First published 2012
Kate has beaten a life threatening illness. On a warm September evening, she gathers six close friends for an outdoor dinner celebration. The women challenge Kate to go white water rafting down the Grand Canyon with her daughter to mark her fresh start. Kate hesitates at the risk. Her friend Marion makes a proposal. If Kate faces the rapids, each woman will tackle something that terrifies her within the year. Kate accepts but adds her own condition. Since she cannot pick her own challenge, she gets to select theirs. One woman must learn to release her past. Another will get a tattoo. Each friend receives a task that pushes her boundaries. The seven women embark on separate journeys that weave together throughout the months ahead. Their individual struggles and breakthroughs reveal how female friendship can push us toward the changes we need most.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, family-life, friendship, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-transformation
Setting: Grand Canyon
288 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group