Things I Wish I Told My Mother

DEBUT Best-seller James Patterson teams up with two debut novelists who draw on their experiences of their respective mothers, both of whom lived into their nineties and died in the same year. The same day that Laurie Margolis lands a fancy new account for her advertising agency, her indomitable mother, Dr. Elizabeth Ormson, enters the emergency room with chest pains. While speaking at medical conferences around the globe and building a practice, Dr. Liz was mostly absent from Laurie’s childhood, and Laurie is both in awe of her and annoyed that she never came first. Jolted by the brush with death, the mother and daughter take a trip to Paris and Norway to spend time together. Little goes as planned, including a British man picking Laurie up at their hotel bar. While her involvement with the mystery man is an adult romantic relationship, it brings out a rebellious teen attitude that becomes a little annoying to read about. From a list of old resentments continuously coming between mother and daughter, to the forging of new experiences on their European adventure, there’s a roller coaster of emotions for our main character and the readers. It’s when Liz and Laurie are having tough, good conversations that this story shines brightest.