Review: The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson

The novel covers a variety of topics and themes, from evolving lifelong friendships to complicated family dynamics.

This one actually focused on parenthood more than I anticipated from the synopsis and even at the start. The story begins with a late 20-year-old Caroline. So I was expecting more of a Gen-Z romance/fish out of water story. But when the rest of the characters are introduced, it ventures more into family life.

What’s the Story About

Caroline is a bit stuck. Her mother is a bestselling thriller author, and she’s benefited from nepotism while working in publishing. But she’s determined to make a name for herself as she arrives in Greenhead, Mass., on a writing fellowship.

However, things change when she instantly falls for Van, a nice guy who is obsessed with saving the Earth. He has an extremely close-knit group of friends who are not welcoming to outsiders, and on top of that, he has a complicated relationship with the beautiful Bailey.

Everything changes when it’s revealed that Bailey is pregnant with Van’s baby (a hook-up that happened before he met Caroline). Despite reservations, Caroline decides to stay with Van, but this group of friends will not make it easy for her.

We also read the perspectives of Augusta, who comes from old money and is very hesitant to welcome Caroline, and also Fran, who is committed to her partner but is not interested in marriage or sharing finances.

The Dynamics

I found each character to have different degrees of interest. Sometimes Caroline was a bit one-dimensional as I would have liked to see her more conflicted about staying with Van after it’s revealed about Bailey’s pregnancy. Because while it’s a surprise baby, those two definitely have history and always seem to find their way back to each other.

Caroline doesn’t show a lot of spine there, but it definitely appears later in a very surprising way, which was very entertaining for the reader but not so much for the other characters.

Regarding the other group of friends, their dynamics definitely rang true for people who have been friends forever. They’re loyal to each other, but there’s certainly plenty of secrets. And they’re not so open to new people, which is what Caroline experiences to a pretty high degree.

Sometimes, with long-lasting friendships, there is underlying tension. While there are the familiar inside jokes and such, there’s also an element where one can feel stuck. Especially when people do evolve and change as they get older.

Parenthood/Marriages

This story really dives into early parenthood as all the friends, including Bailey and Van, are parents, except for Caroline.

It also covers people in their mid-30s who are not quite ready to give up their 20s lifestyle, even with having children. There is a lot of drinking and some drug use, and while this group thinks it makes them so fun, it really shows their immaturity.

For instance, Fran and her partner, RJ, have a pact that one of them can be drunk/high while the other has to be sober for the kids. However, RJ doesn’t follow the rules much and is always one or the other, causing Fran to always be the responsible parent.

RJ is always hoping Fran would marry him, but she’s not sure if she can make that commitment.

Augusta is closed-off, as she’s still feeling the effects of her father’s affair that broke apart her family. She strives for a perfect family life with Colin and their kids, but there are plenty of secrets that will rock her world.

Verdict

This is a great book club pick as there’s so much to discuss and analyze. It definitely gets gossipy and even salacious at times, but I just rolled with it. While not all books are seasonal, I feel this is an ideal one for the summer.

The one thing I can see people have a problem with, and it could be a big one, is that I’m not sure about the likability of this crew, except maybe for Van. There’s plenty of selfish behavior that really hurts others.

For me, when I read a book, I don’t need characters to necessarily be likable, but they need to be interesting. And I think Jenny Jackson delivered on that. But just keep that in mind in case you want a more likable group of friends.

It has enough depth to lead to interesting discussions, but it’s not so heavy that you feel bogged down.

For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.