"Friendship and womanhood are explored in this wonderful story."

Summer is in full bloom in Bishop, RI, reuniting friends, Olivia, Claire and Lexie. Finding a safe haven in each other's company, they relive the wonder and angst of their past. Together, they try to make sense out of the romance, or lack thereof, each has now.

For Olivia, an abandoned house lures her back with a sense and purpose long forgotten. And there's Daniel, the man who loves her and makes her smile. Yet she's unable to commit. Will fixing up her house fix her romance, or lead it on a different path?

Claire, the only married homemaker of the three, escapes to her past and tries to leave behind more than her unsatisfying home. Will she choose her safe, almost invisible husband Jeff, or go for Trent, an old high school sweetheart? Can she free the real woman inside?

Last is Lexie, bright, beautiful, wild and free. A news anchor with a suddenly stifled potential for greatness, will she continue to play the field? Or will she find the love and commitment she's been longing for in an unexpected place?

As these friends come home, they discover the best and worst in each other, again. With lyrical, yet simple, words of friendship and womanhood, Ms. Holmes conveys a wonderful story. She invites the reader into her world with characters who remind us of dear friends, full of life, quirks and insecurities. Thoroughly satisfying and heartfelt, readers will treasure this book for a long time to come.

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted December 10, 2003

Antiques lover Olivia Halsey adores second-hand goods, but is afraid of becoming a first-time bride. So she and her two best friends take a time-out on life to go home to Bishop, Rhode Island, where they'll all learn what to throw away-and what to treasure.

Summary

Olivia Halsey has never met a rummage sale she could pass up. But one-of-a-kind antiques at bargain prices are about the only thing she can stand to commit to. The sexy man she's involved with wants marriage, but Olivia keeps pushing him away. That's why she's going home to Bishop, Rhode Island. To put some distance between them-and to repair some damage that's been done to her childhood home.

Olivia's not the only one looking for a time-out. Her best friends Lexie and Claire, are heading to Bishop too-on the pretext of helping her fix up the house. A sexy television reporter, Lexie is ready for some soul searching. And the perfect Claire is tired of hiding her perfect family's faults. Coming home to Bishop will bring out the best and worst of their friendship, and the best and worst of themselves. If only they can learn to trust the good parts-and help Olivia recognize what to throw away and what to treasure...