Summer in Sonoma - Robyn Carr

Synopsis:
They've been best friends since seventh grade. But this summer, teetering on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever.

Cassie has sworn off romance after yet another bad date. Yet deep down, she's still looking for Mr. Forever. A long-haired biker doesn't figure into her plans, so where's the harm in touring the back roads of Sonoma on a Harley with Walt Arneson?

Julie married her high school sweetheart—who can get her pregnant with a mere glance—too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn't enough to sustain the hottest couple in town.

Marty's firefighter husband has forgotten all about romance, and an old flame begins to look mighty tempting.

Beth, a busy doctor trapped in a body that's betrayed her yet again, is becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend.

Life can change in an instant…or a summer. And having old friends to lean on can only up the chances of happily ever after.

Review:

This book makes you realize that no matter how good you think your friend has it, and how much you envy them and their life, it isn't as perfect as it might appear.  Each of these 4 women have been friends for many years, they envy each other in different ways not really knowing the true darkness that haunts them in different ways.  We visit with Cassie who was attacked and saved by a biker dude, who she is hopelessly attracted to but he isn't the image of who she thought she would be with so she keeps him at arms length.  Julie has the life they all seem to want, she is married to the man of her dreams, her high school sweetheart to boot, they have 3 beautiful children but she is drowning in a mountain of debt and it is wearing her down and causing issues in her perfect marriage.  Marty has the perfect house, the perfect child and the perfect husband, or so it appears on the outside.  She is getting so disgusted with him, she is starting to resent him and his bad hygiene and cleaning habits.  Beth is a doctor who has already been through one health scare, when more medical bad news comes along, she decides to go this one alone, until Cassie finds out.

Notable Quote:

"...and once he slipped the ring on, that was it for romance.  Now foreplay in our house is, 'You awake?'"

Rating:

What an emotional ride this book was.  I was gripped from the first chapter, getting to know each of the friends, the same age but each at different part in their lives and each looking for something different.  The one thing that each of these friends learn is that communication is key, communication with their spouse, with their significant others and above all else, with their friends.  I loved how they were always there for each other, no questions asked.  The two husbands thought of all of the friends as sisters and treated them as such which was great to see.  There were a lot of feelings this books brought up, making me (at least) think about my own relationships with my friends.