by Jennifer Weiner
There's nothing like new motherhood to inspire friendship among women who would otherwise have nothing to do with each other, as Weiner makes clear in the lively, witty, and often touching follow-up to her 2002 bestseller In Her Shoes. Her account of the postbirth bond that brings together an up-and-coming Hollywood star, a tightly wound event planner, a stunning NBA wife and an overweight, wisecracking chef is full of details that will resonate with anyone who remembers when her signature scent was "B.O., breast milk, and desperation" and she couldn't go out in public without donning nipple shields "that looked like tiny sombreros." A rosy picture of motherhood this isn't, but Weiner's snappy dialogue and captivating characters make it endlessly appealing. Cynics may have a hard time with four exhausted and overwhelmed new moms whose lives seem enchanted even as they care for insomniac babies and husbands who no longer understand them, but Weiner's blend of fizzy romanticism tamped down with just the right amount of dark reality makes her latest novel an ideal escape for the What to Expect crowd.
