There's Cake in My Future

Gruenenfelder's scriptwriting background comes through loud and clear in her third chick lit romance (after 2009's Misery Loves Cabernet). Nic is about to get married; Seema is stuck in platonic misery with an Orlando Bloom look-alike; and Mel can't get her divorce lawyer live-in to commit. At the bridal shower, Nic hatches a wonderful plan for each woman to pull a wish-granting charm out of the cake. The plan goes astray, of course, leaving them to fear their unintended fates and fail to cope with real life in maximally dramatic fashion. The temptation to echo Nic's nine-year-old stepdaughter is almost irresistible: "Suck it up, grow a pair, and let's go!" In a girls-just-wanna-have-fun way, however, this is a good read, hip and amusing without ever thinking too hard. (Jan.)