Book ~ "I Was Told It Would Get Easier" (2020) Abbi Waxman

From Goodreads ~ Jessica and Emily Burnstein have very different ideas of how this college tour should go.

For Emily, it's a preview of freedom, exploring the possibility of her new and more exciting future. Not that she's sure she even wants to go to college but let's ignore that for now. And maybe the other kids on the tour will like her more than the ones at school. They have to, right?

For Jessica, it's a chance to bond with the daughter she seems to have lost. They used to be so close, but then Goldfish crackers and Play-Doh were no longer enough of a draw. She isn't even sure if Emily likes her anymore. To be honest, Jessica isn't sure she likes herself.

Together with a dozen strangers - and two familiar enemies - Jessica and Emily travel the East Coast, meeting up with family and old friends along the way. Surprises and secrets threaten their relationship and, in the end, change it forever.

Jessica is a busy partner in a law firm. She is also the single mother of Emily, her sixteen-year-old daughter. Jessica only wants what's best for Emily and that means going to college, getting an education so she can get a good job. Emily isn't sure what she wants to do with her life or even if she wants to go to university but doesn't know how to tell her mother. Jessica books them on an organized weeklong tour of eastern U.S. universities. Because of how busy she is, Jessica doesn't get to spend a lot of time with Emily, she's looking forward to their week together. Emily, though, is resentful and jealous of the time her mother spends with her work colleagues and isn't going to make it an easy week.

I wasn't crazy about this book. I found both Jessica and Emily annoying and unlikable. Jessica works a lot so has a nanny to take care of the household. As soon as her work phone rings, regardless of where she is, what she's doing or who she is with, she answers it. No wonder Emily feels neglected and is pissed at her. Jessica works hard as a single mother to provide the best for Emily ... private schools, the latest iPhone, apparently Uber on demand ... but Emily seemed unappreciative, a spoiled brat and disrespectful. Their constant bickering was tiresome.

It was written in first person perspective in Jessica and Emily's voices ... it switches back and forth often and is labeled. It was written during or after the college cheating scandal and this is included in the story, though I could have done with out it as I didn't think it added much.