and a searing study of the pressures budding athletes feel to succeed, with internal and external stressors weighing upon them. Between chapters, West inserts emails from the officious team manager to the "Listen Heights Hockey Fam" which are darkly hilarious and frighteningly realistic, demonstrating the extent to which some parents become obsessed with their children's athletic pursuits. And although West successfully centers the tale around hockey, she could have fleshed out her universal themes within the context of any competitive sport.

West's characters are multi-layered and believable, and Leigh's conundrum is both timely and, sadly, timeless. Her dilemmas are relatable, and West skillfully makes every character both flawed and sympathetic so that readers will find themselves taking Leigh, Charlie, Susy and, in particular, little Gus into their hearts and hoping that they can successfully navigate the crisis into which they are thrust.

Home or Away is entertaining, engrossing, and, best of all, thought-provoking.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

I have never really been big on books with sports in them but this book was very well written! I was surprised by how much I actually did enjoy reading it! The character building was wonderful! The individual relationships and with the depth that was add to each character makes it impossible to not invest yourself in them! This was my first book by this author but I will definitely be changing that!

Thank you to Goodreads, the author and Berkley publishers for this book.

If you like hockey, secrets, betrayals, this book is for you.

Set in the slightly near" future of 2022 (later than March) and into 2023, Leigh, who was a major hockey player 20 years ago, never made it to the Olympics, was bitter about it and decided to quit it even though she could have continued into college. She married Charlie and has a 9 year old Gus. They move from Florida to her hometown of Minnesota where hockey is everything. She wants to forget about her past life and her "former" best friend and hockey player is now coaching along with Jeff, who's an assistant coach and her former coach on the Olympics trials team. That's a book in itself. Leigh doesn't want anything to do with hockey and Susy and Susy wants to be her friend again.

It was a fast and enjoyable read.

Absolutely enthralling- over the top ridiculous, yet completely on point when considered from a satirical point. I loved it.

The competitiveness of moms, the struggle of middle school kids to find their place in the word, the need to provide support for your child when they have misbehaved badly, and the ever-present challenges of technology are all issues in Kathleen West’s newest book. First, we have Alice, a mom, who seems to have it all, a beautiful home, a successful lawyer husband, a rising career as an interior decorator and two children. All is going well, until it isn’t, and it implodes her life. Her husband is out of town at a trial during the week. Her seventh-grade son is caught “pantsing” another boy at an assembly. She quickly learns Teddy is a bully and her beautiful second-grade daughter is struggling with reading and she is forced to miss a meeting with an important client to meet with the assistant principal about Teddy. She has two friends, one with who has a son who struggles with behavior issues. Alice has always thought better parenting would help…that is until she finds herself in the same boat. Her other friend, Meredith has an angel of a daughter, at least on the surface. Even with parental supervision of her phone, young Sadie can do much damage as she eggs on a dispute between Teddy and another boy. And then there’s Alice’s mother, who has just disclosed she had a baby given up for adoption and now Alice has a sister she did not know. As I read this, I reevaluated the use of my phone and how even without young kids, I often use it instead of fully engaging in the present. I also came away with support in my belief that NextDoor app, leads to no more positive results than a phone in a seventh graders hands. While the solution was all but tied up in a bow, and sprinkled with fairy dust, its still a satisfying book to read, and should make us all reflect on how technology has made us its slave

Are We There Yet? is an intriguing bit of domestic drama. I'll admit that this genre is a bit of hit or miss for me, often leaning toward the latter, but Kathleen West does such a good job of getting into the heads of these characters that I was quickly caught up in their lives. This is a story about tweens and their parents - each with different parenting styles, but more than that, it's about things not always being what we think they are and how quickly what seems like an as close to perfect as possible life can spiral out of control.
Rather than get into spoiler territory, I'll just tell you what stood out most for me was the characters. Love them or hate them, and most were in the latter category, they felt real enough to touch. These felt like people I'd see around my small town, people others might gossip with or gossip about, people I could know. I may not have agreed with many of the decisions these characters made, but the whole thing felt like something you could hear about in real life. And at the same time, West gives us a nice little escape from our everyday lives as we get sucked into Alice's drama.
To sum it up,. Are We There Yet? is well written with a steady pace, and the characters are wonderfully drawn. This is my first time reading Kathleen West's work, but it certainly won't be my last, and I'd recommend this one to anyone who enjoys domestic drama or women's fiction.

Books like these make me so grateful for my own mom-friends. Like the women in this book, we met when our kids were in preschool and kindergarten. Unlike the women in this book, we are genuinely caring and supportive of each other. These characters care about appearances as much as they care about their kids (to be fair, they all care for and about their kids a lot). The fact that, Alice, the mom from whom we hear the most, is an interior decorator, is a little too on-the-nose, a fact that doesn't go unremarked upon in the book.

When Alice learns that her 2nd grader is reading significantly below grade level and her 7th grader is acting like a bully, she is equally concerned with how her "friends" will react with how to actually help her children. To be fair, she does step up and do the hard work to help her kids get back on track. But following along as she perserverates about other people's perceptions was quite a slog (at least as bad as reading about all the brand-name accessories she uses to decorate her own and her clients' homes). Alice's other problem is her mother, who is about to drop a bomb on her in the midst of all this. Alice's mother a child psychologist, and I can only say that I'm glad not all child therapists are as selfish as she is.

The short version: You might not actually like any of these characters, but you might recognize them. You'll almost certainly recognize their struggles, if you have kids. You might not actually sympathize with them, though, or enjoy reading their inner monologues, but if you're in a book group, especially with your mom-friends, you'll definitely have a lot to talk about.

The Short of It:

Suburban moms and junior high drama. I shudder just remembering those days.

The Rest of It:

The transition from grade school to middle school is a big one. Some kids handle it better than others. Some parents, too. Alice feels pretty accomplished. She’s about to be a partner in the design firm she runs with her boss and her kids are both well-adjusted and happy. Her husband Patrick is very successful, although hardly ever home due to work and the mom group she hangs with all have similar interests. It’s a good life.

One day, one of those suburban moms hints that there might be something going on with Alice’s son, Teddy. Having absolutely no clue what she’s talking about, Alice finds herself defensive and guarded. So when the truth comes out about Teddy and what’s going on at school, Alice’s perfect little world quickly unravels.

West does an admirable job of depicting junior high life and what goes on with teens. All of the insecurity, the hormones raging, the anger that suddenly cannot be contained no matter what, and then the parents who poorly navigate those waters. This story also focuses on the danger of social media and how quickly a bad choice can turn into real harm if allowed to run its course.

Although I didn’t love any of these characters, I feel that the author did a stellar job of presenting the conflict and that these characters behaved very realistically to the challenges being presented to them. I remember my own challenges with my two and those teen years were/are rough. Plus, West touches on the busy-ness of working parents and how oblivious they can be to issues that are literally staring them right in the face.

Overall, I found this story to be pretty realistic in the telling and yes, I can see how even the best of parents can’t control the teen mind or body. They are like wild animals sometimes and definitely have opinions of their own. What would you do if you thought you did everything right and your kid still acted out in a horrible way? That is the question Alice faces over and over again.

I think any parent will be able to relate to this story and even if you don’t have kids of your own, you probably remember what it was like to hit the age of thirteen. I know I do.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

I just don't know what to say about this book. It sure held my attention! While I was tempted to DNF during the first quarter of this book, I'm glad I persevered. I wasn't quite sure if this book was supposed to be a farce or not, but the more I read, the more I understood that this is serious business for some mothers -especially the two-income parents and the 'helicopter' style of parenting. Of course, this is just my opinion only, so don't get too ticked at me!

It all starts with a misunderstanding and evolves into what can be called bullying and then devolves into a sort of child pornography case. We have three (and more) mothers who have been friends for quite a while who now are taking sides in this mess. Oh! And don't forget that these are only 12-year-olds! Tweens! Yikes!

Now add to this mess, Alice's mother (she is the main female character) lets her know during this time of upheaval that she had been holding back a major secret for 37 years! Evelyn ( the mother's an,e) does some things that I really took exception to. I actually really disliked her and would love to talk about her, but this is just a review and not a book club!

So would I recommend this book? I sure would, even if you are my age and never had to worry about most of these issues that stem from social media. Sure, we had bullying way back when in my day, but not on this level. I would also recommend this to mothers of tweeners and even those who want to read a good juicy backs-tabbing novel~!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and Edelweiss. Many thanks!½

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes is a nuanced look at school politics at a prestigious school in an affluent Minnesota community. Written with humor and plenty of drama, West succeeds at sharing a look at high school life from the perspective of a well-meaning teacher who gets caught in the web of meeting the demands and expectations of parents/administrators and other teachers. We meet a slew of characters who set the scene and it is all too relatable to anyone who has ever been a part of a school community, whether as a teacher, parent or both.

There are helicopter parents, bullying on social media and conflicts between faculty and families. And then there are the students just trying to get through their high school years. The overbearing parents rule the roost at this school and West shares a great balance of laughable moments that seem totally unbeliever (unless you have been there and then you get it!) mixed with insight about just what students AND teachers are up against these days.

I found this book to be a light read with a great mix of thought-provoking and timely topics many of us can relate to. While some of the storylines may seem over the top, for me, they added to the complexities schools deal with in this digital age. I did struggle at times with keeping track of all the characters but all in all, this was a very enjoyable book that would make for a great book club discussion!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy.

If you liked "The Gifted School," you may enjoy this story of another group of high-strung parents. It's the story of how Facebook almost ruined the lives of two women, teacher Isobel Johnson, and parent Julia Abbott. Lots of "yoga pants moms" and clever kids. A quick, suspenseful read.

Kathleen West's upcoming novel, Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes, tells the story of teachers, admin, parents and students at privileged Liston Heights High. The characters start as stereotypes -- the crazed theater mom with a not-terribly-talented son, the liberal English teacher, the naive and overworked new teacher, the dully officious admin, the teenage girl following her Feminism 101 checklist -- but soon the interlocking stories pull you in.

The setting is great, and while the characters are set in conflict with each other, pseudo-voluntary educational dumbfuckery is the real enemy here. It's not enough for teachers to teach well and be liked by students, they also need to make a certain number of positive phone calls to students' parents and be well-liked by helicopter mom brigade. It's not enough for students to go to class and do their homework, they also need to be busy filling their future college app with sports, arts and community service. And, not everyone can be the lead in the school play (or the captain of the sportsball thingy), and that's where high-strung helicopter moms come in. A college-prep high school is full of conflict and drama, and the story takes us through all different aspects.

There are too many moments when the characters are Just Too Much for me. The English teacher is just a little too amazing, and that made it hard to empathize with her. (All her lesson plans are tops and she has time to mentor a new teacher? Sounds fake, but ok.) Some of the backstories were way too much, so it felt less like a slice-of-life novel about real humans at a real school, and more like a morality play about the dangers of helicopter parenting and the stress of high school.

A fun take on helicopter parenting, social media, and high school theatre.

I won this book from Penguin Random House and had no idea what the book was about when I started reading it.
At first I thought I would not enjoy it. It is so different then the books I normally read. I thought it seemed kind of boring.
It takes place in a high school with the main characters being teachers, students and parents. Its about one teacher in particular and her style of teaching. It tells about her past and why she teaches the way she does. And about the students she teaches and how much they like her. It also has some very interesting if not dislikeable parents that have no life of there own who get too involved in there kids lives.
I really started getting into this book about a quarter of the way through. The characters really started to get real for me and very interesting. This whole book seems like something that could really happen and it was so intriguing reading about the personalities of these people.
I so enjoyed this story and would defiantly recommend this book to everyone.
Don't judge a book by its cover or the first couple chapters. So glad I was able to read this book!

As a retired teacher I felt a tightness in my "gut" the entire time I read this book...I could relate to the pressure of helicopter parenting on educators...This book was well-written, the chapters were VERY short and the narrator changed frequently. It took a bit of time to keep all of the characters straight...Part of the larger message of this novel was how insidious Facebook and social media have become. I thought it was interesting how the students at the school were the ones to best recognize the power of technology. This was a too real and relatable tale for sure! I'm glad it had a happy ending, I'm not sure that is very realistic-unfortunately!½

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
Source: NetGalley and Berkley
My Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes is one of those reads that I finished and after 24 hours of reflection find that I mostly just feel ambivalent towards this story and its characters. There are a lot of threads and plot lines in this book and while they are all connected to one another, they don’t always connect well. What’s more, outside of the teenagers (GASP!) there isn’t really a decent character in this book. The adults are simply pathetic, each looking for ways to better others or tear down those they perceive as having slighted them. The pettiness is next level with personal and professional attacks alike. The greatest level of maturity, proper behavior, and actions in the book come from the kids and that simply makes no sense given who their parents are. At the end of it all, I walked away from this book thankful there wasn’t anything left to read, no more drama and no more catastrophes.