Certain Girls

by Jennifer Weiner

Cannie and her daughter Joy are back in the sequel to "Good in Bed".  Joy is almost 13 now, Cannie is married to Dr. K, and her friends and family are all back to help get her through Joy's bat mitzvah.  But Cannie is still Cannie, and along the way she and Joy face unforeseen obstacles.

This book is as good as the first.  Though Cannie is finally happy in her own skin, her daughter Joy is the one who is self-conscious about her mother and all her ways.  When Joy reads Cannie's first book, a version of "Good in Bed", she sets off to discover the line between fact and fiction in her mother's life.  If you've ever been an almost-13-year-old girl, or you have had an almost-13-year-old girl, you will recognize and cringe at the changing dynamic between Cannie and Joy, complete with eye rolls, slammed doors, and one-word sentences. 

Weiner's books are like talking to a friend.  They are easy to read, realistic, at times both humorous and heart-breaking.  I look forward to reading more.