The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein

Esther Kohler has just graduated from college - Northwestern, to be precise - and her life has run out of momentum. She majored in acting; she's sick of people asking if she has a fallback plan. At the moment, though, she doesn't really have any plan beyond living with her parents, rereading her favourite books from childhood, and maybe writing a screenplay about pandas. Her mom gets her a job as a nanny for a local family. Soon Esther finds herself as a mother to the little girl, a confidant to the mother, and in a strange relationship with the father. But what does that leave for Esther?

I was so impressed by this book. It just kind of slithered into my brain and wouldn't let go until after I'd finished it. I love the way Leigh Stein writes; Esther's voice started on page one and didn't waver for the entirety of the novel. Although I'm a few years past the recent college graduate stuff (and in a different employment stage), there was so much that rang true for me in Esther's contradictions. She hates being at home, but she doesn't want to leave; she likes being taken care of but also wants her freedom and independence. Her low-key adventures make for an engaging story and a solid debut for author Leigh Stein.

I love this booktrailer:

Also check out Leigh Stein's blog.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Melville House.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Graduate by Charles Richard Webb
Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg