(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With her only child away at college in faraway California, single mom Renee Rhodes feels unmoored.  Without her daughter to dote on, she hardly knows who she is anymore.  She enjoys her receptionist job at a pediatrician's office (although her crush on her boss is downright embarrassing), her gardening, and her baking, but is it enough to sustain and fulfill her?

Chasing an active toddler around all day and trying to keep her home in order without the aid of her workaholic husband has left Sadie Landry feeling bone-tired.  When she discovers she's pregnant again, she realizes she's reached her breaking point.  Between the baby she's growing, the tension in her marriage, and the constant criticism from her outspoken mother-in-law, Sadie has had it.  

Although they're neighbors in quaint Cranberry Cove, Maine, Renee and Sadie don't really know each other.  Until a culinary disaster brings them together.  The resulting friendship that develops between them gives both women the outlet and support they've been looking for.  But will it be enough to sustain them as Renee and Sadie both take big leaps in their lives?

Forever Friends, a debut novel by Sarah Mackenzie, is a little fluffier than my usual reading fare.  Still, the story touches on deeper subjects than its easy, breezy cover would suggest. It tells an upbeat tale set against a cozy backdrop and featuring likable characters.  Its central theme of women supporting women definitely resonated with me.  While the plot doesn't exactly offer tense, nail-biting action, there was enough going on to keep me turning pages.  There was never a point, though, that I couldn't have put Forever Friends down for good.  Overall, then, I liked but didn't love this one.  Will I read the next book in the series?  Eh.  Maybe, maybe not.  

(Readalikes:  Um, nothing's coming readily to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  

for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives) and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Forever Friends from the generous folks at Forever (a division of Hachette Book Group) in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!