I Was Told It Would Get Easier

Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) expertly navigates the fraught shoals of college admissions in this spot-on tale of an ambitious mother and daughter. A hard-driving Los Angeles lawyer and single mother, Jessica Burnstein determines to get her delightfully acerbic teenage daughter, Emily, into a prestigious college and signs on for a guided tour of top schools with Excelsior Educational Excursions, a consulting firm relied upon by those in Jessica’s peer group who seem to “enjoy ostentatiously subcontracting their parenting” by “E3ing the whole thing.” As Jessica, Emily, and a group of seriously smart kids and their intense parents tour prestigious East Coast campuses, a cheating scandal erupts, with Emily, who all along hints at something that would kill her admission chances, at its epicenter. By the end, the FBI investigates, the culprits are charged, and the innocent are vindicated. Waxman’s alternating first-person narration from Jessica and Emily rings true, while a memorable supporting cast—ultra-driven students; mean-girl moms; a way-too-perky counselor, Cassidy, from E3—provide excellent support, especially when Cassidy’s unintentionally hilarious but deeply resonating final scene is played out. This sweet treat doesn’t require a college-bound child to enjoy, though anyone who has helped their offspring weather the admissions process will definitely appreciate this sharp send-up. (June)