Book Review: "You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth" and Other Things You'll Only Hear from Your Friends in The Powder Room edited by Leslie Marinelli

Summary: 

Thank God for girlfriends and shared visits to powder rooms!
That’s always been the concept behind our website InThePowderRoom.com where we’ve been entertaining women with our humor and bold, brave honesty since 2009. Now we’re taking it to the next level with an anthology of original short stories from some of the wittiest women writers we know—stories they would only tell their closest friends, most likely from within the haven of a ladies’ room. Inside you’ll find 39 (mostly) true tales by women, for women, about being women—bodily changes, relationships, careers, motherhood, aging, illness, and more—written with the humor and grit that proudly sets In The Powder Room apart.
But be forewarned: we’re holding nothing back. We’re revealing our deep dark secrets—because it’s through our most vulnerable and honest moments that we forge the strongest connections and discover we aren’t so alone after all.
You have a gimpy boob? Me too. You think glitter is the herpes of the craft world? Me too! You got your fishnet-clad leg stuck to your head on stage in front of thousands of people? Wait…what? OMG. Tell me everything!
We are your friends, sisters, mothers, and daughters. Regardless of what life has dished up for you, chances are, we’ve been there and we can relate. We’ll help you laugh it off, or hold your hand until you’re ready to laugh again.
And we promise: we’ll always tell you when you have lipstick on your teeth.

Release Date: August 1, 2013

Age Group: Adult

Source: Review copy from Kim @ Let Me Start By Saying (a contributing author)

Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:

I loved this book!  It was fun, hilarious, and made me feel so much better about myself as a mom.  There's no guilt like Mommy guilt and to hear other moms' honest accounts of their parenting journeys is really encouraging to me.  There were so many times I nodded my head, thinking "me too" while reading this book.  I love that---the summary says that through vulnerable and honest moments we forge strong connections and discover we aren't so alone after all---and that hits the nail on the head.  

So often, and this happens for me every single time I get on Facebook, I feel less-than as a mom.  I feel like I'm the only one not loving every single moment, or the only one missing my "me time," the only one who sometimes wonders "what have I gotten myself into."  So to find a book that gives me a glimpse into other women's lives, and to see that they feel just like me is really empowering and comforting!  I have some great mom friends but sometimes I just don't want to admit the way I feel (who wants to say to their BFF: "I almost ran away from home today?"), and so I tend to shield my feelings.  Finding women who tell it like it is, is one of my greatest comforts as a mom.  That's why I have several parenting blogs I follow, and found many more new ones after being introduced to the bloggers in this book. 

I love anthologies because they always feel so fresh.  Each chapter has a different author, so the voices were different, yet all had the same theme of motherhood and its ups and downs.  The contributing authors are all bloggers and while I knew of a few of them, many of the blogs were new to me (and I was happy to be introduced to some great writers).  The book reads like a "best of," with each author writing about some of their funniest parenting moments.

Some of the chapters were so funny I laughed until I cried.  Some were more satirical, which I also love, and a few were really touching.  But all had an element of humor, and raw honesty, which made this book so special to me.  

I can see myself giving this book as a gift.  I'm so glad I have a copy of this book because I know it's one I'll read over and over again.   Highly recommended!