Review: "Your Perfect Life" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn't be more different in adulthood if they tried. Casey is the host of Gossip TV and is struggling to stay on top in a cutthroat industry. She spends her free time keeping her body in TV-ready shape and picking up men in bars who are far too young for her and more interested in her agent than in calling her the next day.

Rachel is the stay-at-home mom of a "surprise" baby and two strong-willed teenagers. Husband John, her high school sweetheart, barely resembles the man she fell in love with and even though she adores her family she feels unsuccessful and frumpy in comparison to her glamorous best friend. After their disastrous twentieth high school reunion Rachel and Casey wake up in each other's bodies. Forced to follow in their best friend's footsteps until they can figure out how to change back Rachel must face her failed broadcasting dreams and Casey must deal with the fact that she is more lonely than she will ever admit to.

As the best friends navigate their new,and hopefully temporary, reality, they discover that they don't know each other or themselves nearly as well as they once thought.

I loved the premise of this book! Who among us hasn't wondered what it would be like to live someone else's life, even if it's just for a little bit? It goes along with the saying that the grass is greener on the other side. Best friends Casey and Rachel certainly think that the other has it made until they are forced to live the other person's life for an indefinite period of time. Suddenly the marriage that seemed so perfect is shown to be less so, and the career that appeared to be ideal turns out to be draining and cutthroat. The premise certainly reminded me that even though other's lives may seem ideal from the outside, there is often far more going on under the surface than it appears.

I'll admit that I'm in awe of the writing team of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I imagine that it would be hard enough to write a book solo, let alone with your best friend! The authors write seamlessly and I honestly would never be able to determine who wrote what. The characters come alive on the page and I think that most women will be able to identify with either Casey or Rachel. Even though I identified easily with Rachel I still loved Casey and I appreciated seeing her grow as she walks for a while in her friend's shoes.

Your Perfect Life was so good that I took it into the bathtub with me and I didn't stop reading until the water was icy cold. I just couldn't put it down! I predict that this touching and thought-provoking novel will be a big hit on the beach this summer and if you haven't picked up your copy yet I can't imagine why not! My thanks to the authors for providing me with a copy for review!