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When Stacey's father announces that he plans to remarry, Stacey and her friends try to help her mother adjust to the news, while their friend Mallory returns from boarding school to discover that she seems to have lost her place as the oldest child to one of her brothers.When Stacey's father plans to remarry, Stacey tries to help her mother adjust to the news, while Mallory returns from boarding school to find that she has lost her place as the oldest child to one of her brothers.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

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About the author

Ann M. Martin

1,127 books3,098 followers
Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.

Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.

Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.

Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.

After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...

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5 stars
66 (28%)
4 stars
68 (29%)
3 stars
72 (31%)
2 stars
18 (7%)
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5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Ciara.
Author 3 books417 followers
March 30, 2009
this book was pretty disappointing. stacey's "problem" is that her dad is marrying his girlfriend, samantha, & stacey is worried that her mom is really bummed about this. i'm sure stacey's mom is at least a little bit bummed--it always sucks when your ex moves on faster than you did, especially when said ex is a selfish narcissistic workaholic who is dating a former model a good fifteen years younger than him (not to be all girl-hating--it's just a little difficult when that kind of thing happens), but it's hardly stacey's problem.

of course, stacey makes it her problem. she plots with her BSC buddies to get her hands on some video dating tapes with designs on finding a boyfriend for her mom. yuck. she panics at the thought of being in the city visiting her dad when her mom is going on a date with someone from work, & is concerned that her mom will fall to pieces if stacey isn't around to process & help pick out clothes. i guess maybe stacey does have a problem if she thinks her mom is really this helpless. when i was 13, i still thought adults were pretty much superhumanly capable & confident. in fact, i am 29 & years of personal experience being an adult fuck-up have yet to completely diasabuse me of this notion.

anyway, it all works out in the end. turns out that mrs. mcgill (who is changing her name to ms. spencer in order to reclaim her identity) has just been distracted with plans to open her own clothing boutique. all the BSC girls are wicked psyched & volunteer to work for her, but i guess the ghosties finally had a chat with a lawyer because ms. spencer informs them that she can't hire underage employees because it's against child labor laws. hear that, rosebud cafe? why do you have 13-year-old bus boys?

the subplot is that mallory is home from boarding school for the summer (like three months before stoneybrook schools end for the session) & is feeling jealous & displaced because the younger kids don't seem to be that psyched to have her around again. byron helps them with their homework now & vanessa makes up mean rhymes about how mallory shouldn't expect people to fall down at her feet just because she's home again. it's pretty weird. also, mallory lets her nerd flag fly by going on & on about this new invention she is discovering at school: the internet. she offers to design a website for ms. spencer's new boutique. it's pretty embarrassing. you know mallory has a long life of internet dating ahead of her. she will eventually settle down with a LARPer. & i know, i know, it's 2009, internet dating is socially acceptable now. i just can't wrap my head around it. i'm old-fashioned that way.
Profile Image for Nancy.
213 reviews18 followers
November 2, 2013
Book the Tenth: In which Stacey's mom does not got it goin' on. Misleading title. Stacey's dad is getting married. Stacey's mom is kinda bummed. This is not really Stacey's problem. It's Maureen's. Maureen ends up being pretty dang cool by the end of this, though. But at first she's bummed because Ed's getting married again and she hasn't been on a date since that John dude in Stacey the Matchmaker. She decides to open a clothing boutique, which is cool, and go back to her maiden name, Spencer. I think I have a girlcrush on Maureen.
Profile Image for Liesl.
524 reviews5 followers
April 25, 2024
Kristy has a real bias against bald guys. She needs to chill. Also Stacey needs to chill. Everyone needs to chill.
Profile Image for Leigh.
1,229 reviews
May 10, 2025
I actually enjoyed this one. The last book was boring and bizarre but this one was grounded in reality again. Stacey heads to New York to spend a weekend with her dad. She's worried about her mom who seems out of sorts. Her father announces that he is marrying his girlfriend Samantha which Stacey is happy about but also worries about her mother's reaction. Maureen takes it well though. The girls then plot to find her a man and look through video dating services, wasn't the 90's fun? They hate all the options then Maureen announces she has a date with someone through work. Stacey is in New York that weekend and spends most of the time worrying about her even pulling out her cell phone which was no doubt the size of a brick if memory serves me, to get updates. She also meets Laine her former best friend and realizes that their friendship is officially over and begins to realize how her mom feels. Once home again her mom announces she is changing back to her maiden name Spencer and is opening a boutique in town. The side story has Mallory returning home early from her boarding school and feeling left out but also shows how much she's grown up and matured and she is now president of an internet club at school. I remember how new and exciting all that was when it came out and this story brought it all back. Mallory volunteers to set up a website for Maureen's new store and Maureen asks Claudia to design jewelry and clothing for her store as well. This was an enjoyable read bringing real life issues but also the nostalgia of the late 90's (I'm guessing since the deaths of Versace and Princess Diana are mentioned) possibly early 2000's and I like seeing the growth of each girl as these stories progress.
Profile Image for FIND ME ON STORYGRAPH.
448 reviews119 followers
January 1, 2021
this is my first time reading this book.

in this book by ghostwriter Suzanne Weyn, stacey’s dad announces that he is marrying his longtime girlfriend samantha (they’ve been dating since at least Stacey's Lie). stacey is happy to spend more time with samantha, who she discovers is a fashion photographer and former model. but she’s worried her mom, maureen, is being left in the lurch. stacey tries to get maureen into the video dating game, vetting men from a video dating service (fun detail: claudia got the videos without signing up for the service by pretending to be a college student researching video dating for a class). maureen also goes on a failed country club date with a buyer from work, and stacey feels guilty for having such a good time with samantha when she suspects her mom is struggling. she runs into laine cummings (her former bff - see Stacey's Ex-Best Friend for our most recent experience with her, not including flashbacks in Stacey's Book and The Baby-Sitters Remember) on the street and while she feels nostalgic for their former relationship, she realizes she doesn’t have anything in common with her anymore. she makes the obvious connection that this is how her mom feels about her dad. at the end, maureen tells stacey she plans to change her name back to her pre-married name, and she will quit her job to start a clothing store of her very own. she’ll sell some of claudia’s handmade jewelry and clothes, and mallory will help her make a website. cute! meanwhile, mal is back from riverbend (see The All-New Mallory Pike) for the summer and is dismayed to see how much the pike home has changed without her. byron is the new oldest sibling, taking care of all of the younger sibs, so nobody relies on mal anymore. this is particularly upsetting because of how much she thrives at riverbend.

highlights:
-stacey goes to the world trade center. this book came out in 2000 so this is probably her last ever pre-911 visit there
-stacey’s outfits (see below) in this book are super late 90s delias catalog:

-claud asks stacey's mom for advice about alan, and she tells claudia it can work because anne bancroft married mel brooks. YES! it’s like jessica rabbit.
-the bsc get together to judge the video date men, and the scene is HILARIOUS. kristy is anti-bald guys even though her stepdad is bald. mal's pick out of the bunch is an out of work stamp collector. I shit you not.
-laine, on claudia: "I never liked her -- too much with the art and not too bright." I love how jew york "too much with the art" is. she’s such a future jewish mother.
-stacey tries to cheer her mom up by talking about a chimp who wears tuxedos and I'm thinking of robin who wants to see a chimp wearing two tuxedos

lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey comments that she finds the fact that clams, when eaten, are still alive "nearly as disgusting as anchovies." really? eating a live animal is less gross than eating a dead animal?
-stacey gets a muffin somewhere and it's not described as being sugar-free or sweetened with fruit juice or anything. did they forget she has diabetes? regular muffins have sugar.
-okay later stacey says something about loving oyster bars and it's like...you know that oysters and clams are almost the same, right? oysters are also still alive when eaten.
-why are so many of the stacey narrated books called "Stacey's ____"? it's confusing and makes very little sense, because the names are mostly interchangeable. Stacey's Problem could be the title of Stacey's Lie or Stacey's Emergency or Stacey's Choice or Stacey's Mistake because it's so damn generic. stacey has a lot of problems, and I don't think this book is more about one of stacey's problems than any of her other books.

stacey outfits:
-"I slipped into the khakis, pulled on a short-sleeved ribbed tee with a wide stripe running across the top, and slid on my platform slides. I brushed my hair back off my face and held it in place with small butterfly clips."
-"I dressed quickly in khakis, sandals, and a short-sleeved sweater with bands of color that faded from dark to light green."

samantha outfit:
-"She stood on the wide front steps dressed in black pants, a bright white T-shirt, and dark sunglasses. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a red scarf."

no snacks in claudia’s room.
Profile Image for Alex.
6,796 reviews1 follower
February 18, 2018
Even though the title of this book makes no sense, it was always one of my favorites in the Friends Forever series and so I really enjoyed re-reading it now.

I loved getting to know Samantha better, I loved Stacey's mom reinventing herself, and I loved Mallory coming home from boarding school and finding that life went on without her. Plus, we get a cameo from Laine Cummings!

It's interesting that Stacey reacted so violently to the thought of her dad and Samantha moving in together in Everything Changes, but here she is thrilled that they are getting married. It's only supposed to be a few months later, has Stacey really matured that quickly?
Profile Image for Samantha.
Author 39 books35 followers
December 6, 2017
And thus, like that, our last Stacey book. It wasn't bad, but a little bit boring. Stacey's Problem though wasn't ever really a problem? That part was a little confusing, but oh well!

Also Mallory is back and has discovered the internet haha. No stopping her now!
Profile Image for Tiffany Spencer.
2,072 reviews19 followers
May 26, 2018
Stacey's Problem
PLOT: Mrs. Mc Gill has been acting strange lately. Could it be because Stacey's father has announced his engagement to his new girlfriend Samantha and she's caught up in old memories? Or perhaps she's lonely herself? Maybe it's time for Mrs. McGill to meet someone and move on. But is this really the solution to her problems?

MY THOUGHTS:
*I feel bad for Mrs. Mc Gill. It's always hard to see people move on even if you could care less about them personally. Especially if they've moved on to a new person and you haven't.
*I also feel bad for Mallory. It's also hard to watch people change and know that while you're still *in* there lives you don't play as big a part as you once did.
*Mal's only been home a short while and she's caught up on every soap on every channel? IMPOSSIBLE!
*Umm there is NOTHING wrong with a bald guy. I don't know if that's me thinking with my age NOW or even how I would have thought if I were 13, but it's kinda sexy. Hello! Michael Rosembum. And yeah I know SV doesn't come on anymore but I'm just saying. Ok to be more current Morris Chestnut.
*Samantha is so cool. She reminds me of my step-mom a little: thoughtful and always considering what I like. I like Samantha.
*I don't know if this is just me but Mr. Gill even though he might seem like a cool Dad (taking Stacey to dress exhibits and new restaurants every visit) but it never really seems like even though they spend time he communicates with her. I guess it's just the way they bond. (Shrugs) Dad's to be fair though kinda are better at activities. I guess that's where Samantha comes in.
*I take it Ethan and Stacey are broken up. This is the first BSC book I've read in YEARS. But what's up with that? I do NOT hang with my EX'S. EVER! There's a reason they're ex's. But then I guess some females can do that and just be cool.

Rating: 6 It's been so long since I read a BSC book. And I never read one in the Friend's Forever series so a lot of it I felt like I missed. Who even was Ethan and since when does Claudia have a thing for Alan Gray and not Kristy? I had the bright idea to go on Open Library where I found a lot of the old books. This is one of the series that I can attribute to my "nostalgia faze" these last couple of years. But upon revisit I found things now felt disjointed and unfamiliar so hopefully as I read more back issues the dots will connect themselves.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
2,636 reviews5 followers
May 15, 2023
I love Stacey's mom Maureen, and I love how this story shows her figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life independent of her past marriage. I love how much Stacey cares for her mom, and how much her mom in turn tries to make sure her problems don't get in the way of Stacey living her life. I also like how cool Stacey's dad's girlfriend Samantha is, and how supportive she is of Stacey and her sensitivity to her mom's feelings. Unlike Kristy's dad, Stacey's dad actually seems pretty cool - a workaholic, but overall a pretty nice person, so this book made me happy to see her entire family kinda moving forward in their post-divorce lives.

The ending also made me super happy. Go Maureen! I LOVE that for her, and I almost wish we had an adult novel about Maureen's life after this and how she eventually finds a new romantic partner of her own. :D
Profile Image for Ashley.
1,781 reviews35 followers
March 4, 2024
I always get the this book confused with Stacey and the Boyfriend Trap because Stacey doesn't really have a problem in this book, aside from stressing about her mom.

But this is a good one, I like seeing Stacey and her mom interact, they have a great relationship. I also like her mom getting some great characterization, and am a little sad that the series is nearing the end and that we don't get to see more of Ms Spencer kicking ass in the fashion industry. I also also like seeing Mal back, and the plotline with her wondering where she fits into Stoneybrook is pretty interesting.

Ugh, I love the Friends Forever series. I honestly wish we got so much more of it!!
Profile Image for Kristi.
150 reviews6 followers
July 4, 2024
Okay so I, a grown women, just discovered this BSC series that takes place after the Baby-sitters Club series. Definitely a different feel to them. My thoughts: I missed Dawn. I thought Stacey was pretty stuck-up. Mary Anne is still my favorite. Some of the plotlines were pretty convoluted (a Secret Service agent's son and a kidnapping attempt?) It was a nice, nostalgic read though.
Profile Image for Devon.
1,128 reviews1 follower
December 6, 2025
This book is genuinely so nostalgic for me. Knocked me straight back into the year 2000, and the hopeful (as always) ending made me a little emo. This is our last Stacey book!! I love the way we're leaving things for her family, but...dang. It's so bittersweet.
91 reviews1 follower
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February 1, 2026

When Stacey's father announces that he plans to remarry, Stacey and her friends try to help her mother adjust to the news, while their friend Mallory returns from boarding school to discover that she seems to have lost her place as the oldest child to one of her brothers.When Stacey's father plans to remarry, Stacey tries to help her mother adjust to the news, while Mallory returns from boarding school to find that she has lost her place as the oldest child to one of her brothers.

Profile Image for Emily.
907 reviews34 followers
October 11, 2020
Stacey attempts to meddle in her mom's life without her mom noticing particularly. This was fun! Maureen McGill is sad. Stacey feels bad about it. She and Claudia take a wacky, video dating plot twist and the mystery of Why Mrs. McGill Feels Sad almost goes off the rails, but eventually Mrs. McGill reveals that she's been in a funk because her job is increasingly less rewarding, and not because she misses the D. Also, Malory invents the internet.
Profile Image for April.
2,641 reviews174 followers
June 1, 2013
Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.

I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.

The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.

Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews