Library Journal

01/01/2018
Sophie, Emily, Amy, and Melissa were best friends at university in England, and remain best friends. They are friends when Sophie meets Steve in their first year, when Emily becomes pregnant and a single mother, when Amy meets the man of her dreams. Almost every year, they come back together again to catch up on the high points of their lives. They practice tough love and kick Melissa out when she's addicted to coke and alcohol. They kidnap Amy to rescue her and her children from an abusive marriage. Through weddings, births, careers, and 20 more years, they struggle but remain best friends. The one secret that can tear them apart is the identity of the man who fathered Emily's son. VERDICT Told year by year for 20 years, Warner's (With or Without You) character-driven novel follows the growth of four women. The characters are realistic and well developed, flawed, and easy to distinguish. The intense portrayal of modern life, women's friendships and problems may satisfy fans of Debbie Macomber or Alice Adams's Invincible Summer.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN