How to Change a Life by Stacey Ballis

Three friends from high school meet again at their favorite teacher's funeral.  They reunite, chat about the good old days as well as where they are in life now, and they decide to set some bucket list goals to accomplish before they are forty.  That gives them eight months.  The winner doesn't have to donate to the teacher's charity fund.  They have always been competitive.  They are at different situations in their lives but they make their lists.  Things they think they should accomplish and suggestions from the others that will take them out of their comfort zones...

Berkley sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

Eloise is a chef.  She works for a family, an elderly man, and does other functions as they are booked.  She's been in love once but when she had to leave France to come home and care for her father, he didn't follow.  It tore her heart to pieces so she has lived a solitary life with only a dog for companionship.  One of her assigned goals to enter the dating world again.

Teresa wants to perk up her marriage's romance.  Lynne has large corporate goals.  They all start to work on their goals.  Lynne accomplishes most of hers right off the bat.  Teresa breaks her ankle and they can't tell her husband why.  (She was taking pole dancing lessons.)  Eloise has some real ugly dates and then meets a man who is different from the usual run of the mill men.  He's also black but that doesn't bother her.  She's just hesitant about how his family will feel about her and about how her mother and aunt will feel about him.  No need to worry.

The crisis comes when they are out to dinner and Lynne and comes in.  It seems Eloise's new love was her ex.  She called him Mr. O So Wrong.  She'd never said his name.  And now Eloise is too attached to give him up.  Can she keep her friend and him too?  Does she want to keep her friend?

That question takes a lot of soul searching.  It also takes Teresa to get them together and make them discuss what they think of each other and why honestly.  No holds barred.  Just because they are near forty doesn't mean they all grown up yet...