The Friendship Club

The middling latest from Carr (A Family Affair) follows a Nevada celebrity chef and her friends across the rocky terrain of their love lives. Marni McGuire, 57, has nurtured her culinary empire for decades. Twice married—first to an abusive man who died, then to a husband she divorced for infidelity—she’s reluctant to look for love again. Ellen, her business partner of 20 years, shares the sentiment after spending many years caring for her late husband following his debilitating aneurism. Both women are surprised to connect with new men in their lives: Ellen with a retired fireman who’s working to start a food truck for families displaced by tragedies, and Marni with a farmer and professor who’s the father of her intern Sophia. The women, including Marni’s pregnant daughter, rally around Sophia when she reveals she’s being stalked by her ex, a situation that gives Marni an opportunity to share a story of her own abuse. While the characters are charming, the story goes in circles and rehashes points that have already been covered. Carr occasionally finds momentum, but stalls too many times to keep the reader on board. This one never takes flight. (Jan.)