The Memo

Debut author Dodes and Mechling (How Could She) spin a fanciful and moving Sliding Doors–esque tale. Jenny Green, 35, is overworked and underappreciated by her narcissistic boss, Alice, and suspects that her boyfriend, Hal, is cheating on her. Meanwhile, her best friends Geeta and Leigh seem to have their lives together, and Jenny starts to wonder if the successful women around her all got the same memo that she missed. Color her surprised when a woman from her past, college career counselor Desiree LeBlanc, reappears in her life to deliver just that. The memo turns out to be a set of instructions for reliving life’s turning points, and making different decisions. Using it, Jenny rewrites her life. Now she’s dating Alex, the wealthy, art-collecting lawyer with whom she previously missed her chance at connection, and running her own vegan meal-delivery service. But alternative choices have unexpected consequences and in changing her history, Jenny may inadvertently impact the life of someone she cares for deeply. The authors make it easy to suspend disbelief by keeping the focus squarely on Jenny’s emotional journey, and they expertly capture her fear and ambivalence in the face of risky life decisions. This well-told tale will leave readers wanting more. (June)