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Lindsay and Charlie form a friendship in this novel about
beautiful, ambitious African American single women. Both are from
small towns but are now living in New York City. Each is lonely,
with an unsatisfying romantic relationship. Lindsay is discovering
she has less and less in common with her long-term group of female
friends. Charlie's only real friend is Kyle, a gay coworker.

Lindsay is in love with Troy, who quit calling her after she told
him that she loved him. She is a workaholic on the fast track,
hoping to eventually become the first black female president of a
television network. Although her leisure time is all about being
seen at the hottest spots in the coolest clothes, she has recently
become concerned about her younger sister's health problems.

Charlie lives with her fiance, Michael, and attempts to find her
role with his two children, who live with them part-time. Charlie
frantically plans their wedding, although she suspects he's
cheating on her. She also yearns to break through her writer's
block and pen a successful screenplay.

The two women meet halfway through the book. As Lindsay and Charlie
confide in each other, they recognize the beginning of a true
comradeship. They agree to meet once a week to drink Cosmopolitans
and to console and inspire each other. But first they resolve to
get a little revenge on their wandering men.

Short chapters and alternating viewpoints make for a fast read. I
found the two narrators to be witty and funny. However, I didn't
think they were sympathetic characters. Throughout the book I
couldn't help wondering, "How far would any halfway intelligent
woman go to keep an obviously straying mate?" Let me count the ways
in this book: continue to plan a wedding with him, have unsafe sex
with him, not confront him when another woman repeatedly calls for
him … and on and on.

The next question I had was, "How much time and energy would a
smart woman waste on revenge against a straying mate?" Copious
amounts, according to these characters who: place humiliating ads
in the personals column (complete with his name, telephone number
and photo), get drunk and sleep with his friends, have his phone
service eliminated, run up debt on his credit card, sleep with
despicable men so word will get around, etc. The women together
wise up in the end, but to me it felt like much too little way too
late.

Some potentially interesting situations introduced in the book were
not fully explored, leaving me unsatisfied. For example, I wanted
to hear more about Charlie and Lindsay's careers and families
(particularly Lindsay's sick sister and Michael's children). After
an intriguingly detailed description of Lindsay's boss, Robert, I
hoped fruitlessly for a fully realized male character. Female
characters came to life in the narration, but with the exception of
two sympathetic gay characters, the book's males are
disappointingly depicted as two-timing rat-scum stereotypes with
nothing to redeem them.

Although I couldn't relate to the main characters and wished for
more realism, I enjoyed the celebration of friendship and the
humorous commentary. I suspect these authors' next collaboration
will be worth watching for.