Library Journal Review

As a single architect living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Joey Rubin has a life many women might envy. As the novel opens, Joey learns that she will travel to the Cotswolds in England to oversee her dream project, the renovation of historic Stanway House. This isn't just any old building either, for this is the house where J.M. Barrie (Joey's favorite author) wrote Peter Pan. Once in England, life doesn't seem as rosy. Although Joey reconnects with her oldest friend, Sarah, who has married a Britisher and is happily a stay-at-home mom of four young, rambunctious kids, Joey feels like an outsider and disconnected from who Sarah has become. She also finds that many of the local residents aren't in favor of the renovation. Out for a run one afternoon, Joey stumbles upon the J.M. Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society, a group of elderly women who swim in the lake, even in January. This chance encounter opens Joey's world to new friendships that will change her life. Verdict Fans of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's best-selling The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will enjoy this debut novel by a literary agent and former film producer (Vampire's Kiss with Nicholas Cage). Her tale of friendship and female wisdom reminds us how important social bonds are.-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.