It could have been the catchy title. Or the fact that there are warring cake pops on the cover. It could have been the funny reviews I read before reading this book myself or the forwards written by some of my other favorite female authors (What up Boo Mama? Shout out to Melanie Shankle, too! And don’t forget Lisa-Jo Baker.) But what really made me love this book was the content itself. I’ll say it again upfront: I LOVE THIS BOOK! Women Are Scary, by Melanie Dale is definitely going at the top of my 2015 reads. 

With the turn of every page, every new chapter, every new “base” around the diamond of mom relationships (momlationships) I found myself nodding “yes!” But I’m getting ahead of myself just a bit. 

If you’ve ever been new in town, or new to church or new to any other kind of public setting, you know that it can be intimidating. The idea of making new friends in addition to making sure you don’t have lipstick on your teeth is just flat out overwhelming. (Wait- lipstick? Who wears that? Ok, you caught me- it was just an example. I’m definitely more they type who wears peanut butter on my shirt than lipstick on my mouth.)

From chapter one, Melanie (I feel like we should be on a first-name basis) makes the argument that we are better together. “We make each other better moms, better humans. We need each other, because mothering is just too darn hard.” Can I get an amen? This is the jumping off point for Women Are Scary. Its about breaking down the things she calls momlationships. “You know, those relationships that come with car pools and cupcakes, friendships borne at T-ball games and in quiet corners feeding babies.” Yes, Yes, and Yes.

If finding new mom friends is like a dating relationship, then the progressive stages of those relationships are the “bases” we must pass before a relationship is truly legit— the coveted homerun friend. Melanie breaks down the bases like this:

1st Base: Hanging out while your kids are in activities together

2nd Base: A park playdate outside of scheduled activities

3rd Base: A playdate at one of your houses

4th Base: Hanging out without the kids

I won’t elaborate on each of these bases (the trickiness of each, the beauty of each stage, the elation when you finally find a fourth-base friend!) as that is what the rest of the book is for. I’ll just tell you that you need to read Women Are Scary. If you’re a mom and you have friends, you want friends, you need friends or you’re living in denial about any of those things, this is the book for you. Go buy it on your Kindle and devour it tonight. Then call me and let’s hang out. 

I was given a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.