Though now best friends in California, neglected housewife Bitsey, trophy wife M.J. and divorcée interior designer Cat are all "Grits": girls raised in the South. When the death of M.J.'s wealthy husband leaves her destitute on the eve of Bitsey's 30-year high school reunion, the three plan a road trip to their hometown of New Orleans—and the boyfriend each has left behind. M.J. abandons her former flame in favor of paraplegic auto mechanic Steve. Cat, meanwhile, finds that sparks still fly with sheriff Matt, and Bitsey is tempted by her ex-love Eddie, now an activist lawyer. Family dramas abound as well, from Bitsey's disaffected daughter to Cat's alcoholic clan. Events work out far more neatly than in real life (e.g., all three women breezily abandon California and move back home), but Becnel deftly captures the way actual women think, giving the book an emotional groundedness that balances its romantic fantasy; insightful descriptions of Steve's physical limitations and Bitsey's distant marriage add realism as well.
