How To Change A Life by Stacey Ballis

Photo Credit: Berkley

This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

How To Change A Life

Summary: A dare between friends leads to startling revelations and simmering tensions in the latest novel from the author of Wedding Girl.

Eloise is happy with her life as a successful private chef. She has her clients, her corgi, and a recipe for the world’s most perfect chocolate cream pie. What more could she need? But when her long-lost trio of high school friends reunites, Eloise realizes how lonely she really is.

Eloise, Lynne, and Teresa revamp their senior-class assignment and dare one another to create a list of things to accomplish by the time they each turn forty in a few months. Control freak Lynne has to get a dog, Teresa has to spice up her marriage, and Eloise has to start dating again.

Enter Shawn, a hunky ex-athlete and the first man Eloise could see herself falling for. Suddenly forty doesn’t seem so lonely–until a chance encounter threatens the budding romance and reveals the true colors of her friends. Will the bucket listers make it to forty still speaking to one another? Or do some friendships come with an expiration date?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’ve read a couple of Stacey Ballis books- Recipe for Disaster being one of them. When How To Change A Life showed up in my mailbox- I was really curious.

I’m not quite the age that Stacey’s characters are in this book- but I’m closing in on some milestone birthdays. And I’m questioning some things in my life- love, creating balance, family, etc.

SO this book was really great from that perspective. Eloise has a “good” life, but she wants more. When the death of a favorite teacher lets her reconnect with some old friends- they all make some plans to make some changes.

Here’s what I love about this book:

Old friendships can be intense at times. They knew you “when”- during bad hair days, acne, you came of age together, etc. And they can totally give you nostalgia like feelings when you’ve parted ways and are looking back at memories.

And that is one of the things Eloise finds herself grappling with- do old friendships need to come to the present or be remembered (fondly) as past fun and parts of life?

What I liked:

The Cover!!!!

Eloise. She had a lot going for her and a lot to work through to live her best life.

The ending. It was a good ending!

Bottom line: I’ve enjoyed Stacey’s foodie fiction/chick lit novels before, but this one was something else. She’s raised the bar with her writing in How To Change A Life.

*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*