For Stepmothers Everywhere: A Book Review of Stepmonster

Jun 28, 2010
Lindsey Mason

Stepmonster Cover Art - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

It is estimated that one woman out of every two will marry or move in with a man who has children. Here is a great book for every one of those "one" women.

Since one out of every two women will marry or move in with a man who has children, then either a female reader will be that woman or have a friend who is that woman. It is important for both women and men to have an understanding of the step-family dynamic, but as anyone who has ever lived this dynamic will know, it is usually more difficult for stepmothers than for stepfathers.

How is a stepmother to know what to do when everything she has tried has failed? How is a new stepmother to know how to handle a situation when she doesn’t even know where to start? Wednesday Martin Ph.D. has written a fabulous book for stepmothers everywhere, entitled Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do, to answer these questions and more.

Publication Details

Wednesday Martin Ph.D. gifted book shelves with Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do in May 2009. It is available as a hardcover from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, as well as a Kindle eBook. It is available under ISBN 978-0618758197.

Becoming “The Stepmother”

Women dream about marriage and what it will be like from a young age. Most women never dreamed as a girl of becoming “the stepmother”. However, many women find themselves in that role, either in a second marriage or sometimes a woman’s first marriage.

It is difficult for many women to be a stepmother because being a mother and a stepmother are two totally different roles. Wednesday Martin Ph.D. explains in Stepmonster what being a stepmother means, and how it is different from just being a mother. She even tackles that difficult dynamic of being both a mother and a stepmother.

Step-family dynamic are complicated, but it is important to remember that one is not alone. Many women have the same issues within the step-family dynamic, and Stepmonster is the perfect how-to guide for every stepmother. It uses anecdotes to show real life situations, and how Martin’s research applies to those situations.

It steps out of the hypothetical and right into real life step-parenting. Martin also includes information about how to support the relationship between husband and wife, as well as why the husband does certain things and how to handle the feelings behind those actions.

Review Rating for Stepmonster

Wednesday Martin’s Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do is a must read for stepmothers, their husbands, stepchildren and soon to be stepmothers. It lays bare the step-family dynamic with the hows and whys while giving insights into how to handle the different aspects of the dynamic. This reviewer gives a solid A to Stepmonster: A New look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do.