Thursday, December 31, 2015

The Year We Turned Forty (Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke)

A lot can happen in ten years -- some very good and some very bad.  But what if you could have a do-over to change your choices?  Would you want that chance?  The Year We Turned Forty, the last reviewed book of 2015, asks us that tough question.

Jessie, Gabriela, and Claire are three best friends who have made some decisions in the past that have changed the course of their lives.  Jessie had a one-night stand which resulted in the birth of her son, Lucas.  While she regrets that her husband left her once he found it, she obviously would never give up her son.  Gabriela is a bestselling author who put off having children, and once she decided she wanted one, her husband said it was too late.  And Claire wishes she had become closer to her own mother before her mom's death from cancer.  

When all three have the chance to return to age forty, they take it.  But did they bite off more than they can chew?  By changing the course of their lives, is their happiness guaranteed?  Or will the new decisions they make just create new problems?  Readers will root for these friends every step of the way, especially when they decide if staying in their new lives is what they really want or if they want to return to reality.

MY RATING - 4