In the uneven latest from Roby (It's a Thin Line), four friends help each other weather hard times and remain grounded in their Christian faith. Kenya, Lynette, Michelle, and Serena have been best friends since they met at church as young children, and now, in their 40s, they carry on a decade-long tradition of meeting for lunch each month to discuss their complicated lives. Serena struggles to keep faith that God will lead her to her soulmate after her boyfriend cheats on her. Kenya's happy marriage is upended by her husband's bitter ex-wife, who uses Kenya's stepson as a pawn to leverage more child support. Lynette has recently emerged from a tough divorce and falls for a younger man, only to get blindsided when his secrets come to light. Michelle's marriage plans unravel when her recently divorced ex-boyfriend declares he still has feelings for her. The plot is fast-paced and packs some juicy surprises, but the supporting characters can feel one-dimensional and simplistically depicted as either wholly deserving or undeserving of readers' empathy, a fault especially evident in the unsympathetic portrayals of Kenya's husband's ex-wife and Serena's boyfriend's paramour. Winning leads can't quite save this. (Aug.)

Three decades of friendship among four childhood friends creates a powerful sisterhood not easily broken. Serena, Michelle, Kenya, and Lynette know that their Christian faith and dedication to one another will help them weather any onslaught of challenges life brings. But as they navigate unexpected seasons of love and loss during middle age, staying true to their values and one another proves more complicated than they ever imagined. When worldly temptations test the friends' accountability and faithfulness, they must each find a way to reconcile their personal choices with their shared convictions. In her latest, best-selling Roby tells a story of female friendships grounded in conservative Christian values and of women who struggle together, supporting one another through midlife trials of love and family in today's secular world. Topics such as child custody and celibacy before marriage are addressed directly as characters seek to make life choices that bring honor and joy to God. Drama and missteps balance well with their motives, generating relatable themes of regret, grief for seasons past, and hope in second chances.

Serena, Michelle, Kenya, and Lynette grew up in different neighborhoods, but they met at church and have remained friends for decades. They still meet once a month for lunch, even as they reach 40 and have taken different paths in life. A study of friendship from the New York Times best-selling Roby; with a 60,000-copy first printing.