Author Rabbi Sherre Hirsch reviews Certain Girls, the new novel by Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes).

Certain Girls is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family. It traces the special relationship between a daughter and her mother as they prepare for the daughter's bat mitzvah.

I just finished, and here's the strange thing--it's been a week and I am not thinking about the storyline or the message, and I can barely remember the ending. But I continue to think about the structure of the book. One chapter is narrated by the mother and then the next by her 13-year-old daughter. The entire book alternates between these two voices.

All I keep thinking about is, "How can I get my daughter to author a diary that I could read and I could see her innermost thoughts?" Mind you, it is a bit premature. My oldest daughter, Eden, does not write. She is 3. But knowing that I was a difficult teenager and expecting payback from my own children, I keep thinking, "How can I mold her over the next 10 years into thinking that this is a great idea?"

Would this not be the greatest mothering tool? Having a shared diary with your 13-year-old daughter where you could read her innermost thoughts daily? OK, so it borders on controlling and overly-invasive. But even so, 13 is a very hard age. Today it is even harder with drugs, the Internet, and increased peer pressure. With this tool, I would be in-the-know. Reality check: It is so not happening. Any teenager in her right mind is never, ever going to alternate authoring a diary with her mother. But one can dream.

Certain Girls reminds us that life rarely goes as planned. Just when we think we have it all figured out, everything changes around us and within us. It is a reminder to every mother that nothing is permanent, and every moment is sacred. It reminded me of this sacred truth. I recommend it for every woman who's looking for a laugh with a meaningful message.

- Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, author of We Plan, God Laughs. Click here for your chance to win a copy of We Plan, God Laughs, which is also available on Amazon.