The friendship between six women – all in different situations – began when Sara moved in with her newborn twins. To help the young mother, a “holding circle” is formed. When Kate announces that she has cancer, the friends’ focus shifts. Months later, at a celebratory dinner, a healthy Kate announces that she is going white water rafting. Kate challenges each do something that frightens them. The catch - Kate gets to pick their task. Even though they seem simple, Kate knows that each woman will struggle confronting her deepest fear. This moving, character-driven novel will make you laugh, cry, and smile. Each lyrical chapter chronicles the women’s lives, how they met and how they conquer their personal challenges. Fans of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher will enjoy Bauermeister’s heart-warming stand-alone follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients.

a warm fuzzy book. May be a good choice for a book club. I appreciated how she tied the different stories together. Each section was based on one person but in the background, you could piece together how someone else's story progressed. It was a fairly light read. I was able to read it in 2 days. A good airplane or beach read.

If you're a fan of Elizabeth Berg, you will enjoy this author.

A warm, insightful tale of seven women who each take on life challenges to celebrate a friend's triumph over cancer.