'Mary Jane' by Jessica Anya Blau is a very cute coming of age story set in the summer of 1975 in the Baltimore suburbs. Fourteen year old Mary Jane Dillard is the product of a straight-laced conservative, Christian family with a home maker mother and a lawyer father that you just know have a flyer from the Eagle Forum neatly tucked into a drawer of a secretary colonial. The story opens with Mary Jane accepting a job as a summer nanny for the Cone family down the street. Almost immediately, Mary Jane finds herself in a topsy-turvy progressive household very different from her own. The book opens strongly with a clear 70s vibe, in part, to further contrast Mary Jane from the Cones. Over the first few chapters we see Mary Jane and Izzy, the Cones' five year old daughter, form an adorable bond while Mary Jane begins to bring some semblance of order to the Cone household. Although she was initially employed to be a nanny, Mary Jane begins to find other things around the house that she can help with - cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping - all skills that she has learned form her very traditional mother. Because, while a housewife, Mrs. Cone doesn't cook, clean, or watch Izzy. Dr. Cone is a therapist who has cleared his summer schedule to treat one high-maintenance patient - a drug-addicted musician named Jimmy and his moviestar wife, Sheba.

When Jimmy and Sheba move into the Cones house for the summer, Mary Jane's world blows wide open as she is exposed to the glitz, glamor, and dark side of celebrity culture. In the middle of the hurricane that is the dysfunctional nature of the Cone house and now the riotous existence of Jimmy and Sheba, Mary Jane learns what it means to be herself. Because even though her own home offers security, cleanliness, and routine, the love and acceptance Mary Jane experiences with the Cones covers over a multitude of mess.

I think Blau has created an absolutely charming story of what it means to be comfortable with yourself when the culture or your family can only see you through one lens. The characters are lovely and lifelike and the author transports readers to a different time and mentality. Greedily, I wanted more descriptions that were uniquely "70s". Not just the clothing, not just listening to records, and definitely not just from the blazing racism expressed by some of the characters although that is anachronistic in its own way. I wanted even more atmospheric descriptions which seem to wane as we become invested in the characters. I would have liked to have seen more specific references to music (maybe even include a playlist?), variety shows, appliances and other household items, and even societal interactions that weren't on a racial sliding scale. I think the author does this well when we see Mary Jane interact with the Cones, I mean, one of the first interactions she has with Izzy is when she is coloring diagramed drawings of genitalia at the breakfast table that reminded me of the squiggly pen and ink drawings of [b:Joy of Sex|2002915|Joy of Sex|Alex Comfort|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534435603l/2002915._SX50_.jpg|194090]! But we are taken into generic conservative/traditional scenarios when Mary Jane is with her own family that are a little shy on the details. For example, I don't think we ever get a proper idea of what Mary Jane's room looks like. I found that a little peculiar for a story about a teen girl. Like I said, more consistent details would have enriched this book even more and made it a perfect read for me instead of getting vague hints and allusions to popular culture movements and moments of the 70s.

All in all, 'Mary Jane' is a really wonderful book and it was a delight to read. Highly recommend as a summertime, coming of age story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.