I'm also a 39 year old mom who has read the complete series along with my 14 year old daughter. I was just as fascinated by the books. I was a little disappointed in the actor they selected for Carlyle. He appeared stiff and fake. Carlyle was portrayed as a gentle, charismatic soul in the book. Regardless, the movie was great. It did move a little fast, so at first if you were not a book reader you might have thought the romance was a little too quirky. I thought Kristen played Bella perfectly!! Very excited to see the rest of the books portrayed on the big screen. Can't Wait!!