Heidi Elliott loves being a mom. Six-month-old Nora is an angel of a baby, and though, sure, life is a little topsy-turvy now that a third member has been added to the family, she and hubby Jake are taking it in stride. Everything’s all set for her return to the job, too—daycare lined up, lesson plans ready for her high school Spanish class, clothes almost fit... normal stuff for a woman getting ready to go off maternity leave.

But life for Heidi’s about to get a whole lot more complicated. As if it isn’t enough to be worrying about her baby all day when she’s supposed to be teaching, to top it off she has a score of other concerns, too: her ex-boyfriend’s back in town and wants to use her and baby Nora as models in a new photographic essay he’s working on, her husband’s been spending an awful lot of time with a model-esque client, she manages to alienate her best friend, and, oh yeah, her boss gets a mite upset when she has to leave work early to take care of her sick little girl. Why isn’t the world made for working moms? Others can pull it off, though, so surely Heidi can too—and without the help of that meddling Mom’s Group her husband insisted she go to. Who wants to associate with a bunch of Bible-thumping self-righteous types, anyway?

Balancing Act is a witty novel of the new mom-lit genre, one that appeals especially to young moms and will be enjoyed by any woman with children or who might even consider having them someday. Through the eyes of Heidi the reader is taken through the tempest of some everyday trials and some truly extraordinary ones. In the space of a few months Heidi faces a workplace that isn’t understanding, a marriage on the rocks, and a spiritual crisis as her Mom’s Group friend, Willow, challenges her to trust in the Lord rather than herself. A lot of the book is pure wit, funny and clever. But through the laughter you’ll still feel the shadow of doubt plaguing Heidi, the uncertainty and desperation facing this woman who only wants to be it all: teacher, wife, mother, and friend. She doesn’t think doing that perfectly is too much to ask, but when it all starts crumbling around her, Heidi has to learn to lean on others.

Stuart deals with hard-hitting issues that face mothers of all ages, and the result is a book that I could identify with, even if I haven’t encountered a lot of Heidi’s problems myself. It took a while for the faith-message to come out, since the heroine isn’t very interested in God until she hits rock-bottom near the end, but we do get to hear some spiritual wisdom from Willow throughout, and by the conclusion most of the characters are talking about faith. Overall, Balancing Act is a wonderful balance between light humor and hard reality. If you’re looking for a book that will at once make you laugh and touch your deepest heart, this is a great choice.

Publisher: NavPress
Publication Date: September 2006
Price: $12.99
ISBN: 1600060765
Genre: Mom-Lit