The Happiest Mommy You Know: Why Putting Your Kids First Is the Last Thing You Should Do

Brown has written an effective self-help book that tells readers something they already know and inspires them to act on that knowledge. She developed her book from a segment she created for Good Morning America on how she lost weight by feeding herself the meals she feeds her own children. Her basic advice is “Do for yourself what you instinctively do for your children every day.” This means eat well, see your friends, make time for your primary relationship, exercise, see the doctor regularly, take time away from your children, and get a life coach or therapist if you need one. She doles out suggestions in a conversational tone, mixing personal anecdotes with research in an accessible way. She lives a harried, albeit privileged life as a married professional living in Manhattan and working for ABC News. Readers may not relate to her penchant for turning her son into “the best-dressed kid on the Upper East Side,” but they’ll likely relate to her tendency to dress in workout clothes while garbing her children better than herself. Her primer on maternal fulfillment is entertaining and affirming but hardly groundbreaking. (Jan.)

This review has been corrected to eliminate an reference another book incorrectly attributed to the author.