In a small Texas town, three women–Gillian, a former prom queen and furious juggler of her three children’s manic schedules; Lianna, a foul-mouthed East Coast banking super star; and Aimee, a woman capable of far more than her current life will allow–find their lives converging.

Gillian, reeling from the revelations her husband shared at a fundraiser she hosted just days ago, is suddenly grappling with what she has always believed about politics, family, and her own comfortable life–and aghast at some of the choices she’s made. Lianna is en route to close a deal and languishing in the August heat. Desperate to return to her beloved New York and a first-time visitor to rural Texas, she’s certain she has landed in one of the outer rings of hell. Aimee, though withering under the covert dysfunction and mental illness lurking in her family, still manages to shine in her low-level job and allows herself to dream of a life far away. When Gillian and Lianna stop at the same convenience store, they find themselves in an unthinkable situation. Aimee may be their only hope–if she can put the pieces together.

This was an interesting book. When I read the original pitch about it, I expected all three women — Lianna, Gillian, and Aimee — to “share the screen” together throughout the story, but it worked out a bit differently (which wasn’t bad, just different from what I expected).

The story telling technique is also a bit different — about half of the story is told through memories and flashbacks. Those aren’t my favorite, but the characters were so compelling that they made me want to keep reading (if I hadn’t liked the characters so much, I might not have finished the book). She really grabbed my attention and instantly made me curious about/care for the three women. I always prefer a little more romance in my stories, but I also stories of character growth, which this had plenty of.

Honestly, the hardest part for me was the stereotypical liberal/conservative political beliefs, with one side being the enlightened side and the other being the uneducated idiot who needs to be reformed. Maybe there are people who truly believe that about people with other beliefs, but I’ve never understood the 100% wrong/100% right view of things, and as a writing coach and editor, I try to dissuade my authors from doing that because you’ll alienate so many readers that way. (I love how the TV show Last Man Standing approaches differing views — two educated, caring people who each sees things differently.) Maybe the author doesn’t care, but I think it’ll be hard to win over conservative readers when all conservative beliefs are insulted and only redeemed when they’re changed.

Overall, an interesting writing style that might take some getting used to, but complex characters that you’ll want to root for and relate to.

R-rated for some violence and lots of swearing.

Available September 6 — pre-order your copy here!

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