Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

This book gave me such a feel-good feeling! Not that it didn’t deal with serious topics like drug addiction, relationships, and racism. The most impactful aspect of this book was discovering and loving yourself and the impact your family can have on your self-worth.

Mary Jane is a young teen from a prim and proper family in the 1970s. Her days are extremely predictable. She’s basically her mother’s assistant, helping with dinner and housework, and learning how to be a good housewife all the while. This summer though she’s gotten a summer job – a nanny for a local family with a five-year-old little girl named Izzy. Just walking into the Cones’ house for the first time is a culture shock for Mary Jane. The house is chaos embodied. She can’t figure out who is in charge here. Mrs. Cone doesn’t make dinner, she’s not even easy to find when it’s time for a meal – who feeds Izzy? Dr. Cone is just as absent-minded but most of the day he is working out in his garage-turned-office as a psychiatrist.

Mary Jane starts to bring some order and organization to the Cone house but learns that being messy isn’t such a big sin. This summer Dr. Cone has cleared his whole schedule to host a rock star and his movie star wife while the rocker tries to get sober. When Mary Jane walks up the day they arrive she is star struck as she realizes the movie star wife is none other than one of her favorite singers and actresses – Sheba! From there Mary Jane’s summer is a dream come true as she finally feels acceptance and love in a way she never has before.

This book is full of a young girl coming into adulthood and facing hard truths about her own family, prejudice, and the reality of addiction. I was just as enamored as Mary Jane herself with this story. I love the growth that Mary Jane has and the way she helps the Cones, Jimmy, and Sheba just as much as they help her. This was a really great coming-of-age story that was a true pleasure to read.

Happy Reading!
-Angela
@book.addicts.anonymous (Instagram)
https://www.goodreads.com/aaangelaaa (goodreads)