Between Mom and Jo

I stumbled across this book at the library and didn't know what the storyline was about. Originally I thought this was a story of divorce between a Mom and Dad (Jo); but what a beautiful story dealing with a non-traditional family where many of the same angst of childhood and family dynamics exist. The story takes a few unexpected twists dealing with cancer, separation / divorce, custody issues, and new relationships. All the characters are really believable, and where one could easily fault one character over the other, the dynamic is such that in the end you have empathy and understanding for all sides. Great story, nicely told, and well written. I really recommend this book.

This is a lovely book. The characters are vivid and the reader empathizes with them. I believe that the book goes for honesty and tackles a range of emotions. Plus the writer has created an emotional bond that is liberating and dynamic. One of Julie Anne Peters' best books. With an optimistic approach!Totally recommended! :)

Nick faces all the traditional challenges of growing up: school, girls, dealing with his family. But his family is anything but "traditional" --- Nick has two lesbian moms. When Nick is young, he doesn't realize anything is unusual; he loves his birth mom and Jo, and they love him. When he splits open his chin on the coffee table, Jo rushes him to the hospital for stitches. When they lounge in the backyard eating watermelon, they end up in a silly seed-spitting contest. But as soon as Nick starts school, he begins to realize that his family is different. Nick's classmates pick up on his uniqueness right away, and the teasing begins as early as kindergarten. Some of his teachers even treat him differently, uncomfortable with his family situation. Nick doesn't have a lot of friends, but he deals with it. He finds a lot of his happiness at home with his music, his vast aquarium hobby, and his relationships with his moms, especially Jo. His birth mom tends to be a bit more practical, worrying about putting food on the table and paying the bills. But Jo is different. She's the one who cheers away his tears and takes him paintball shooting. She's the one who talks to him about important topics like sex and death, who teaches him to stand up for himself and respect others. Even though Jo didn't give birth to him (or even officially adopt him), she's his mom in every single way. But life isn't always fun and games at home. Jo starts drinking too much, and it puts a big strain on the family. And then the three of them battle cancer together when Nick's birth mom is diagnosed with the disease. It may never be easy or traditional, but his family is Nick's whole world. And then one day his family starts to fall apart... Julie Anne Peters has created an amazing story with BETWEEN MOM AND JO. The diverse characters have incredible personalities with multiple layers; they quickly become very real and relatable. The emotional depths visited in this special story will have readers both laughing and crying and everything in between. Many of the issues addressed are a bit touchy yet necessary as they are happening in our world. Very highly recommended for everyone, young people and adults alike. --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman (author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND)

I loved it! I'm not a lesbian, or the product of a gay family, but got a chance to feel that there are true family values out there, and Julie Peters is telling about them!

BETWEEN MOM AND JO is the first book I've read by Julie Anne Peters, but it won't be my last. In fact, as soon as I finished this book, I went and read KEEPING YOU A SECRET and LUNA. And while we're on confessions, this is also the first book I've read dealing with GLBT issues, but again, it won't be the last. This book grabbed at my emotions, affecting me with every word so deeply that I finished it in only a matter of hours--and have been thinking about it ever since. Nicholas Nathaniel Thomas Tyler has always only known one type of family life. He's the only child of mom Erin--and mom Jo. His earliest memories revolve around one or the other of his mothers, but it's usually Jo who is prominent, making him forget about the need for stitches at age three or tangling with the homophobic teacher he had in third grade. His mothers, of course, have their ups and downs like all parents do. Mom Erin complains about mom Jo's drinking and her inability to hold down a steady job; mom Jo can't stand mom Erin's stony silences when she's angry. For Nick, having two mothers is just the way life is. He's heard all the "queers" and "faggots" through the years, he's wondered about the father that donated sperm for his conception, and he's been haunted over whether having two lesbians for parents will make him gay. Most of all, though, Nick has experienced love from two women who only want him to be happy. He has a three-legged dog named Lucky 2, a ton of fish that he takes care of religiously, and there's even a feral cat named Savage thrown into the mix to keep things interesting. Nick's life is pretty normal--or as normal as it can ever be--until the year he turns fourteen, and Jo moves out. After a marriage, a child, lost jobs, meetings at AA, college courses, and a relationship that they'd always promised would remain whole, his mothers break up. Nick is suddenly thrust into turmoil, and his whole world falls apart. He's left with mom Erin, his biological mother, even though what he wants most in the world is to be allowed to live with mom Jo. Erin won't hear of it, however, even though she's the one with Kerri, her new girlfriend. She's the real parent, and Jo let trust get in the way of legally adopting Nick, so there's no out. As Nick descends deeper into depression, as Erin becomes fanatical about not allowing her son to even to talk to Jo on the telephone, as Kerri moves into their home, something has to give. BETWEEN MOM AND JO is heartfelt, genuine, and painfully honest. For anyone who has ever watched the breakup of a family, or for those with gay or lesbian parents, this is the book for you. I promise it will stay with you for quite awhile. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"