The Awkward Age by Francesca Segal

Julia Alden has fallen deeply, unexpectedly in love. American obstetrician James is everything she didn't know she wanted--if only her teenage daughter, Gwen, didn't hate him so much. Uniting two households is never easy, but when Gwen turns for comfort to James's seventeen-year-old son, Nathan, the consequences will test her mother's loyalty and threaten all their fragile new happiness.

REVIEW:
This book attempts to capture the modern family, showcasing a blended union between two adults and their teenage children (complicated, of course, by the spectres of ex-spouses, both living and dead, and watchful in-laws with their own hidden issues). I was drawn into the narrative at first by Segal's entertaining writing style and apt descriptions; unfortunately, the characters are all so unlikeable that I quickly stopped caring about what happened to them. I appreciate Segal's efforts to show the depth of love between a parent and child, and the lengths to which a parent will go to protect a child, even at the sacrifice of the parent's own happiness or fulfillment. But I honestly thought the kids were terrible, not just angsty hormonal messes but selfish, uncaring humans, and some of the blame for their awful personalities lies squarely with the parents themselves for coddling and encouraging such selfish behavior. I was happy to finish this book, so I could stop having these people in my life. 3 stars.