☆☆➹⁀☆ 5 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆
About the Book:
Beth Peters has it all. A high-powered job, a loving husband, and 2.5 kids (including one very rambunctious yellow lab). She’s a walking super mom in a power suit, living a picture-perfect life. Or is she?
In reality, her daughter hates her, her son is a computer hacker—at age ten—, her smother-in-law has no boundaries, and counseling with a hippie therapist has done nothing for her marriage. While tension between the couple escalates, family issues snowball, and Beth yearns for an escape.
However, waking up in 1987 is not quite what she had in mind.
Following her on this journey to the past is daughter Maddie, just thirteen but with problems of her own. Overstressed by life and over-stimulated by social media, Beth and Maddie are horrified to be back in the days of mix tapes, not-so-smart phones, and slow family dinners around the table. Can they work together long enough to overcome their issues and get back to the present? Or will secrets that divide them keep them in the land of big hair forever?
My Thoughts:
You’ve heard “when I was a kid” before, and now that you’re a little older do you ever reminisce about “the good old days”, when life was simpler and more rewarding even, if at times less convenient due to lack of technology? Would you go back and try it?
A rubber-band snapping, mantra-chanting mom and her over-extended 13-year-old daughter’s lives are on the verge of imploding from the stress of life in the 21st century. With plenty of humor and sass, Author Maggie Adrich perfectly depicts the ridiculous expectations we place on our kids and ourselves in an effort to be successful. The description of daily life in the 2010’s is sadly accurate. Kids texting and snapchatting instead of talking. Down time is spent in front of a screen instead of exploring outside. Chores is an unknown ancient word. As the tension builds in the family, drama at school and over social media push Beth and Maddie to their breaking points. One fateful wish later, they get their escape.
Ms. Aldrich’s story is a blast from the past with an eye to the future. It is filled with pop culture from the 1980s and 2010s. The 80s were a totally rad decade; from mixed tapes to bad hair to wall-mounted phones, daily life was more about connecting with your family, friends and neighbors (definition: a person living near or next door to the speaker or person) than how many likes your Instagram post got. Juxtapose to the bliss of an unplugged-life are the social mores and prejudices that limit women’s ability to find meaningful work outside the home (we really have come a long way, baby). Beth, and to a small extent, Maddie, finds the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, but a different shade of brown.
Beth is challenged to reinvent her 21st century life in a way that balances the best of her past and the benefits of her present. With her daughter Maddie’s help, she might figure out how to regroup and refocus the family.
I loved the subtle and not-so-subtle messages about parenting, family and overscheduling. Back in My Day is a sweet family drama with a splash of time travel. This book is beautiful reminder to put the electronics away and meaningfully reconnect with your family and friends.
About the Author: Maggie Aldrich is an avid reader, freelance writer, and yoga instructor who tends to catastrophize all situations.
“Good grief, you should become a writer, you’re always making stuff up!” her family said. And so, she did.
Winner of the 2017 Bess Streeter Aldrich Short Story Competition – Adult Division, Maggie lives on an acreage in middle America with her husband, daughter, cats, and other various unattended wild animals.
It’s All Greek to Me is her first novel, available at https://www.amazon.com/Its-All-Greek-…
Visit Maggie at http://www.maggiealdrichwrites.com
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Book Junkie Reviews 
“This book is beautiful reminder to put the electronics away and meaningfully reconnect with your family and friends.“
Perfect takeaway!
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