The Girlfriend Mom

A Memoir

By: Dani Alpert

Narrated by: Dani Alpert

Sometimes, the relationships you never saw coming are the ones that burrow into your heart and you refuse to give up.

Intentionally child-free, Dani falls in love with Julian, a divorced father of two. Now, she must embrace a lifestyle she's purposely avoided or return to her single life, eating oatmeal for dinner, standing at the kitchen sink half-naked while listening to gospel music.

Julian makes her feel like she's the heroine in a trashy romance novel, and they move in together. There, she's presented with a Whitman's Sampler of motherhood. The alternating weekends with his kids, Nicole and Tyler, are like babysitting—only without compensation. In time, she welcomes more responsibility and invests in the kids' well-being.

And just when she falls in love with Nicole and Tyler, Julian pulls the rug out and dumps her for a natural blonde. It's not a traditional divorce, and Dani is unsure if she has the right to see the kids. But she will not be ignored or abandoned, and she fights for a place in the kids' lives, which includes Marie—the ex of her ex.

With Nicole and Tyler's insistence that Dani remains in their lives, and with Marie's help, they prove their far-reaching tenacity for love, friendship, and family.

©2020 Dani Alpert (P)2022 Dani Alpert

The humor

I loved this story. It hits home for so many women in blended and untraditional families. Dani made me laugh out loud and tugged at my heart strings. It’s a very entertaining, yet thought provoking read.