The Friends We Keep/Susan Mallery/375 pgs.

Three friends--Gabby Schaefer, Hayley Batchelor, and Nicole Lord--all living in Mischief Bay, and each dealing with problems on the home front! Gabby has been looking forward to going back to work part time now that her twin daughters will be starting kindergarten. Unfortunately,  her stepdaughter, Makayla, throws a wrench into her plans. Hayley has wanted a baby of her own as long as she can remember, but some things just aren't meant to be--she's resistant to her husband's suggestion of adoption for a variety of reasons. Nicole has pretty well been raising her son, Tyler, by herself, for years. Her ex-husband has been less than stellar as a father, so Nicole has trust issues concerning men. The women's friendship ties the three "stories" together, resulting in a rather predictable ending. Recommended.