Hope in a Jar

As a teen Allie Denty believed the cure for most anything could be had in a cosmetics jar. Now, with her 20-year high school reunion approaching, she's facing insecurities she'd never imagined—aging, weight gain and her single status. When her best friend Noah shows up accompanied by a beautiful woman who was the most evil girl in high school, Allie warns him off her and risks damaging their long friendship. Orlagh Cassidy's mellifluous voice makes this mundane and predictable story far more interesting than it is. She gives the characters more personality than was written for them and finds the perfect voices to portray each. Chapters begin with quirky quotes that any baby-boomer would recognize, and Cassidy imbues them with dry, overly dramatic tones, making them the novel's comedic highlight. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 2). (July)