On the eve of her 37th birthday, former voiceover artist Fran Clark finds herself in a role she could never have envisioned—that of a surprisingly desperate housewife, who—despite, or because of, her ad exec husband and two children—finds herself suffocating in her own life. Shes far too cynical to take suburban life too seriously (as she says, "If it werent for the Happy Meal, several thousand women would have murdered their children: HAPPY MEALS SAVE LIVES."), yet she cant seem to stop herself from entering a panicky spiral downward, depressed and drinking too much, until she hits rock bottom. It will take both her children and her two best friends counting on her more than theyd ever anticipated for her to find the inner strength to rebuild her life. Frans completely flawed yet completely lovable personality, filled with wit and charm, narrates this intimate, self-deprecating tale—one that will resonate with any woman who has ever been stricken with self-doubt.

Maria Beaumont is 21, or 28, or sometimes 38—it depends on how good the lighting is. She writes books, and when she isn’t doing that, she teaches street dance. And when she isn’t doing that, she’s working on improving the lighting.